Alpaca single B cell interrogation and heavy-chain-only antibody discovery on an optofluidic platform.

VHH discovery approaches have been limited by the lack of methodologies for camelid B cell interrogation. Here, we report a novel application of the Beacon® optofluidic platform to the discovery of heavy-chain-only antibodies by screening alpaca B cells. Methods for alpaca B cell enrichment, culture, IgG2/3 detection, and sequencing were developed and used to discover target-specific VHH from an alpaca immunized with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) or a second target.

Accelerated antibody discovery targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for COVID-19 therapeutic potential.

Background: Rapid deployment of technologies capable of high-throughput and high-resolution screening is imperative for timely response to viral outbreaks. Risk mitigation in the form of leveraging multiple advanced technologies further increases the likelihood of identifying efficacious treatments in aggressive timelines.

Methods: In this study, we describe two parallel, yet distinct, approaches for accelerated discovery of antibodies targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 spike protein.