Increasing the use of animal-free recombinant antibodies

Antibodies are used in a range of research, diagnostic, and regulatory applications. Traditional methods for producing such reagents involve the immunization of animals, which introduces variability into the methods that use them and is not aligned with efforts to replace and reduce animal use. Experts from academia, biotechnology, government, and animal protection organizations met December 3, 2019, at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, USA to discuss the status of development and use of animal-free recombinant antibodies and their potential to replace antibodies derived from animals. This paper summarizes the discussion and the actions that resulted to facilitate increased production and use of animal-free recombinant antibodies.