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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Generation of Discriminative Human Monoclonal Antibodies from Rare Antigen-specific B Cells Circulating in Blood
Published on: February 6, 2018
Characterizing complex polysera produced by antigen-specific immunization through the use of affinity-selected
Galina Denisova1, Dimitri Denisov, Carole Evelegh
1Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Antigen-based (as opposed to whole organism) vaccines are actively being pursued for numerous indications. Even though different formulations may produce similar levels of total antigen-specific antibody, the composition of the antibody response can be quite distinct resulting in different levels of therapeutic activity.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Using plasmid-based immunization against the proto-oncogene HER-2 as a model, we have demonstrated that affinity-selected epitope mimetics (mimotopes) can provide a defined signature of a polyclonal antibody response. Further, using novel computer algorithms that we have developed, these mimotopes can be used to predict epitope targets.
Conclusions/Significance:
By combining our novel strategy with existing methods of epitope prediction based on physical properties of an individual protein, we believe that this method offers a robust method for characterizing the breadth of epitope-specificity within a specific polyserum. This strategy is useful as a tool for monitoring immunity following vaccination and can also be used to define relevant epitopes for the creation of novel vaccines.
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