Media contacts:
- PATH | Neha Agarwal, nagarwal@path.org
- Precision Antibody | Mike Keefe, mkeefe@precisionantibody.com
PATH and Precision Antibody have collaborated to develop and bring to market custom monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to histidine rich protein 2 (HRP2), the primary biomarker used in diagnosing Plasmodium falciparum malaria. These antibodies are new tools that will enable development of highly sensitive diagnostics for P. falciparum and support elimination efforts.
The quality of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) is directly linked to the strength of the antibodyantigen interactions. By selecting the very best monoclonal antibodies for capture and detection, manufacturers can build successful malaria antigen detection tests from the bottom up. The need to correctly identify infected but asymptomatic populations is critical to elimination strategies, as asymptomatic infected people serve as reservoirs for ongoing transmission of malaria parasites.
The evaluation of these new high-affinity antibodies when used to characterize HRP2 binding properties is described in a new publication from Vanderbilt University and PATH. The study shows that the Precision Antibody mAbs demonstrate equivalent or better binding properties to current commercial antibodies for HRP2 detection, representing a new and robust asset that can be used by RDT manufacturers to develop highly sensitive next-generation tests for malaria.
The mAbs to HRP2 are available for purchase directly from Precision Antibody, a wholly owned service division of A&G Pharmaceutical, Inc.
This work was supported by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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About PATH
PATH is the leader in global health innovation. An international nonprofit organization, PATH saves lives and improves health, especially among women and children. PATH accelerates innovation across five platforms—vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations—that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, PATH takes innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. With these key partners, PATH delivers measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. Learn more at www.path.org.
About Precision Antibody
Precision Antibody™ provides customized, high-affinity monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as to academic, government, and nonprofit research institutions. Precision Antibody develops antibodies for the use in research and discovery, for the development of preclinical therapeutic and diagnostic targets, and for QC and PK studies. The company’s products and services are based on a proprietary antibody discovery and development platform technology that enables rapid development of target-specific, high-affinity antibodies. Precision Antibody provides one-stop service from antigen development, antibody development, antibody characterization (isotype and affinity determination), antibody purification/production (from pilot to large scale), assay development, humanization, stable cell line development and hybridoma cell banking. Precision Antibody is a wholly-owned service division of A&G Pharmaceutical, Inc. and is based in Columbia, MD.