The Consortium for Top Down Proteomics Launches Pilot Project for Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwired - February 28, 2017) - The Consortium for Top Down Proteomics today announced the launch of their inter-laboratory study for characterizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) by top-down mass spectrometry techniques. With the continuing growth in the development and adoption of mAbs for a wide range of therapeutic uses, there is increasing demand for higher quality characterization of these complex species.

The participants in this study will utilize several workflows such as top-down and middle-down sequencing, intact mass analysis, and profiling of modifications to elucidate structural details on three monoclonal antibodies: Sigma SILu™ Lite mAb standard, NIST mAb standard, and a commercially available therapeutic mAb. Researchers will be provided the intact species as well as the mAb subunits enzymatically prepared with Genovis' IdeS/Fabricator® and KGP/GingisKHAN®. The study is being coordinated by Yury Tsybin of Spectroswiss Sarl, Joe Loo of UCLA, and Kristina Srzentic of Northwestern University.

"We are very pleased with the participation in this study," remarked Paul Danis, CEO of the Consortium, "as we have laboratories from major biopharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and universities in the US as well as Europe. Additionally they are analyzing the mAbs utilizing instrumentation from most major suppliers, which should provide an accurate picture of the state of the art."

Neil Kelleher, President of the Consortium and the Walter & Mary Elizabeth Glass Chair in Life Sciences at Northwestern University, added that, "the past two decades of development in top-down approaches have led us to this point where we can now add substantial value to the challenges of mAb characterization. We are anxious to see the results, and are confident that the top-down community can improve the understanding in this important area at the interface of academia, government, and industry."

The initial results will be presented at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN June 4-8, 2017, with a full publication to follow.

About the Consortium for Top Down Proteomics

The Consortium for Top Down Proteomics is a non-profit organization fostering collaboration, education, and innovative research to accelerate the comprehensive analysis of intact proteins and their complexes, speeding developments in the fields of therapeutics, diagnostics, environment, and energy. It has members from academic institutions, corporations, and government agencies worldwide, and its work is supported by sponsorships from Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Bruker Daltonics, and Genovis AB.