4.3.2. Immunosensor Formats

Non-competitive and competitive detection formats were applied for developing OWLS immunosensors. The first format was based on the immobilisation of 2000-fold diluted polyclonal antibodies. Such immobilised antibodies capture their analyte (the antigen or similar immunoreactive compounds) from the sample; therefore, this format is often also termed a direct format, and the amount of antigen bound to the immobilised antibodies is proportional to the quantity of the antigen in the standard solutions. In the second format, 10 µg/mL of ZON-BSA conjugate was bound to the solid surface, then standards or

samples were mixed in a 1:1 ratio with solutions containing known amounts of antibodies, and the mixture upon a short incubation was injected into the system. The amount of antibodies bound to the immobilised conjugates is inversely proportional to the quantity of the antigen in the standard solutions.
