Scientists have so far been able to take advantage of either Nanobodies or traditional antibodies. Advantages of Nanobodies are that they bind unique, 3-dimensional conformations of epitopes that are not recognized by traditional antibodies.  Traditional antibodies have the property of being bivalent, meaning they have higher avidities & affinities and can be detected and captured using tools from the broad spectrum of antibody reagents, such as secondary antibodies and Nano-Secondaries. Nanobody-based chimeric antibodies combine the advantages of Nanobodies with those of traditional antibodies. This format also offers new opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry, which likes to work with traditional antibodies but is also always looking for new binding molecules.

ChromoTek GmbH, part of Proteintech specializing in Nanobody-based reagents, and Absolute Antibody Ltd., a leading provider of recombinant antibody technology, today announced a partnership to offer recombinant engineered antibodies to scientists worldwide. The chimeric antibodies were originally derived from alpaca Nanobodies and engineered onto mouse and rabbit Fc domains to open up new research applications. Available antibodies target key fluorescent proteins commonly used as tags for protein visualization, as well as the structural protein vimentin. “We are very proud of the innovative power of ChromoTek, which now serves a global market with its innovative nanobody-based research reagents, revolutionizing research,” said Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel, managing director of the Biotechnology Innovation and Start-up Center (IZB). ChromoTek chose the IZB in Martinsried near Munich as its company headquarters.

The original Nanobodies, the smallest known antibody format, were generated by ChromoTek from the binding domains of alpaca heavy chain antibodies. Absolute Antibody used antibody engineering to fuse the Nanobodies onto mouse IgG1 and rabbit Fc domains, generating bivalent antibodies that extend the research applications of the original Nanobodies. For example, the engineered antibodies provide increased apparent affinity due to avidity effects in e.g. immunofluorescence experiments, as well as enable detection with different secondary antibodies to permit new co-labeling approaches. Alternatively, the engineered antibodies can be conjugated to an increased number of fluorophores for direct detection. In addition, they allow for immobilization on Protein A beads, resins or plates.

The chimeric antibodies are all recombinantly produced for ensured batch-to-batch reproducibility, high purity and low endotoxin levels. Available targets include the green fluorescent protein GFP, TurboGFP, and mNeonGreen, as well as an antibody targeting the structural and type III intermediate filament protein vimentin.

“ChromoTek is proud to offer our renown Nanobodies, cited in more than 2,000 scientific publications, in new innovative formats,” commented Dr. Marion Jung, CEO of ChromoTek. “We are launching these chimeric antibodies as part of Proteintech’s recombinant antibody portfolio leveraging market access synergies.”

“Our new collaboration combines ChromoTek’s industry-leading Nanobody reagents with Absolute Antibody’s recombinant antibody engineering expertise to offer scientists new and unique research tools,” said Dr. Michael Fiebig, Vice President Product Portfolio & Innovation at Absolute Antibody. “The Nanobody-IgG fusions showcase the power of antibody engineering to open up experimental possibilities and facilitate new avenues of research.”

The recombinant engineered antibodies are available in both the Absolute Antibody and Proteintech catalogs. The original Nanobodies are also available via ChromoTek.

About ChromoTek GmbH
ChromoTek pioneered the development and commercialization of Nanobody-based research reagents. As a market and product leader for high quality and reliable Nanobody-based reagents, we assist scientists’ research world-wide. In addition, ChromoTek is a trusted service provider of custom-made Nanobodies for the pharmaceutical industry. Founded in 2008 ChromoTek has been acquired by Proteintech Group, Rosemont, IL in October 2020. Visit chromotek.com and ptglab.com for more information.

About Absolute Antibody, Ltd.
Absolute Antibody is a rapidly growing company with a vision to make recombinant antibody technology accessible to all. We offer antibody sequencing, engineering and recombinant production as custom services, as well as a unique catalog of recombinant antibodies, engineered into new and useful formats. Visit absoluteantibody.com for more information.