Immunodetection [Neurosurgery Wiki]

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====== Immunodetection ======

**Immunodetection** refers to a group of techniques that use antibodies to detect specific proteins or antigens in biological samples. It is widely used in both basic research and clinical diagnostics.

===== 🔬 Main Techniques =====

==== Western Blot (WB) ====
  * Detects proteins separated by SDS-PAGE.
  * Requires transfer to a membrane (e.g., PVDF or nitrocellulose).
  * Uses primary antibody (antigen-specific) and secondary antibody (enzyme-linked).
  * Detection via chemiluminescence, fluorescence, or colorimetric substrate.

==== Immunohistochemistry (IHC) ====
  * Detects antigens in tissue sections.
  * Preserves spatial context within the tissue.
  * Visualization via light microscopy after chromogenic staining (e.g., DAB).

==== Immunofluorescence (IF) ====
  * Uses fluorophore-conjugated antibodies.
  * Enables localization of proteins in cells or tissues.
  * Requires fluorescence microscope or confocal imaging.

==== ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) ====
  * Quantitative detection of proteins in liquid samples.
  * High sensitivity and specificity.
  * Used in diagnostics (e.g., infectious diseases, hormone levels).

==== Flow Cytometry ====
  * Detects protein expression on or within cells in suspension.
  * Useful for immunophenotyping, apoptosis, cell cycle analysis.
  * Multicolor analysis with fluorophore-labeled antibodies.

===== 🧪 Key Components =====
  * **Primary antibody**: Binds the specific target antigen.
  * **Secondary antibody**: Binds the primary antibody and is conjugated to a detectable label (e.g., HRP, fluorophore).
  * **Detection system**: Colorimetric, chemiluminescent, or fluorescent.

===== ✅ Applications =====
  * Detection of disease biomarkers.
  * Analysis of protein expression patterns.
  * Neuroscience (e.g., GFAP, NeuN, Merlin).
  * Oncology (e.g., Ki-67, p53, HER2).
  * Evaluation of therapeutic targets.

===== 🧷 Related Pages =====
  * [[immunohistochemistry]]
  * [[western_blot]]
  * [[flow_cytometry]]
  * [[elisa]]
  * [[neuroscience_markers]]