Abstract
The Antibody-technologies Research Group (ARG) was formed to foster a community of individuals focused on developing and using antibodies as well as to educate research scientists about the generation, production, manipulation, and optimization of research grade antibodies. In line with these aims, ARG undertook the following activities, which will be discussed at this session. Firstly, a study was conducted to compare of the impact of various antibody-labeling approaches on the ultimate antibody performance. Three distinct antibody-labeling approaches were compared to determine their impact on the functionality of antibodies previously determined to be “difficult to label”. Results suggest a novel click-chemistry based approach may be superior for difficult labeling situations. Secondly, a multi-year study comparing the effectiveness of various immunization strategies was begun. Several approaches to developing a robust humoral immune response were compared head-to-head across multiple sites. Preliminary results have identified adjuvant formulations that drive a stronger antibody respnse than others. Finally, we will review the progress and challenges associated with the electronic repository for antibody related protocols and unpublished lessons learned from working with antibodies. This session will conclude with a discussion on the research group's efforts for the coming year.