Selection and identification of antibodies that bind to a slow cycling stem cell-like subpopulation in pancreas adenocarcinoma

The partners are currently working on a new method for selecting the slow cycling stem cell-like subpopulation in pancreas adenocarcinoma. When a slow-cycling cell population has been selected it will be used in panning against Affitechs naïve antibody l ibrary. This library is the basis for the company`s proprietary methods for cell-based antibody selection. The binding antibodies will be cloned into a different antibody format, and up to of up 15-20 000 clones can be transferred 384-well plates using a dvanced automated systems. These clones can then be screened for binders to the same slow-cycling population of cells used in the selection with the help of a fluorescence microscopy based cell screening system (FMAT). The method has already been used successfully in other projects. The clones are then further characterized, with special emphasis on clinical usefullness; microarray systems and cell based assays will be used to distinguish novel and potentially therapeutically relevant candidates bindin g to cancer associated antigens from those antibodies which bind to proteins present on every cell. To this end, we plan to establish and evaluate new techniques to improve the systems currently in use. The selected clones are then further characterized in respect to the exact protein they are binding to. This opens the possibility of finding new cancer associated proteins, which might be of interest both for basic science and clinical applications.