Technology is the First and Only to Use this Approach to Offer a Greater Understanding of Antibody: Antigen Binding
WALTHAM, MA. (Sept. 21, 2016) – Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, has developed a new antibody testing and verification methodology using Immunoprecipitation-Mass Spectrometry (IP-MS) that is designed to help researchers, antibody producers and customers identify the best antibodies to study proteins. IP-MS technology uses mass spectrometry to identify and quantify immunoprecipitated proteins from a cell lysate. This allows for the confirmation of an antibody’s target enrichment performance by verifying selectivity for the intended protein target, identifying potential off-targets, and demonstrating the enrichment of known interacting proteins. The IP-MS approach has the potential to address the need for improved antibody validation.
Importantly, this novel method is tested with native proteins endogenously expressed, or produced within an organism, in well characterized cell lines. Complementation assays and affinity purification methods with overexpressed recombinant proteins are commonly used for the identification of protein-protein interactions. In contract, this IP-MS technology and workflow uniquely identifies protein-protein interactions by capturing and identifying native proteins from a native cell lysate.
“This antibody testing methodology represents a significant advancement for verifying antibodies,” said John Rogers, Senior Manager, Mass Spectrometry Reagents at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “The current success rate for researchers to identify ‘good’ antibodies for Western blotting is typically one out of three to five antibodies tested, while it can often take five to 10 antibodies to find an optimal antibody for the IP-MS approach. This can result in wasted time and money. Use of this new IP-MS approach verifies the antibody target selectivity and performance and allows for more efficient identification of protein-protein interactions. It’s not a complicated technique, but there is elegance in its simplicity.”
Based upon the analysis of over five hundred antibodies to nearly one hundred cancer-related targets, Thermo Fisher researchers found that antibodies that have not been validated for immunoprecipitation have a 40 percent success rate for IP-MS, whereas antibodies that have been screened and validated with a traditional immunoprecipitation to Western blotting technique reaches a 70 percent success rate.1 This data could have significant implications for the standardization of antibody verification and the development of much-needed guidelines to support antibody validation initiatives. IP-MS-verified antibodies allow researchers to see the enriched target protein sequence as well as co-enriched proteins. IP-MS technology provides researchers with access to a significantly greater amount of data and greater confidence in antibody specificity.
1 Thermo Fisher Scientific Data on File.
Contact Information:
Lauren Lum
650.888.3856
cgmusich@yahoo.com
Thermo Fisher is in the unique position to combine and implement optimized IP-MS and MS sample preparation reagents, Thermo Scientific Q Exactive MS instruments, and novel software in real-life applications. The new antibody verification pipeline aligns with the company’s commitment to ensuring high quality and consistent antibodies for biomedical research. In 2015, Thermo Fisher assisted in establishing the International Working Group on Antibody Validation (IWGAV) to help address this critical unmet need for broadly accepted antibody quality and validation standards. The IWGAV is a group of international scientists with diverse research interests, but a shared goal of improving standards for antibody use and validation. It recently proposed new strategies published in Nature Methods in an effort to guide antibody validation in specific research applications.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $17 billion and more than 50,000 employees in 50 countries. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive support. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com. ###
