Assays are important tools used to measure specific biological or chemical processes. These processes may include enzyme activity, protein-to-protein interactions, gene expression, and more. In many cases, standard assay kits may not be suitable for project-specific applications. That’s where custom assay development comes in handy.
What is Custom Assay Development?
Custom assay development refers to the design and development of assays that are tailored to a specific research project, application, or industry. The purpose of custom assay development is to create assays that are more sensitive, precise, and specific than commercially available standard assays.
Key Benefits of Custom Assay Development
Custom assay development has several benefits over standard assay kits:
Precision
Custom assays are designed to be more precise since they are designed for a specific project. This means that the assay is more likely to detect the specific biomolecules of interest accurately.
Specificity
Unlike standard assay kits that may cross-react with unrelated molecules, custom assays are designed to be highly specific. The assay is built based on specific antigens, thus reducing false positives.
Sensitivity
Assays that are too insensitive may lead to inaccurate or meaningless results. Custom assay development can optimize the sensitivity of the assay to ensure that it detects even trace amounts of specific biomolecules.
Flexibility
Custom assay development provides the flexibility to adapt the assay as the research project progresses. The assay can be modified to include additional parameters, targets, or even work with more diverse samples that may not work with standard assay kits.
How Custom Assay Development Works
Custom assay development works by first understanding the specific parameters, targets, and samples involved in the research project. The custom assay development process starts with the designing of antigens or probes specific to the target analyte molecule.
The next step is to select the best protocol and platform for the assay. Once the protocols and platforms are determined, validation of the assay is performed using both negative and positive controls to ensure that the assay is specific, sensitive, and precise.
Conclusion
In conclusion, custom assay development is a valuable tool for researchers and industries that require precise and specific assay results. Custom assays can detect even small amounts of target analyte molecules accurately while minimizing false positives. Furthermore, custom assay development provides flexibility, allowing researchers to adapt the assay to changing project needs. If you require highly specific and precise assay results, custom assay development may be the solution you need.