7 Advantages Of Using Custom Antibodies

Michael Morha
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Aug 29, 2023

Antibodies are proteins in the immune system produced by B cells, a type of white blood cell. When an antigen or foreign substance enters your body, the immune system detects and uses antibodies to attack and eliminate them. So, your body needs the correct supply of antibodies to enhance the immune system.

However, natural antibody formation in the body can take a while leading to antibody deficiency. For research and therapeutic purposes, antibodies may be required on a large scale, which is only possible through synthetic antibodies.

Additionally, specific antibodies are necessary to fight certain antigens, which necessitates the use of customized antibodies. As a result, custom antibody services have come up to offer tailor-made antibodies.

There are many custom antibody service advantages. Here are some of them:

Customization

There are two reasons why antibody customization is beneficial. First, it is necessary when the body’s natural antibodies are not antigen-specific. In such a case, the antibody can bind to non-targeted molecules. Custom antibodies can be designed with high specificity allowing high-accuracy targeting of the antigens.

Customization service is also necessary when the supplier doesn't have the required antibody. If so, the company is provided with a sample antigen that should have 90% purity. Where there are no sample antigens, the service provider will have to design them before creating the antibodies.

Custom antibody production services can either be polyclonal or monoclonal. Polyclonal antibody production takes around 80 days, resulting in antibodies from different B cells that can target the same antigen on different epitopes. In monoclonal antibody production, the process takes 6 months, and antibodies are created to mimic human antibodies.

Antibody Fragments

Custom antibody production companies use advanced biotechnology to produce antibody fragments with many advantages compared to full antibodies. They include:

Better tissue penetration: Their smaller size allows them to quickly move through tissues for improved access to the target areas.

More rapid clearance from the body: Antibody fragments are cleared faster than full antibodies from the blood. Therefore, they are less toxic, improving safety.

Antibody fragments are more stable: They have disulfide bonds that give them better stability than full antibodies. That means better resistance to degradation and more reliability.

Thanks to custom antibody services, antibody fragments can be accessed for various applications. This could have been harder with full antibodies.

High Specificity

Custom antibody production can amplify their specificity to the target molecules. They can be engineered to target epitomes with high precision by recognizing even the slightest structural differences. This makes working with complex biological samples possible.

On the contrary, finding commercial antibodies ideal for specific use is challenging. Although there are readily available antibodies, their quality varies, leading to failure. According to research, around US$800 million is lost on inferior antibodies annually. Using custom antibodies made for specific use is invaluable in diagnostics, therapeutics, and research.

High-Affinity

Affinity refers to how strongly the epitope bids to the antibody’s paratope. Antibodies with high affinity bind faster to the antigen and maintain the bond even under challenging conditions. It also allows greater sensitivity in antibody testing. On the contrary, low-affinity antibodies have weak bonds and are not easy to detect in the testing.

Regarding affinity, it's best to use antibody production services you can trust to avoid accelerated immunization.

B cells that produce high-affinity antibodies are essential for proper protection against parasites and bacteria pathogens. Using low-affinity B cells in short immunization protocols results in a mix of low and high-affinity antibodies hence less effectiveness.

Better Quality

In terms of consistency, custom-made antibodies are better than natural antibodies. That’s because the purity of natural antibodies is influenced by environmental, health, and genetic factors.

And with antibodies' crucial role in research and diagnosis, quality should not be compromised. Inferior antibodies will not meet the expectations if they are not optimally produced. Custom antibodies have excellent homogeneity. This eliminates inconsistent results in their various applications and the entire project's success.

Quantity

Custom antibody production comes in handy when there is a need for antibodies in large quantities. It allows its large-scale application in diagnostic testing, treatment of infectious diseases, scientific research, and biosecurity. Custom antibody production services help produce high-affinity antibodies in larger quantities.

Time-saving

Custom antibody services are essential when short of time since they have the experience and capacity to produce antibodies quickly. By delivering antibodies with the required qualities, they allow users to meet tight deadlines.

However, ensuring the company has the capacity and resources to meet your needs is essential. Working with a reliable producer is a sure way to get everything right.

Conclusion

There are many custom antibody service advantages that drive various advancements in the medical field.

Designing and producing customized antibodies improves their therapeutic effects because of better affinity and precision. It also prolongs their half-life, which increases their efficiency.