Group Leader: Alessandra Fucci (PhD)

Senior advisor: Maria Luisa Nolli (PhD)

Staff:  Assunta Riccio (PhD)

           Egildo Luca D’Andrea (PhD)

           Simona Giacobbe (PhD)

           Ylenia Abruzzese (BSc)

Main activity areas

The PF team has a consolidated experience in the development, production, purification  and characterization of recombinant proteins, antibodies and antibody-derivatives, as well as in the customized  monoclonal antibodies generation through hybridoma technology.

PF activities also include design and validation of immunoassays (ELISA), affinity and binding analyses by SPR, preparation of tech-transfer protocols for biosimilar industrialization, and recombinant enzymes manufacturing.

Main Technologies 

PF has at its disposal multiple host strains and cell lines, as well as a large library of IP-free expression vectors for the production of recombinant proteins and antibodies. 

PF performance is ensured by the design of project-specific and tailored strategies and by the use of cutting-edge tools and methods. In addition, advanced analytical techniques, such as SPR, HPLC and LC-MS/MS, together with the standard biochemical analyses, are available for proteins and antibodies characterization.

Main Services

Recombinant Proteins and Antibodies production and characterization

• Gene synthesis (with or without codon optimization) and expression plasmid preparation;
• Expression testing in the selected host (E. coli, P. pastoris, or Mammalian cells)
• Expression optimization and set-up of the purification method
• Scale-up of protein expression and purification,
• Analysis of quantity, purity and integrity (UV-Vis, SDS-PAGE, HPLC, and Western Blot)
• Characterization (HPLC, LC-MS/MS), binding and kinetics studies (SPR)
• Endotoxin testing and removal
• Protein and Antibody Labeling

Custom Antibodies development

• Immunization strategy design
• Antigen design and production (optional)
• Immunization (Mice, Rats, Rabbits) and serum antibody titration
• Hybridoma generation and screening (for Monoclonal Ab production)
• Stabilization and banking of the monoclonal culture
• Purification of the antibodies (0.1-100 mg)
• Ab characterization (isotyping, SDS-PAGE, ELISA, HPLC, SPR)

Immunoassay development

• Antibody selection and pairing
• Generation of calibration curves for quantitative applications
• Assay optimization, qualification, and analytical validation
• Manufacturing and delivery of the assay kit
• Fit-for-purpose ELISA modification of existing assays