Secretion assay (original) (raw)

Secretion assay is a process used in cell biology to identify cells that are secreting a particular protein (usually a cytokine). It was first developed by Manz et al. in 1995. Usually, a cell that is secreting the protein of interest is isolated using an antibody-antibody complex that coats the cell and is able to "catch" the secreted molecules. The cell is then detected by another fluorochrome-labelled antibody, and is subsequently extracted using a process called fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS). The FACS method is broadly similar to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody format, except that the encapsulated cells remain intact. This is advantageous as the cells are still living after the extraction has taken place.