Anti-IL-6 antibodies enable researchers to detect and measure the IL-6 antigen in biological samples. This target is a reported synonym of the IL6 gene, which encodes interleukin 6. This protein is known to function in the cellular response to lipopolysaccharides and viral immune response, among other biological roles. The human version of IL-6 has a canonical amino acid length of 212 residues and a protein mass of 23.7 kilodaltons. It is reported to be a secreted protein that is notably expressed in the tonsil, lymph node, and bone marrow. Other names for this target antigen include BSF-2, BSF2, and CDF. Over 4000 citations in the literature describe the use of IL-6 antibodies in research. ELISA is a widely used application for these antibodies. In addition, Western Blot is also a common application.