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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Detection of Antibodies That Neutralize the Cellular Uptake of Enzyme Replacement Therapies with a Cell-based Assay
Published on: September 10, 2018
Development and validation of a functional cell-based neutralizing antibody assay for ipilimumab
Weifeng Xu1, Jennifer Cummings1, Michael Sank1
1Analytical & Bioanalytical Operations, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA.
Developing a cell-based assay for ipilimumab (a cancer immunotherapy) presented challenges in cell line construction and sample handling. Overcoming these issues enabled successful validation for clinical sample testing.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Ipilimumab is a US FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitor harnessing patient immune cells for cancer therapy.
- Postmarketing surveillance necessitates the development of a cell-based neutralizing antibody assay for ipilimumab.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe challenges encountered during the development of a cell-based neutralizing antibody assay for ipilimumab.
- To present troubleshooting and optimization strategies for assay validation.
Main Methods:
- New cell line construction for the assay.
- Investigating unexpected T-cell inhibition by ipilimumab at low concentrations.
- Addressing issues with acid dissociation pretreatment for sample preparation, including positive control instability and buffer incompatibility.
Main Results:
- Successfully developed and validated a cell-based neutralizing antibody assay for ipilimumab.
- Identified and resolved challenges related to cell line, drug interference, and sample pretreatment.
- The validated assay was utilized for testing clinical samples.
Conclusions:
- Assay development for immune checkpoint inhibitors like ipilimumab requires addressing unique biological and technical hurdles.
- Successful troubleshooting and optimization led to a validated assay capable of analyzing clinical samples.
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