Measurement of enzymes in environmental intoxications

In 1971, Peter Perlman and Eva Engvall developed an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA or EIA). ELISA differs from western blot in that the assays are conducted in microtiter plates or in vivo rather than on an absorbent membrane.
There are many different types of ELISAs, but they all involve an antibody molecule whose constant region binds an enzyme, leaving the variable region free to bind its specific antigen.  Enzyme-substrate reaction allows the antigen to be visualized or quantified.

Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...