The choice of an antibody is therefore of paramount importance in the design of an immunoassay; monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies can be used for such assays. Polyclonal antibodies are characterised by having a high binding affinity and are somewhat easier to prepare than monoclonal antibodies; by definition, they are not homogenous with respect to binding and therefore are less specific than monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are characterised by the homogeneity of their binding affinity and specificity. They are currently used in most commercial immunoassays since they can be produced in large quantities.
