Whole Cells as Antigen

Cells like bacteria, phages, fungi, other eukaryotic cells and even virus particles profit from a good presentation to the immune system. Especially when you want to detect the whole cell it is important, that the antibody recognizes the surface of the cell. With Davids Cell Preparation KIT the surface of the cells is presented in the best way to the immune system. Cells as antigen can be used for the whole immunization process or as a last boost to show the immune system the native extracellular antigens. This will lead to more specific antibodies in many cases.

Preparation of Cells for Antibody Production

For the optimal presentation of the antigen from the cells it is recommended to use Davids Cell Preparation KIT. You can do the cell preparation in your lab or send us your cells and let us perform the cell preparation prior to immunizations.

Preparation of whole cells for immunization

It is recommended that you use Davids Cell Immunization Kit for optimized presentation of cell antigens. You can prepare the cells in your lab or send us your inactivated cells and we will prepare them before vaccinations. TheThe cost is the same. We strongly advise you to carry out the preparation in your lab with fresh cells. However, if you want us to execute it, please inactivate your cells, by using heat or UV-light. Please contact us at info@davids-bio.com for further information.
Table 1 illustrates the number of cells required to immunize one animal.

	Rabbit	Chicken	Mouse	Rat	Guinea Pig
Bacterial Cells (1 animal)	5 x 107 - 5 x 108 cfu	5 x 107 - 5 x 108 cfu	5 x 107 - 1 x 108 cfu	5 x 107 - 1 x 108 cfu	5 x 107 - 1 x 108 cfu
Virus Particles (1 animal)	1 x 107 - 5 x 108 pfu	1 x 107 - 5 x 108 pfu	1 x 107 - 5 x 107 pfu	1 x 107 - 5 x 107 pfu	1 x 107 - 1 x 108 pfu
Mammalian Cells (1 animal)	5 x 107 - 5 x 108 cfu	5 x 107 - 5 x 108 cfu	1 x 107 - 5 x 107 cfu	1 x 107 - 5 x 107 cfu	1 x 107 - 1 x 108 cfu
Affinity Column	Additional 108 cfu needed to create an affinity column for antigen specific affinity purification
Cell Preparation	Price List

Purification of Antibodies

ProteinA or antigen specific affinity purification can be used to purify antibodies from whole cell antigens. For the affinity purification, we require an extra 10⁸ cfu/pfu for the creation the matrix. Visit our Purification Page for a summary of our purification techniques.

Additional Information

Please bear in mind that ELISA titer results using whole cells may not accurately reflect the true titer. The cells must adhere to the ELISA plate for a reliable titer result. Davids developed strategies for binding cells to ELISA plates, despite the fact that specific conditions are ideal for each species or cell type. The true titer from whole cell antigens is frequently greater than what our ELISA determines. If you want a more accurate titer and the protein is accessible, you may send us the protein antigen for ELSIA determination.

Order Process

Davids keeps the ordering procedure as easy as possible. Please use our Cell Immunization KIT or inactivate your cells before sending them to us, by using heat or UV-light. Please get in touch with us before sending infectious or pathological cells. You can mail your inactivated whole cells to the following addresses:

Davids Biotechnologie GmbH
Roentgenstrasse 3
93055 Regensburg
Germany

When we get cells that have not been prepped for vaccination, we use our Cell Immunization KIT to prepare them. Immunizations typically begin 2 - 3 days after your cells arrive in our facility. Please submit the following details to help us connect your antigen with the correct project and speed up the vaccination process:

1. Your Antigen
2. Cell Amount
3. Our Offer, our order form or your official PO
4. VAT number (only EU Customers, not German Customers)

If you prefer to order peptide antibodies, send us your protein sequence and we will recommend peptides that represent your protein. For further information, please visit: Peptide Antibodies