BMAA, ELISA 96 tests

The β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) ELISA is an immunoassay for the quantitative and/or qualitative screening of BMAA in water samples. The test is a direct competitive ELISA based on the recognition of BMAA by specific antibodies. BMAA, when present in a sample, and a BMAA-HRP analog compete for the binding sites of the rabbit anti-BMAA antibodies in solution. The BMAA antibodies are then bound by a second antibody (goat anti-rabbit) immobilized on the wells of the microtiter plate. After a washing step and addition of the substrate solution, a color signal is generated. The intensity of the blue color is inversely proportional to the concentration of BMAA present in the sample. The color reaction is stopped after a specified time and the color is evaluated using an ELISA reader. The concentrations of the samples are determined by interpolation using the standard curve constructed with each run.