The following information may help you choose monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies when ordering custom antibody services.
A). Monoclonal antibodies have many inherent advantages over polyclonal antibodies (Tables 1)
Table 1: mAb and pAb comparison
|
Antibody Type |
pAb |
mAb |
|
Antigen |
Peptide |
Protein |
Protein/peptide |
|
Specificity |
++ |
+ |
+++ |
|
Best Applicable For |
ELISA
WB |
ELISA
IP |
ELISA
WB
IP
IF/ICC/IHC
Flow Cytometry |
|
Time |
3-4 months |
5-7 months |
|
First Time Production Cost |
++ |
++++ |
|
Reproduction Cost |
++ |
+ |
|
Reproduction Consistency |
No |
Yes |
B). Complex biological studies often require antibodies for different assays such as WB, IP, IF/ICC/IHC. When recombinant protein/protein fragments are used as antigens to develop monoclonal antibodies, through careful screening of hybridoma cell lines, it is possible to obtain monoclonal antibodies for different applications (could be same or different hybridoma clones). Therefore, if you would like to have antibodies for different applications, mAb service is more preferable. Abmart has made available a variety of standard mAb packages and additional services for customers to select from to meet their various application requirements.
In conclusion, in a custom antibody project, mAb is preferable to pAb under the following circumstances:
- • Application requiring large amount or continuous supply of the same antibody
- • Need for high antibody specificity (for example, in IF/ICC/IHC applications)
- • Need for antibody in multiple applications