Flow Cytometry-Based Epitope Binning Using Competitive Binding Profiles for the Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies against Cellular and Soluble Protein Targets.

A key step in the therapeutic antibody drug discovery process is early identification of diverse candidate molecules. Information comparing antibody binding epitopes can be used to classify antibodies within a large panel, guiding rational lead molecule selection. We describe a novel epitope binning method utilizing high-throughput flow cytometry (HTFC) that leverages cellular barcoding or spectrally distinct beads to multiplex samples to characterize antibodies raised against cell membrane receptor or soluble protein targets.