Antibody Discovery

Better Discovery by Design

Every target is different. We design a successful discovery strategy for your target, from library selection and screening approach to hit identification and validation.

Explore our Discovery Platforms
Let‘s Explore the Right Discovery Platform for You
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  • Established Partner for Challenging Targets
  • Fast Track Discovery
  • Target to Lead Workflow
  • Smart Selection Approach

Fast Track Discovery Platforms

Finding the right therapeutic candidate begins with a high-quality antibody tailored to the target’s desired affinity and functionality. Our discovery campaigns start with a smart, success-oriented strategy that generates a broad and diverse pool of antibody hits. Through a rigorous screening and selection process, we efficiently narrow this pool to identify the most promising lead candidates for further development.

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A Three-Step Fast Track from Target to Lead

STEP 1
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Hit Discovery

Find unique antibodies from universal or custom immune libraries (scFv, Fab, VHH) for any target.

STEP 2
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Lead Engineering

Enhance affinity, stability, and functionality with AI-assisted optimization.

STEP 3
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Lead Development

Refine antibody sequences for manufacturing and clinical use.

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Our Display Systems

YUMAB® offers cutting-edge display technologies to accelerate antibody discovery and optimization. Our platforms combine the speed and versatility of phage display with the precision and complexity of mammalian cell display, enabling tailored solutions for any target and antibody format.

Antibody Phage Display

YUMAB’s proprietary, highly efficient phage display platform enables the screening of antibody candidates from antibody libraries against virtually any target antigen, bypassing the limitations of the immune system. This approach offers several key advantages, including:

  • access to very large and diverse fully human and other antibody libraries without immune or epitope restrictions
  • selection of in vivo affinity-matured antibodies from patient-derived or immune libraries
  • immediate access to antibody sequences and bioinformatic analyses
  • rapid antibody engineering and sequence optimization
  • screening against challenging multi-pass transmembrane proteins directly on living cells
  • in vitro selection against challenging targets, including highly conserved and toxic antigens inaccessible by immunization

YUMAB phage display libraries have an outstanding track record, consistently demonstrating their high quality and value in pharmaceutical pipelines when compared head-to-head with other commercial libraries.

Mammalian Display

YUMAB’s novel mammalian cell display technology employs proprietary CHO cells with a one chromosomal landing pad for the targeted integration of a single antibody gene per cell. This technology combines the advanced protein folding machinery of the most widely used production cell line with the powerful in vitro screening of modern cell display, thus allowing discovery & engineering of complex and large antibody formats, e.g. bi- and multispecific biotherapeutics. It represents an ideal extension to our phage display technology. Due to the smaller library size, mammalian display is primarily used for specialized libraries (e.g., paired or immune libraries) or for antibody engineering and lead optimization.

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Contact us – we'll guide you to the right display system

Questions and Answers

After the initial project planning, we define the optimal discovery strategy together with our clients for their target and project requirements. Clients can provide the antigen, or YUMAB can source or generate it. This provides flexibility while ensuring that each project starts with the appropriate material and discovery strategy.
Yes. Antibody discovery can be tailored to the intended application and molecular format. Depending on the project, we can discover and develop antibodies for formats such as IgG, Fab, scFv, VHH, bispecific and other multispecific molecules, as well as applications including therapeutic antibodies, ADCs and CAR-based approaches.
The client owns the outcome: intellectual property generated within the project, and identified antibody sequences, along with the complete underlying raw data if desired. Final lead candidates are routinely produced at small scale and tested in a defined set of assays to assess their desired characteristics. If required, final lead candidates can also be produced at an increased scale of up to several milligrams, enabling a seamless transition into the next stage of development.
Once promising lead antibodies have been identified and characterized, they can progress directly toward preclinical development. Where needed, YUMAB can support further development through humanization, antibody engineering, affinity maturation or developability assessment – all within one integrated platform.
We can typically start a project within two weeks of receiving the required project information and materials.
The optimal technology depends on the target, desired antibody properties, and specific project requirements. We offer complementary platforms, including phage display and mammalian display, and select the most suitable approach for each project. Tailored selection and counter-selection strategies can further enrich desired binders and reduce unwanted cross-reactivities.
A typical antibody discovery campaign takes approximately four months, from target preparation and library screening through the identification, validation and characterization of promising antibody candidates. The exact timeline may vary depending on the target, antibody format, and screening strategy.
 

Talk to a Scientist

Dr. Phillipp Kuhn
VP Services & Operations

Discuss Your Project

We typically reply within 1-2 business days.