Question 1

What techniques do you use for affinity maturation?

Accepted Answer

We employ a range of complementary affinity maturation strategies, selected according to the antibody format, target properties, and project objectives. These include phage display for large-scale library screening, error-prone PCR to introduce controlled diversity, chain shuffling to explore optimal heavy/light chain pairings, and targeted mutagenesis of CDR regions to fine-tune binding interactions. When appropriate, we combine these approaches to efficiently improve affinity, specificity, and developability while maintaining the desired functional profile.

Question 2

How do you balance improved affinity with preserving specificity and avoiding off-target binding?

Accepted Answer

Affinity maturation relies on phage display using a custom competition panning protocol validated to selectively retain improved binders against recombinant human. Specificity is controlled through parallel VH and VL library screening, followed by combinatorial selection and ELISA validation with negative controls to exclude nonspecific binders. All variants are benchmarked against the starting antibody phage to ensure genuine, target-specific affinity improvement.

Question 3

Do you assess potential developability liabilities introduced during mutagenesis?

Accepted Answer

Yes, that is an option we offer.. During affinity maturation, all variants are carefully monitored for potential developability liabilities, including nonspecific binding or sequence issues, ensuring that improved affinity does not compromise the candidate’s suitability for further development. See your developability assessment services.

Question 4

Can the workflow accommodate antibodies from any species or format?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our phage display–based affinity maturation workflow can be applied to antibodies from any species and in various formats, ensuring broad compatibility with diverse projects.

Question 5

Can you scale up expression and purification of selected variants for downstream assays?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ProteoGenix offers recombinant antibody expression and purification services that can produce antibodies at scales ranging from milligrams to several grams using high‑performance mammalian platforms and scalable workflows, ensuring supply of sufficient material for downstream functional and characterization assays.

Question 6

Do you offer support for subsequent humanization or developability assessment?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ProteoGenix provides antibody humanization services for converting non‑human antibodies to clinical‑relevant sequences, as well as developability assessment and optimization, including stability, aggregation, and other biophysical liability analyses to support downstream development.

Question 7

Can you guarantee a minimum fold-increase in affinity?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ProteoGenix guarantees at least one variant with improved affinity of 5-fold or more to the human target. If this goal is not achieved, only part of the service fee is charged.

Question 8

What contingency plans are in place if no significant affinity improvement is obtained?

Accepted Answer

If no significant affinity improvement is achieved, ProteoGenix offers a partial refund and ensures that all eluted binders from each panning round are saved, allowing the project to be revisited or alternative strategies to be applied.

Question 9

Do you provide multiple improved variants so we can choose the best candidate?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ProteoGenix produces multiple unique variants from the final panning rounds, fully sequenced and validated, allowing you to select the best candidate based on affinity and specificity.

Question 10

What is the expected timeline for a full affinity maturation campaign?

Accepted Answer

The full affinity maturation workflow at ProteoGenix typically takes 14–18 weeks from start to completion.

Question 11

What exactly is delivered: sequences only, or also recombinant expression and biophysical data?

Accepted Answer

ProteoGenix delivers the sequences of all unique improved variants along with a final report summarizing experimental steps, results, discussion, and conclusions. Recombinant expression and additional biophysical data are not included by default but can be provided as part of separate services.

Question 12

Who owns the IP for the matured variants?

Accepted Answer

All sequences and intellectual property generated during the affinity maturation project belong to the customer.

Antibody affinity maturation with phage display