A laboratory technique used to evaluate the binding of an antibody to its antigen. Counterimmunoelectrophoresis is similar to immunodiffusion

Immunodiffusion

Immunodiffusion is a diagnostic test which involves diffusion through a substance such as agar.Two commonly known forms are Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion and radial immunodiffusion....

, but with the addition of an applied electrical field across the diffusion medium, usually an agar

Agar

Agar or agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived from a polysaccharide that accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte red algae. Throughout history into modern times, agar has been chiefly used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture medium...

 or polyacrylamide

Polyacrylamide

Polyacrylamide is a polymer formed from acrylamide subunits. It can be synthesized as a simple linear-chain structure or cross-linked, typically using N,N-methylenebisacrylamide. Polyacrylamide is not toxic...

gel. The effect is rapid migration of the antibody and antigen out of their respective wells towards one another to form a line of precipitation, or a precipitin line, indicating binding.

External links

• http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/esimmuno/ch4/electro.htm