Antibodies to Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze specific biochemical reactions at at physiological temperture and conditions. Enzymes are fundamental to all biological processes. Typically enzymes bind a substrate in a well circumscribed binding pocket which stabilizes the intermediate state that the substrate has to assume during its conversion into the product of the enzymatic reaction. Catalysis can be further regulated by allosteric activation or inhibition. Enzymes come in all shapes and forms and catalyze all biological processes, including protein synthesis and degradation, metabolic reactions, DNA synthesis and degradation, cell signaling, etc. Enzymes are prime drug targets in the pharmaceutical industry, because enzymes are frequently overactive or not active in disease, and because enzymes are relatively easy targets for small molecule inhibitor discovery. Widely used medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, Lipitor™, and Viagra™ inhibit enzymes.

Antbodies to enzymes are widely used in research, target validation and diagnostics. Antibody development strategies depend very much on the type and function of the enzyme, typically animals are immunized with purified enzyme and antibodies are selected for binding to the enzyme in an ELISA-type assay. In some instances, inhibitory antibodies are desired. These can be selected for using an applicable assay that measures the activity of the enzyme in the absence or presence of inhibitor candidates.

Antibody Solutions
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