Monday, February 10, 2014

Polyclonal Antibodies & Their Uses

By Armand Zeiders


Antibodies are a type of protein produced by our bodies to fight disease. Specific white blood cells, known as plasma cells, secrete these antibodies which basically head out on a search and destroy mission, searching for bacteria and viruses. This process is a function of our immune system.

There are thousands of viruses and bacterial infections currently being studied by scientists. These medical experts seek to understand the structure of specific diseases and also search for ways to fight the disease by either creating new vaccines or medicines. In order to study these diseases, polyclonal antibodies are created.

In order to produce polyclonal antibodies, a lab technician will inject an animal such as a rat or rabbit with a toxin known as an antigen. These antigens force a response from the host's immune system which then goes into attack mode. Plasma cells do their job, secrete antibodies, go after this newly introduced toxin and polyclonal antibodies are formed. The lab tech will take blood from the animal, purify these new polyclonal antibodies and then use them to study the effect they have on viruses or bacteria.

While scientists study the effects, the actual work of creating the polyclonal antibody is typically completed by a specialized lab that produces important medical specimens for research purposes. These labs offer a variety of helpful services such as creating an antibody using proteins and antigens given to them by the research team or perhaps against recombinant protein or even against synthetic peptides. There are many options available, and the process of creating these polyclonal antibodies generally takes a lab about seven weeks to complete.

After the polyclonal antibodies are created by the lab, the medical research team will study them or try to generate an antiserum or vaccine. These are created to fight a specific disease or virus, such as the deadly strains of Ebola. There are five different types of Ebola that scientists have identified, several of which have mortality rates higher than 80%. Ebola is so highly toxic that strict laboratory protocols are required, and there have been a few accidents in labs that have caused the death of a worker.

Currently, there is no vaccine or medicine that can cure or eliminate Ebola, although scientists are working diligently to find a cure or at the very least an antiserum for Ebola. An antiserum has been created using polyclonal antibodies, and has been shown to be the only effective treatment for the disease, although there has not been widespread success with this antiserum. It is hoped that by using polyclonal antibodies, medical researchers will be able to develop an antiserum that is effective and easy to replicate so that it can be used to treat millions of people successfully. It is also hoped that polyclonal antibodies can be the source of vaccines and medicines for many other diseases as well.




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