Isolation of human scFv antibody fragments against ABO blood group antigens from a phage display library

Background and Objectives: Phage display has proven very useful for the isolation of antibodies against a number of antigens. We used this technology to isolate scFv antibody fragments against A and B red blood cell antigens. Materials and Methods: Phages from a phage display library were selected using unmodified red blood cells as a source of antigen. Bound phages were absorbed onto cells lacking the antigen of interest and used to infect Escherichia coli cells. Phages were rescued and assayed for specificity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: After several rounds of panning and subtraction on red blood cells, one anti-A and one anti-B human scFv antibody fragments were isolated. Conclusion: Isolation of anti-A and anti-B scFv antibody fragments on whole cells is an alternative method of obtaining antibodies against native cell-surface antigens.