Automated ELISA processors play an important role in COVID testing

Owing to its high sensitivity, specificity, precision, and throughput, ELISA has served as the gold standard for a plethora of analytes. In the current COVID-19 pandemic, ELISA tests are playing a key role in testing, surveillance, and epidemiological studies.

A typical ELISA protocol entails multistep manual operations that at some point become challenging from an operational and compliance perspective. The last two decades have seen tremendous innovation in ELISA technology. Automated ELISA processors are equipped with robotic probes and dedicated workstations, which drastically improve ELISA workflows, in terms of technology, features, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.

Automated ELISA processors
Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd. has introduced the ErbaLisa COVID-19 IgG ELISA kits with over 98 percent sensitivity and specificity. These kits have been validated by ICMR and NIV, Pune.

A range of automated ELISA processors are available for all kinds of workloads and spatial setups–from a compact bench-top ELISA strip processor to 1-, 2- 3-, 4- or 6-microplate processors.

These fully automated ELISA processors are complete walk-away systems that minimize manual errors, while improving accuracy and turnaround time for critical tests. Usually, being open systems, the limitation of ELISA kits from a single source, can also be ruled out.

Erba Lisa XL. It is a six-plate ELISA processor that can conduct 500 tests at one go, which means thousands of patients can be tested in a day. A complete walk-away system, it is designed to meet the needs of the high-workload laboratories and blood banks as well as the government set-ups in the current COVID scenario. Dual-probe parallel processing with disposable tips offers rapid sample and reagent distribution, ensuring faster turnaround time (TAT) while minimizing sample carryover and assay drift.

A dynamic scheduler ensures processing of six plates and up to 12 assays in a single plate. Interchangeable racks for samples and reagents allow for a higher number of samples to be accommodated. Lisa XL can be independently used as a pipetting station, incubator, reader, washer, and shaker.

Elan 30s. It is a fully automated ELISA processor with a capacity of processing up to six different assays in 30 strips simultaneously. A compact, bench-top, open system, Elan 30s is integrated with intuitive software to guide users through assay setup, requiring minimal training.

A real-time run dashboard monitors assay status at all levels. The dedicated carousel holds samples, reagents, control/calibrators, and disposable tips, which can be easily removed and refrigerated. Elan 30s is equipped with a sample reagent pippetter, strip washer, reader, incubator, and shaker, eliminating the transfer operation between stations. The washing operation is supported with three different wash buffers.

In addition to COVID-19 testing, Lisa XL is a preferred choice for testing of TTIs and several biochemical markers in large blood banks and laboratories. On the other hand, Elan 30s is suitable for small throughput blood banks and laboratories for assays not available or affordable on other platforms.