Conjugated antibodies are antibodies that have been combined with dyes, chemicals, or proteins in a laboratory setting. These antibody combinations are used in medical treatment, research, and testing. Labeling, loading, or tagging, which identifies the substance attached to the antibody, is commonly used by companies that manufacture these antibodies to classify the conjugations.
Fluorescent dyes are frequently used in the production of conjugated antibodies in laboratories. Antibodies that have been labeled with luminescent molecules absorb light but emit only one wavelength of light. Under electron and fluorescent microscopes, these colors become visible. This method of antibody labeling is used in cell and tissue staining, cell sorting, and blot immunoassays by researchers.
Technicians obtain a patient’s blood and mix diluted samples with the dye when testing for an infection or a specific disease process, for example. The conjugated antibodies are then incubated with infected and uninfected cells. The antibody and the antigen merge if a patient has antibodies against a specific microbe antigen. Because of the dye, these connections can be seen under a fluorescent microscope, and the patient tests positive for the disease. This extensive testing procedure is commonly used to detect the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Lyme disease, and certain types of encephalitis.
Radioactive markers are also used by histologists to track cancer and other diseases throughout the body. Antibodies that have been conjugated and tagged with radioactive particles act as homing devices, allowing doctors to determine the location of a tumor and the possibility of cancer metastasis. These tagged antibodies travel throughout the body until they come into contact with tumors. Cameras that track these particles shine light on the affected areas.
Researchers load antibodies with cytotoxic medications using special chemical linkers for targeted therapy. When circulating conjugated antibodies detect abnormal tissues, the chemotherapeutic medication is released. While this type of therapy focuses on the affected tissue, it also protects the healthy tissues around it. When other treatments for non-lymphoma Hodgkin’s fail, oncologists may use this method.
Monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies are commonly used in the production of conjugated antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are made from a single cell line that has been cloned. Animal cells are mixed with the desired antigen, which results in the production of a specific antibody. In order to make polyclonal antibodies, an animal must be injected with a specific antigen. The animal produces antibodies in response after a period of time, which laboratory technicians can retrieve through blood samples.