ImmunoSwitch Antibodies
ImmunoSwitch antibodies are polyclonal reagents raised against the heavy and light chains of a primary antibody's host species rather than against its antigen. Inserted between a primary antibody and a secondary detection system, an ImmunoSwitch antibody converts the primary's effective host species without altering its target specificity, so a single secondary system can be used across primaries raised in several different species.
Browse ImmunoSwitch AntibodiesConverting a Primary Antibody From One Host Species to Another
Species switching reformats or bridges an antibody so its variable region, and therefore its antigen specificity, is retained while its effective host backbone changes for detection purposes. Researchers turn to this approach when a primary antibody's host species creates high background, is incompatible with an existing secondary system, or complicates translation of an in vitro finding into an animal model.1 An ImmunoSwitch antibody binds the constant chains of the primary antibody rather than its paratope, so the primary keeps its original binding activity while a second, well-characterised secondary system can be used to detect it.
Worked Example: Bridging a Guinea Pig Primary to a Rabbit Secondary
Primary: guinea pig anti-rhodopsin · Bridge: rabbit anti-guinea pig ImmunoSwitch · Secondary: goat anti-rabbit
Primary antibody incubation
- Add guinea pig anti-rhodopsin at 1:1000 dilution
- Incubate for 30 minutes at room temperature
- Wash with PBST (or NaCl-T)
ImmunoSwitch incubation
- Add rabbit anti-guinea pig ImmunoSwitch at 1:5000 dilution
- Incubate for 30 minutes at room temperature
- Rinse with PBS or DI water
Secondary antibody incubation
- Add goat anti-rabbit secondary antibody
- Wash with PBST (or NaCl-T)
- Proceed with your standard detection protocol
Two Bridges Worth a Closer Look
These two ImmunoSwitch antibodies anchor the two most common bridging workflows in the range: converting a guinea pig primary onto a rabbit-based detection system, and converting a mouse-raised primary onto a chicken-based system to avoid mammalian Fc receptor and complement binding.
Anti-Rabbit Anti-guinea pig ImmunoSwitch Antibody (STJ13102674)
Bridges a guinea pig-raised primary onto a rabbit-based secondary detection system. Guinea pig primaries are used to identify retinal ganglion cells and photoreceptor markers such as rhodopsin, often alongside a rabbit- or mouse-raised marker in the same panel.2,4 This ImmunoSwitch antibody lets a single rabbit-directed secondary cover both.
View product →Anti-Chicken Anti-mouse ImmunoSwitch Antibody (STJ13102684)
Bridges a mouse-raised primary onto a chicken IgY-based detection system. Chicken IgY does not bind mammalian Fc receptors, activate mammalian complement or interact with rheumatoid factor, so a chicken-directed secondary contributes less background and can be combined with other mammalian-host antibodies in the same panel.3
View product →ImmunoSwitch Antibodies for Multiplex & Background Reduction
Chicken-host ImmunoSwitch antibodies bridge a primary raised in a mammalian species onto a chicken IgY-based detection system. Because IgY does not bind mammalian Fc receptors or activate mammalian complement, and secondary antibodies against chicken IgY do not cross-react with mammalian IgG, this route reduces non-specific binding and supports combining several mammalian-host primaries in one multiplex panel.3
ImmunoSwitch Antibodies for Retina & Neuroscience Detection Bridging
Guinea pig-raised primaries are used alongside rabbit-, mouse- and rat-raised markers in retina and neuroscience panels, including guinea pig antibodies against RBPMS for identifying retinal ganglion cells across species and against rhodopsin for labelling rod photoreceptor outer segments.2,4 A guinea pig-host ImmunoSwitch antibody bridges these primaries onto the same secondary system used for the panel's other markers, avoiding the need for a separate anti-guinea pig secondary.
Standardising Secondary Detection Across Rabbit-Raised Primaries
Rabbit-raised primaries are widely used across immunology, and standardising on a single well-characterised secondary antibody system is one of the reasons researchers reformat a primary's host species.1 Rabbit-host ImmunoSwitch antibodies bridge primaries raised in mouse, rat, guinea pig, chicken, goat and sheep onto a rabbit-based secondary, so one secondary detection system covers primaries sourced from several different suppliers or hosts.
ImmunoSwitch Antibodies for Comparative & Veterinary Immunology
Rat- and sheep-host ImmunoSwitch antibodies support panels built around primaries raised outside the more common mouse and rabbit hosts, including comparative and veterinary work where a target species has few directly matched commercial secondary antibodies. These bridges let a rat- or sheep-raised primary be brought onto a rabbit or other established secondary system instead.
Looking for a Specific Host or Target Pairing?
Browse the full range of 36 ImmunoSwitch antibodies, spanning chicken, guinea pig, NZ white rabbit, rat and sheep hosts across a range of target species.
Browse ImmunoSwitch Antibodies1. Antibody Species and Isotype Switching: When to Use It and How It Impacts Performance. Absolute Antibody. https://absoluteantibody.com/antibody-species-isotype-switching/
2. Anti-RBPMS Antibody, guinea pig polyclonal (1832-RBPMS). Antibodies Incorporated. https://www.antibodiesinc.com/products/anti-rbpms-antibody-1832-rbpms
3. Why Chicken IgY? Aves Labs / Antibodies Incorporated. https://www.antibodiesinc.com/pages/why-chicken-igy
4. Anti-Rhodopsin Antibody [B630] (ab230692), immunohistochemical validation in retinal tissue. Abcam. https://www.abcam.com/en-us/products/primary-antibodies/rhodopsin-antibody-b630-ab230692
For Research Use Only. Not intended for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.