|
|
Finding The Right Antibody Production Company
Buying Tips
Mar 23 '04
 |
|
|
 |
Introduction |
|
|
 It is almost certain that anyone involved in life science research will, sooner or later, require an affinity reagent. In the broadest sense, affinity reagents are molecules or matrices that have an affinity for particular classes of molecules or for specific molecules. Examples of the former include ion exchange resins, which bind charged proteins or nucleic acids. These and many other varieties of class-binding matrices are readily available from a plethora of vendors. The most commonly encountered examples of molecule-specific affinity reagents are antibodies. While a huge variety of antibodies are available off the shelf, the pace of genomic and proteomic research has resulted in the discovery of an ever-increasing number of proteins that has, in turn, resulted in an increased need for made-to-order antibodies. |
|
|
Polyclonal vs Monoclonal |
|
|
| Of the two fundamental varieties of antibodies commonly used in research, polyclonal and monoclonal, monoclonals are generally considered to be the more specific. However, absolute specificity does not necessarily mean that a monoclonal antibody (mAb) will be the preferred variety for all applications. Polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) often have higher affinity than mAbs, perform better as capture reagents, are more sensitive in certain applications such as immunohistochemistry, can be as specific as monoclonals, and are much more economical to produce. Unfortunately, being economical to produce does not always equate with being economical to purchase. Economy is a highly vendor-specific attribute, as a quick perusal of a few vendors web pages or advertisements will attest. |
|
|
Picking the right company |
|
|
| Before choosing a company to carry out custom pAb production, some time should be devoted to carefully checking out a few with the aim of getting the best possible combination of price and service. A general rule to keep in mind is that services that offer extremely low prices usually have hidden costs. An example is a vendor advertising custom pAb production in 2 rabbits for only $600. However, additional boosts, bleeds, and maintenance are $200/month extra, and exsanguination is another $200. So, what you save upfront is pretty much cancelled out by these added costs. |
|
|
Levels of service |
|
|
| Some companies offer different levels of service, which makes shopping for an antibody production service a bit easier in that you may only have to evaluate one place. A good example is Affinity BioReagents (Golden, CO) who offer Basic, Standard, and Premier service with fees ranging from $935 to $1195. While the Basic service is clearly the cheapest, the customer must supply the antigen in a ready-to-inject format. Since this usually involves paying for peptide synthesis and conjugating it to a carrier protein, or expressing and purifying a recombinant protein, the total cost of the service can actually end up to be several hundred dollars more than what the company charges. For another $50 the Standard service includes conjugation of the customer-supplied peptide prior to injection. The Premier service includes peptide synthesis as well. |
|
|
Price range |
|
|
| At the high end of the price spectrum are companies that will go from a customer-specified gene name or accession number all the way to affinity-purified pAb. An example of this type of service is offered by QED BioScience, Inc. (San Diego, CA) who charges $2400 for peptide synthesis, conjugation, antiserum production in 2 rabbits, and affinity purification from up to 50 ml of serum. Another example of a vendor offering this type of service is ProteinTech Group, Inc. (Chicago, IL) who will take a customer-specified gene name or accession number, construct a fusion protein expression vector, express and purify the fusion protein, inoculate 2 rabbits, deliver a test bleed, and deliver the affinity-purified reagent from all the antiserum for about $1600. In addition, they also return any leftover purified fusion protein, the affinity column, and the expression construct. |
|
|
Summary |
|
|
| In summary, many companies offer antibody production services for a wide range of prices. If your laboratory is set up for peptide synthesis or recombinant protein expression, it may be advantageous to opt for those vendors that offer reduced rates for customer-supplied antigens. If, on the other hand, you would rather not have to deal with antigen production, let the vendor do it, but be prepared to pay a few hundred dollars more. One more thing to consider is how flexible the company is with regard to immunization and bleed schedules. In my case, the schedule proposed by the vendor was summarily nixed by our resident immuno-expert who then proposed a very different schedule. The company (ProteinTech Group) used this new schedule with no problems whatsoever. |
|
Michael Campa, Ph.D.
Asst. Research Professor of Radiology
Duke University Medical Center
Related Product Links:
 Custom Monoclonal Antibody Production Services
Custom Polyclonal Antibody Production Services
Electroporation Cuvettes, 2 mm
Immunology Services
Monoclonal Antibody Production
Mouse TGF Beta Primers
Mouse VEGF Primers
Polyclonal Antibody Production
More Articles:
Buying Tips Archives
Product Reviews
Feature Articles
|
