Antibodies are proteins that are produced by an animal's immune system in response to a foreign molecule, also known as an antigen, entering the body. The immune system can identify these antigens when they enter the body, as well as recognize their molecular makeup. This prompts the production of specific antibodies that can bind to the antigen to effectively counteract it.

Due to the unique power that antibodies hold, they have become significantly important for different kinds of research taking place around the world, including molecular analysis. Scientists have become specifically interested in antibody production, as creating antibodies that are able to bind to certain foreign molecules. Currently, there is no available technology that is capable of recreating this specialized molecular identification with the same level of specificity that antibodies offer - making them even more valuable.

Selecting the right antibody for an application is crucial in obtaining the optimal results. The first step is to review the characteristics of each option so that you can decide which provides the best solution for your specific project. One antibody that has proven to be particularly beneficial with its highly specialized molecular recognition is the polyclonal antibody.

What Is a Polyclonal Antibody?

Polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) refer to antibodies that are produced by different, heterogenous B cells throughout the body and bind to multiple epitopes. This contrasts with monoclonal antibodies, which are produced using identical immune cells cloned from a specific parent cell and only bind to the same epitopes on the target region. Polyclonal antibodies also boast a unique epitope-specificity. This allows them to identify and then bind to a variety of different epitopes on a single antigen that they recognize, making them especially useful with targets such as cell signaling and transcription.

How Are Polyclonal Antibodies Produced?

Polyclonal antibodies are created through a different process than monoclonal antibodies, and polyclonal antibody production follows this 5-step approach:

  1. Prepare and synthesize the antigen.
  2. Choose an immunogenic carrier protein.
  3. Create the immunogen by conjugating the carrier protein and antigen.
  4. Immunize the animals with appropriate adjuvant formula.
  5. Extract the polyclonal antibodies.

What Are the Benefits of Polyclonal Antibodies?

Utilizing polyclonal antibodies offers the following benefits for your application:

1. Short Production Timeline

One benefit of polyclonal antibodies is that they can be produced quickly. The timeline in which they are created is much shorter than that of monoclonal antibodies, typically around three months. The purification process is shorter, as well.

2. Easy Production Process

The production process is also relatively easy. Polyclonal antibodies are created by safely injecting an animal with an antigen and then an immunization so that they create high levels of antigen-specific antibodies that can be used for a variety of different medical/biological treatments and research applications.

3. Cost Effective

With a quick and easy production process, polyclonal antibodies can be produced in large quantities, making them a relatively inexpensive option.

4. Useful Antigen Response

Each B cell responds differently to each antigen or epitopes of an antigen that they recognize. Because polyclonal antibodies are produced by heterogenous B cells, they often produce a high antigen response and are the preferred option for capturing antibodies in a sandwich ELISA.

5. Quicker Binding to Target Antigens

Due to their potential for a high antibody affinity, polyclonal antibodies often bind quickly with target antigens within the body, making them the ideal choice for assays that need quick capture of the protein, such as IP or chIP.

6. High Sensitivity

Depending on the target, polyclonal antibodies may exhibit ideal sensitivity for detecting low-quality proteins, so they can be especially valuable for use in identifying unknown antigens.

7. Can Withstand Small Changes

Polyclonal antibodies are typically stable and display resilience against small changes, such as pH and buffer changes. This allows for a variety of research to be conducted on how they work and how they are affected by certain factors.

8. Used for a Variety of Research

Polyclonal antibodies have been used for a variety of both diagnostic and research applications, such as creating probes to be able to detect specific molecules. They are particularly useful in research applications due to all their other benefits, such as quicker production processes and tolerance of changes.

Using Polyclonal Antibodies

Ultimately, polyclonal antibodies have proven themselves beneficial in a multitude of ways. These molecules are highly sensitive to many common targets, capable of identifying many abnormal or unfamiliar molecules in the body and producing antibodies that bind to them to fight them. The antibodies, in turn, offer imperative value to a variety of disciplines, including epigenetics, transcription, and cell signaling.