Monash Antibody Technologies Facility Purchases Genetix ClonePix FL

Genetix, a leading developer of technologies for automated, high throughput cell identification and selection for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and clinical diagnostics industries, today announced that the Monash Antibody Technologies Facility (MATF) at Monash University, in Australia has selected ClonePix FL technology to speed up the identification and isolation of thousands of cell lines for monoclonal antibody (MAb) production.

The MATF is one of the only high-throughput production facilities in the world offering custom-made, high-affinity monoclonal antibodies. A major application for the ClonePix FL technology at the MATF will be its proven ability to identify and isolate rare-event cell lines producing phosphopeptide specific MAbs. The new system is expected to significantly increase the MAb discovery capacity at MATF.
According to Alan Sawyer, director of MATF and founder of the world-renowned monoclonal antibody production facility for the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) at Monterotondo, “we chose ClonePix FL as it enables us to screen thousands of discrete cell colonies and isolate only the high value clones. By having this level of selectivity, we can significantly shorten timescales, improve productivity, simplify downstream tissue culture and reduce costs.”

The importance of MAbs is reflected by their breadth of use in diagnostic, therapeutic and research applications. They are used to detect cancers and infectious diseases; as vaccines to boost the body's immune response; and as therapeutic agents to target cancerous cells or to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In the research world, the use of MAbs has proven crucial to the understanding of a myriad of physiological processes.