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A consensus platform for antibody characterization
Journal article   Peer reviewed

A consensus platform for antibody characterization

Riham Ayoubi, Joel Ryan, Sara Gonzalez Bolivar, Charles Alende, Vera Ruiz Moleon, Maryam Fotouhi, Mona Alqazzaz, Kathleen Southern, Walaa Alshafie, Matt R Baker, …
Nature protocols, Vol.20(6), pp.1509-1545
06/2025
DOI: 10.1038/s41596-024-01095-8
PMCID: PMC13054593
PMID: 39690206

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Abstract

Antibody-based research applications are critical for biological discovery. Yet there are no industry standards for comparing the performance of antibodies in various applications. We describe a knockout cell line-based antibody characterization platform, developed and approved jointly by industry and academic researchers, that enables the systematic comparison of antibody performance in western blot, immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. The scalable protocols, which require minimal technological resources, consist of (1) the identification of appropriate cell lines for antibody characterization studies, (2) development/contribution of isogenic knockout controls, and (3) a series of antibody characterization procedures focused on the most common applications of antibodies in research. We provide examples of expected outcomes to guide antibody users in evaluating antibody performance. Central to our approach is advocating for transparent and open data sharing, enabling a community effort to identify specific antibodies for all human proteins. Mid-level graduate students with training in biochemistry and prior experience in cell culture and microscopy can complete the protocols for a specific protein within 1 month while working part-time on this effort. Antibody characterization is needed to meet standards for resource validation and data reproducibility, which are increasingly required by journals and funding agencies.

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