Introducing FirePlex®-HT High-throughput Multiplex Immunoassays – Delivering More Data from Precious Samples

Cambridge, UK, 6 February 2018: FirePlex®-HT Immunoassays offer a no-wash workflow in 384-well plate format, enabling multiplex quantification of up to 10 protein analytes per well from as little as 6.25ul of plasma, serum, or cell culture supernatant. A 2-step protocol limits hands-on time and can be easily automated, making the assay well-suited to high-throughput studies.

Data from FirePlex particles can be collected using any high-content imager at scan speeds of less than 20 minutes per plate. Subsequent analysis is performed using Abcam’s free integrated FirePlex® Analysis Workbench software.

Available as pre-designed panels or user-designed custom panels, researchers can select from a growing catalog of over 800 antibody pairs, the majority of which have been developed using Abcam’s recombinant monoclonal antibody technology. Quality antibodies combined with FirePlex particles enable consistent assays with a dynamic range of 3-4 logs, sensitivity down to 1pg/ml, and <15% intra-plate CVs.

Abcam’s Fireplex-HT immunoassays are available through an Early Adopter Program. To find out more email, FirePlexSales@abcam.com

Abcam and Molecular Devices announce strategic collaboration

  • First CatchPoint® SimpleStep® ELISA kits launching at SLAS 2018, Feb 3-7, San Diego, USA

Cambridge, UK, San Jose, CA, USA, February 5, 2018: Abcam, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, and Molecular Devices, LLC, a leading provider of high-performance bioanalytical measurement solutions for the life science industry, today announced a strategic collaboration to develop a wide range of fast and reproducible screening tools for researchers.

The initial collaboration combines proprietary technologies from both organisations to create high sensitivity fluorescent ELISA kits, which are immunoassays used to quantify target proteins in basic research, high throughput screening and diagnostics. The immunoassay market is estimated to reach over $25bn by 2019 due to increased use in cancer, infectious diseases and the introduction of novel biomarkers1.

John Baker, SVP Portfolio and Business Development said: “Collaborating with other leading organisations like Molecular Devices allows us to combine the latest technologies and rapidly provide researchers with innovative tools that will help accelerate their work. We are excited to be launching the first of our combined kits at SLAS2018 and are looking forward to creating further tools that will bring measurable benefit to the industry.”

Scott Greenstone, Director of Open Innovation and Reagents at Molecular Devices, commented: “We are thrilled to offer our customers this new combination of our proven CatchPoint fluorescence technology with Abcam’s high-quality antibodies and ELISA expertise. Optimized for our industry-leading plate readers, these kits will provide customers with a cohesive solution that enables better results faster. We believe this collaborative approach to new product development is a winning combination for customers and we will be working together throughout 2018 to further expand the offering.”

With an industry demand for fast, easy-to-use and sensitive ELISAs, the new CatchPoint SimpleStep ELISA kits combine the simplicity and speed of Abcam’s SimpleStep ELISA protocol, with its assay time of 90 minutes or less, with Molecular Devices’ fluorescent CatchPoint technology to facilitate enhanced protein detection for researchers seeking a fast, reproducible, high-sensitivity solution that has been validated on the leading fluorometric instruments.

The kits will be for research use only, and available via the Abcam website, https://https://www.abcam.com/kits/catchpoint-simplestep-elisa-kits

References

  1. Markets and Markets. 2016. Immunoassay Market – Global Forecast to 2019.

Abcam wins another CiteAb award

  • Award recognises antibody company with sustained success in China

The 2018 CiteAb awards have been announced and we are thrilled to have won antibody company with sustained success in China.

One of Abcam’s core goals is to make sure that life scientists have access to the best reagents for their research. We offer a global service to our customers and deliver to over 130 countries and provide multi-lingual support. This award is testament to our commitment to help scientists advance their research globally.

We are also pleased to announce the other categories for which we were highly commended:

  • Antibody company of the year
  • Researchers’ choice
  • Antibody company succeeding in cancer biology

Dr Andrew Chalmers, Founder of CiteAb, said: “The winner for this award, Abcam, was determined based on CiteAb citation data over a five-year period from 2013–2017. The company has done extremely well over the past year in multiple markets, and has clearly seen a great deal of success. With China being such an essential region to crack, it’s great to see that Abcam has managed to do so!”

Alan Hirzel, CEO, said:“This Citeab award recognises our team’s dedication to serving customers and growing our business in China. We have been operating in China for more than 10 years and we are inspired by the quality and quantity of scientific discovery. We see this market as a source of innovation for the long term and we continue to invest there to anticipate and serve research needs, faster.”

Abcam signs exclusive license agreement with Roche

  • The product portfolio of Spring Bioscience Corporation to be licensed to Abcam for research use only (RUO) applications
  • The portfolio includes 243 recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibodies

Cambridge, UK, 22 January 2018: Abcam plc (“Abcam”), a global leader in the supply of life science research tools, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive license agreement with Roche. Under the terms of the agreement Abcam will obtain the exclusive rights to the product portfolio of Spring Bioscience Corporation (“Spring”) in the research use only (RUO) field of use, comprising a total of approximately 760 unique products (the “Spring Portfolio”). Roche, which acquired Spring in 2007, will retain the antibody development capabilities and rights pertaining to the Spring Portfolio for internal research, companion diagnostic and IVD uses.

The core portfolio consists of 243 recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibodies, branded Spring Proprietary Clones (SP Clones), which have been optimised for immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition to the SP Clones, the agreement covers approximately 500 additional products, predominantly other monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. All products will be sold under the Abcam brand, inclusive of SP branding, and are expected to be available through Abcam.com from 21 February 2018.

Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Alan Hirzel, CEO, of Abcam said:“This agreement represents an exciting step in the ongoing collaborative and long-term relationship between Abcam and Roche. By incorporating the Spring Bioscience antibodies into our portfolio, we will be able to better assist our customers, providing them with more products for their most important targets, faster. Abcam is excited to partner with Spring Bioscience, commonly recognised as a leading manufacturer of IHC antibodies, furthering Abcam’s mission to provide customers with the highest quality recombinant antibodies for their research.”

For further information, please contact:

Abcam
T: +44 (0) 1223 696 000
Alan Hirzel, Chief Executive Officer
Gavin Wood, Chief Financial Officer
James Staveley, Head of Investor Relations

About Abcam

As an innovator in reagents and tools, Abcam’s purpose is to serve life science researchers globally to achieve their mission, faster. Providing the research and clinical communities with tools and scientific support, the Company offers highly validated biological binders and assays to address important targets in critical biological pathways.Already a pioneer in data sharing and ecommerce in the life sciences, Abcam’s ambition is to be the most influential company in life sciences by helping advance global understanding of biology and causes of disease, which, in turn, will drive new treatments and improved health. Two-thirds of the world’s 750,000 life science researchers use Abcam’s affinity binders, reagents, biomarkers and assays and the Company’s products are mentioned in over 20,000 of the 56,000 peer-reviewed papers published each year in the life sciences. By actively listening to and collaborating with researchers, the Company continuously advances its portfolio to address their needs. A transparent programme of customer reviews and datasheets, combined with an industry-leading validation initiative, gives researchers increased confidence in their results. Abcam’s eleven locations are in the world’s leading life science research hubs, enabling local services and multi-language support. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the Company sells to more than 130 countries. Abcam was admitted to AIM in 2005 (AIM: ABC).

To find out more, go to https://www.abcam.com and https://www.abcamplc.com

About Spring Bioscience

Founded in 2001 by scientists with a primary focus on immunohistochemistry (IHC), Spring Bioscience Corporation (Spring) serves as an antibody centre of excellence, for developing and manufacturing rabbit monoclonal antibodies designed for use in IHC. Spring, which was acquired by Roche in 2007, has developed a proprietary antibody menu of highly-sensitive Spring Proprietary Clones (“SP Clones”) that yield specificity and consistency for use in research.

Forward looking statementsThis announcement, including any information included or incorporated by reference in this announcement, may contain forward-looking statements (including words such as “believe”, “expect”, “estimate”, “intend”, “anticipate” and words of similar meaning) which are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Abcam Group. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements and should not be treated as guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Abcam Group, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Abcam Group does not assume any obligation to, and does not intend to, revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as required pursuant to applicable law.

Abcam and TTP Labtech collaborate to develop sol-R reagent kits

  • Assay-ready kits will incorporate fully-validated, industry-leading recombinant antibody technology for high-throughput research

Cambridge, UK, 16 August 2017: TTP Labtech Ltd, a global leader in the design and development of automated instrumentation and consumables for life science applications, and Abcam plc, a global innovator in life sciences reagents and tools, today announced a collaboration to further develop reagent kits for the quantification of secreted proteins in multiplexed screening assays.

Following the successful launch last year of sol-R coded beads, TTP Labtech is working with Abcam to meet customer needs by developing assay ready kits which enable researchers to deliver data driven decisions faster and with confidence. The sol-R reagent kits will offer Abcam’s highly validated and quality assured antibodies including recombinant antibody pairs, combined with the reliability of sol-R coded beads and mirrorball® fluorescence cytometry technology from TTP Labtech for sample analysis.

Joby Jenkins, Director, Product Strategy, TTP Labtech said: “Our sol-R coded beads are designed for secreted protein quantification in multiplexed no-wash immunoassay screens. Working with Abcam on the development of the sol-R reagent kits enables us to combine their advanced antibody technology and reagent expertise with our sol-R bead technology to provide convenient off-the-shelf kits. Since the kits are validated on TTP Labtech’s mirrorball plate-based fluorescent cytometer, repeated wash steps associated with traditional sandwich ELISA’s are no longer necessary, thereby significantly reducing assay times, while delivering data integrity.”

John Baker, Senior Vice President Portfolio and Business Development, at Abcam said: “The integration of Abcam’s high quality antibody technology with TTP Labtech’s sol-R Reagents will deliver reproducibility, quality and efficiency to life science researchers, accelerating their research. The new kits have been designed for researchers carrying out high-throughput immunoassays including drug discovery in biotech, pharma and contract research organisations.”

TTP Labtech will offer Alexa Fluor® technology[1], one of the most frequently cited and trusted fluorochromes, with the kits to ensure the quality of the fluorescent signal produced by the kits. The kits will be available globally through the TTP website and their authorised distributors, alternatively register at http://ttplabtech.com/landing/sol-r-reagents/ to apply for TTP Labtech’s early access progam

The new sol-R reagent kits will be released at MipTec, Basel, 11-13th September – customers should visit booth # A26 to find out more.

[1] Alexa Fluor 488 (AF488) Streptavidin, licensed by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The University of Bath enters licensing agreement with Abcam to develop fluorescent detection probe kit for sugar-damaged proteins

  • New tool to help researchers gain new insights into age-related degenerative disease

Bath, UK, 21 July 2017: The University of Bath today announced it had entered a licensing agreement with Abcam, an innovator in reagents and tools, to make a new fluorescent detection probe kit (ab219802) for researchers globally. The product developed by scientists at the University of Bath, will help researchers quickly and efficiently detect proteins damaged by sugar, which are associated with many degenerative diseases.

Sugar damage, known as protein glycation, has been implicated in various age-related diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Sugar molecules react with amino acids in proteins which affects their shape, function and stability and this can interfere with crucial processes in our bodies. The creators of the detection kit hope these products will help advance understanding into the damage that sugar can do to proteins and the role of this process in many diseases.

The fluorescent probes used in the kit were developed by structural biologist Professor Jean van den Elsen from the Department of Biology and Biochemistry and Supramolecular Chemist Professor Tony James from the Department of Chemistry who found a way to specifically tag sugar-modified proteins with fluorescent compounds, which can then be observed using inexpensive standard equipment and methods in laboratories. The test has been validated with human, insect and mouse samples.

Professor van den Elsen, said: “We are delighted to have Abcam on board who will accelerate access to these fundamental tools by the international scientific community. We would like to thank the University of Bath Research & Innovation Services for their help with commercialising our technology.”

Professor James added: “We hope that these simple high-quality tools will allow researchers to explore the factors involved in the progression of diseases associated with protein glycation. Leading to earlier stage disease diagnostics as well as effective therapeutics.”

John Baker, Senior VP of Portfolio & Business Development at Abcam, said: “We work with leading industry and academic partners to ensure researchers have the highly validated tools they need to achieve their research goals saving them valuable time and resources. We’re excited about our partnership with the University of Bath and the advances these products will make in the understanding of disease.”

Other colleagues involved in developing and testing the probes were Drs Marta Pereira Morais, Julia Mackay, Marjorie Gibbon and Omar Kassar from the Department of Biology and Biochemistry, and Drs Suying Xu and Stephen Flower from the Department of Chemistry.

The product is now available from the Abcam website and its authorised distributors https://https://www.abcam.com/glycated-protein-detection-kit-ab219802.html

Abcam announces first international Epigenetics conference in South Korea

  • Prominent Epigenetics Expert, Professor Sung Hee Baek to host event

Cambridge, UK, 26 June 2017: Abcam plc, a global leader in the supply of innovative life science reagents and tools today announced its upcoming international conference “Epigenetic Regulatory Pathways”, to be held in Seoul, South Korea, from 26-28 June 2017. Korean and international experts will present their latest research on epigenetic disease pathways, as well as insights on related drug discovery and development.

Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than those linked to DNA sequence variation. Epigenetic modifications have been linked to a wide range of diseases such as cancer and heart disease, has a direct impact on health outcomes, and is now a critical and influential area of Life Sciences research with the number of scientific publications growing 12.2% per year[1]. The epigenetics market is projected to reach $890 M by 2020[2]

Providing a unique collaborative environment, focused on promoting international networking and facilitating knowledge-sharing, the conference is part of a 30-strong series of global events hosted by Abcam and its research partners. Chaired by Seoul University’s leading Epigenetics researcher, Professor Sung Hee Baek, expert scientists from leading institutions including Harvard University, Seoul National University, the University of Cambridge and A *Star Genome Institute of Singapore, will be discussing their research with over 250 conferees.

In addition to twenty-one presentations, this three-day conference will also feature a scientific poster session, a technical ChIP (Chromatin Precipitation) troubleshooting session, research discussions and networking lunches. The meeting also features a diagnostic- and therapeutics-focused panel discussion, entitled “Trends and future of epigenetics in research and therapy”.

Prof. Sung Hee Baek, Conference Chair, said “A rise in cancer prevalence, improved funding and increased partnerships between academia and industry have propelled Epigenetic research in Korea in recent years. Korea is playing an increasing role in advancing understanding of Epigenetics in human health and disease. There is great potential to provide effective Epigenetic-targeted therapeutics and diagnostics for patients”.

Peter Lee, Regional General Manager at Abcam said “Korea and the Asia-Pacific region are rapidly progressing Life Sciences research, investing in drug discovery and development. Abcam has many strong links with leading researchers and other partners across the region and with this conference we aim to further support accelerated Epigenetics research both locally and globally”.

To find more international events, visit https://www.abcam.cn/epigenetics/ultimate-epigenetics-event-calendar

[1] http://www.genengnews.com/market-and-technology-analysis/epigenetics-market-landscape-a-qualitative-and-quantitative-picture/7790067
[2] Market and Markets, 2016

Abcam wins two CiteAb awards

  • Awards are for antibody company of the year and most exciting antibody validation initiative

Making sure that scientists have the best possible reagents for their research has been one of our core values since Abcam’s earliest beginnings. By providing researchers with reagents that work first time, we are helping to speed up the progress of scientific discovery. That’s why we’re very happy to announce our recent awards from the 2017 CiteAb Antibody Awards.

CiteAb antibody company of the year:Abcam

This award recognises the most successful antibody company based on CiteAb data.

Dr Chalmers, CiteAb said: “This award is made on CiteAb data or the highest total number of citations per antibody (primary and secondary) for the period between January 2016 and December 2016. To step up and claim the number one position here demonstrates that some really hard work done by the Abcam team over recent years is now paying dividends. We congratulate Abcam on their excellent win!”

Most exciting antibody validation initiative:Abcam

This award recognises the best initiatives in antibody validation.

We started our knockout (KO) validation initiative in 2015 and we’ve now validated the specificity of several hundred antibodies using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. This ongoing program is being conducted at an unprecedented scale and is central to our commitment to improving the standards of antibody validation.

Dr Chalmers, CiteAb, said: “We’ve been very involved in the antibody validation movement over the past two years, and saw a number of excellent initiatives discussed at the 2nd International Antibody Validation event we co-hosted in September. We were thrilled to see an excellent standard of entry in this extremely important category, and congratulate Abcam on their deserved win.”

Find out more about our knockout validated antibodies at https://https://www.abcam.com/primary-antibodies/knockout-validation

Abcam wins Best Careers Website at the In-house Recruitment Awards

We are pleased to announce the Abcam has won an award for the ‘Best Careers Website’ at the In-house Recruitment Awards. The award recognises a careers website that clearly reflects the company’s brand ethos, whilst providing an engaging user experience that assists the applicant throughout the hiring process.

The judges said: “In an increasingly online world, the winner has created a simple, personal and effective website that candidates are able to easily navigate on desktop or mobile. The integration of social and videos added to the overall feel of the company’s brand.“

New multiplex immunoassays with Firefly® particle technology

Abcam’s multiplex immunoassays combine unique Firefly® hydrogel technology with Abcam’s high-performance antibodies to simultaneously measure up to 75 different proteins in a mere 12.5 µL of sample. With sensitivity below 1 pg/mL, the assay can provide rapid multiplex data within hours1, even in complex matrices with low target concentrations.

Unlike many other multiplex assays which are bead-based, these assays can be run on any of the most common flow cytometers, deliver 4–5 logs of linear dynamic range, and include free, easy-to-use analysis software. Additionally, researchers can choose from a rapidly growing menu of analytes to create a customized, ready-to-use panel to analyze complex inflammatory responses to diseases or treatments.

Due to shared antibody pairs, users can seamlessly switch between Abcam’s 90 minute SimpleStep ELISA® assays and multiplex immunoassays, while maintaining high correlation. For even more flexibility, Abcam offers its multiplex immunoassays as both a convenient service and as kits for researchers to employ in their own labs.

To find out more, visit https://https://www.abcam.com/multipleximmunoassay

1. Firefly® multiplex immunoassays have been demonstrated to assess 41 analytes per well in 3.5 hours (internal data).