according to their molecular mass (the shorter the protein, the far it drifts), and in the second dimension according to their abundance Some limitations of immunoelectrophoresis Though immunoelectrophoresis has a number of benefits, it also has certain drawbacks, such as when compared to other methods of electrophoresis, such as immunofixation, this method is sluggish and less precise. It can be difficult to interpret the results. Several tiny monoclonal proteins may be harder to identify. The accessibility of particular antibodies limits its utility in analytical techniques. Traditional (classical or conventional) immunoelectrophoresis has a number of drawbacks, including the fact that it is time consuming and the protocol might take up to 3 days to finish, has limited specificity and sensitivity, and the results can be difficult to read. As a result, newer immunoelectrophoresis techniques have largely supplanted the conventional immunoelectrophoresis. References External links Comprehensive text edited by Niels H. Axelsen in Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, 1975 Volume 4 Supplement https://web.archive.org/web/20070612225626/http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/esimmuno/ch4/immelec.htm Immuno-Electrophoresis. Immuno-Diffusion Biochemistry methods Electrophoresis Molecular biology Protein methods Laboratory techniques Immunologic tests