When someone mentions the word antibody, some people may know it is an immunology term, which is widely used in the biology and medical sciences. However, when someone mentions the word custom antibody, few people know it. In this article, I will give a brief introduction about custom antibody. In order to explain it clearly, I will give the definition of an antibody first.
1. What is an antibody?
An antibody is an immunoglobulin produced by a kind of white blood cell, which is called a plasma cell. It is a large Y-shaped protein in the immune system that responds to the presence of antigens like bacteria or viruses. Each antibody contains a specific “paratope” which can mark the specific “epitope” on the antigen. Under this binding mechanism, an antibody can resist or neutralize its target by other parts in the immune system.
2. When was the antibody discovered?
The custom antibodies were first mentioned in researches carried by scientists in the early 1980s. In order to speed up to explain Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, John Gribbin and Jeremy Cherfas, editors of New Scientist Magazine, brought forward a revolutionary method to study the human evolution. They extracted a blood serum protein and injected it into a rabbit biobool. The body of the rabbit recognized the foreign protein and produced antibodies – these antibodies were specific to individual proteins.
3. How can custom antibodies help scientists?
They helped scientists to produce specific antibodies to adopt specific conditions, and the degree of the reaction indicates the extent of evolutionary relationship. This method can accelerate the speed of searching evolutionary tree of living beings and manufacturing proteins to fight disease. For example, if a patient was infected with a virus, his body will automatically produce an antibody. If the antibody is detected in time, doctors might be able to treat the patient and cure him before the virus spreads.
4. How to search for the proper one?
If you need a specific one, you can use online search engines. There are many custom antibodies suppliers which have been divided into three types. They are peptides, DNA and recombinant proteins. If you know the areas of specifically for companies that sell antibody products, go ahead to the company website straightforward to find the specific custom antibody.
After you read this article, you have gained enough information about it. When you search it online, you can find more information about it. However, be careful when you want to buy it. Now, go and have a try.
