Project: iSTantibody

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are innovative therapeutic tools that are currently drawing the attention of biopharma companies for their effectiveness against a broad panel of diseases. To guarantee safety for patients, tight control over the purity of mAbs preparations is crucial. The presence of contaminants in mAbs preparations can be assessed using mass spectrometry (MS), a technique characterised by remarkable sensitivity, but which requires a time-consuming, complicated and poorly reproducible sample preparation. Notably, at today’s date, this process cannot be automated or multiplexed: it has to be performed by highly skilled scientific staff, and – importantly – it cannot be easily “plugged in” the streamlined production approaches of pharma companies.

PreOmics is a young German company seeking to revolutionise the MS proteomics market with its proprietary technology portfolio. Through the iSTantibody project, PreOmics translates its patented iST technology in the context of mAbs MS analysis and tackles the current pitfalls of mAbs sample preparation. Its final goal consists of a kit to simplify and shorten MS sample preparation by > 95% compared to standard protocols, eliminating the need for skilled scientists and allowing MS sample purification on automated liquid handling platforms. The advantages for potential customers are manifold – notably, significantly reduced costs, and the consequent possibility to free resources for mAbs development. The target sector of iSTantibody is the ever-growing market for MS sample preparation consumables, which is forecasted to reach a volume of € 1.3 billion worldwide in 2022, at a CAGR of 12%.