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What’s an Antibody and What’s Important About It?

Biointron 2024-01-20 Read time: 2 mins
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Image credit: Encyclopædia Britannica

Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins, are Y-shaped proteins that are produced by the immune system to recognize and neutralize foreign substances, such as viruses, bacteria, and toxins. They are an important part of the body's defense mechanism against infections and diseases. 

Antibodies are made up of two heavy chains and two light chains that are linked by disulfide bonds. The tips of the Y-shaped structure are called the antigen-binding sites, which are responsible for recognizing and binding to specific antigens on the surface of foreign substances. The rest of the antibody, known as the constant region, interacts with other immune cells to trigger the elimination of the foreign substance. 

Antibodies are generated by B cells, which are a type of white blood cell. B cells produce a diverse repertoire of antibodies through a process called somatic recombination, where segments of antibody genes are shuffled and combined to create unique antibody sequences. This allows the immune system to recognize a wide range of foreign substances. 

At Biointron, we specialize in antibody discovery and development. Our high-throughput single B cell screening platform can screen millions of plasma B cells from immunized animals to identify rare, antigen-specific antibodies. We also offer a rapid and reliable recombinant antibody production service, which can provide you with a purified, guaranteed amount of recombinant antibody in just two weeks. 

If you're interested in learning more about our antibody discovery and development services, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

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