Tecan and the Monash join forces to develop new MAb production facility

Published: 3-Jul-2007

Swiss company Tecan, a leading provider of advanced automation and detection systems, and the Monash Antibody Technologies Facility (MATF) at Monash University, Australia, are joining forces to create one of the world\'s largest, most sophisticated monoclonal antibody production systems.


Swiss company Tecan, a leading provider of advanced automation and detection systems, and the Monash Antibody Technologies Facility (MATF) at Monash University, Australia, are joining forces to create one of the world's largest, most sophisticated monoclonal antibody production systems.

Plans are already underway to develop the system, which will be based around multiple, integrated liquid handling workstations and will fully automate all the stages of the production process.

Tecan's team of experienced application specialists and engineers will build the new system at the company's headquarters in Maennedorf, Switzerland, ready for installation at the MATF in April 2008.

The MATF is one of the only high throughput production facilities in the world offering custom-made, high-affinity monoclonal antibodies. The new system will increase the production capacity at MATF from original estimates of 500 panels of novel antibodies a year to potentially 5,000, helping to alleviate the bottleneck of antibody supply experienced by many researchers working on protein function and physiological processes.

The new system, partially funded by the Victorian State Government and Monash University, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, is the first major step towards an extensive assay development programme planned for 2008.

'Probably the main bottleneck in biomedical sciences right now is a lack of affinity reagents like antibodies,' said Alan Sawyer, director of MATF. 'We wanted to remove that bottleneck and open up new ways for investigators and pharmaceutical companies to think about doing science. This is a colossal step towards accomplishing that.'

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