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*a table that shows the differences between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies in relation to where it is produced, bound to, antibody class and binding sites.

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*monoclonal antibodies uses in tumour pathology

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Application of Monoclonal Antibodies in Tumor Pathology

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The development of monoclonal antibodies to human tumor associated antigens has greatly facilitated the application of immunohistochemical techniques to analyze surgically removed tissues. During the last few years this approach has been utilized by a progressively increasing number of investigators to analyze malignant cells.

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*applications of immunohistochemitry

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Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is an important application of monoclonal as well as polyclonal antibodies to determine the tissue distribution of an antigen of interest in health and disease. IHC is widely used for diagnosis of cancers; specific tumor antigens ...

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*the role of immunocytochemistry in diagnostic pathology

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Abstract

This review suggests that immunocytochemistry in diagnostic pathology can be performed using relatively small panels of antibodies and that it should be reserved for situations in which, for one reason or another, the pathologist cannot exert his or her conventional diagnostic skills. Examples include the diagnosis of tumours the true nature of which is uncertain because of anaplasia or poor morphological preservation; the demonstration of small numbers of cells which are otherwise too rare to be recognised in conventionally stained preparations; and the immunophenotyping of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Recently progress has been made in the context of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas by the development of monoclonal antibodies that detect T and B cell associated markers in paraffin wax sections. Most of these reagents, however, recognise either lineage associated (but not lineage specific) variants of the leucocyte common antigen CD45, or antigens that are poorly characterised. A recent promising development has therefore been the demonstration that polyclonal antisera raised against the CD3/T3 T cell specific marker (purified by affinity chromatography) are suitable for staining T cells in paraffin sections. This approach will hopefully enable antibodies to be produced which react with other well defined white cell associated markers in routine biopsy material.

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The role of immunocytochemistry in diagnostic pathology.

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This review suggests that immunocytochemistry in diagnostic pathology can be performed using relatively small panels of antibodies and that it should be reserved for situations in which, for one reason or another, the pathologist cannot exert his or her ...

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*applications of monoclonal antibodies - diagnostic and therapeutic.

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*structure/function
*uses in research, diagnostic and therapeutic reagents

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Monoclonal versus polyclonal antibodies: distinguishing characteristics, applications, and information resources. - PubMed - NCBI

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*explains what poly/monoclonal antibodies are.
*explains their advantages/disadvantages.

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What is a Polyclonal Antibody?
A Polyclonal Antibody represents a collection of antibodies from different B cells that recognize multiple epitopes on the same antigen. Each of these individual antibodies recognizes a unique epitope that is located on that antigen.
Advantages:

Inexpensive to produce.

Quick to produce. Purified antibody ready to use in under four months.

Easy to store.

Highly stable and tolerant of pH or buffer changes.

Higher overall antibody affinity against the antigen due to recognition of multiple epitopes.

In general, ability to detect multiple epitopes gives more robust detection.

Offers greater sensitivity for detecting proteins that are present in low quantities in a sample since multiple antibodies will bind to multiple epitopes on the protein.

Ideal as the capture antibody in a Sandwich ELISA. Greater ability to quickly capture the target protein.

Superior antibody affinity generally results in quicker binding to target antigen. Ideal in assays requiring quick capture of the protein such as IP or ChIP.

Significantly more robust when assaying proteins that show slight variations in individual epitopes such as denaturation, polymorphism or conformational changes.

Superior for use in detecting a native protein in multiple assay types.

Much easier to couple with antibody labels. Less likely to affect binding capability.

Disadvantages:

Variability between different batches produced in different animals at different times

Higher potential for cross reactivity due to recognizing multiple epitopes

Affinity purification of the serum will typically be required to minimize cross reactivity

What is a Monoclonal Antibody?
A Monoclonal antibody, by contrast, represents antibody from a single antibody producing B cell and therefore only binds with one unique epitope. Each individual antibody in a polyclonal mixture is technically a monoclonal antibody; however, this term generally refers to a process by which the actual B-cell is isolated and fused to an immortal hybridoma cell line so that large quantities of identical antibody can be generated.
Advantages:

Can produce large quantities of identical antibody. Batch to batch homogeneity.

High specificity to a single epitope. Reduced probability of cross reactivity.

Can provide better results in assays requiring quantification of the protein levels.

Significantly more expensive to produce.

Requires significantly more time to produce and develop the hybridized clone.

Small changes in the epitope's structure often render the monoclonal antibody unable to detect the target protein.

More demanding storage conditions for the clone.

Cell culture and purification capabilities required.

Less robust for detecting the protein in a denatured state or altered conformation.

Less ideal for application requiring quick capture of the target protein.

More sensitive to pH and buffer conditions.

More susceptible to binding changes when labeled.

To offset many of these disadvantages, it is necessary to produce a pool of several monoclonal antibodies. This is typically cost and time prohibitive.

Summary:
For applications such as diagnostic manufacturing and therapeutic drug development that require large volumes of identical antibody specific to a single epitope, monoclonal antibodies can be an ideal solution. For general research applications, however, the advantages of polyclonal antibodies typically outweigh the few advantages that monoclonal antibodies provide. With affinity purification of serum against small antigen targets, the advantages of polyclonal antibodies are further extended. Monospecific antibodies, discussed in the next section, offer what we feel is the best of both worlds by combining high antibody specificity with low cost and rapid production.

Next: Monoclonal Antibody Alternative

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What is a Polyclonal Antibody? A Polyclonal Antibody represents a collection of antibodies from different B cells that recognize multiple epitopes on the same antigen. Each of these individual antibodies recognizes a unique epitope that is located on that antigen. Advantages: Inexpensive to produce. Quick to produce.

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Research Article - found on Science Direct

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Research Article - found on Science Direct

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*uses of poly/monoclonal antibodies against collagen in immunohistochemistry

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Characterization and isolation of poly- and monoclonal antibodies against collagen for use in immunohistochemistry

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*also talks about polyclonal antibodies.
*technical and theoretical considerations.