Western blot

American  

noun

Biology, Medicine/Medical.

1. a highly sensitive procedure for identifying and measuring the amount of a specific protein in a mixed extract, as in testing for AIDS virus protein in a blood sample: proteins are separated by gel electrophoresis and transferred to a special filter paper, on which the protein under investigation can be detected by a probe, as the binding of a labeled antibody.

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Etymology

Origin of Western blot

Originally a facetious counterpart to Southern blot

Compare meaning

How does western-blot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Southern blot vs. Western blot

Example Sentences

These included a protein identification method known as the Western blot.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 20, 2022

Western blot images are ubiquitous in the medical and biological literature, but because they're such simple images, they're easy to fake, and blot fraud is surprisingly common.

From Scientific American • Nov. 29, 2017

IN, small indolent tumours that spontaneously regressed. f, g, h, Western blot analyses of RAS, MYC and wild-type HER2 expression levels in HME-derived cell lines compared to control HME cells.

From Nature • Mar. 21, 2017

A Western blot test, which can confirm the diagnosis, was strongly positive.

From Washington Post • Jun. 6, 2016

An additional lab test: The doctor ordered a Lyme Western blot and ELISA.

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2012