How are antibodies typically injected into living systems? - (Aug/31/2005 )
How are antibodies typically injected into living systems? Do they have to be incorporated into vaccines, or can they be in any liquid form?
We generally inject using a syringe and needle. 
Honestly I don't know for certain. But I would think by definition that an antibody placed into a living system (think human) for the prevention of a disease, would be considered a vaccine.
Honestly I don't know for certain. But I would think by definition that an antibody placed into a living system (think human) for the prevention of a disease, would be considered a vaccine.
See, that's what I would've thought, but don't the vaccines incorporate antigens, not antibodies, in an effort to have the body produce antibodies against said antigens?
I mean, are commercial antibodies sold by companies that manufacture antibodies usable in human systems? From the descriptions I've read it seems like they are in a solution prepped for use in staining.
Almost all commercially available antibodies are raised in mice, rabbit, sheep, goat, or horse. As a result, they are highly immunogenic when injected into people. The proteins of different animals have sufficiently different amino acid sequence to make them easily distinguishable by the immune system. This is the basis for secondary antibody detection in western blots, e.g.
There is some use of human gamma-globulin as a treatment, which is essentially shotgun isolation of a huge mixture of human antibodies that some other person developed. I believe one of the treatments for Ebola, e.g., was the gamma-globulin isolated from survivors. I'm not aware of purified human antibodies being available as a treatment, but there probably are several.
Interesting. I didn't know the immune system could also target antibodies as foreign substances.
I know in the studies I've read mice have immunized/vaccinated with antigens (some human) and that illicits an immune response to destroy them, but I didn't know the same was true for antibodies.
But aren't many antibodies raised in mice raised against human antigens? How can a manufacturer claim cross-reactivity between different species (including human) if this is not the case?
Unless...this means that the antibodies are raised in the mice (or other animals) against human proteins introduced into those animal systems, in which case they are effective only in that particular animal. I think I now understand your point about the antibodies being immunogenic in humans.
Just thought I'd add my two penny's worth.
Vaccines contain antigenic sites (either an attenuated from of the pathogen or proteins and peptides from it) from the pathogen of interest to stimulate a protective immune response (neutralising antibodies and/or T-cells) . Since the immune system has "memory" this should help the next time you encounter that particular pathogen.
Simply injecting an antibody is not going to give you long term protection.
Antibody therapies are being used to treat autoimmune diseases, notably Rheumatoid arthritis using humanised anti-TNFalpha antibodies (infliximab). The short term nature of the treatment means it had to be give repeatedly but completely wiping out TNF's effects long-term isn't beneficial for innate immunity anyway.
Hope that was of interest to you, Dolce, and I haven't bored you to death 
All the best,
Ceri