Monoclonal antibody production in microalgae

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are key research tools and clinical therapies. The scale of production of mAbs is limited by their mammalian cell expression systems. Algae have been shown to express functional full length mAbs, and the potentially massive scale of algal production offers a route to ultra cheap and versatile mAb production.

Objective/mission (The vision): To generate a rapid implementation pathway for ultra large scale mAb production using microalgae.

Research approach (The initiative): To engineer an algal chassis for recombination-based insertion of new mAb genes, with strain attributes that simplify mAb isolation and purification.

Impacts and applications: Massive scale mAb production will allow global expansion of mAb therapies beyond the current specialist applications.