Editor’s note: Welcome to 2021, and to our first in a year-long series of posts that will explore the essentials in antibody discovery. We’re starting off with a frequently under-appreciated technique for getting to “yes” or “no” faster — target analysis. Next up, in early February, we’ll be talking about fusions. Thanks for reading, and we invite your ideas on what you consider to be “the essentials” of antibody research success.
The First Step in Increasing the Odds of Hitting Your Target
“Measure twice, cut once” is one of the most practical and logical pieces of advice we learn growing up. And while the folks who first published this maxim back in the Middle Ages obviously weren’t referencing life sciences, that phrase can — and should — be applied to virtually every aspect of the process underlying scientific research.
Take target analysis in antibody discovery, for instance.
How Skipping Ahead Risks Putting You Behind
Too often, there’s a tendency in antibody discovery campaigns to jump directly into immunization with an available antigen, under the assumption that as long as there is an immune response that the right antibodies will be “in there somewhere.” This would be like cooking dinner without checking for all the ingredients in your fridge first. To paraphrase the immortal Ferris Bueller, drug discovery “ . . . moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Here’s why:
You’ll see there’s a theme here: Looking ahead (or, better still, thinking and planning ahead) at the onset of antibody discovery isn’t so much a “nice-to-have” luxury as it is a “need-to-have” prerequisite. Proceeding directly to immunization with even the most highly reputable protein as a foundation might not be the best course.
A Proven Way Forward
If target analysis isn’t typically on the “lab bench” in your campaigns today, there’s an easy way to make it part of your future repertoire. It starts with asking a handful of key questions that help establish a clear and reliable pathway to success:
An “Everything-To-Gain” Proposition?
Answering key target analysis questions doesn’t necessarily require hitting the “pause” button on your research. In fact, in the end, this approach can ultimately both improve the efficiency, expedite downstream processes and enhance the cost-effectiveness of your overall discovery efforts.
Target analysis can represent a natural “arm” of your research and immunization can, if necessary, happen in parallel with it. The goal is to increase your odds of a successful “hit.” Put another way, the operative question is “How do we enhance our odds of prompting the right response in the most direct way?” rather than “How do we enhance our odds of prompting any response in the most direct way?”
So, you naturally might ask, does target analysis lead to success 100 percent of the time? Unfortunately not. Even when you start with that as your first step, there’s no guarantee that you’ll always get a hit. But if you don’t do it and something goes awry in the middle of the campaign, it’s almost certain that you’ll have to start all over (and there’s certainly no way of getting back the month or two lost while waiting on the results).
The bottom line? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain through target analysis.
Putting Goals First
Because we believe so strongly in the value of target analysis, we typically offer it as a complementary first step for our clients. It’s a natural part of our process at Antibody Solutions (not to mention a reflection of our commitment to full transparency in the scientific process and how we collaborate with your team). We can’t prepare an accurate work order, after all, without a plan for how we intend to pursue your target.
Fit-for-purpose antibodies rarely pop up out of the blue (or culture plate, in this case). It’s thoughtful, precise science that yields responses and delivers results.
Pairing Up The Art And Science Of Target Analysis
There’s an art, too, that accompanies the science of target analysis. Nuance — the kind of insights only revealed through firsthand experience — matters.
We touch on some of those firsthand insights in our scientific poster, “Generation of Antibodies to Difficult Membrane Protein Targets,” which explains some of the key dynamics that influence how an antibody is generated. You also can gain an understanding of how we incorporate the target analysis process to streamline our work on our clients’ behalf and improve their odds of earlier success.
And since we prefer dialogues to monologues, we’d welcome your perspectives on how target analysis plays a role in your current research as well as the potential value it could offer in your future work.