Antibodies are an indispensable tool in the study of biology and medicine. Making and Using Antibodies: A Practical Handbook presents techniques in a single, comprehensive source for the production and use of antibodies. It enables researchers to immediately access lab-tested, proven protocols. Written and edited by an elite team of scienti

Introduction to immunochemistry for molecular biologists and other nonspecialists. Spiral.

This book represents the distillation and critical evaluation of many hundreds of publications relating to the production and use of antibodies. Therefore it is restricted to the "core" techniques of production and handling of antibodies, and their use in studies of antigen analysis, purification and localization.

The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) petitioned the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on April 23, 1997, to prohibit the use of animals in the production of mAb. On September 18, 1997, NIH declined to prohibit the use of mice in mAb production, stating that "the ascites method of mAb production is scientifically appropriate for some research projects and cannot be replaced." On March 26, 1998, AAVS submitted a second petition, stating that "NIH failed to provide valid scientific reasons for not supporting a proposed ban." The office of the NIH director asked the National Research Council to conduct a study of methods of producing mAb. In response to that request, the Research Council appointed the Committee on Methods of Producing Monoclonal Antibodies, to act on behalf of the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the Commission on Life Sciences, to conduct the study. The 11 expert members of the committee had extensive experience in biomedical research, laboratory animal medicine, animal welfare, pain research, and patient advocacy (Appendix B). The committee was asked to determine whether there was a scientific necessity for the mouse ascites method; if so, whether the method caused pain or distress; and, if so, what could be done to minimize the pain or distress. The committee was also asked to comment on available in vitro methods; to suggest what acceptable scientific rationale, if any, there was for using the mouse ascites method; and to identify regulatory requirements for the continued use of the mouse ascites method. The committee held an open data-gathering meeting during which its members summarized data bearing on those questions. A 1-day workshop (Appendix A) was attended by 34 participants, 14 of whom made formal presentations. A second meeting was held to finalize the report. The present report was written on the basis of information in the literature and information presented at the meeting and the workshop.

Antibodies protect us from a wide range of infectious diseases and cancers and have become an indispensable tool in science—both for conventional immune response research as well as other areas related to protein identification analysis. This second edition of Making and Using Antibodies: A Practical Handbook provides clear guidance on all aspects of how to make and use antibodies for research along with their commercial and industrial applications. Keeping pace with new developments in this area, all chapters in this new edition have been revised, updated, or expanded. Along with discussions of current applications, new material in the book includes chapters on western blotting, aptamers, antibodies as therapeutics, quantitative production, and humanization of antibodies. The authors present clear descriptions of basic methods for making and using antibodies and supply detailed descriptions of basic laboratory techniques. Each chapter begins with introductory material, allowing for a better understanding of each concept, and practical examples are included to help readers grasp the real-world scenarios in which antibodies play a part. From the eradication of smallpox to combating cancer, antibodies present an attractive solution to a range of biomedical problems. They are relatively easy to make and use, have great flexibility in applications, and are cost effective for most labs. This volume will assist biomedical researchers and students and pave the way for future discovery of new methods for making and using antibodies for a host of applications.

The Janeway's Immunobiology CD-ROM, Immunobiology Interactive, is included with each book, and can be purchased separately. It contains animations and videos with voiceover narration, as well as the figures from the text for presentation purposes.

Monoclonal Antibodies: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition expands upon the previous edition with current, detailed modern approaches to isolate and characterize monoclonal antibodies against carefully selected epitopes. This edition includes new chapters covering the key steps to generate high quality monoclonals via different methods, from antigen generation to epitope mapping and quality control of the purified IgG. Chapters are divided into four parts corresponding to four distinct objectives. Part I covers monoclonal antibody generation, Part II deals with monoclonal antibody expression and purification, Part III presents methods for monoclonal antibody characterization and modification, and Part IV describes selected applications of monoclonal antibodies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Monoclonal Antibodies: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition provides crucial initial steps of monoclonal antibody generation and characterization with state-of-the art protocols.