dryAb

dryAb is a term used in immunodiagnostics to describe antibodies that have been dried and immobilized for subsequent rehydration in assay workflows. In practice, dryAb formulations are applied to solid supports such as nitrocellulose membranes, plastics, or glass, and stored as dry spots or powders. Upon exposure to an appropriate buffering solution, the antibodies rehydrate, regain binding activity, and participate in antigen detection.

Preparation and formats: DryAb can be produced by lyophilization, spray drying, or adsorption onto surfaces followed by desiccation. Common formats include lateral flow test strips, microarrays, and cartridge-based immunoassays.

Advantages: improved thermal stability, reduced cold-chain requirements, easier shipping, longer shelf life, and ready-to-use reagents in field settings.

Limitations: some loss of activity due to drying; rehydration conditions must be optimized; potential changes in binding kinetics; quality-control measures are essential; storage conditions remain critical.

Applications: used in rapid diagnostics, point-of-care tests, and research reagents.

Etymology and usage: Ab stands for antibody; dry indicates the dried form. The term dryAb is widely used as a descriptor in scientific and vendor literature but is not a formal standard.

Related terms: dried reagents and dry-form antibodies used in lateral flow assays.