How to Choose Your Glucagon ELISA

A step-by-step guide to selecting the most accurate and reliable glucagon ELISA for your research

How to choose your glucagon ELISA: A Complete Guide

Choosing the right glucagon ELISA is essential for accurate hormone measurement. This guide outlines key factors to consider; sensitivity, specificity, sample volume, and validation, so you can select the best solution for your research.

Key Factors to Consider Before Selecting an ELISA

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1. Check sensitivity

Ensure the assay can detect low glucagon levels, especially under suppressed physiological conditions.

2. Evaluate specificity

Confirm minimal cross-reactivity with proglucagon-derived peptides like glicentin and oxyntomodulin.

3. Consider sample volume

Choose an assay that fits your sample availability—Mercodia’s kits require only 10–25 µL.

4. Review validation data

Look for precision, dilution linearity, parallelism, and stability metrics to ensure reliability.

5. Assess matrix interference

ELISAs with effective blocking solutions help reduce interference from complex biological samples.

6. Verify manufacturer and support

Select ELISAs from original manufacturers with strong technical support and regulatory compliance.

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Download the full guide

Want to dive deeper? Download our glucagon assay guide:

Glucagon ELISA guide

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Explore Mercodia’s Glucagon Assays

Mercodia’s Glucagon ELISAs are trusted globally for their high specificity, superior sensitivity, and minimal sample requirements, making them a preferred choice in both clinical and preclinical research.

What you get with a Mercodia glucagon ELISA

Mercodia ELISAs are designed to simplify your workflow while delivering exceptional performance. When you choose Mercodia, you get more than a kit—you get a complete solution built for accuracy, ease of use, and reliability:

• Ready-to-use calibrators – no manual dilution needed, saving time and reducing risk of error
• Color-coded reagents – intuitive handling that speeds up your workflow and minimizes mix-ups
• Removable plate strips – flexible setup for partial or full plates, reducing waste and adapting to your sample size
• High-quality monoclonal antibodies – exceptional specificity and sensitivity for precise glucagon detection
• Superior assay performance – optimized components for consistent, reproducible results
• Long shelf life – store with confidence and reduce the need for frequent reordering

Dr. Joan Mir

Senior Scientist, InSphero

The Glucagon ELISA from Mercodia, which in our experience has an unparalleled degree of sensitivity and specificity, enables us to confidently offer alpha cell function assays to our customers.

Ass. Professor Susan Burke

Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana

Mercodia has a small company vibe that makes you feel like you, the scientist, is important to them. The assays are reliable, and the customer service is outstanding. The main Mercodia products we use are the Insulin and Glucagon ELISAs. Our work involves understanding the alterations in the islet that occur in both forms of diabetes, therefore having reliable products to measure these hormones is crucial for us.

How Mercodia validates its glucagon ELISA

Mercodia’s glucagon ELISAs are thoroughly validated to ensure consistent and reliable performance across a wide range of applications. Key validation parameters include:

• Precision – intra- and inter-assay coefficient of variation (CV)
• Dilution linearity – consistent results across sample dilutions
• Parallelism – comparable curves between standards and biological samples
• Calibration range – broad dynamic range suitable for physiological concentrations
• Stability – proven performance after freeze-thaw cycles and room temperature exposure

These metrics help ensure that your data is reproducible and suitable for both exploratory and regulated studies.

Support beyond the kit

Our scientific support team is here to help, from assay setup to troubleshooting and data interpretation. Whether you’re in early discovery or clinical development, we’re just a message away.

Contact Support

Questions? Contact us!

References

Bak MJ, Albrechtsen NW, Pedersen J, et al. Specificity and sensitivity of
commercially available assays for glucagon and oxyntomodulin measurement in
humans. Eur J Endocrinol. 2014;170(4):529-538.

Campbell JE, Drucker DJ. Islet α cells and glucagon–critical regulators of energy
homeostasis. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2015;11(6):329-338.

Howard JW, Kay RG, Tan T, Minnion J, Creaser CS. Identification of plasma
protease derived metabolites of glucagon and their formation under typical
laboratory sample handling conditions. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom.
2015;29(2):171-181.

Wewer Albrechtsen NJ, Kuhre RE, Windeløv JA, et al. Dynamics of glucagon
secretion in mice and rats revealed using a validated sandwich ELISA for small
sample volumes. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2016;311(2):E302-E309.

Kahn SE, Mather KJ, Arslanian SA, et al. Hyperglucagonemia Does Not
Explain the β-Cell Hyperresponsiveness and Insulin Resistance in Dysglycemic
Youth Compared With Adults: Lessons From the RISE Study. Diabetes Care.
2021;44(9):1961-1969.

Wewer Albrechtsen NJ, Kjeldsen SAS, Jensen NJ, et al. On measurements of
glucagon secretion in healthy, obese, and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass operated
individuals using sandwich ELISA. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 2022;82(1):75-83.

Wewer Albrechtsen NJ, Holst JJ, Cherrington AD, et al. 100 years of glucagon
and 100 more. Diabetologia. 2023;66(8):1378-1394.