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In this paper the concept of hapten is discussed , as well as the most used methods for conjugation of haptens (carboxylic acids, amines, nitro compounds, alcohols, phenols, carbohydrates, aldehydes and ketones) to carrier proteins. At present these hapten-carrier protein conjugates are useful as immunogens for obtaining polyclonal and monoclonal antisera employed in the production of immunodiagnostic reagents which represent one of the main Biotechnology applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of specific antibodies against compounds of low molecular weight (antibodies antihaptens) require the design of an immunization scheme employing as immunogen.a convenient synthetized hapten-carrier protein conjugate. A large number of organic compounds has been used as haptens, for example carboxylic acids as vanilmandelic acid (VMA), homovanillinic acid (HVA), palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid, amines as norepinephrine, epinephrine, and metanphetamine, opium alkaloids as thebaine, codeine, morphine and cocaine, vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin B12, and biotine (vitamin H). Methods of preparation and characterization of hapten-carrier protein conjugates, and the evaluation of their immunogenic properties are described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]