The world is growing rapidly, and biological measurements are becoming increasingly critical across all fields. The need for sensitive ELISA tests is rising, yet current methods fail to provide a sustainable solution due to environmental risks and safety limitations. 

The new-generation testing system to be developed by IDA-BV preserves the sensitivity of radioimmunoassays while completely eliminating radioactivity. This technology enables safe and environmentally friendly laboratory practices and allows reliable, high-precision measurements across a wide range of applications from research to industry, and from agriculture to environmental monitoring.

The global ELISA testing market was valued at $2.27 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $4.19 billion by 2034, representing an annual growth rate of 6.3%. The RIA (radioimmunoassay) services sector, meanwhile, continues to expand with $500 million in assets under management in 2024, and the market is projected to grow steadily at a 4.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2025 and 2034. In global ELISA test exports, the leading countries are the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, while the Netherlands ships significant quantities of test kits to Indonesia, India, and Pakistan. 

 

IDA-BV’s to be developed ELISA test completely eliminates the use of radioactive materials in RIA tests, reducing laboratory personnel exposure risk to zero. This method is up to 100 times more sensitive than standard ELISAs, allowing for reliable detection of low-concentration analytes. Laboratories that replace RIA tests can reduce annual radioactive waste generation and their carbon footprint by 30%, which corresponds to an average savings of 1 ton of CO₂ equivalent per laboratory per year. The project not only supports environmental sustainability but also aligns directly with green transformation targets in regions such as Europe and the USA, enhancing laboratories’ ethical and environmental responsibilities.

Modern laboratories are moving away from radioactive tests due to increasing patient demand and regulatory constraints. However, most existing ELISA tests lack the sensitivity required to accurately measure low-concentration analytes, such as hormones. Consequently, the disadvantages of RIA pose significant economic and environmental challenges for the healthcare sector. Addressing this challenge will enhance operational efficiency and contribute to the global transition toward a “green economy.” The high-sensitivity ELISA developed by IDA-BV provides a safe and precise alternative to RIA, filling a critical strategic gap in the market.

IDA-BV will develop an innovative platform that increases ELISA test sensitivity by up to 100-fold. This technology combines IDA-BV’s highly purified secondary antibodies with oligonucleotide binding technology. The result is a user-friendly and cost-effective ELISA test that achieves the sensitivity of RIA without using any radioactive materials. The system has the potential to revolutionize tests where low-concentration analytes, such as hormones, cannot be accurately measured, and it is capable of replacing RIA in clinical diagnostics, research, and doping control applications. In the developed high-sensitivity ELISA, the detection antibody is conjugated with oligonucleotides, going beyond the classic antibody-antigen interaction. This allows signal amplification to achieve RIA-level signal-to-noise ratios and enables the measurement of analytes below 1 pg/mL. Additionally, the method can be applied using existing ELISA instruments, requiring no additional hardware investment and allowing direct integration into laboratory workflows.

 

IDA-BV is a biotechnology start-up established in November 2023 and located in Leuven, Belgium.
 
 IDA-BV originally rooted from two companies active in R&D and the sales and marketing in Turkey for recombinant proteins, antibodies and ELISA kits Nepenthe Ltd. (www.nepenthe.com.tr), a company  focused on R&D of primary/secondary antibodies, recombinant proteins and kits with the Nepenthe brand. IDA-BV is a spin-off of IDA AS and Nepenthe Ltd and has the legal rights of all Nepenthe branded products. These products are currently marketed in EU, USA and Türkiye. 

IDA-BV now has taken the initiative to replace current Radio Immuno Assays (RIA). This caused by the feedback of customers who has expressed that they intend to replace RIA tests with high sensitive ELISA tests which reaches the same sensitivity. 

This is a great demand as part of the transition to a green economy.