Custom antibody services

Custom antibody services Read More>>

Thank you for choosing bioWORLD for your custom service needs! We offer high quality antibody production services at costs substantially lower than most researchers would realize, even at their own facility.

The following are most commonly asked questions regarding the set-up and execution of an antibody project. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

What kinds of animals are used as hosts for polyclonal antibody production? Read More>>

A number of animals are suitable hosts for polyclonal antibody production, including rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, chickens, goats, sheep, and horses. The most common host animal is the New Zealand White Rabbit, 4-5 lbs.

How much antigen is required for the protocol and how should it be prepared? Read More>>

For a rabbit, we typically require about 1 mg of antigen per host to cover the initial immunization and subsequent boosters. In these animals, smaller doses of antigen usually lead to quicker and higher antibody titers. Some antigens are more antigenic; therefore, lower quantities may be sufficient. If antigen quantities are scarce, smaller amounts can be administered, but immune response of the host may be less potent. We have successfully raised antibodies against 200 ug of protein. bioWORLD will accept antigens provided in buffer solutions (No Detergents), as a crushed polyacrylamide gel slice, as a lyophilizate, or membrane-bound peptide. Please be aware that bioWORLD will not accept antigens that are pathogenic, toxic, radioactive and/or carcinogenic. BioWORLD also provides custom peptide synthesis services to generate your antigen for a given sequence.

How many hosts should I use? Read More>>

A typical project takes 9 weeks and follows this schedule:

Day Performed Procedure
0 Pre-Inoculation bleed and initial inoculation (using Complete Freund's adjuvant)
21 First test bleed and boost (using incomplete Freund's adjuvant)
35 Second test bleed and boost
49 Third test bleed and boost
63 Production bleed or final exanguination bleed
70 Further boost (if necessary, extra charges)

Antibody production is directly related to host response against the antigen. Additional antigen boosts and bleeds can prolong this schedule. Additional charges occur after 90 days of hosting an animal.

What is done with the test bleed? Read More>>

Test bleeds (about 7 ml of serum from rabbit host) are sent to the researcher for analysis. bioWORLD offers ELISA testing services for test bleeds upon request for a minimal fee.

How do I terminate the project once antibody titers are achieved? Read More>>

Following the third test bleed, bioWORLD will inquire about the status of your project. Additional boosts or project termination requests must be made in writing. Upon the request, there will be a final exsanguination bleed that will yield approximately 80 ml of serum (from a rabbit host) and the project will be terminated. bioWORLD offers additional services, such as IgG purification.

What is the estimated cost for a polyclonal antibody project? Read More>>

For a typical polyclonal antibody project, the following charges will apply:

Choice of host-$320/rabbit
Host procurement and conditioning-$48
Pre-inoculation bleed-$38
Host disposal-$45
Shipping-$45/shipment

Shipping of serum starts with the second bleed (shipment includes pre-bleed and first bleed) and continues until the exsanguination bleed is shipped for a single shipping charge of $46.00. Additional boosts/bleeds and their shipping charges are not included in this calculation.

I want to initiate a project. What do I do now? Read More>>

Request and fill out the bioWORLD Antibody Order Form and the Antibody Shipping Form. Fax your order form to bioWORLD at (614) 792-8685. Send the Antibody Shipping Form and a copy of the order form with your antigen. You will receive a project schedule approximately two weeds after we receive your antigen, showing the actual date of inoculations and boosts.

Can you purify IgG from serum? Read More>>

Yes, we perform Protein A and Protein G affinity purifications to provide you pure antibodies. Inquire for affinity purification services.