FAQ

Ordering, sale and transportation

What kind of products and services does DB Biotech offer?

We offer a range of antibodies for the application in basic and applied research as well as clinical diagnostics. Clonal antibodies are designed and produced for the following applications:

western blot,
immunoprecipitation,
ELISA,
immunohistochemistry – cell cultures,
frozen tissues (IHC-Fr),
formalin- fixed paraffin embedded tissues (IHC-P),
flow cytometry (FC),
immunocytochemistry (ICC).

We also offer custom services and cooperation on special projects pertaining to the design and production of clonal antibodies against any protein or its modification whose name, detailed description of the modification or amino-acid sequences are supplied by the project contractor.

How long does it take to obtain a clonal antibody in case of a custom projects?

It takes 4 months from the day of the order to the delivery of the pure clone in desired quantity with the corresponding detailed protocol for its application.

How can I order clonal antibodies?

Please refer to the section Distribution network where you will find the contact details for our distributor appointed for your territory. In the case we do not have a distributor for your country, please contact us directly with your inquiry and order at sales@dbbiotech.com.

What is the delivery time of the stock clonal antibodies?

Clonal antibodies from our stock will be delivered to you at the latest 7 days from the date we receive your payment of our pro-forma invoice.
Clonal antibodies are supplied with a detailed protocol and in the case of IHC-P application also with a representative picture of stained tissue.

Is it possible to order clonal antibodies in bulk?

We offer competitive prices for bulk orders, please contact us with your inquiries at sales@dbbiotech.com.

What are the conditions for the transportation and storage of clonal antibodies?

Clonal antibodies are shipped in especially hardened EPS boxes at 0-4° C and are delivered to the client within 48-72hrs.

For long term storage antibodies that will be used for western blot, immunoprecipitation and ELISA application should be kept at -20° C. Diluted antibodies that will be used for the direct application for WB, IP and ELISA can be stored at +4° C for short term (up to 7 days). Concentrated and pre-diluted antibodies for direct application in clinical diagnostic IHC-P can be stored at +4° C for the period of 24 months.

What is the warranty period for the clonal antibodies?

We guarantee 24 months warranty for our products from the day of the shipment under the condition that they are stored according to our instructions.

Clonal antibodies are supplied with a detailed protocol and in the case of IHC-P application also with a representative picture of stained tissue.

Technical

What is the difference between monoclonal and clonal antibodies?: Clonal antibodies are monospecific such as monoclonals. The principal difference between these two types of antibodies is that the clonal antibodies recognize solely very specifically selected linear epitope on the antigen molecule after its detailed proteomic analysis, whereas the monoclonal antibodies recognize very often steric epitopes that frequently change their conformation during tissue preparation, protein extraction, etc., making the corresponding monoclonal antibody unspecific, less avid and in extreme cases not functional.
What is the difference between two separate clonal antibodies for the same antigen?: Some antigens have a number of specific linear epitopes that can be recognized by the corresponding clonal antibody with different level of intensity depending on the tested pathology, material, patient, etc. In such case DB Biotech develops 2-3 clonal antibodies characterizing different linear epitopes on the same antigen. We leave it to the scientist/clinician to test and select which clone is more appropriate for his/her researched model/application.
What secondary antibodies should be used with the clonal antibodies produced by DB Biotech?: We recommend to use DB Detection system or in general anti-rabbit immunoglobulins conjugated or unconjugated according to the application of the clonal antibody.
Can clonal antibodies be used for the same applications as polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies?: Yes, however clonal antibodies are significantly more specific than polyclonals and therefore may be used even for very sensitive applications where the absolute specificity is essential – such as clinical diagnostics. Clonal antibodies are comparable to monoclonals, but they recognize only the linear epitopes whereas their specificity, affinity and avidity remain unchanged even in case of possible transformation of the antigen conformation.
Are clonal antibodies similar to immunoaffinity purified polyclonals?: No. Immunoaffinity purified polyclonal antibodies (whether the immunogen is the whole protein or selected peptide) are always represented by numerous fractions of immunoglobulins corresponding to all epitopes in the immunogenic sequence. Rabbit clonal antibody is a homogenous fraction of immunoglobulin (IgG) corresponding exclusively to one and only specifically defined epitope on the antigen molecule.
Does clonal technology of DB Biotech use hybridoma cell lines?: No, clonal antibodies are obtained from rabbit antiserum by an original in vitro cloning technology that is the property of DB Biotech.
Is it possible to use CE IVD registered clonal antibodies for research use? What are the recommended dilutions for WB or ELISA in such cases?: Yes, but only in special cases. Clonal antibodies for IHC-P application are designed with regard to the strong denaturation of the corresponding antigen. If the selected epitope remains conformationally unchanged even in conditions of slight denaturation or preservation of native structure of the given antigen, it is possible to use the clonal antibody also for western blot or ELISA. For the recommended dilutions, please contact us.
Why are there different clones of the same antibody for the application in research (western blot, immunoprecipitation, ELISA) and clinical diagnostic (IHC-P)?: When designing the clonal antibody for IHC-P, the severe and irreversible denaturation of the antigen including the conformation of the corresponding epitope against which the clonal antibody is produced is taken into consideration.
In most cases, the epitope for this application will be selected on different conformational criteria than for the western blot or ELISA application, where the original structure of the antigen is preserved or where the denaturation is considerably weaker. This is the reason why for most cases different epitopes are designed for various applications and consequently different clonal antibodies are produced characterizing various epitopal sequences of the target protein molecule.

Technology process

Why does DB Biotech select only the linear epitopes when designing clonal antibodies?: Linear epitopes from the hydrophilic domains of antigen molecule are always accessible, whereas steric epitopes which are often recognized by monoclonal antibodies, frequently change their conformation during tissue preparation/fixation, protein extraction, etc., making the corresponding monoclonal antibody less specific, less avid, and in extreme cases not functional.
What is the advantage of using rabbit clonal antibody produced from crude rabbit antiserum by in vitro cloning technology, when compared to monoclonal antibodies from hybridoma fusion cell lines?: Outside of strictly specific linear epitopes characterization, clonal antibodies are mature immunoglobulins (IgG), with the complete post-translational modification of IgG molecule, mainly glycosylation, which plays an important role in stability of immunoglobulins. There are many reports from the literature describing the uncomplete glycosylation patterns of monoclonal antibodies produced from hybridoma cell lines, which has an important influence on stability, affinity and avidity of antigen/antibody interactions.
What are the criteria for the selection of the final clone?: The highest possible specificity, affinity and avidity in recognizing a single linear epitope.
Are clonal antibodies similar to immunoaffinity purified polyclonals?: No. Immunoaffinity purified polyclonal antibodies (whether the immunogen is the whole protein or selected peptide) are always represented by numerous fractions of immunoglobulins corresponding to all epitopes in the immunogenic sequence. Rabbit clonal antibody is a homogenous fraction of immunoglobulin (IgG) corresponding exclusively to one and only specifically defined epitope on the antigen molecule.

Other

What are rabbit clonal antibodies and what are they used for?

Rabbit clonal antibodies are pure fractions of rabbit immunoglobulins (IgG) obtained from crude antiserum by an original in vitro cloning technology which was developed by and is the property of DB Biotech.

The immunogenic part of antigen - protein against which the antibody is designed is selected on the basis of a very detailed proteomic analysis and the resulting clonal antibody (the homogenous fraction of rabbit IgG) recognizes the given antigen specifically with the highest affinity and avidity possible.

Clonal antibodies are used in basic research for western blot, immunoprecipitation, ELISA, immunohistochemistry and in applied and clinical research /clinical diagnostics for IHC-P. Rabbit clonal antibodies have also potential for the development of humanized therapeuticals after their successful humanization.

Why are clonal antibodies produced by original in vitro cloning technology exceptional?

Clonal antibodies are exceptional because they recognize their target (epitope) with the highest affinity, avidity and specificity that remains unchanged even after the important changes in conformation of the antigen – such as denaturation during the fixation of the tissue, protein transfer in the case of western blot – related procedures, or as a consequence of the protein-protein interactions.

Does DB Biotech offer the possibility to test clonal antibodies?

We will be glad to offer you samples of desired antibody for quality testing. In case of your interest, please fill in the order form available in the section Support - Downloads. The transportation cost will be covered by the client.