Once antibody candidates are identified (whether via AbDrop™ or other methods), the next challenge is producing enough of each antibody for validation studies. This is where Biointron’s High-Throughput (HTP) Recombinant Antibody Production service shines. As a “gene-to-antibody in just 2 weeks” solution, this platform is all about speed, capacity, and reliability in expressing antibodies recombinantly.
Ultra-Fast Turnaround: Biointron has optimized its workflow such that from receiving an antibody gene sequence (or even just a hybridoma cell line to sequence), they can deliver purified antibody protein in about two weeks. This includes in-house gene synthesis (to avoid waiting on third-party gene vendors), construction of expression plasmids, transient transfection in mammalian cells, purification, and quality control. Biointron delivers antibodies within 2 weeks from sequence to purified product, ensuring rapid project progression. This rapid cycle allows researchers to quickly obtain the materials needed for experiments like binding assays, cell-based tests, or animal models.
High Throughput & Scale Flexibility: The system is designed to handle requests ranging from a few hundred micrograms up to 100 grams of antibody. On the small end, this means it’s economical and quick to get just 0.1–1 mg of many different antibodies (for example, a panel of 50 variant antibodies) – ideal for screening and lead selection. On the larger end, being able to produce tens of grams is useful for early-stage in vivo efficacy studies or formulation testing. The fact that the platform can scale to 100 g suggests Biointron utilizes robust expression systems (likely high-density transient transfection or semi-stable pools in HEK293/CHO cells) and possibly high-yield proprietary vectors or feeds. They highlight having large capacity from 100 μg to 100 g within the same streamlined process.
Automation and Parallel Processing: To truly achieve high throughput, Biointron employs automation and parallel processing. Case studies illustrate the capability: in one project, Biointron produced 818 different IgG antibodies within 2 weeks. In another, they expressed 180 VHH-Fc fusion antibodies with an average yield of 218 mg/L, delivering >1 mg of each VHH-Fc in that same rapid timeframe. These numbers are remarkable – expressing hundreds of proteins concurrently is non-trivial. Biointron’s success implies a well-oiled pipeline of transfecting dozens of cell culture batches in parallel (perhaps in multi-well plate formats or multiple bioreactors) and an efficient purification setup (likely protein A affinity chromatography in high-throughput format). The use of automated liquid handling and high-throughput purification stations is indicated by their mention of “automated working stations” under bispecific production (which likely applies to general production as well).
Quality Control: Speed doesn’t come at the expense of quality. Biointron implements rigorous QC for every batch. Purity is verified by SDS-PAGE (aiming for >95% purity) and size-exclusion HPLC to check for aggregates. Endotoxin levels are kept low (<1 EU/mg, suitable for in vivo studies). They also ensure consistent yields with minimal batch-to-batch variation. This attention to QC is crucial for clients to trust the material in their sensitive assays. In testimonials, partners have noted that Biointron’s antibodies “give comparable results with little batch-to-batch variation”, highlighting the reliability of their production process.
Multiple Formats and Customization: The HTP production service isn’t limited to full-length IgG. Biointron can produce various antibody formats on demand – scFv fragments, Fab fragments, VHH nanobodies, and even bispecific constructs. This flexibility is important because early research often explores different formats (for example, making both an IgG and a Fab version to compare properties, or producing a bi-specific to test a concept). Their expertise in molecular cloning and expression means clients can request pretty much any antibody derivative and expect Biointron to deliver it similarly fast.
Significance for Biopharma R&D: High-throughput production is a powerful enabler at multiple stages. For discovery projects, once you have dozens of hits (from AbDrop™ or phage display or other sources), you want to compare them head-to-head in functional assays. Biointron’s service allows a biotech to test, say, 50 or 100 antibody candidates in parallel, all made under the same conditions, thus generating comparable data quickly. This can compress what might otherwise be an iterative process (express a few, test, go back for more) into one round of express-and-test.
Additionally, for companies working on fast-moving targets (such as during an outbreak response, or in immuno-oncology where multiple programs run simultaneously), having a trusted partner that can reliably churn out antibodies in days frees the internal team to focus on experiments and design, rather than production logistics. It effectively outsources the heavy lifting of molecular biology and protein production to a specialized group that does it at scale day in, day out.
Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are an exciting class of antibody-derived molecules capable of binding two different targets (or two epitopes) simultaneously. They have unlocked new therapeutic mechanisms, such as recruiting immune cells to tumors by bridging T cells (via CD3) to cancer cells (via a tumor antigen), or synergistically blocking two signaling pathways at once. The pharmaceutical industry’s interest in bispecifics has exploded in recent years. By early 2025, at least 17 bispecific antibodies have been approved across key markets (with many more in regulatory review), and their cumulative sales already exceed $35 billion. The global bispecifics market was estimated around $12 billion in 2024 and is projected to soar to $50 billion by 2030– a testament to their therapeutic potential and commercial success. Biopharma companies are racing to develop the next bispecific breakthrough, evidenced by 600+ bispecific candidates in clinical trials worldwide.
However, bispecifics present additional discovery and production challenges compared to regular monospecific antibodies. They often require complex engineering to ensure correct chain pairing and expression. Depending on the format (dual IgG vs fragment-based constructs, etc.), production yields and stability can vary. Biointron has recognized these needs and offers a specialized Bispecific Antibody Production service, which leverages their antibody production know-how and applies it to virtually any bispecific format a client might need.
Multiple Bispecific Formats: Biointron can produce a wide range of bispecific designs, demonstrating a high degree of molecular biology expertise. Formats specifically mentioned include “knobs-into-holes” IgG (heterodimeric heavy chain pairing), IgG-scFv fusions (one arm as whole IgG, another as an attached scFv), diabody-Fc fusion (dimeric scFv pairs fused to Fc), and Dual-Variable-Domain IgG (DVD-Ig, two different VH:VL domains per arm). This list covers many of the prominent bispecific architectures in the industry. For example, knobs-into-holes technology (pioneered by Genentech) is used to create bispecific IgG like Hemlibra (emicizumab) for hemophilia A, which is indeed a bispecific IgG with modified CH3 domains to enforce correct heavy-heavy dimerization. The ability to customize any format means Biointron doesn’t force a one-size-fits-all approach – they can adapt to the design that best suits the therapeutic concept.
Engineering for Correct Assembly: Producing bispecifics often involves co-expressing multiple chains (e.g., two different heavy chains and two light chains for a bispecific IgG, or additional linker peptides for fusion proteins). Biointron uses mammalian expression systems (commonly CHO-K1 cells for their robustness) to ensure proper folding and post-translational modifications. With techniques like knobs-into-holes mutations for IgG or common light chain strategies, they ensure that the final product predominantly forms the desired bispecific heterodimer rather than mispaired homodimers. The fact that they have delivered over ten thousand bispecific antibodies to date implies that they have a standardized yet flexible pipeline for cloning, co-transfection, and purification of bispecific constructs at scale.
Rapid Timeline: Impressively, Biointron has a turnaround of 2–3 weeks from gene sequences to purified bispecific antibody. This is on par with their monospecific production timeline, which is noteworthy because bispecifics can be more finicky. Achieving this speed likely involves parallel cloning of multiple plasmids, possibly using high-throughput DNA assembly methods, and optimized transient transfection protocols to express the multi-chain complexes quickly. They outline a streamlined workflow: gene synthesis & cloning (1 week), followed by transient expression & purification (1–2 weeks). At the end of the process, clients receive purified bispecifics with full QC documentation (SDS-PAGE, endotoxin, SEC-HPLC) just as they would for regular antibodies.
Yield and Purity Case Studies: Biointron provides case examples that demonstrate the quality of their bispecific production. In one case, a certain bispecific format was produced with >95% purity on SDS-PAGE and >90% purity by SEC-HPLC, indicating minimal aggregates. In a second case, after two purification steps, they achieved >98% purity by SEC-HPLC – extremely pure prep, suitable for sensitive in vivo experiments. Yields were not explicitly given in those snippets, but given their large capacity infrastructure, one can infer they can produce milligram to gram quantities as needed.
Expertise and Customization: The service emphasizes strong expertise and customized support. Not only can any format be expressed (as noted), but Biointron’s team can also assist in the design phase – recommending the format or molecular design to meet the project goals. For instance, if a client is unsure whether to pursue a symmetric IgG-like bispecific vs. a smaller BiTE-like construct, Biointron’s experience with many formats can help guide the decision. This flexibility is crucial because bispecific development is not one-size-fits-all; different therapeutic areas may require different formats (e.g., a bispecific for oncology might favor a CD3-engaging minimal construct for T-cell redirection, whereas one for an autoimmune disease might prefer a full-length IgG format for longer half-life).
Why Bispecific Services Are Significant: As bispecific antibodies are “revolutionizing therapeutic strategies”, companies that want to jump into this arena might lack the internal capability to rapidly prototype such complex molecules. Biointron’s services allow researchers to quickly test bispecific concepts.
Additionally, even for companies with internal antibody capabilities, scaling up bispecific production can strain resources. By outsourcing to a provider that has produced thousands of bispecifics, teams can be more confident in avoiding pitfalls of mispairing and low yields. Biointron’s high success rate is evidenced by client feedback and the high volume of molecules delivered. This is particularly valuable in a climate where dozens of bispecific candidates may need to be explored to find a clinical winner, given the novelty and complexity of these drugs.
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