Traditional ELISA kits are time-consuming, taking around four hours to produce results with no guarantee of accuracy and reproducibility. We changed that in 2012 when we launched our SimpleStep ELISA® kits, which accelerated workflows by generating data in just 90 minutes or less. They were the first kits to offer these benefits at the time.

Today, our SimpleStep ELISA® kits are the result of years of meticulous development, advanced technology, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. They’re designed to keep research moving forward, faster, with over 1,550 kits available in our catalog, covering over 1,000 key protein targets. Each component is available individually, ready for you to adapt to your own assay.

“I hate to do ELISAs but this kit changed it all. Very simple protocol and very fast. Reached very good results with ease and in no time.”

– Jacob Romano, Abcam customer

SimpleStep ELISA® kits are a showcase of everything we do best at Abcam, from cutting-edge recombinant technology to our industry-leading quality control. Read on to learn more.

1. Recombinant technology

First and foremost, our SimpleStep ELISA® kits are powered by the world’s largest range of recombinant antibodies. Unlike polyclonal and traditional monoclonal antibodies, recombinant antibodies are produced through precise genetic engineering, which ensures unparalleled batch-to-batch consistency, sensitivity, and specificity. By delivering access to these highly specific antibodies through our ELISA kits, we ensure that results are reliable and reproducible.

With over 32,000 recombinant antibodies in our portfolio, over 6,000 of which are suitable for ELISA, we offer the world’s most cited, curated, comprehensive catalog to meet the evolving needs of the scientific community.

Discover our recombinant antibodies.

2. Extensive validation

It’s not just the quality of our antibodies that sets our SimpleStep ELISA® kits apart: each antibody undergoes extensive validation to ensure specificity. We conduct application-specific testing on the recombinant antibodies that build our kits, including validating our antibody pairs in sandwich ELISA. We champion knock-out validation, with a growing range of 4,600+ knock-out validated recombinants made with our library of human knockout cell lines, also available for purchase.

Explore our knock-out validated antibodies.

3. Biophysical quality control

Our commitment to antibody quality extends beyond traditional validation. The biophysical quality control (QC) of antibodies confirms their identity at a molecular level, using a variety of tests established by the biopharma industry for therapeutic antibodies to assess sequence identity, sequence integrity, aggregation, purity, and concentration. These include liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Biophysical QC provides a unique ‘fingerprint’ for validating future batches, guaranteeing the highest specificity, sensitivity, and consistency. Eliminating lot-to-lot variability means assays can be reproduced again and again, any time, globally.

We’re the only reagent supplier to carry out this level of analysis, setting industry standards in antibody quality and providing the highest level of assurance to researchers.

Understand how BPQC can help you in your research.

4. Carrier-free and conjugated formats

To give researchers more flexibility in their assay design, the core components of our SimpleStep ELISA® kits are available in both carrier-free and conjugated formats. With over 1,800 carrier-free antibody pairs in our catalog, plus conjugation kits for more than 45 labels, researchers can customize their assays to fit their specific needs, whether that involves direct conjugation to labels or adapting assays for high-throughput screening.

Design your assay, your way. Learn more about our carrier-free formulations for recombinant antibodies.

5. Matched antibody pairs

Central to the speed and simplicity of our ELISA kits is our matched antibody pairs optimized for sandwich immunoassays.

We meticulously select these pairs from hundreds of candidates, screening them for optimal performance. Promising pairs are tested for sensitivity, orientation, and detection in biological samples. The best two pairs then undergo full standard curve testing, which confirms linearity and sample reading. Finally, cross-reactivity testing against other species and related proteins ensures specificity, and the best pair is selected based on sensitivity, linearity, and cross-reactivity.

Our matched antibody pairs are the same pairs used in our 96-well and 384-well SimpleStep ELISA® kits. They have the same high specificity, making them ideal for tailoring your ELISA assays to your own platform, and scaling throughput up or down; our 384-well kit is the first fully validated rapid ELISA kit enabling a seamless transfer from 96 to 384-well.

We also offer a growing range of recombinant protein standards that are complementary with our matched antibody pairs and SimpleStep ELISA® kits. If you can’t find the right reagent for your experiment, our team will work with you to develop a custom solution together.

Learn more about our matched antibody pairs for ELISA.

6. Beyond SimpleStep ELISA®

Our intricate understanding of conjugation goes further than ELISA® kits; the same expertise extends into our Lightning-Link® kits, which enable fast, precise conjugation of carrier-free antibodies and are ideal for antibody labeling at scale.

If you can’t find the kit you need in our catalog, our team is on hand to provide tailored conjugation services to meet the specific demands of your experiment. Designed with the same rigorous standards as our SimpleStep ELISA® kits, our custom conjugation technologies empower researchers with complete workflow solutions.

Speak to us about Lightning-Link® or custom conjugation.

Pioneering excellence

Since we introduced SimpleStep ELISA® kits in 2012, Abcam has not only saved researchers decades at the bench, but we’ve set new standards for quality and reliability in scientific research. Our kits are more than just tools – they are a testament to our ongoing commitment to advancing science by providing researchers with high-quality reagents.

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