Antibody Research

Application of the biomedical technique, ELISA, to the identification of proteins in binding media in paint

Project Details

About

Goal

The Antibody Research project sought to modify and apply a well-established medical technique, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), to identify proteins in binding media such as animal glue, egg, and milk, as well as polysaccharides in plant gums.

Outcomes

  • Confirmation that ELISA could be applied to heritage conservation

  • ELISA procedure for detecting binding media in paint

Context

The identification of organic binding media—especially in very thin layers of paintings—has proven very problematic for conservation scientists. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is commonly used for this purpose, but often the amount of material required for analysis is too large or the mixture of binders too complex. The use of immunological techniques based on antibodies produced by mammals in response to invading organisms may offer an effective method for identifying binding media in extremely small samples. However, this will require a completely different procedure—one with the ability to both identify the proteins and map their spatial locations.