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Antibodies have been used in biomedical research for decades. However their use isn’t without problems. Approximately half of all commercially available antibodies don’t bind with the required specificity in at least one assay. Their use is also limited by issues with cross-reactivity, fragility, and the fact that their production uses almost 10,000 animals per year.
In the latest CRACK IT Solution, Avacta life sciences has developed an alternative to traditional antibodies which address these problems. Affimers are engineered binding proteins which can be produced against almost any target and can be used in any application where antibodies are currently employed. Affimers are easy to develop, manufacture and modify and can be identified and validated within seven weeks. As the technology utilises no animals in the production process, targets do not need to be immunogenic.
Avacta are now seeking partners to further develop and validate their affimers in new applications. You can find out more by visiting the CRACK IT Solutions website