Diverse and High-Affinity Antibodies: The Science Behind AbDrop™

Biointron’s AbDrop™ platform revolutionizes antibody discovery by combining high-throughput screening with advanced microfluidic technology, enabling the identification of diverse and high-affinity antibodies. This process starts by isolating plasma B cells from immunized animals, encapsulating them in microdroplets to preserve natural heavy and light chain pairing, a critical factor for developing functional therapeutic antibodies. Using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), AbDrop™ rapidly identifies antibodies with superior specificity and affinity, ensuring targeted and potent therapeutic candidates. This approach delivers a broad range of fully human antibodies, accelerating the discovery of next-generation therapeutics. 

Microfluidics and Single B Cell Screening

At the heart of AbDrop™’s ability to discover diverse and high-affinity antibodies is its microfluidic single B cell screening. Unlike traditional hybridoma techniques, which limit the number of antibodies screened, microfluidics allows millions of B cells to be analyzed simultaneously. This ensures a rich pool of antibodies is screened, increasing the likelihood of finding rare, high-affinity candidates. By maintaining the natural pairing of heavy and light chains within each droplet, AbDrop™ preserves the full diversity of the immune response, which is essential for identifying therapeutically relevant antibodies. 

NGS-Powered Precision and Efficiency

AbDrop™’s integration of Next-Generation Sequencing further enhances the platform’s precision. After B cell screening, NGS is used to sequence the variable regions of the antibody genes, allowing rapid identification of candidates with high specificity for their target antigens. This precise genetic mapping enables researchers to quickly assess which antibodies are most likely to succeed in therapeutic applications, drastically reducing the time spent in the discovery phase.

Rapid Antibody Validation and Purification

Following sequencing, AbDrop™ moves quickly to validate antibody activity and purify selected candidates. Within just one month, high-affinity antibodies are screened, expressed, and purified, ready for further testing. This rapid turnaround is a significant advantage for researchers, who can move promising candidates into preclinical testing without the delays commonly associated with traditional methods. 

Expanding Therapeutic Potential with Fully Human Antibodies

The fully human nature of the antibodies generated by AbDrop™ further enhances their therapeutic potential. By using Cyagen’s HUGO-Ab™ mice, which are genetically engineered to produce fully human antibodies, the platform eliminates the need for complex humanization processes. This not only speeds up the discovery process but also minimizes the risk of immunogenicity, ensuring that the antibodies are safer and more effective when used in patients.

Learn more about our High-throughput Fully Human Antibody Discovery Platform here.