Single B cell technologies for monoclonal antibody discovery

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Biotechnology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are crucial for research and therapeutics.
• Isolating antigen-specific mAbs from short-lived single B cells is challenging.
• Current methods for mAb generation are diverse, necessitating consolidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and discuss major techniques for interrogating antigen-specific single B cells.
• To highlight methods for isolating antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
• To compare the advantages and disadvantages of various mAb isolation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on single B cell interrogation techniques.
• Discussion of miniaturization protocols for antibody sequence retrieval.
• Analysis of alternative mAb generation methods like display technologies and AI algorithms.

Main Results:

• Several techniques facilitate the isolation of antibody-coding sequences from antigen-specific B cells.
• Miniaturization of reaction volumes improves efficiency in B cell interrogation.
• Alternative methods enable mAb generation independent of B cell isolation.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive understanding of available techniques is needed for efficient antigen-specific mAb isolation.
• The review consolidates information on diverse methods, aiding researchers in selecting optimal strategies.
• Future directions may involve further integration of AI and high-throughput screening for mAb discovery.