Antibody technologies

Antibodies bind to foreign proteins, and can be highly specific for a small part of that protein (the antigen). Antibodies play a crucial role in our immune system’s ability to recognise and fight infections.

The specificity of antibodies makes them an invaluable tool for medical research. Medical researchers use antibodies to help answer fundamental biological questions, for example understanding how specific proteins behave, and to assist in developing new therapies. Antibody-based drugs are in clinical use for diseases including cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.

WEHI has a dedicated Antibody Facility for developing and producing antibody products and supporting antibody-based research. This access to bespoke antibody services enables researchers to advance their projects more rapidly, while expertise from the facility’s experienced team assists in optimising experimental design.

Our researchers utilise antibodies in several ways, including:

• To develop antibody-based therapeutics
• To detect the presence, absence or amount of a specific protein in a sample
• To identify where a protein is located in a cell and how it behaves
• To understand how proteins interact
• To gain insights that aid drug discovery and development
• Using single cell and proteomics technologies to produce fully human antibodies

The WEHI Antibody Facility provides antibody services to academic researchers and commercial clients.

Established in 1991 the facility is staffed by an experienced and multidisciplinary team who work collaboratively with researchers, providing expert advice and versatility in experimental design. The team can develop monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to novel targets, and adapt and refine protocols to suit researcher requirements.