Antibody Production

Antibodies are invaluable in many fields of biology because they can precisely and uniquely bind to and identify specific proteins. When coupled with fluorescent tags, they can be used to visualize protein localization. When attached to beads or other substrates, they can be used in assays to capture specific proteins, such as in protein purification, ELISAs, or immunoprecipitation assays. Many tools are available that make it easier to produce and/or work with antibodies. For example, when making your own antibodies – a slow and laborious process – adjuvants can boost the immune response when co-delivered into an animal for antibody production. There are numerous antibody purification kits available today, but it is important to remember that the way an antibody should be purified depends on its isotype class ( i.e., whether it is IgG, IgA, IgM, etc.). Often it is important first to find the right antibody isotyping kit, which will help you determine not only the antibody’s class, but also its subclass (i.e., IgG1, IgG2a, etc.). Another useful tool, antibody fragmentation kits, yields smaller pieces of antibodies, such as Fab fragments, used in more specialized applications. Finally, if you don’t have the time or facilities to produce antibodies yourself, there is a wealth of custom antibody services available today that can do the work for you, whether you need monoclonal, polyclonal, or recombinant antibodies.