Negosentro | 7 Tips to Find Good Quality Custom Antibody Services | The right antibody service provider will offer comprehensive support throughout the process of antibody production. This includes peptide design, you can check Peptides.org, synthesis, carrier protein conjugation, immunization, serum assortment, hybridoma fusion, titer assessment, and final antibody purification.
Moving on, this blog post discusses seven tips on how to find high-quality antibody services.
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Match the Antibody to your Specific Application
Custom protein production is a rather complex subject. There are three types of antibodies, monoclonal, polyclonal, and recombinant. Each has distinct characteristics and benefits.
Polyclonal: A blend of antibodies that target specific protein epitopes. They are ideal for proteins with heterogeneity in sequence or structure, those with posttranslational modifications, or proteins found in low concentrations. Polyclonal antibodies are also suited for applications that necessitate fast binding.
Monoclonal: These antibodies will only target a single protein epitope because they are produced by a single B-cell line. They are highly specific, and their results are reproducible. Monoclonals are ideal for immunohistochemistry applications.
Recombinant: This is a custom synthetic antibody that offers unlimited identical antibodies, eliminating any batch-to-batch variability. The significant upside to this antibody type is that it can be engineered to target a specific epitope with higher affinity.
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Purification Services
If you are looking for a partner to help you with antibody purification needs, numerous trustworthy vendors can help you develop the most suitable antibody purification procedure. These professionals are committed to providing excellent customer service and can help you determine which purification procedure will offer the best balance of cost, yield, and purity.
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Your antibody service provider should be in a position to purify your polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies using a variety of protein purification techniques in quantities ranging from scale-up (grams) to research (mg). Besides, they will provide low endotoxin development for in vivo use.
By combining purification service with custom monoclonal antibody services, you get a comprehensive and responsive antibody service that’s dedicated to your success.
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Downstream Antibody Services
Downstream antibody services offer immunogenicity immunization. You will receive serum samples of antigens, viruses, lipids, bacteria, nucleic acids, among other proteins. Before eliciting an immune response, non-immunogenic haptens must be conjugated with an epitope like a polysaccharide or protein. A trustworthy antibody service provider must have Standard protocols and still stay flexible enough to follow your specific protocol. The company must also record and document all its procedures and production information for easy traceability.
Purification of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies is also inclusive in downstream antibody services. The service provider can take advantage of a variety of protein purification techniques for cGMP diagnostic and research. 
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Check the Validation Data
It would help if you avoided antibodies with incomplete validation data. It’s often an indication of poor quality, and the vendor cannot do much to help you if the antibody malfunctions. You should look for companies that show the entire blot image, validate their products with multiple sample tissues, and provide detailed validation data and protocols. Take your time to scrutinize the validation data.
If the only control is purified proteins, then the specificity of the antibody in question is unknown. Ensure that the amount of protein present is specified and compared to the amount needed for your application.
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Antigens for antibody production
Your antibody service provider should also design the most suitable antigen for antibody production. The main concern is to use an antigen form that is compatible with the target antibody. While your vendor might try to stick to that rule, other constraints, such as specificity, may force them to make adjustments. Using antigens that are compatible with the target antibody significantly increases the likelihood of developing the ideal antibody for your application. Antigens used for antibody production are classified into three types:
Proteins: Producing antibodies against a protein is still the best way to ensure that the antibody recognizes the target protein. This technique, however, raises the risk of a cross-reaction caused by the acknowledgment of a domain shared by several proteins.
DNA: DNA immunization is widely used for transmembrane proteins or difficult-to-express proteins. The ability to express the antigen in its primary sequence remains the primary advantage of DNA immunization.
Peptides: Utilizing peptides as an antigen promotes the production of antibodies with high specificity and low cross-reactivity. However, due to their tiny size, they are frequently less immunogenic. Developing a peptide antigen designated for antibody production necessitates considering several factors, some of them directly tied to protein structure.
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Ensure Compatibility of Additives with Your Application
Some antibodies contain additives used to extend and stabilize their shelf life. While this can be problematic at times, there are several notable exceptions. Sodium azide, for example, can interfere with antibody conjugation by staining live samples.
If you intend to conjugate the antibodies, avoid those with BSA because this additive is known to reduce conjugation efficiency. When you can’t find an antibody without interfering additives, you can work with the vendor to remove the additive or request them to customize an additive-free antibody for your application.
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Custom Anti-Idiotype Antibody Manufacturing
Anti-idiotype antibodies can be used to identify and analyze therapeutic drugs in post-clinical and pre-clinical trials. Based on your needs, anti-ID antibodies can be generated as hybridoma-based monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. Custom anti-idiotype antibodies can be produced in a wide range of hosts for use in research to identify, subdue, block, and evaluate drug-to-analyte binding characteristics on the therapeutic antibody.
Summary
With the tips discussed above, it shouldn’t be challenging to find the right antibody service and products for your needs. You will need to factor in your intended application when searching for the appropriate antibody service for your needs.
