Presented by: Monique Seymour, MSc., Senior International Scientific Sales Executive, Rapid Novor
Abstract
All scientists know that a good antibody is irreplaceable because it leads to reproducible results. But, there are currently no high-throughput and inexpensive means of generating the same antibody de novo.
To generate antibodies, we still rely on traditional immunization protocols involving inoculation of production animals with a target antigen. But because the host humoral response results in a heterogenous mixture of antibodies, the probability of generating the exact copy of a desired antibody through these means is very low. As such, batch-to-batch variability is an expected trait of biomanufactured reagent or therapeutic antibodies. In research, many efforts (e.g., RRIDs or research resource identifiers) have been implemented to track antibodies for reproducibility purposes. However, other than a paucity in widespread use, such efforts still do not address the main issue: the uniqueness of antibodies. Unlike currency, antibodies are non-fungible. To manufacture a replica of a specific antibody, we must first know its sequence. Sometimes, scientists may obtain the sequence through nucleotide sequencing means.
However, this may not always be possible. Cell lines may become unstable, and often, storage problems can occur resulting in cell line loss or instability. Furthermore, antibodies are also adorned with post-translational modifications, particularly glycosylation, that impact both structure and function. Verifying the sequence of the end product – the antibody protein, is an appealing solution to fostering and maintaining reproducibility. Proteomics is a great tool to achieve the latter. Rapid Novor offers two proteomics solutions that address common issues with antibody production: REmAb® – to insure cell line instability, and MATCHmAbTM – to routinely check antibody reproducibility.