Antibodies are immunological proteins that play fundamental roles in host defense against infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. Two types of antibodies – polyclonal and monoclonal – provide research scientists with distinct ways to detect or quantify target antigens largely due to differences in specificity and affinity. In this article, we describe polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies in more detail and consider how each type may be used for various applications.

Building a new or relocated lab without infrastructure can be a daunting task. Not only understanding which boxes to check, but which lists to write can be overwhelming.