A

API is the component of a drug formulation (i. e. tablet, injectable solution) that is pharmaceutically active and leading to therapeutic (and concomitant adverse side effects). It is usually, e. g. mixed with excipients, filled into capsules or dissolved in a suitable solvent to make the active molecule better suited for efficient resorption into the […]

Anti-idiotypic antibodies bind the idiotype of another antibody, usually an antibody drug. The idiotype of an antibody is a part of its variable region, hence anti-idiotypic antibodies are rather specific for their target. Depending on the binding geometry, three types of anti-idiotypic antibodies are defined: the antigen-blocking type binds directly in and occupies the target’s […]

The region at the two tips of antibodies “Y” that binds the antigen. They are formed by the variable domains of the Fab fragments (fragment antigen binding). Since the antigen-binding site confers the remarkably high specificity of antibodies, this is the region that varies the most between different antibodies and each contains three hypervariable regions.

Antigens are molecular and cellular features that are tightly bound by antibodies’ “antigen binding site”. Common antigens are toxins, pathogens, virus components, bacterial cell walls, but antibodies can be engineered to bind virtually any chemical or biological structure, which then becomes their respective antigen.

Antibody expression is the production of antibody molecules in ribosomes from single amino acid building blocks according to RNA blueprints.

Antibodies are “Y”-shaped glycoproteins consisting of four amino acid chains: two identical heavy chains and two identical light chains that are linked together. They exhibit very high specificities and affinities towards their respective antigens. They are key players in the adaptive immune system of vertebrates and are involved in numerous pathways that defend against pathogens, […]

Antibodies that are specifically designed and produced to lack the carbohydrate fucose in their Fc region N-glycans. They trigger stronger ADCC responses than antibodies with native fucose content. The ProBioGen GlymaxX technology allows manufacturers of antibodies to produce afucosylated antibodies without any deviations from the desired amino acid sequence.

Adherent cells are cells that require attachment to a surface or structural network to grow. Adherent cells are usually derived from tissue cells, as opposed to e. g. blood cells that float in plasma.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. It is a mechanism of immune response, which includes the binding of antibodies to surface antigens of a pathogen and subsequent strong activation of natural killer cells towards this pathogen. Low fucose content in the Fc region N-glycans enhances ADCC, see: afucosylated antibody.