What is a "pan-specific" antibody?
What does pan-specific antibody mean?


The combining prefix pan- means "all" or "every".

Antibodies are specific because they bind specifically to an epitope ('target') on a molecule. A pan-specific antibody is one that binds specifically to all desired targets, within a defined range.

Here are three correct examples of how the word could be used, to help you understand. Only the first two are relevant for your particular case:


In your case, there is an antibody for the phosphoprotein, the unphosphorylated protein, and both. The antibody that targets both is pan-specific because it binds both ("all", or "every") forms of the protein.
Another possible use for pan-specific is that some antibodies bind to some members of a protein family, but not all, so they are not comprehensive enough. Other time, antibodies bind to all members of a protein family, but bind additional targets, so they are not specific enough. Pan-specific is a great way to describe an antibody (monoclonal) or set of antibodies (polyclonal) that are both specific and comprehensive enough to adsorb an antigen of choice.
An antibody that binds specifically to a protein called pan.