Rapid identification and selection of functional antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies by FcGR-enabled screening on CytoSort Arrays in the CellRaft AIR System - Project Summary
The production of antibodies using hybridoma screens and in vitro screening technologies represents
one of the most industrialized processes in contemporary life science. Products including research reagents,
diagnostic tests and biopharmaceuticals rely on the throughput, efficiency and quality of different antibody
screening and manufacturing methods. Despite the large-scale and high-quality requirements of these industries,
automation of the process for selecting specific antibodies for manufacturing remains an unmet need. The
CellRaft Technology represents a novel means of imaging, sorting and isolating single cells and clonal colonies.
By imaging cells on the proprietary CytoSort Array on the CellRaft AIR® System, phenotypes can be
characterized in detail and over time, prior to isolating cells and colonies for downstream propagation. During
this Phase I program, we will test and develop novel reporter cell lines, software, and cell-based co-culture
assays that leverage our CellRaft AIR System as an automated antibody screening platform. Briefly, the CellRaft
Technology relies on the CytoSort Array, which contains thousands of microwells, each featuring a releasable
plastic floor where cells are seeded and cultured. Cells are phenotypically monitored on the array with the
imaging capabilities of the CellRaft AIR System. Using the AIR System software, cells can be tracked over time
for various phenotypes as well as expansion into clonal colonies. The AIR System provides a cost-effective,
efficient, and robust platform for screening the production, affinity and functionality of monoclonal antibody
producing cells (e.g. hybridomas) prior to sorting so only the most promising candidates need to be harvested.
During Phase I, to demonstrate proof-of-concept, we will optimize a novel hybridoma and Jurkat reporter cell line
co-culture on the CytoSort Array and evaluate a high throughput workflow for assessing antibody production and
functionality. Current technologies offering automated solutions to this challenging workflow are incapable of
rivaling the cost savings, throughput, and the detailed phenotypic characterization proposed here.
