The first step in the affinity purification of antibodies is usually the immobilization of the corresponding antigen to a solid-phase matrix. Generally, this immobilization is done using some chemically reactive gel material such as cyanogen-bromide activated Sepharose. In fact, for large-scale preparative purifications this is an appropriate method to generate columns with adequate binding capacities and flow properties. However, for many purposes particu-late nitrocellulose (NC) is a promising alternative material, which is characterized by several advantageous properties, some of which are outlined as follows.
