BBI Solutions has released four new antibodies specific for the HIV-1 p24 capsid protein.

The antibodies are the first evidence of BBI using the internal antibody custom service expertise gained through the acquisition of Maine Biotechnology Services, to develop products for their reagent suite. Having a combined team of antibody and assay development specialists allowed BBI to select antibodies from a large pool of candidates screened with IVD customer applications in mind.

Recombinant HIV-1 p24, also developed by BBI Solutions and being made available for purchase, was used as the immunogen to generate over one hundred antibody candidates. Careful matched pair screening of monoclonal antibodies resulted in four clones with sensitive and distinct binding characteristics to both recombinant and native HIV-1 p24. The result is the availability of 6 matched pair combinations, and a recombinant protein, that are ready for use in ELISA or Point of Care assay applications. The new reagents are being added to the previously available HIV-1 disease state plasma, and patient samples, showing that BBI Solutions is committed to being a complete IVD R&D partner.

HIV is not the only infectious disease area that BBI Solutions is applying antibody custom service expertise to their reagents. Antibody characterisation assays were conducted to better understand the performance capabilities of the industry’s most comprehensive Norovirus panel of antibodies, available from BBI. With nine antibodies in the Norovirus offering, BBI gives IVD developers the ability to detect the most clinically relevant GI and GII genotypes with either a broadly reactive antibody or several clones that distinguish between the genogroups or specific genotypes within the genogroups. With such an overwhelming number of choices and reactivity data, BBI wants to ensure customers are empowered with all the information they need to save time and development cost.

Further out in the development pipeline, BBI Solutions is embarking on development projects to expand their offering of antibodies specific for mosquito- borne viruses that are becoming of increasing concern globally. BBI has begun immunisations with NS1 protein for Zika and Dengue fever viruses and will release the antibodies in the near future. If development goals are met, the antibodies will be added to their already commercially successful Chikungunya virus antibodies and answer the growing call to distinguish between closely related arboviruses in endemic areas.

Dr. James Steggles, BBI’s Commercial Manager for Antibodies, said: “This is an exciting new era for BBI Solutions to be able to have internal control over new antibody development projects and ensure we are bringing highly characterised antibodies to market ready for use by IVD assay developers.”

All antibodies developed by BBI Solutions are produced in-house under cGMP conditions for long-term security of supply, making BBI well positioned to serve bulk infectious disease diagnostic needs.

“We will continue to leverage internal development capabilities to expand our reagent suites in the infectious disease and other important diagnostic markets.”, continued James.