What makes an exceptional validation programme?

In just two months we are going to be welcoming many of you to Bath to take part in the 3rd International Antibody Validation event.

Ahead of our meeting we wanted to look at what it takes to run an extremely effective validation programme, along with some top tips from our team here at CiteAb.

One of the strongest validation programmes around at the moment has to be Thermo Fisher Scientific’s 2-part Validation Approach – in fact we have been so impressed by it that our judges awarded the company ‘Antibody Validation Initiative of the Year’ in our 2018 CiteAb Awards.

We spoke to Matt Baker, Director of Business Development at Thermo Fisher Scientific about what it takes to run an award winning validation programme.

Matt outlined the comprehensive nature of the company’s testing methods – not only is Thermo testing for application, and providing data on its website showing which applications each antibody works best in, but it also tests for specificity as well and posts that data on its product pages.

Thermo’s 2-part testing approach uses one of 9 specificity tests, including; IP-mass spectrometry, Knock out, Knock down, Independent antibody verification, Cell treatment, Relative Expression, Neutralization, Peptide array and Orthogonal method. By employing a variety of specificity testing methods, the company can ensure that it employs the appropriate validation test based on the use and function of a specific antibody.

Once an antibody has been tested using this 2-part approach, it receives a ‘badge’ on the company’s website called the advanced verification badge. This badge provides customers with further confidence of its performance and use in their experiments.

Matt says: “At Thermo Fisher Scientific we are excited to be recognised for the 2018 CiteAb award for the best antibody validation initiative. The company is committed to providing the most relevant and compelling data to assist researchers select the right antibody for their experiments. We look forward to continuing to use the tools and resources at our disposal to benefit the scientific community.”

So, what can your team do to start validating your products?

  • Recognise that there are multiple approaches and not all sizes fit all situations. Research your options and see what works for your needs.
  • You need to validate your antibody for each application it is being used for.
  • If researchers your supplying are going to work in a non-human species you also need to validate for the species they’re working in – most commercial antibodies are raised against human proteins.
  • Accept that you can’t test every antibody for every application in every tissue in every species – you need to look at most popular uses.
  • Look at independent validation – contract research organisations and academic research labs will do this on a commercial basis, or you can look to antibody reviews. Alternatively (and what we focus on at CiteAb) you can show high quality academic citations for your antibodies to help researchers see how they’ve been used in the past.
  • Finally – join us in September to explore this subject in detail and hear the very latest thinking from those at the forefront of antibody validation!

You can find out more about the 3rd International Validation event taking place from 20 – 21 September 2018 at http://www.antibodyvalidation.co.uk/. Event registration has been extended until 31 July 2018.

Katrina and the CiteAb team

Join us at the 3rd International Antibody Validation event in Bath, UK this September.

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