DARPA Antibody Technology Program. Standardized Test Bed for Antibody Characterization: Characterization of an MS2 ScFv Antibody Produced by Illumina

Abstract : The selection of antibodies for inclusion in a final assay format has primarily relied on an antibodys performance in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, with little regard for quantification of the full spectrum of variables affecting antibodyantigen interactions. The Joint Product Management Office for Biosurveillance (JPMO BSV) Critical Reagents Program has recently instituted a quality program for standardization of test methods to support more comprehensive characterization and comparison of the physical and functional properties of antibody reagents within its repository. The development and standardization of antibody testing provides JPMO BSV with an invaluable platform for the provision of consistent, high-quality assays and reagents for current biodetection platforms as well as the development and validation of future systems. This platform will be used to characterize and evaluate the MS2 recombinant antibody produced and supplied by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency-funded investigator Illumina (San Diego, CA) for both affinity and stability enhancements. The results of this study not only provide standardized parametric data on antibody properties and performance, but also contribute to the development of a decisional analysis tool for expanding the confidence level of antibody-based reagent selection to optimize field operational and performance metrics of future detection and diagnostic platforms.