Antibodies can be made to proteins, complex lipids, nucleic acids and carbohydrates.
Small polyeptided and nonprotein antigens are weak immunogens and need to be linked to large immunogenic carriers in order to become good immunogens.
Usually g to mg quantities of a protein antigen are needed to elicit an antibody response. This can be reduced by coinjecting the antigen with an adjuvant that serves as an excellent immunogen.
Adjuvants
A common adjuvant is Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) which a mixture of non-metabolizable mineral oil, a surfactant (Arlacel A), and killed mycobacteria (M. tuberculosis or M. butyricum)
To prepare the injection material, one volume of FCA is mixed with 1 volume of antigen suspended in water. The two components are mixed into a fine emulsion and injected.
Booster injections are made with Freund's Imcomplete Adjuvant (FIA) which is prepared the same way except it does not contain the mycobacteria.
Other adjuvants are described in the Overview of Adjuvants.
Antigens
For polyclonal Ab production, the antigen should be purified and free of bacteria and other pyrogens.
Typical masses of antigen needed for immunization
Rabbit 50-200 µg
Chicken 20-100 µg
Goat > 200 µg
Sheep > 200 µg
Rat 10-25 µg
Guinea Pig 10-25 µg
Mouse 5-20 µg
Polyclonal Antibodies
Polyclonal antibodies are a mixture of antibodies raised against a number of different epitopes found in the antigen.
Polyclonal antibodies can be used for a number of immuno-techniques that do not require the singular specificity of monoclonal antibodies.
Before immunization, a non-immune sample is taken to use as a non-immunized control.
Mammals
Rabbits and mice are the usual candidates in which
to make antibodies but goats, horses, sheep and other mammals can be used. 
Purified antigen that is free of bacteria or other pyrogens is injected with a followup boosters after 4 and 8 weeks. The maximal titer of the antibody occurs two weeks after the boosters and may a usable titer may continue for 6 months.
Antibody is isolated from blood serum.
Chickens
Immunization of chickens causes them to produce antibodies in the yolk of the egg. The antibody productivity of an egg-laying hen is much greater tha that of a similar sized mammal.
Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are raised against a single epitope and the hybridoma cells that produce them can be stored as frozen samples. Actively growing hybridomas will secrete monoclonal antibodies for as long as they are well fed.
Monoclonal hybridoma cells are made from a fusion of mouse antibody producing cells with immortalized tumor cells. The cells are separated by limiting dilution such that a single cell gives rise to a single monoclonal cell colony.
Feeding fused cells that have been separated by limiting
dilution.
Chimeric mouse-human antibodies
Other uses of antibodies
-Fluorescent labeling of cells expressing an antigen of interest.
Fluorescent double-labeling with Qdot Streptavidin
Conjugates. Fixed human epithelial cells were incubated with a mixture
of human anti-mitochondria antibodies and mouse anti-histone antibody.
The mitochondria were labeled with Qdot 605 Streptavidin Conjugate (red)
after the specimens were incubated with biotinylated goat anti-human IgG.
The cells then were blocked with biotin solution, incubated with biotinylated
goat anti-mouse IgG and the nuclei were stained with Qdot 525 Streptavidin
Conjugate (green). Reference
to Fisher Catalog for Qdot.
-FACS (Fluorescent Automated Cell Sorting)
FACS can be used to quantify different classes of cells.
-FISH (Fluorescent In situ Hybrization)