Antibody Discovery Services
Aragen, a leading contract research organization, has decades of antibody discovery and development experience. We’ve produced hundreds of antibodies and other proteins for use in physical characterization studies, target validation, screening, structural biology research as well as diagnostic and therapeutic products.
We provide an efficient path for antibody discovery and development, reducing risk with well-established technologies. The result will be a product that demonstrates the desired function, selectivity, and cross-reactivity manufactured at the desired scale.
Our team will work closely with you from concept through delivery. Together, we’ll develop a set of project deliverables tailored to your specifications of scale, purity, analytical characterization, and activity on a timeline that meets your needs. We’ll also collaborate closely with our cell biology team for subsequent stable cell line development as well as our in vivo team for efficacy and safety testing to ensure IND-enabling results.
For antibody development we focus on using the industry-leading hybridoma technology platform, relying on the technique that has produced 90% of the antibodies authorized by the FDA. (1,2)
Comprehensive Solutions from Antibody Discovery through Hybridoma
Immunogen Generation:
- Immunization
- Electrofusion
- Functional screening
- Epitope binning
- Affinity determination
- Antibody sequence generation
- Purification from hybridoma
- Analytics and characterization
Process Highlights
Immunogen Design and Immunization
Our immunogen design capabilities include DNA, proteins and peptides, antigens. Immunizations are performed at our onsite vivarium with instant access to different rodent hosts such as mice, rats and hamsters. We use various strains of mice for higher epitope diversity. Our staff has extensive experience with different immunization strategies and administration routes using a variety of adjuvants.
Screening and Monoclonal Generation
Our scientists work collaboratively with customers in designing the most appropriate screening strategy to identify target-specific and high-affinity antibodies. Hybridoma culture supernatants are primarily screened in-house, using high throughput ELISA based assays, with proper controls to verify specificity and cross reactivity. We further characterize antibodies based on binding affinity and functionality assays. The hybridomas are used to generate monoclonals and retested for target binding and affinity. The selected monoclonals can be sequenced and expressed as recombinant antibodies for further use.H3: Analytics and Characterization
We take a holistic approach to monoclonal antibody characterization, selecting analytical techniques and assays that best meet client needs, including biophysical and molecular techniques as well as efficacy measurements. The candidate antibodies will be evaluated for their ability to neutralize a pathogen, block a receptor-ligand interaction, or modulate a specific biological pathway.
Scale-up
The antibodies purified with predicted properties will be further developed and manufactured at larger scales to support preclinical and clinical studies. We perform optimizations of the production processes, such as cell culture systems or recombinant protein expression platforms, to generate adequate quantities of antibodies.
Leveraging the Latest Technology Platforms
Aragen utilizes highly immunocompetent humanized transgenic mouse platforms from Alloy Therapeutics and Harbour Biomed. We are an Alloy-certified CRO. These platforms are optimized for human antibody sequence developability and diversity. Host-Wild type rodents (mouse & rat) are also available. We also use a range of instrument platforms for antibody screening, purification and characterization. These include Cytena F.SIGHT Single Cell Printer™, Solentim Cell Metric® Single Cell Imager, Sartorious’ Octet BLI system, Cytiva’s Biacore SPR and ӒKTA chromatography systems, Unchained Labs’ Uncle protein stability screening system as well as characterization with HPLC and LCMS.
Contact Us to Learn More
Contact our team in the Morgan Hill, California facility to learn more about Aragen’s custom antibody discovery and development services and how we can take your project from immunogen preparation all the way to having an IND-enabling data package.