Dynamic range Allows you to see that the kit is capable of detecting and quantifying your expected protein concentrations.
Sensitivity Shows the lowest level of protein that the antibody pair is able to detect. It should always be less than the lowest point of the standard curve full article.
Precision Shows you how consistent the assay is between runs. A good kit could have a CV < 10%.
Standard curve Visual confirmation that the curve is not a low or flat curve. A poor standard curve means the antibody didn’t bind properly or doesn’t capture the protein standard. The R2 value of the trend line should be >0.99.
Spike-and-recovery Tells you that a target protein is recoverable after being spiked into a matrix. Acceptable results are 80–120%.
Linearity Poor linearity of dilution indicates that the natural sample matrix, the sample diluent and/or standard diluent affect protein detectability differently.
Biological samples Evidence that the antibody pair detects the endogenous protein and not just the recombinant protein.
Species cross-reactivity Gives you an indication of extent to which an antibody pair binds to non-target proteins. This should ideally be <5%.
International standard Calibration to an international control enables cross-comparison between data sets. This helps you switch from an ELISA supplier to another one for the same ELISA kit.
