Generation and selection of rabbit antibody libraries by phage display.

The rabbit antibody repertoire is an exceptional source for both polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that combine high specificity with high avidity and affinity, respectively. In contrast to rabbit pAbs, which have been utilized for decades, rabbit mAbs are defined reagents with infinite supply, prompting considerable interest in recent years. Phage-display technology based on chimeric rabbit/human Fab libraries allows the selection of rabbit mAbs that cross-react with mouse and human antigens while maintaining high affinity and specificity.