What is one advantage to using monoclonal antibodies rather than polyclonal antibodies in immunophenotyping?
A) They are commercially available.
B) The antigen can be recognized even if some parts of it are abnormal.
C) They have high purity and reproducibility.
D) They can be directly attached to fluorochromes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Monoclonal antibodies have high purity and reproducibility because they are produced by identical immune cells that are clones of a single parent cell, which ensures that each antibody recognizes the same epitope. On the other hand, polyclonal antibodies are produced by multiple immune cells that recognize different epitopes on the antigen, leading to batch-to-batch variabilities and inconsistent results. This makes monoclonal antibodies a better choice for immunophenotyping, which requires reliable and consistent detection of specific surface markers on cells.

What Is One Advantage to Using Monoclonal Antibodies Rather Than