Protein Sciences

A: The Ultra 96+ platform was developed to meet customers’ needs for ultra-HTP monoclonal antibody production. The Ultra 96+ automates the transfection, expression, and purification on one integrated platform, and all steps are performed by a fully automated mechanical arm within a dedicated facility. To view how we accomplish the production of ~1,000 antibodies per day, watch the following video.

A: For the Ultra 96+ service, we use automated one-step magnetic beads purification. For the 777 service, we use automated two-step purification using affinity columns and SEC FPLC.

A: For the Ultra 96+ and 777 platforms, vanilla antibodies (e.g., hIgG1, hIgG4, mIgG1, mIgG2a) are most suitable. For other types of mAbs, please contact us and our specialists can discuss your molecule’s designs and provide more detailed service information.

A: The typical yield depends on the specific platform, but one of the strengths of our monoclonal antibody production capabilities is our high-titer expression system. For our Ultra 96+ service, the typical yield is 100 μg to 1.5 mg antibodies with the culture volume of 1 mL to 3 mL in either 96 or 24 deep-well plates. For our 777 service, the typical yield is 1.5 mg to 1 g with the culture volume of 20 mL to 1 L. If larger scales of antibody production are needed, we can scale up seamlessly using our WuXian™ Transient or WuXian™ Express platforms as the same high-titer production parental cell line is used for these productions.

A: Yes. Our Ultra 96+ platform covers A280, Caliper, and SEC-HPLC. Upon request, we can perform customized QC testing for a fee, but this will depend on the yield of your protein.

A: Proteins produced by our Ultra 96+ platform, which utilizes one-step purification, are appropriate for most in vitro assays. However, for some cell-based assays in which protein purity and endotoxin levels may impact experimental outcomes, we recommend choosing our 777 platform that uses two-step purification to ensure that the proteins have high purity and very low endotoxin levels.

A: The titers between 96 and 24 well plates are similar. For a typical mAb, the Ultra 96+ platform can reach an average titer of ~0.6 g/L. With 24 well plates, we can usually expect ~1 g/L. If you want to know a true titer for your molecule that can be used as a reference for larger scale, it’s better to start with 20 mL, because that’s a true representation of the titer without the impact brought by the low volume.

A: Our Ultra 96+ platform mostly accommodates monoclonal antibodies, which have Fc portion or fusion proteins. For fusion proteins, we usually recommend a His tag or Fc tag. However, we can also explore other options, such as Flag tag, upon request.

A: Our 777 platform is most suitable for monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins. For fusion proteins, strong expression levels are required to start with 20 mL culture. With our Quick ‘n’ Clean and Premium Bispecific Antibody platform, we can accommodate the knob-into-hole (KiH) design and our specialists can discuss your molecule’s designs and plan an automated 3-step purification for bispecific antibodies with high purity. Finally, we do perform co-transfection of different plasmids for your bsAb.

A: Typically, molecules come out of our Ultra 96+ service with the default platform buffer. However, we can perform a buffer exchange step for a small fee. Buffer change is included in larger-scale productions.

A: We can accommodate proteins with Fc or His tag with our Ultra 96+ platform. However, keep in mind that Fc fusion proteins may have variable expression levels. But the proteins must be expressed at a reasonable level to be accommodated with the Ultra 96+ platform. An example of such proteins is His-VHH, which has consistently high expression levels and can be produced with the Ultra 96+ platform.

A: We generally don’t recommend proteins in PBS as its pH could change significantly during freeze-thaw cycle and impact protein stabilities. We usually recommend our platform buffer with a slightly lower pH. If you have a preferred buffer, we can accommodate it.

A: Yes, we can accommodate that. In fact, some of our clients only need the supernatant for downstream binding assays, which we are happy to accommodate.

A: In order to use our 777 platform, the protein must have strong expression levels. We start with 20 mL culture and can advance to one liter in the high-throughput fashion. However, in difficult-to-express proteins, we may need to conduct a 20 mL expression evaluation to understand the expression levels and properties of your molecule before scaling-up.

A: The 777 platform is an automated system, so all of the steps in the 777 are automated. The only step that isn’t automated is the cell culture step in which the cells are manually transferred to the incubator.

A: With our 777 platform, we can perform 96 transfections at 20 mL level in 1.5 hours. Our weekly capacity is 500 molecules.

A: Yes. This service is suitable for non-vanilla antibody production. It does depend on the expression level of the proteins, which must express at a reasonable level, such as >200 mg/L.

A: We have many successful cases working with miniproteins using our Ultra 96+ and 777 platforms. The yield and purity are at a superior level. If you are interested in producing miniproteins, please see our MiniProtein Line service for detailed service features and case studies.

A: Yes. We offer protein production services using mammalian, insect, and E. coli expression platforms.