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The western blot is a lab technique used to isolate proteins and can diagnose diseases like HIV, BSE, and Lyme disease. Samples are electrophoresed and tagged with antibodies to identify proteins. False positives are rare, but false negatives can occur. Researchers use the results to identify specific proteins. The technique is also used in veterinary medicine to test for BSE in cows.
A western blot is a laboratory analysis technique used to isolate proteins. It can be used in the diagnosis of some diseases and also in the research of various proteins and processes. The western blot is famously linked to the diagnosis of HIV infection, but it can also be used to look for traces of bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE) and Lyme disease. Samples submitted for testing using a Western blot protocol can return results within days to several weeks, depending on laboratory capacity and urgency.
In a western blot, the sample, which can be from blood or tissue, is first electrophoresed so that the proteins separate by length. A target length protein isolate electrophoresis gel strip can be used to transfer the proteins onto a nitrocellulose substrate for the next step of the assay. During this step, an antibody is introduced into the sample, with the goal of tagging proteins with antigens that that antibody latches onto.
Once proteins have been tagged, they can be easily identified. If testing for disease, the presence of a reactive protein indicates that the sample tested positive. Western blots rarely return false positives, although they can happen occasionally, and they can also return false negatives, where a person actually has a disease, but it doesn’t show up on western blots. This can be particularly common in cases where the pathogen has not yet begun to replicate.
Researchers can use the results to identify specific proteins they are monitoring and for a variety of other purposes. Understanding how the western blot protocol works is an important skill for some researchers and laboratory technicians, as they need to be able to return reliable and reliable results using this method. Laboratory skills, including learning how to handle complicated or defective samples and how to avoid contamination during the process so that test results are truthful.
This technique is sometimes known as an immunoblot, because essentially the desired proteins are “buffered” with antibodies so that they are visualized. This test can be used to look for protein in all animals, not just humans, with veterinarians often using the western blot test to determine if a herd of cows has been infected or exposed to BSE.
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