Project Design
The design of the project and the selection of the correct antigen is one of the most crucial steps of any project. At APS we will discuss with you the options for the antigen and the product design to ensure that the project results in an antibody that if suitable for the required purpose. The project design will include milestones where an assessment of the project can be carried out and any modifications to the protocol may be made. We can also assist in the eventual assay design. Our team is available to support you through each step of the antibody project.
Antigens can be derived from a variety of sources, including:
- Proteins:
Protein antigens can be either naturally occurring or recombinant. When choosing your protein antigen you should consider the size of the protein, as, generally the large the protein, the more immunogenic. Small proteins can be conjugated in a number of ways to increase immunogenicity following:-.
2. Bacteria/Viruses:
Live bacteria or viruses, should not be used except as a last resort. There are many fixatives and inactivation techniques and one can generally be found that does not damage the antigenic determinants.
3. Plant and Yeast Antigens:
Sometimes high backgrounds can be found in host animal sera for plant or yeast antigens. We can supply pre-immune serum for screening for selecting candidate animals for immunisation.
4. Other Antigens:
Small polypeptides, polysaccharides and other non-protein antigens generally need to be conjugated or cross-linked to larger, immunogenic carrier protein such as KLH to increase immunogenicity.
