Anti-Human Haemoglobin Antibody
Definition
A monoclonal antibody raised against epitopes unique to human haemoglobin. Forms the detection and capture antibodies on the lateral-flow strip, conferring specificity for human blood.
- Antibody type
- Monoclonal, raised against human-specific haemoglobin epitopes
- Role in test
- Forms both the capture and detection antibody on the strip
- Used in
- RSID-Blood and ABAcard HemaTrace lateral-flow strips
- Specificity target
- Confers species specificity for human blood over animal blood
Common questions
Why does the strip use the same antibody twice?+
A sandwich format needs one antibody bound to the strip to capture haemoglobin from the sample and a second, labelled copy of the same antibody to bind the captured protein and produce the visible line, so both roles are filled by the same monoclonal antibody.
Can this antibody cross-react with animal blood?+
It is raised against epitopes unique to human haemoglobin, so a well-validated strip gives a negative result on common animal bloods, though very old or degraded stains can occasionally produce a weak or ambiguous line that a lab result should still confirm.
Related terms
- Control Band (C Line)
- A second line that captures excess labelled antibody regardless of whether the analyte is present. Its appearance confirms the assay ran correctly....
- Cross-Reactivity
- The capacity of an antibody raised against one analyte to bind structurally related compounds. In RIA, cross-reactivity is the main driver of...
- Lateral-Flow Immunochromatography
- A test format in which a liquid sample flows laterally along a membrane, encounters labelled detection antibodies, and is captured at specific...
- Prozone Effect
- A false-negative serological result caused by antibody excess. When antibody concentration is too high relative to antigen, antibodies saturate individual antigen molecules...
- Test Band (T Line)
- The line on the lateral-flow card that appears when the anti-haemoglobin antibody captures haemoglobin-laden conjugate. Its presence constitutes a positive result.