Aldevron, a global leader in antibody discovery to the biotech industry, announced today the acquisition and installation of the Beacon Optofluidic platform (Beacon) to support rapid execution of species agnostic single B-cell antibody discovery to complement its industry-leading genetic immunization and hybridoma capabilities. The Beacon platform will be located in the recently announced expansion lab space in Aldevron’s Freiburg, Germany, facility and will be coming on-line in June 2019.
The Beacon platform, created by Berkeley Lights, Inc, is uniquely designed to carefully and specifically isolate, monitor and assay almost any cell type. When used for antibody discovery, the Beacon platform can isolate and identify functional antibody-producing B-cells in less than one day, eliminating weeks of work. Once individual target cells are identified, the cells can be exported for sequencing or cloning. Each cell is tracked so that the phenotype can be linked to the genotype.
“Adding the Berkeley Lights Beacon platform is a key component to our antibody discovery service and to our clients,” said Aldevron’s President of its Antibody Business Unit, Brian Walters. “The rapid screening and assay functionality will allow our team to generate rare antibodies against difficult targets and provide multiple approaches to support the antibody development objectives of our clients and the industry with a royalty free, fee-for-service option.”
“Berkeley Lights’ digital cell biology platform offers the diversity, applicability, and agility to meet the demands of today’s changing landscape of antibody discovery, “said Dr. Eric Hobbs, Chief Executive Officer at Berkeley Lights. “We are pleased Aldevron is joining our growing list of companies incorporating the Beacon platform to accelerate drug discovery. “
Aldevron’s Freiburg location focuses on antibody discovery and development becoming the company’s second site and first European site in 2004. Industry leading genetic immunization expertise combined with expanded cell culture, fusion and sequencing capabilities, and the, new single B-cell platform, have positioned Aldevron to offer comprehensive antibody services from target identification through large-scale pre-clinical production.
About Aldevron
Aldevron serves the biotechnology industry with custom production of nucleic acids, proteins, and antibodies. Thousands of clients use Aldevron-produced plasmids, RNA and gene editing enzymes for projects ranging from discovery research to clinical trials to commercial applications. These products are critical raw materials and key components in commercially available drugs and medical devices. Aldevron specializes in GMP manufacturing and is known for inventing the GMP-SourceTM quality system. Aldevron recently announced its 14-acre campus expansion plan for its headquarters in Fargo, North Dakota; and has additional facilities in Madison, Wisconsin, and Freiburg, Germany. To learn more, visit www.aldevron.com.
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