mirrorball^® Imaging Cytometer for Antibody Discovery by SPT Labtech

mirrorball^® by STP Labtech – antibody screening on a plate

The mirrorball high sensitivity cytometer represents one of the most versatile instruments available for antibody screening. The system embodies SPTLabtech’s laser scanning technology and enables streamlined workflows for unprecedented levels of throughput. mirrorball offers the benefits of a no-wash mix-and-read assay protocol. The throughput contrasts with traditional methods such as ELISA and flow cytometry, which can represent a bottleneck in the antibody discovery process as they require lengthy, multi-step preparation stages, large cell numbers and amounts of costly reagents. By offering analysis of samples in microplates without washing or flow-based detection, mirrorball is able to address soluble and cell-surface antigens expressed on adherent and suspension cell lines and thus presents a complete screening solution.

The mirrorball^® provides many benefits including:

• No wash steps required – Sample integrity is retained; antibody interactions with low affinity and/or high dissociation rates can be detected
• Retains antigen conformation – able to scan adherent cells without any manipulation
• Streamline workflow – combines assays for antibody binding, specificity and cell interaction required for primary antibody screening, into a single test tube
• Reduced costs – reduced reagent and labour requirements
• Reduced antigen requirement – bead-based assays optimise antigen usage
• Greater throughput and sensitivity – combination of mix-and-read protocols, automation-friendly software and robotics allows mirroball to deliver simply unbeatable throughput and sensitivity (up to 150,000 samples a day)
• Multiplexing – triple laser excitation and 5 colour fluorescence detection enable analysis of multiple antigens or cell types simultaneously
• Simple – adherent and suspension cell lines can be addressed in situ thus avoiding clogging, cytotoxicity and prolonged sample preparation; intuitive Cellista software; easily automated
• No contamination – no risk of sample contamination between wells

SPT Labtech’s mirrorball can be used for the following applications:

• Screening tool for all stages of the antibody discovery process from primary screening, clone selection and affinity maturation
• Protocols have been set up for the most common antibody species including whole IgG, scFV and Fab
• Cell-based assays:
  • allows screening of antigens in their natural conformation
  • preserves target epitopes
  • improves productivity by delivering quality screening hits