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Vertebrate Antibodies Limited (VAL)

Name of the laboratory

Vertebrate Antibodies Limited (VAL)
Vertebrate Antibodies Limited
Zoology Building
Tillydrone Avenue
Aberdeen AB24 2TZ
United Kingdom
00441224272868
Members: Vertebrate Antibodies
Unit Leaders
Ayham Alnabulsi abdo.alnabulsi@abdn.ac.uk
Beatriz Cash h.b.cash@abdn.ac.uk
Steve Bird sbird@waikato.ac.nz

Vertebrate Antibodies Limited (VAL) is a biotech spinout company from the University of Aberdeen with a focus on the development of antibodies to targets for a wide range of organisms for research and clinical applications. VAL supports the life sciences community by providing and developing a large range of high quality antibodies.

VAL Technology

VAL’s main strength lies in the use of short synthetic peptides as immunogens for generating monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Once a target of interest is identified, prediction algorithms, developed by VAL’s research team, are used to select suitable peptides to serve as immunogens. The peptides identified correspond to regions of the protein target that are unique, localised on accessible sections and will elicit an immune response. The unique stretch of the synthetic peptides is approximately 10 amino acids long (sometimes shorter), which is believed to be the shortest length for an active immunogen. Based on these criteria, the number of potential epitopes to generate the antibodies is very limited, resulting in highly specific mAbs research reagents. Using this approach, VAL antibodies can target specific protein isoforms, post-translational modifications and even single amino acid changes. Furthermore, the peptides can be selected to cross-react with other research models to widen their range of applications.

Research Activities

1) Clinical antibody production platform.

The high specificity of antibodies for their target proteins has resulted in them becoming a crucial component for advancing life science research and clinical practice. VAL focuses on developing mAbs specific for novel targets implicated in the process of tumour transformation and progression. The specificity of the antibodies is determined by western blotting using lysates from cells expressing protein of interest. The antibodies are screened by immunohistochemistry against a human tissue microarray containing the 19 major types of tumours matched with normal samples. This approach reveals potential cancer specific markers. The mAbs against these potential cancer markers are further screened on a large tissue microarray to define their prognostic, diagnostic, treatment predictive and therapeutic usefulness.

2) Development of immunoassays towards commercial species.

Recently, there has been a steady increase in research on commercially important species (for example in the aquaculture industry) to support a growth in market demand from a growing human population. VAL is dedicated to generating mAbs towards key host and pathogen targets to advance research and aid the development of immunoassays to monitor diseases and vaccine performance in veterinary and farmed species ensuring the sustainability of these industries.

It is worth noting that due to their superior specificity and reproducibility, VAL primarily produces monoclonal antibodies rather than polyclonal antibodies. This approach also reduces the use of animals for the generation of antibodies.

Techniques available

  • Peptide design
  • Monoclonal antibody production in mice
  • Antibody characterisation
  • Immunological techniques including immunoprecipitation, western blotting and IHC
  • Antibody purification
  • Antibody conjugation

Publications (2020-present)

  • Alnabulsi A, Cash B, Hu Y, Silina L, Alnabulsi A, Murray GI (2019). The expression of brown fat associated proteins in colorectal cancer and the relationship of uncoupling protein 1 with prognosis. Int J Cancer. PMID: 30737786. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32198
  • Veenstra KA, Alnabulsi A, Tubbs L, Arous JB, Secombes CJ (2019). Immunohistochemical examination of immune cells in adipose tissue of rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) following intraperitoneal vaccination. Fish Shellfish Immunol. PMID: 30731214 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2019.02.001
  • Wang J, Liu M, Wu Y, Yoon S, Alnabulsi A, Liu F, Fernández-Álvarez C, Wang T, Holland JW, Secombes CJ, Zou J (2018). Immune-modulation of two BATF3 paralogues in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Mol Immunol. 99:104-114.
  • Abós B, Bird S, Granja AG, Morel E, More Bayona JA, Barreda DR, Tafalla C (2018). Identification of the First Teleost CD5 Molecule: Additional Evidence on Phenotypical and Functional Similarities between Fish IgM(+) B Cells and Mammalian B1 Cells. J Immunol. 201(2):465-480.
  • Muncaster S, Kraakman K, Gibbons O, Mensink K, Forlenza M, Jacobson G, Bird S (2018). Antimicrobial peptides within the Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi). Dev Comp Immunol. 80:67-80.
  • Alnabulsi A, Murray GI (2018). Proteomics for early detection of colorectal cancer: recent updates. Expert Rev Proteomics. 15(1):55-63.
  • Alnabulsi A, Swan R, Cash B, Alnabulsi A, Murray GI (2017). The differential expression of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid metabolising enzymes in colorectal cancer and its prognostic significance. Br J Cancer. 116(12):1612-1620.
  • Veenstra KA, Wang T, Alnabulsi A, Douglas A, Russell KS, Tubbs L, Arous JB, Secombes CJ (2017). Analysis of adipose tissue immune gene expression after vaccination of rainbow trout with adjuvanted bacterins reveals an association with side effects. Mol Immunol. 88:89-98.
  • Jacobson G, Muncaster S, Mensink K, Forlenza M, Elliot N, Broomfield G, Signal B, Bird S (2017). Omics and cytokine discovery in fish: Presenting the Yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) as a case study. Dev Comp Immunol. 75:63-76.
  • Yoon S, Mitra S, Wyse C, Alnabulsi A, Zou J, Weerdenburg EM, van der Sar AM, Wang D, Secombes CJ, Bird S (2016). Correction: First Demonstration of Antigen Induced Cytokine Expression by CD4-1+ Lymphocytes in a Poikilotherm: Studies in Zebrafish (Danio rerio). PLoS One. 11(12):e0169149.
  • Alnabulsi A, Murray GI (2016). Integrative analysis of the colorectal cancer proteome: potential clinical impact. Expert Rev Proteomics. 19:1-11.
  • Yoon S, Alnabulsi A, Wang TY, Lee PT, Chen TY, Bird S, Zou J, Secombes CJ (2016). Analysis of interferon gamma protein expression in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Fish Shellfish Immunol. 57:79-86.
  • Swan R, Alnabulsi A, Cash B, Alnabulsi A, Murray GI (2016). Characterisation of the oxysterol metabolising enzyme pathway in mismatch repair proficient and deficient colorectal cancer. Oncotarget. 7(29):46509-46527.
  • Brown GT, Cash B, Alnabulsi A, Samuel LM & Murray GI (2015). The expression and prognostic significance of bcl-2-associated transcription factor 1 in rectal cancer following neoadjuvant therapy. Histopathology, vol 68, no. 4, pp. 556-566.
  • Yoon S, Mitra S, Wyse C, Alnabulsi A, Zou J, Weerdenburg EM, van der Sar AM, Wang D, Secombes CJ, Bird S (2015). First Demonstration of Antigen Induced Cytokine Expression by CD4-1+ Lymphocytes in a Poikilotherm: Studies in Zebrafish (Danio rerio). PLos One 10.1371/journal.pone.0126378.
  • Brown GT, Cash H, Blihoghe D, Johansson P, Alnabulsi A & Murray, GI (2014). The expression and prognostic significance of retinoic acid metabolising enzymes in colorectal cancer. PLoS ONE, vol 9, no. 3, e90776.
  • Alnabulsi A, Agouni A, Mitra S, Garcia-Murillas I, Carpenter B, Bird S & Murray GI (2012). Cellular apoptosis susceptibility (chromosome segregation 1-like, CSE1L) gene is a key regulator of apoptosis, migration and invasion in colorectal cancer. The Journal of pathology, vol 228, no. 4, pp. 471-481.
  • Alnabulsi A, Carpenter B, Telfer C, Murray GI (2009). Colorectal cancer: Immunohistochemical diagnosis with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K. Methods of cancer diagnosis, therapy and diagnosis. 4: 25-41.
  • Carpenter B, McKay M, Dundas SR, Lawrie LC, Telfer C, Murray GI (2006). Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K is over expressed, aberrantly localised and is associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer. Br J Cancer. 9;95(7):921-7.
  • Kumarakulasingham M, Rooney PH, Dundas S, Telfer C, Melvin WT, Curran S & Murray GI (2005). Cytochrome P450 profile of colorectal cancer: Identification of markers of prognosis. Clinical Cancer Research, vol 11, no. 10, pp. 3758-3765.
  • Gimenez HB, S Chisholm, J Dornan and P Cash (1996). Comparison between neutralising and enhancing activities of human respiratory syncytial virus-specific antibodies. Clinical and Laboratory Immunology, 3, 280-286.