The mission of the Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development is to collaborate with researchers in the design and development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for research and commercialization. If monoclonal antibodies are needed for basic science studies or grant submissions for therapeutic or diagnostics use, please contact us for a consultation to determine the best approach to producing the antibody of interest.

The Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development (CTAD) has been in existence since 1996. The facility assists in all aspects of the generation of mAb from expressing the target protein to screening and purifying the selected clones. Hundreds of antibodies have been successfully generated for scientists at Mount Sinai as well as for other institutions. To date, over 30 monoclonal antibodies generated in the facility have been commercialized for basic science use. If the antibody target has therapeutic value it is possible that it can be made in a humanized mouse system through collaborations with industrial partners for potential use as a drug.

Because of their sensitivity and specificity, monoclonal antibodies are critical basic science research tools and are the core technology for many diagnostic tests, such as those used to verify pregnancy or influenza infection. In the past decade, monoclonal antibodies have become the most successful new drug classification, with yearly sales exceeding $50 billion. Six of the top 15 selling drugs in this country are monoclonal antibodies and Humera, a mAb specific for the cytokine TNF is now the largest seller at 9.5 billion.

Areas of Expertise

CTAD can assist in, or perform any or all of the steps needed to generate high quality monoclonal antibodies for research or therapeutic uses, including:

• Production of protein using various expression systems
• Purification of protein
• Immunization of appropriate host (potentially humanized mice)
• Fusion and immortalization of B cell clones
• Screening and selection of clones
• Humanization of monoclonal antibodies made in non-human species
• Production of human monoclonal antibodies using antibody-humanized mice from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Harbour BioMed
• Isolation of antibody producing human B cells
• Cloning and expression of human V genes
• Target indifferent approach
• Purification of antibodies
• Sequencing, chimerization, and recombinant production of antibodies
• Mycoplasma testing

CTAD is committed to developing monoclonal antibodies with potential use as therapeutics. Currently, a number of collaborations between CTAD/Mount Sinai investigators and pharmaceutical or biotech companies are in progress, including exclusive licensures for CTAD/Mount Sinai derived therapeutic antibody portfolios.

Calls for targets that address unmet medical needs are released annually to encourage Mount Sinai investigators to work with CTAD to produce human antibodies with therapeutic potential using Regeneron or Harbour human mice. Funding is available for investigators who have identified targets with potential therapeutic or diagnostic value. Investigators with targets that are scientifically novel and at an early stage of investigation are encouraged to apply. We will synthesize target proteins for immunization and screening, generate panels of monoclonal antibodies and collaborate with investigators to identify and characterize antibodies with the greatest commercial potential and therapeutic impact. Many of these projects are funded and the monoclonal antibodies produced are in various stages of licensing.