Aves Labs, Inc.

Antibody Purity. You can either have us send the “IgY fraction” (i.e., a purified preparation of IgY in PBS, but containing only a small fraction against the antigen of interest) or have us prepare “Affinity Purified Antibodies” using an affinity matrix (in which the entire antibody recognizes the antigen). For some applications (e.g., Western Blots, immunocytochemistry), the IgY fraction may be sufficient. For other applications (e.g., immunoprecipitation), affinity purified antibodies are recommended.

Number of Hens. Since chickens are outbred species (i.e., like rabbits, etc.), it is highly recommended at least two hens are injected. However, the upper limit of hens that can be injected is your choice, and would depend on the amount of antibody you require, as well as its inherent immunogenicity.

ELISA. You may choose to have us perform an ELISA assay, which provides information about antibody titres and antibody avidities for the antigen. This information can help provide guidance about antibody dilutions in your studies.

Additional Antibodies. After we send the antibody preparations to you, we continue to collect and store approximately 12 immune eggs for a period of 2 months. These eggs can be used to prepare additional batches of antibodies at a significantly reduced cost. You may also choose to have us continue boosting the hens to collect additional batches of eggs.