ABC.L Regulatory News (ABC)

12 Nov 2007 07:01

ABCAM Plc12 November 2007 For immediate release 12 November 2007 Abcam plc Automation Set to Boost Global Monoclonal Antibody Production NYON, Switzerland (12 November 2007) Abcam plc. (Cambridge, UK) and Beckman Coulter, Inc. have announced a majorbioscience collaboration - to create one of the world's most sophisticated,automated systems for the production of monoclonal antibodies for use inresearch. Abcam, an e-commerce company that markets antibodies from an on-line catalogue,is developing a new, multi-million pound laboratory complex in Cambridge (UK) toprovide high throughput monoclonal antibody generation, purification andcharacterisation. This expansion will allow the company to scale upsignificantly its in-house antibody production, transforming it into aworld-leading producer of high-quality monoclonal antibodies that willcomplement its existing product offering. The key to the expansion is the ability to automate many aspects of hybridomageneration - at the same time as ensuring total quality control andreproducibility of the processes involved. To help make this possible, Abcamhas partnered with lab automation experts, Beckman Coulter. The collaborationsees the company installing four Biomek automated work stations customised forspecific applications, controlled by the company's Advanced SAMI(R) WorkstationEX Software. This integrates all devices and liquid handlers and interleavesactions and plates to achieve maximum throughput. All workstations are networked by a new Process Management Software and the newData Acquisition and Repository tool. This allows the flow of data fromapplication to application, managing complex procedures within and across Biomekautomated workstations. Monoclonal antibodies are created using hybridoma technology, first described byGeorges Kohler and Cesar Milstein in 1975. While it is already technicallypossible to produce large numbers of different monoclonal antibody producingcell lines, traditional methods are labour and consumable intensive andtime-consuming. Abcam can claim to be the world's leading on-line producer anddistributor of research-grade antibodies to the scientific community, in bothacademia and industry. Its on-line catalogue already offers more than 35,000high-quality products from a variety of sources. As Jim Warwick, Abcam's managing director, explained: "We have always produced anumber of our own polyclonal antibodies. The extension to making our ownmonoclonal antibody producing cell lines will enable us to expand greatly ourproduction whilst maintaining the high quality of our products. "Demand continues to grow for monoclonal antibodies in research applications,but there are still a limited number of well-characterised antibodies that areavailable in the post-genomic era where proteomics is now driving researchforwards. In addition, the possibility for future diagnostic applications isvery exciting. "Abcam is passionate about supplying the highest-quality antibodies in theworld. Being able to scale and automate many of the stages of the productionprocess makes this a logical step for us. It will put us at the forefront ofour industry - giving access to the best of the world's antibodies from ourtrusted suppliers, and the highest quality in-house antibodies from this newfacility." Both Biomek FXP and NXP technologies are at the heart of the Biomek AssayWorkstation processing system. Its core features include the timed delivery ofmultiple reagents (capture and detection of antibodies and cells), scheduledincubation of plates (room temperature or elevated temperatures are availableon-board), scheduled wash steps (96- or 384-well plate washers are availableon-board), and detection of reaction endpoints (fluorescence, absorbance,fluorescence polarisation, time-resolved fluorescence, and luminescence areavailable on-board). This makes it suitable not only for cell cultureapplications but also ELISAs, cell-based assays and other processes containingtime-critical incubations. While these individual features are important, what singles out the Biomeksystem is the way it schedules and automates the entire process. Starting withthe initial fusion process, it will replace the time-intensive manual task ofperforming fusions in series, with the ability to run higher numbers of fusionsand in parallel. After colony picking, Beckman Coulter's automated stationswill also perform expansion of the newly isolated hybridomas, production ofmonoclonal antibodies for downstream purification and antibody characterisation,and the freeze down of small banks of cells for future use. Dr Arno Schonberger, Marketing Director, Life Science, for Beckman CoulterEurope, Middle East and Africa, said: "This is very much a long-termcollaboration with Abcam, enabling us to address their requirements at keystages of expansion. We are particularly well placed to do this because of theflexible technology underpinning the Biomek workstation processing system. "Monoclonal antibodies are playing an increasingly important role in biomedicalresearch, in the diagnosis of disease and the treatment of both infectiousdiseases and cancer. However, up to now, the breadth of antibody specificitiesavailable has been held back by the expensive and time-consuming traditionalmethods of tissue culture. Automation opens up the possibilities bytransforming hybridoma generation - providing a faster and highly consistentprocess. Beckman Coulter has a long association with scientific endeavour andentrepreneurial skills, thanks to the work of its founder Dr Arnold Beckman andother company scientists and inventors." Notes to Editors Abcam plc is a producer and distributor of research-grade antibodiesheadquartered in Cambridge, UK, with a US office located in Cambridge,Massachusetts, and a Japan office in Tokyo. Abcam was admitted to AIM inNovember 2005 and trades under the ticker symbol 'ABC'. The company producesand distributes its own and third- party produced antibodies to academic andcommercial users throughout the world, with product information provided andordering available through the company's website, www.abcam.com. The antibodiesare sold under the Abcam brand name. The company's vision is to build thelargest on-line antibody resource in the world, while also ensuring that theantibodies are of high quality and commercially viable. Abcam now has an on-linecatalogue of approximately 35,000 products, most of which are antibodies, fromover 200 suppliers supported by up-to-date and detailed technical data sheets,which are created by the company. The company currently employs 130 staff in itsthree operating companies. Beckman Coulter, Inc., based in California, USA, develops, manufactures andmarkets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical tests.More than 200,000 Beckman Coulter systems operate in laboratories around theworld, supplying critical information for improving patient health and reducingthe cost of care. Recurring revenue consisting of supplies, test kits, serviceand operating-type lease payments represent more than 75 percent of thecompany's 2006 annual revenue of US $2.53 billion. For more information, visitwww.beckmancoulter.com. For Beckman Coulter, Inc. enquiries contact: Carver Wilde Communications +44 (0) 20 8392 9040 or + 44 (0) 7799 412230Jennie Wildejennie@carverwilde.com For Abcam enquiries contact: Buchanan Communications +44 (0) 20 7466 5000Mark Court / Mary-Jane Johnson ENDS This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange