Antibody Production Shared Resource

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BASIC RESEARCH GROUP CORE 003 – ANTIBODY PRODUCTION SHARED RESOURCE PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Over the past two decades the view of monoclonal antibody utility has grown from valuable scientific reagents to include exciting and potent therapeutics. Over thirty monoclonal antibody–based therapies are now approved for human use in the U.S. and Europe, with nearly one-half of these therapeutics directed at cancer- relevant targets. In cancer research, the value of high-quality antibody reagents is impossible to overstate. A preponderance of molecular assays partially or completely depend upon the function of highly specific antibodies. Though there has been an explosion of commercially available antibodies, considerable variability remains in the actual specificity and utility of many of these reagents. Moreover, as research continues to progress, increasingly more challenging antibody needs continue to emerge (modification-specific antibodies, conformation- and isoform-specific antibodies, functional neutralizing or activating antibodies, etc.). For these reasons, the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) has continuously maintained and supported a vibrant antibody development infrastructure. The Antibody Production Shared Resource (APSR) provides a full range of services supporting all manner of antibody-related projects (polyclonals, monoclonals, recombinant antibodies and antibody engineering, etc.). In addition to making antibodies, the APSR has continued to expand its suite of protein production services to include both antigens and customized functional recombinant proteins (e.g., growth factors, cytokines, etc.). This service is very cost efficient, has opened yet more tools for VICC researchers to obtain valuable reagents and has already successfully delivered critical recombinant proteins at a fraction of the commercial price. This robust suite of protein production and purification capabilities, along with our hybridoma services, provides unique capabilities for the VICC investigators. The proposed additions of in-house rabbit monoclonal antibody development, antibody humanization, and offering an expanded antibody and protein reagent catalog will further add to the technological and economic benefits this facility offers to VICC researchers.