Polyclonal antibodies
Polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) are antibodies with secretion by different B cell lineages within the body. These antibodies are a collection of immunoglobulin molecules, which can react against a specific antigen and identify a different epitope. The polyclonal antibody is a collection of anitbodies from different B cells, it can recognize multiple epitopes on the same antigen.
Production of Polyclonal Antibodies
The general production procedures of polyclonal antibodies are:
- Antigen preparation
- Adjuvant selection and preparation
- Animal selection
- Injection process
- Blood serum extraction
Advantage of Polyclonal Antibodies
- Robust target signal for even low expression protein
- Cost effective production with low cost and short production time
- More tolerant to antigen alternation(polymorphism, denature, heterogeneity of glycosylation)
- Detection across a wide range of species
- Applications for non-characterized antigens
Disadvantage of Polyclonal Antibodies
- High variability in batch to batch production
- Require higher background in certain applications
- Potential distraction and disruption in applications
- Significant lower lever of concentration comparing to monoclonal antibodies