|
The invention of hybridoma monoclonal antibody (mAb) technology in 1975 opened the paradigm of affinity reagents which bind specifically to their target molecules. Since then, affinity reagents have become the cornerstone of modern biotechnology, and it is almost inconceivable to imagine an area of biology and medicine that do not depend on their affinity and specificity. However, despite significant advances such as bacteriophage and cell surface display, we continue to be limited by the high cost, lengthy development time, limited availability, and often inadequate biochemical properties of affinity reagents for many applications. This rings especially true in advanced diagnostic and proteomic applications, where the demand for new reagents far exceeds the rate at which they can be produced. Consequently, there remains an urgent need for technologies to identify and produce ligands with high affinity and specificity to particular target molecules quickly, efficiently, reproducibly, and inexpensively. Towards this end, our laboratory develops extremely rapid screening technologies to select and evolve nucleic acid based (aptamers) and peptide based molecules using novel microfluidics technology.
|
