ELISA lab report submission
Mon, Sep 28, 2026 · Week 6 · Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions)
Today's goal: Submit a full ELISA lab report interpreting your controls, results, and the test's reliability.
This is a model of the work you should turn in today. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your data and wording should be your own.
ELISA lab report (sample run)
Plate photo: attached, read 30 minutes after the stop solution went in.
Color data table (scored 0 to 3 by eye against the standard strip):
Well | Sample | Color | Call
A1 | Positive control | 3 | Positive
A2 | Negative control | 0 | Negative
B1 | Patient 1 | 3 | Positive
B2 | Patient 2 | 0 | Negative
B3 | Patient 3 | 1 | Borderline
B4 | Patient 4 | 3 | Positive
Control check, done before reading any patient well: the positive control developed strong color and the negative control stayed clear, so this plate can tell signal from background and the patient wells are readable. If the negative control had developed color I would have discarded the run, because unbound antibody that was never washed away produces the same color as a real positive.
Claim: Patients 1 and 4 are positive for the antigen, Patient 2 is negative, and Patient 3 is borderline and needs a repeat.
Reasoning: Color in this assay comes from enzyme-linked antibody that stayed bound because its antigen was present. Patients 1 and 4 matched the positive control at 3, and they sat on a plate whose negative control was clean, so the color is attributable to antigen rather than to leftover reagent. Patient 2 matched the negative control at 0. Patient 3 sat between them at 1, which is the region my method cannot resolve.
Sensitivity and specificity from this run: sensitivity is the share of true positives the test catches, and specificity is the share of true negatives it leaves alone. My run cannot put numbers on either, because I do not know the true status of the patient samples independently. What I can say is that a clean negative control is evidence against a specificity problem on this plate, and that a borderline read like Patient 3 is where a sensitivity failure would hide.
Limitation: I scored color by eye instead of on a plate reader, so a 1 and a 2 are not reliably distinguishable. Patient 3 landed exactly there, which makes that call the least trustworthy line in the table and the reason I am asking for a repeat rather than reporting a result.
| Well | Sample | Color (0 to 3) | Call |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Positive control | 3 | Positive |
| A2 | Negative control | 0 | Negative |
| B1 | Patient 1 | 3 | Positive |
| B2 | Patient 2 | 0 | Negative |
| B3 | Patient 3 | 1 | Borderline |
| B4 | Patient 4 | 3 | Positive |
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Completes the ELISA report task: plate photo, color data table, a claim checked against the controls, a reasoning paragraph, a sensitivity and specificity discussion, and one named limitation.
- State the question and method.
- Present the observations and data with units.
- Explain the result, limitations, and next investigation.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit the full ELISA lab report on Schoology by end of block.
Turn in: ELISA lab report
Go to Schoology to turn this in.
Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf.
Open Schoology PDF upload helpIf you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
Claim ceiling: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about ELISA lab report submission. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.
One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.
Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.
It builds this reusable test skill: Checking an ELISA run against its controls before reporting any patient result.
- Name the concept or data pattern being tested.
- Cross out choices that violate that rule or the evidence.
- Justify the best remaining choice before checking the answer.