A NON-DESTRUCTIVE METHOD TO QUANTIFY AND ISOLATE ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC B CELLS AND USES THEREOF

摘要

The present invention relates to antigen-Ig Ab fusion molecules and methods of using same, wherein antigen-Ig Ab fusion molecules include an antigen fused to an immunoglobulin molecule, fragment or variant thereof and wherein the fusing of the immunoglobulin molecule to the antigen does not alter the specificity or tertiary structure of important epitopes of the antigen. This method allows the direct quantification and isolation of antigen-specific B cells by flow cytometry in essentially any species.