What are Polyclonal Antibodies?
Polyclonal antibodies are a mixture of monoclonal antibodies selected from multiple B-cell clones of a host animal. Their unique characteristic of binding to different epitopes can help to amplify their signal leading to increased sensitivity and better detection. Unlike monoclonal antibodies, which are created by selecting a single B-cell clone, polyclonal antibodies are selected from clones produced throughout the immune response. Numerous applications, including Western Blot, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and immuno-precipitation, can be carried out using polyclonal antibodies. Polyclonal antibody therapeutics are also commonly utilized in medicine for virus and toxin neutralization and immunoglobulin replacement therapy (Pelletier & Mukhtar, 2020). In diagnostics, polyclonals are developed for pathology tests and lateral flow tests.
There are known limitations, such as limited supply and off-target binding of these antibodies. These issues are readily overcome by employing new technologies such as sequencing and mass spectrometry to identify clones, as well as stringent validation procedures to eliminate skepticism in data authenticity. With technologies available to overcome the limitations of polyclonal antibodies, they remain excellent cost-effective tools for researchers, diagnostic developers & drug developers alike.
Benefits of Polyclonal Antibodies
- Clonal Properties:
- Due to their ability to detect several target protein epitopes, these antibodies have a high sensitivity to the target protein.
- Biophysical Diversity:
- Polyclonal antibodies are more stable than other antibodies when environmental factors cause other antibodies’ inactivation, lability, or precipitation.
- Provides researchers with modification opportunities, including:
- Host species
- Antigen quantity
- Amount and distribution of injection sites
- Antigen injection frequency
- Adjuvant type
- Adjuvant quantity
- Quicker Production timeline
- Competitive pricing
Check out the complete catalog of polyclonal antibodies for various applications, from ProSci!
Customize Your Research with Polyclonal Antibody Services!
Our service team can assist you with designing, purifying, and producing custom polyclonal antibodies.
- Expertise in immunogen determination and peptide design
- Isolation of spleen and splenocytes to convert a rabbit polyclonal to monoclonal
- Multiple PhDs with specialized knowledge and experience
- Exceptional customer service
- Customizable deliverables tailored to meet specific needs
- Custom schedules available to fit any timeline
- Provision of organs as a deliverable
At Prosci, these antibodies are generated in a wide variety of host species from customized immunogens designed by expert antibody scientists. Our experts have years of experience designing antigens for small peptides, large proteins, small molecules, and special modifications such as PTMs, including phosphorylation and glycosylation. They carefully pair antigen design to host animal, paying close attention to our partner’s application to ensure success. ProSci offers Polyclonal Antibody Services in various custom configurations and standard packages, from Antigen Design & Synthesis to Immunization to Production. See our Polyclonal Antibody Services here.
Does your project require polyclonal antibodies? Our antibody experts and skilled project managers are dedicated to saving you time and costs and optimizing your project to accelerate your next breakthrough. Partner with ProSci, and research confidently.
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References
- Bordeaux , J., Welsh, A. W., Agarwal, S., Killian, E., Baquero, M. T., Rimm, D. L., Anagnoutou, V. K., & Hanna, J. A. (2018, June 28). Antibody Validation . Future Science. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.future-science.com/doi/full/10.2144/000113382.
- Lipman, N. S., Jackson, L. R., Trudel, L. J., & Weis-Garcia, F. (2005). Monoclonal versus polyclonal antibodies: distinguishing characteristics, applications, and information resources. ILAR journal, 46(3), 258–268. https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.46.3.258
- Neil S. Lipman, Lynn R. Jackson, Laura J. Trudel, Frances Weis-Garcia, Monoclonal Versus Polyclonal Antibodies: Distinguishing Characteristics, Applications, and Information Resources, ILAR Journal, Volume 46, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 258–268, https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.46.3.258
- Pelletier, J. P. R., & Mukhtar, F. (2020). Passive Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibody Therapies. Immunologic Concepts in Transfusion Medicine, 251–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-67509-3.00016-0
- Wootla, B., Denic, A., & Rodriguez, M. (2014). Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies in clinic. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 1060, 79–110. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-586-6_5
