Use of antibody bound to modified cellulose as an immunospecific adsorbent of antigens

Rabbit serum globulins were complexed with bromoacetyl cellulose. Under appropriate conditions 96 to 98% of the protein was chemically bound. Binding of the globulins required a preliminary physical adsorption followed by a chemical reaction. The solid globulin-cellulose complex, under the conditions used, adsorbed specific antigens from solution completely, up to a maximum amount which represented a ratio of antibody to antigen close to that found in a specific precipitate in the equivalence zone. Preliminary experiments are reported on the problems of the specificity of adsorption of homologous antigen compared to unrelated proteins, and of the elution of adsorbed antigen. Potential uses for this method in biochemical investigations are suggested.