Design, Production and Characterization of Peptide Antibodies—Volume II

Dear Colleagues,

Antibodies are key reagents in diagnostics and experimental biology, capable of detecting numerous antigenic targets. Proteins are often in focus and are usually effective targets for antibody production. Occasionally, however, the native protein is known but not available, or a very specific target is required. In these cases, synthetic peptides, copying essential sequences from the target, are good alternatives for antibody production. Peptide antibodies have been used in diagnostics and experimental biology with great success, especially because they can be produced to multiple targets, for example, native and denatured targets: In particular, mutation-specific antibodies have become important as diagnostic tools in malignant and premalignant conditions. Thus, peptide antibodies have become powerful tools and are readily produced to any peptide of choice, if appropriate precautions are taken.

When selecting or designing the peptide used for antibody production, critical elements (among others) include peptide length, structure, and amino acid composition, but elements such as peptide synthesis limitations and peptide antibody accessibility to the intended target are also critical for a good outcome.

Traditional peptide antibody proteins encompass animal-based immunization with a synthetic peptide, usually conjugated to a carrier protein to enhance immune presentation, as small peptides tend not to be immunogenic by themselves. There are several strategies for the conjugation of peptides to carriers applied for immunization. This is the most used approach for peptide antibody production. In addition to traditional peptide antibody production, peptide antibodies can be produced using libraries or sequencing.

Following peptide antibody production, newly generated peptide antibodies are typically characterized based on their reactivity in immunoassays (e.g., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or surface plasmon resonance), where antibody specificity and reactivity are determined.   

This Special Issue “Design, Production and Characterization of Peptide Antibodies” aims to describe the current state-of-the-art techniques and characterization/applications within the field as well as newer and emerging uses of peptide antibodies.

Dr. Nicole H. Trier
Prof. Dr. Gunnar Houen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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