The study, conducted by Jan Voskuil (CSO of Everest Biotech Ltd), shows that the antibody vendors buy and re-label antibodies from each other, and not from the manufacturers, in order to ramp up the numbers of antibodies on stock. This results in the exact same antibody appearing multi-fold on many catalogues worldwide, often marked with outdated or incorrect QC data. 

The issue goes deeper than this though. As it turns out, even buying the exact product as endorsed by scientific publications does not guarantee that you will get the antibody that was successfully used in the publication. This is due to flawed QA procedures taken on by vendors who re-label antibodies bought from other antibody banks without regarding batch-to-batch variation.

Judging by the extensive increase of antibodies these banks are offering, this problem will not go away any time soon. More likely it will become an even bigger nuisance as the banks expand their catalogues without buying directly from the manufacturers. 

Stay tuned to see how custom antibody production at a manufacturer like Capra Science can give you significant advantages in your research, R&D and immunodiagnostics.

In an attempt to fight the outbreak of ebola in West Africa, the FDA has approved a limited use of a new drug composed of three humanized monoclonal antibodies.  The drug, which is being developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical (1), has not yet reached the clinic but the importance of the drug for stopping the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has forced the FDA to grant it viable for limited use before all tests have been carried out.

The number of FDA approved humanized antibodies for therapeutic treatments are now in the thirties, and hundreds of antibody therapies are undergoing clinical trials. Capra Science Antibodies AB is a trusted partner in the development of humanized antibodies for health care.  The expertise of the Capra Science team includes the range of steps including monoclonal antibody generation, humanization process, antibody production for R&D and pre-clinical evaluation.

(1)ZMapp was developed as a result of the collaboration between Mapp Biopharmaceutical, LeadBio, Defyrus and US government and Canadian Public Health Agency of Canada. 

On Wednesday, 9th of April, Capra Science has been invited to join an event together with Nobel prize winner in chemistry, Robert Kronberg, arranged by the Nobel Price Inspiration Initiative. The event, that takes place in Copenhagen at Dronningesalen, is arranged by the Nobel Price Inspiration Initiative, in partnership with AstraZeneca and Medicon Village.

Cited from news release www.skane.com. To article   >

Swedish-Danish research collaboration receives funding
New antivenom against venomous snakebites receives funding

The Danish company VenomAb IVS has been selected for funding within the initiative called Fehmarnbelt-Öresund TransTechTrans. VenomAb IVS will receive financial support to be able to go on secondment to the Skåne based company Capra Science Antibodies AB. The two companies will develop better and cheaper antivenoms against venomous snakebites in a joint research project. Globally, more than 5 million people become victims of snakebite each year, leading to serious damages including amputations and a high mortality rate."

This has been an eventful year for us at Capra Science. Here are some of the highlights:

- Capra Science has been awarded twice this year by the Swedish Board of Agriculture. This triggered a publication of several news articles about Capra Science in the Swedish press.
- During 2013, we have gained many new customers within the pharma and diagnostic industry.
-  Throughout the year, we have received excellent feed-back from our customers of numerous antibody projects. During the years, Capra Science has gained a solid track record in a wide spectrum of antibody projects.
- The expansion of our facilities in 2012 has enabled us to welcome larger antibody productions in 2013.
- Our attendance at conferences and meetings during 2013 has resulted in many valuable contacts, new potential partners and projects. Medica in Düsseldorf, Germany and NLSD in Stockholm, Sweden to mention a couple of successful meetings.
- We gained a successful renewal of the ISO 9001:2008 certification, our quality assurance system. 
- Capra Science has grown and employed more personnel in 2013/2014.

We look forward to all new interesting projects and new challenges that we will face in 2014. We would also like to take the opportunity to wish all our customers and collaborators all the best for 2014!

Greetings,
Lovisa Hessle Bergman
Managing Director of Capra Science