Antibody-forming cell assay

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-000666",
  "term": "Antibody-forming cell assay",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A laboratory technique used to quantify the number of B lymphocytes that are actively producing antibodies against a specific antigen. This assay involves incubating immune cells with target red blood cells coated with the antigen, leading to the formation of plaques around antibody-secreting cells. The results are expressed as plaque-forming units per million cells.",
  "synonyms": [
    "hemolytic plaque assay",
    "Jerne plaque assay",
    "plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay",
    "AFC assay"
  ],
  "subject": "Chemistry and Human Health",
  "see_also": [
    "B lymphocyte",
    "immunoglobulin Y",
    "immunoglobulin M",
    "T lymphocyte",
    "antigen-presenting cell",
    "immunotoxicology"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 2012, 84, 1113. 'IUPAC glossary of terms used in immunotoxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2012)' on page 1124 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-11-06-03)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/antibody-forming-cell-assay/"
}