Antibody Research

Multipass transmembrane and multimeric membrane proteins are targets for the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, but they present challenges for antibody generation. Membrane proteins represent ~25% of the entire genome and the majority of those are multi-pass, complex proteins that are challenging to express in a native, bio-active state with appropriate quaternary structure.

Multi-pass trans-membrane and multimeric membrane proteins are targets for the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. However, they present challenges for expression, antibody generation and screening. Success requires a multi-faceted approach with the following key elements:

• A system for stable expression of the membrane target protein, at high levels, in a variety of cell lines.
• The ability to generate immunogens that present a native, bio-active state with appropriate quaternary structure. Potential immunogens include peptides, soluble protein domains, nanodiscs, proteoliposomes, intact cells, and DNA vectors.
• Effective immunization protocols tailored to the immunogens.
• A robust platform for capturing the antibody response.
• A high-throughput screening platform for detecting antibodies on target protein-expressing cells

Multi-pass transmembrane and multi-meric membrane proteins are targets for the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, but are often challenging or impossible to express in a native, bio-active state with appropriate quaternary structure. Immunization with surrogate forms of the target including peptides, soluble protein domains, proteo-liposomes, or intact cells are not always successful in producing antibodies that are capable of binding to native state proteins.