New rat monoclonals against aflatoxin with sub-ppb detection limits
Aflatoxins are poisonous carcinogens that are produced by certain molds (Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus) which grow in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grains. These small molecules are a worldwide health problem considering that as many as 5 billion people may be exposed. Children are particularly affected by aflatoxin exposure, which may lead to stunted growth, delayed development, liver damage and cancer. In order to specifically detect and measure aflatoxin content in foods, in-vitro diagnostics companies have developed mouse monoclonal antibodies. Unfortunately, they were not able to quantify low levels of the toxin. SynAbs has demonstrated that Rat-LOU mAb displays both a better affinity and sensitivity than the mouse monoclonal by a factor of 4, reaching sub-ppb detection levels. Today, SynAbs has launched a generation of Guinea Pig monoclonal antibodies against aflatoxin. Guinea Pig monoclonals have already demonstrated superior affinity compared to rat monoclonals when applied to hormones.
