Investors
Glossary
Technical glossary to support review of Annual Reports
Agonists, Antagonists, Activators and Inhibitors (AAAI)
Biochemicals which activate or inhibit biological pathways.
Affinity Binder
A reagent that binds specifically to an antigen – antibodies are a subset of affinity binders.
Amino acids
The basic building blocks of proteins and peptides.
Antibody
A protein made by the immune system that binds specifically to an antigen. When an antibody detects this antigen in the body, it will contribute to an immune response to rid the body of the antigen.
Antigen
A molecule that is recognised by the immune system and which can be specifically bound by an antibody.
Assay
A laboratory test for assessing the presence, amount or functional activity of a chemical or biological molecule.
Biological pathway
A series of molecular interactions that leads to a change in a cell in response to a stimulus. For example, biological pathways can trigger the assembly of new molecules, turn genes on and off, or spur a cell to move.
Biological therapeutics
Any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semi-synthesised from biological sources. Different from totally synthesised pharmaceuticals, they include vaccines, blood, blood components, allergenics, somatic cells, gene therapies, tissues, recombinant therapeutic protein, and living cells used in cell therapy.
Biomarker
A measurable indicator of a biological state or condition. For example, increased amounts of a particular protein in a blood sample may indicate the presence of a particular disease.
Conjugated antibody
Antibodies that are chemically bound to molecules that enable detection of the antibody. For example, an antibody might be bound to a fluorescent dye.
CRISPR CAS9
An experimental technique allowing effective and specific editing of genetic sequences.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid – a polymeric molecule that comprises both the coding and non-coding elements of the genome of an organism. Coding elements are transcribed into RNA, while non-coding elements exert cellular control functions.
ELISA
Assay that uses antibodies to detect and quantify proteins and peptides in a biological sample. Acronym for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Epigenetics
The study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.
ERP
Acronym for Enterprise Resource Planning. It refers to business process management software that allows an organisation to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back-office functions related to technology, services and human resources.
Gene
A section of DNA that acts as the blueprint for making a particular protein. Every human being (except identical twins) has a unique set of genes, half of which came from their mother and the other half from their father.
Immunoassay
A test that uses the binding of antibodies to antigens to detect and quantify a biological molecule in a sample.
Immunology
A branch of biology that focuses on immune systems.
Immunohistochemistry (IHC)
The process of selectively imaging antigens (proteins) in cells of a tissue section by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens in biological tissues
In vitro
Describes studies that are performed with microorganisms, cells or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. For example, an in vitro experiment might involve extracting a blood sample from a patient and performing an assay on that sample in a test tube.
In vivo
Describes a biological process that takes place in a living cell or organism, including animals and plants.
In vitro diagnostics (IVD)
Tests done on samples such as blood or tissue that have been taken from the human body. In vitro diagnostics can detect diseases or other conditions, and can be used to monitor a person’s overall health to help cure, treat, or prevent diseases.
Kits and assays
Multi-component products comprising antibodies and other reagents that can be used to detect a wide range of biological molecules.
Knockout cell lines
A cell line that has had a particular gene removed (or ‘knocked out’). The protein that the knocked-out gene encodes for is therefore not produced.
Lysate
The fluid produced by lysis of cells and tissues. Lysates are used as controls in biological experiments to confirm the absence or presence of proteins of interest.
Lysis
The disruption of cells by mechanical, chemical or enzymatic means.
M-phase phospho-proteins
A family of proteins with diverse roles in cellular signalling and gene expression.
Matched antibody pairs
A pair of antibodies that binds to an individual protein at different sites, meaning that both antibodies of the pair can bind the protein at the same time. Matched antibody pairs are used in assays such as ELISA.
microRNA or miRNA
Small RNAs that are involved in regulating gene expression.
Monoclonal antibodies
Identical antibodies derived from a group of identical cloned cells or from an expression vector. Monoclonal antibodies recognise only one kind of antigen, i.e. they bind to the same site on a protein.
Multiplex immunoassays
Immunoassays that can detect multiple proteins at once within a single sample. They allow scientists to increase the efficiency and scope of their experiments.
Next generation sequencing
An experimental technique allowing high throughput analysis of genetic sequences. Used by Abcam to analyse the immune response to select the best monoclonal antibodies for a given target or application.
Oncology
Branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
PD-L1
Acronym for programmed death-ligand 1. It is a protein that plays a major role in suppressing the immune system and is an important target in difficult to treat cancers.
Peptides
Short chains of amino acids.
Phage Display
A technique for affinity binder discovery using viruses and bacteria in vitro, rather than the immune system of a live animal.
Polyclonal antibodies
Antibodies that target the same antigen but are derived from different cell lineages. Polyclonal antibodies bind to different sites on the antigen.
Polycomb proteins
A family of proteins first discovered in fruit flies that regulate epigenetic processes to drive cellular differentiation, critical in development.
Proteins
Large, complex molecules made up of amino acids. Proteins are required for the structure, function and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs.
Proteomics
The exploration of proteomes (entire set of proteins in an organism or a cell) in respect to protein composition, structure, and activity.
RabMAb®
Abcam’s patented technology for the generation of high quality rabbit monoclonal antibodies.
Rabbit/recombinant monoclonal antibodies
Antibodies made by cloning DNA sequences from cell lines that produce rabbit monoclonal antibodies. Cloned recombinant antibodies are identical and are therefore not susceptible to lot-to-lot variation.
Reagent
A product used in an experiment to detect or measure biological processes.
Recombinant
An antibody or protein that is synthesised from modified DNA in an artificial system that permits rapid production of large quantities of the protein.
RNA
Ribonucleic acid – a polymeric molecule that is transcribed from DNA. Various forms of RNA are involved in protein synthesis.
RUO
Research Use Only
Specificity
This refers to the ability of an antibody to bind only the desired antigen.
SimpleStep ELISA® kits
Kits that deliver fast results in just 90 minutes by reducing antibody and sample additions to a single step.
Transactional (or Touchpoint) Net Promoter Score or tNPS
A management tool that can be used to gauge the loyalty of a company’s customer relationships. It serves as an alternative to traditional customer satisfaction research and can be correlated with revenue growth.
Registered Office:
Discovery Drive, Cambridge
Biomedical Campus,
Cambridge, CB2 0AX, UK
+44 (0) 1223 696 000
VIEW PRODUCTS
© Abcam plc. all rights reserved.
Abcam plc is incorporated in England and Wales, its main country of operation in the UK. Use of this website is subject to our Terms and Conditions of use and our Privacy Policy. Share price and news information on this site is updated dynamically from external data feeds.
Website by FisherPaul