Target
We know about the importance of the target protein for a successful antibody campaign. Our team of
experienced scientists analyzes each target and recommends the best way forward to deliver the product you
are looking for. We have developed different strategies to select the correct domains of your target antigen
(e.g. in silico modeling) and combine these antigens with the optimized immunization routes in
different species. Depending on the characteristics of the individual antigen and the available starting
material, we either generate synthetic peptides, recombinant proteins, antibodies or antibody fragments
(anti-idiotypic projects), cells lines suitable for immunization (syngeneic or ModiVacc™), or
plasmids for genetic immunization (NonaVac™). We further immunize with smaller proteins or whole cell
bacteria.
A multitude of immunization technologies is available at ImmunoPrecise, ranging from various injection
methods, via dermal tattooing, to live cell-based immunizations.
Peptide Production
The success of your antibody development project is highly dependent on the quality of your antigen. In the
case of anti-peptide projects, the immunizing antigen must be of high-purity, enabled for carrier
conjugation and safe for injection into animals. Therefore, to help ensure the best start to your antibody
development projects, let ImmunoPrecise’s principal scientists directly assist you in epitope prediction and
antigen design. Our peptide production service also includes modifications such as phosphorylations.
Recombinant Protein Production
ImmunoPrecise is excited to offer recombinant protein expression and production services. Our proprietary
expression technology is designed to deliver fast and large-scale production of (mammalian) recombinant
proteins and antibodies for research and pre-clinical applications.
NonaVac™
Our genetic immunization protocols have proven successful in the generation of monoclonal antibodies
against new, challenging, and conformation-sensitive targets. It has successfully been applied in transgenic
animals.
Through our proprietary vectors, our algorithm-based protocols produce native protein with appropriate
post-translational modifications in vivo and provides very high transfection efficiency. We recommend
this technology for complex protein classes, including GPCRs and ion channels as it bypasses the requirement
to produce difficult to express recombinant proteins, and overcomes conformational obstacles of such
antigens. Our in-house developed vectors are not subject to downstream milestones and royalties.
Species Selection
As part of the careful analysis of the target protein our scientific experts will recommend suitable animal
species and strains for a successful completion of your project. Most of our technology-platforms are
species-agnostic and can be applied to all animals we offer, including a variety of transgenic animals.
ModiVacc™
ModiVacc™ is a proprietary platform to generate high affinity antibodies specific for intractable
drug targets such as low immunogenic multiple, membrane-spanning proteins (e.g. GPCRs or ion channels). This
highly successful approach has already demonstrated that large panels of antibodies recognizing a broad
variety of epitopes can be generated.
The technology is based on the immunization of live ModiVacc™ cells in mice. The ModiVacc™
cell line is a mouse lymphoid tumor cell line containing specific co-factors and is used to stably express
the membrane protein of interest. The immunization of live ModiVacc™ cells does result in an initial
expansion of the tumor cells in the mice and induces a very strong immune response against the membrane
protein-expressing ModiVacc-cells. This immune response ultimately results in the clearance of the expanding
tumor cells. Subsequently, monoclonal antibodies can be generated by hybridoma generation using our
electro-fusion method, via B cell Select™, or by applying our phage library generation and selection
method.
Syngeneic Cell Line
Similar to our ModiVacc™ technology for mice, we offer the immunization of other species with a
syngeneic cell line. After the selection of the species for the immunization we discuss a suitable cell line
and prepare transfected cells for immunization and screening.
Immunization
ImmunoPrecise is proud to offer multiple, novel immunization platforms as a part of our full-service cycle.
We offer a variety of robust and proven immunization methods which can be tailored to the specific project
and client’s needs, including genetic immunization (NonaVac™), whole cell immunization
(ModiVacc™), dermal tattooing, hydrodynamic tail vein (HTV) and classical injections.
Rapid Prime
ImmunoPrecise’s proprietary Rapid Prime method identifies positive monoclonal antibodies in as little
as 32 days. While this method also uses semi-solid media cloning and picking to accelerate the process,
it is especially good for generating anti-idiotypic antibodies and has also been extremely useful for
generating monoclonal antibodies against conformational epitopes. Other sources of immunogens include
conserved or smaller proteins, peptides, and whole cell bacteria.
After the immunization of rodents, we apply our proprietary electrofusion or PEG-fusion to generate
hybridomas. The subsequent cloning, using semi-solid media and clone picking, allows us to identify
monoclonal antibody producing hybridoma cells in a very short time.
Rapid Prime can also be combined with B cell Select™ or Phage Display.
Transgenics
Currently multiple transgenic rodents are offered to directly generate human antibodies in an animal,
eliminating the necessity to humanize the resulting product. At ImmunoPrecise we are proud to have worked
with most of the available animals for our clients and partners. We have optimized our suite of services to
these rodents and applied our hybridoma, B cell Select™ and phage display technologies successfully.
ModiFuse™
The ModiFuse™ technology is based on our proprietary electrofusion platform for generating larger
numbers of hybridomas compared to traditional fusions, which allows for rapid and efficient generation of
monoclonal antibodies against virtually any target. This technique is combined with optimized immunization
protocols, a wide variety of mouse and rat strains, and semi-automated screening facilities.
B cell Select™
Our proprietary B cell screening, sorting, and sequencing technology increases the speed of antibody
discovery, maintains native antibody pairing, provides antibodies of higher sensitivity and specificity and
is applicable to any protein class, including complex therapeutic targets. Combining this technology with,
for example, OmniAb® animals offers a truly unique and superior antibody discovery option not found
elsewhere.
Semi-Solid Media & Clone Picking
ImmunoPrecise uses proprietary semi-solid media to grow mouse and rat hybridomas post-fusion. This special
media allows for the support and picking of single cell colonies immediately after the fusion and hybridomas
are essentially monoclonal from the start. No serial dilution (limiting dilution) cloning is required. All
hybridomas that grow from the fusion are able to be tested for specific antibody within two weeks
post-fusion. The quick detection of antibody-specific clones allows for immediate subcloning and
cryopreservation of valuable cultures.
Phage Display
ImmunoPrecise is pleased to offer in-house and custom phage libraries. Our phage display approach is based
on building custom immune libraries from multiple species, or the selection of antigen specific recombinant
antibody fragments from our proprietary human or llama phage libraries. Our proprietary libraries have been
made from human patient and naïve (scFv) repertoires, as well as from naïve llama (VHH) repertoires. Custom
immune libraries are prepared from blood, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow of immunized animals or
humans and capture the entire immune repertoire for panning, rescue, and identification of unique antibodies
with pre-specified characteristics.
This advanced technology allows us to express antibody fragments in bacteria or rapidly reformat into any
given Ig format, such as full-size IgG of various isotypes, bispecifics, Fc mutants to modify effector
functions, or chimeras with Fc regions from different species.
DeepDisplay™
A powerful new technology utilizing a combination of
Ligand’s OmniAb® transgenic animal platform and
ImmunoPrecise Antibodies’ custom phage display antibody selection.
DeepDisplay™ Poster
Characterization & Optimization
We provide further services to characterize and optimize your valuable monoclonal antibody. Specificity
testing in various assays can be complemented with affinity ranking of antibody panels or epitope
mapping/binning, using SPR based platforms. After hybridoma sequencing, we can clone, reformat, affinity
mature, chimerize, or humanize your antibody before we express the antibody recombinantly at a quality and
quantity of your choice.
Antibody Humanization (LucinaTech™)
Animal-derived monoclonal antibodies can elicit human anti-animal antibody responses in patients. Therefore
it is usually necessary to replace the animal content with the corresponding human amino acid residues. We
provide a robust and efficient antibody humanization service, which consistently retains affinity and
specificity levels. Our approach is based on state-of-the-art in silico antibody modeling to
identify
essential framework and CDR residues for grafting onto a human antibody framework.
Antibody Sequencing
Your monoclonal antibody is extremely valuable, but hybridoma cell lines can become unstable over time and
can stop secreting antibody. With ImmunoProtect™, the DNA sequence of your antibody will be
determined and can be used to express your antibody recombinantly, should your hybridoma cell line become
unstable.
Antibody Chimerization
Our antibody sequencing, cloning, reformatting, and expression service can clone and express any variable
antibody domain into any immunoglobulin context required, such as full-size mouse, rabbit, chicken, human
format, chimeras with any Fc region of choice, including effector mutants or Fc fusions.
Antibody Characterization
We provide highly purified, well-characterized, low endotoxin, or labeled antibodies for various
applications. Additional services include affinity ranking of antibody panels or epitope mapping/binning,
using SPR-based platforms, as well as custom assay development.
Antibody Optimization
After antibody sequencing (ImmunoProtect™) further services include reformatting and chimerization.
We also provide a robust and efficient antibody humanization (LucinaTech™) service. Our affinity
maturation service can complement your antibody optimization.
Antibody Affinity Maturation
Antibody affinity is important in therapeutic and diagnostic applications. ImmunoPrecise’s antibody
affinity maturation service can improve antibody affinities by several fold. We apply different
strategies to increase the affinity of your antibody, including gene shuffling and random mutagenesis.
Assay Development
ImmunoPrecise offers custom assay development services fully tailored to the needs of our clients. In
addition, we have
developed assays in-house (e.g. anti-TNF bioactivity assays, CAIA mouse model, etc.). You can find
more information on the available assays in our
Products section.
Manufacturing
Our proprietary expression technology is designed to deliver fast and large-scale production of (mammalian)
recombinant proteins and antibodies for research and pre-clinical applications. Antibodies can be
manufactured as hybridoma suspension in a bioreactor, or recombinantly as a transient expression system or
with stable cell lines. Our antibody expression platform is developed for rapid and high expression of
recombinant antibodies in mammalian cells. Our rPEx technology allows the production of difficult-to-express
proteins such as Fc-fusion proteins and bispecific antibodies.
Recombinant Antibody Expression Platform (rAb)
Fully post-translationally modified mammalian recombinant antibodies (rAb’s) are produced via the rAb
expression platform. Antibody variable domains can be seamlessly ligated in antibody expression vectors to
generate each antibody class.
Gram amounts of purified antibodies with low levels of endotoxin (< 0.05 EU/mg) can be provided in 4 to
6 weeks.
The rAb platform has a modular architecture, thereby allowing several transfection and delivery options.
Recombinant Protein & Antibody Expression
ImmunoPrecise proudly offers a wide range of recombinant protein expression and purification services. Our
proprietary
expression technology is designed to deliver fast and large-scale production of (mammalian) recombinant
proteins and antibodies for research and pre-clinical applications. In addition to custom programs, please
visit our catalog for a list of our off-the-shelf
products.
Non-Recombinant Purification
ImmunoPrecise’s bioreactor process is an excellent animal-free alternative for custom bulk antibody
production. One bioreactor flask can produce as much antibody as ascites from ten to twelve mice. In
addition, monoclonal antibody production in bioreactors contains no contaminating host mouse immunoglobulin.
We offer a selection of purification procedures for the isolation of specific antibodies from serum, and
concentrated tissue culture supernatant. Purified products undergo a full round of analysis to ensure high
quality antibody generation for use in important experiments or downstream manufactured products.
Transient protein production platform (rPEx)
Fully post-translationally modified mammalian proteins are produced via the rPEx transient protein
production platform. The rPEx production platform consists of serum-free, suspension-growing HEK and CHO
cells which are transiently transfected with expression vectors containing the gene of interest. For each
recombinant protein to be expressed, several proprietary expression vectors (pUPE expression vectors) are
available. Due to the modular architecture, the expression vectors can be easily adapted to meet specific
requirements. This allows, for example, the choice of nature and position of the purification tag.
Large amount of recombinant protein can be produced in a very short time span (generally less than 8
weeks). The rPEx platform allows for several transfection and delivery options to match your needs.
Cryostorage
We provide clients with a secure, off-site storage facility to safeguard their assets. We are a trusted
partner for the storage of cell lines, tissues, RNA, DNA, plasmid constructs, antibodies, and many other
biological materials.
