Guest Post from Proteintech: Redefining Standards in Antibody Validation through Epitope Mapping

Antibody validation is essential for rigorous experimental design, assay reliability, and experimental reproducibility. A central aspect of validation is understanding the specific binding site of the antibody, or epitope, as this greatly influences experimental outcomes, therapeutic strategies, and diagnostic accuracy. Despite this, many standard validation methods do not include epitope identification.

Epitope Mapping for Antibody Selection

Epitope mapping is the process of locating the specific binding sites on an antigen that are recognized by antibodies. Proteintech have mapped over 2,500 targets using structural, computational, and fragment-based approaches to generate a 3D map of proteins and their associated antibody binding sites. This detailed structural insight not only prevents cross-reactivity but also enhances the predictive success of reagents in immunoassays and diagnostic and therapeutic development pipelines.

Proteintech are revolutionizing reagent selection for scientists. As well as the 3D Epitope Viewer, the website features an immunogen selector in their search tool, making it easy for researchers to select antibodies that precisely target the regions they are interested in.

“As the original manufacturer of these products, we believe we are uniquely positioned to be able to provide this data to scientists. We plan to have our entire catalog mapped in the near future,” said Dr. Jason Li, CEO at Proteintech. “We are thrilled to be the first antibody supplier to offer advanced product information that we believe will make a significant impact on the life science community.”

AI-powered Reagent Selection

Proteintech have introduced Able AI, an innovative AI-powered tool that helps customers select the best reagents for their experiment. The tool brings together all validation and citation data and offers application-specific recommendations. In addition, Able-AI offers detailed guidance on product-specific experimental procedures, significantly reducing the time spent on planning and product selection.

Together, the 3D epitope viewer and Able AI streamline the antibody selection process to enhance experimental design.

Why is knowing the epitope of protein targets important?

• Improving Experimental Design: Knowing the epitope enables specific targeting of different protein isoforms, cleaved proteins, intracellular or extracellular domains of a transmembrane protein, or selecting antibodies specifically for blocking or neutralization assays.
• Disease Research: Mutated epitopes can act as biomarkers for diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune conditions. Post-translational modifications may be up- or down-regulated in disease-related epitopes, which can be studied using highly specific antibodies.
• Therapeutic Potential: Many life-saving therapies, including monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, are designed to target specific epitopes for maximum efficacy. One example of this is tocilizumab (Actemra), which is used in the treatment of cytokine storm by targeting IL-6, an inflammatory cytokine. 
• Fueling Drug Discovery: By targeting specific epitopes, researchers can design novel small molecules, biologics, and antibody-based therapies that precisely modulate protein function, leading to the development of next-generation treatments for a wide range of diseases.
• Identifying Matched Antibody Pairs: Thorough epitope mapping is fundamentally useful in developing multiplex assay platforms that necessitate multiple antibodies binding to a singular target without steric hindrance.

3D Epitope Mapping streamlines antibody selection by providing the detailed insights scientists need to choose the right reagents with confidence, supporting everything from foundational research to the development of next-generation therapeutics.

To learn more about our 3D Epitope viewer, visit our demo.