Introduction

Over the last four years, the single B cell approach has rapidly transformed antibody discovery, contributing to nearly 20% of FDA-approved antibody drugs. By providing shorter development timelines, broader sequence diversity, and improved developability profiles, it has become a cornerstone technology in modern biologics R&D.

However, single B cell platforms—such as Beacon—face important limitations:

• Difficulty in functional screening (e.g., signaling assays, enzymatic activity, epitope binning).

• Limited assay sensitivity, leading to false negatives or positives.

• High cost and inefficiency when hit rates are low.

• Restricted multi-round screening capability, often reducing the success of advanced antibody discovery campaigns.

To overcome these challenges, ProBio has integrated its ProSpeed™ linear expression system with Beacon’s single B cell workflow, creating a faster, more sensitive, and cost-effective solution for identifying functional antibody leads.

ProSpeed™ Workflow

With ProSpeed™, a PCR-based linear expression cassette is generated directly from exported single B cells and used for rapid transient expression. This enables:

• Functional screening from supernatants in just 2–3 weeks.

• Significant cost reductions compared to plasmid-based workflows.

• Higher sensitivity in downstream assays, improving the reliability of hit validation.

• The ability to “rescue missed hits” where traditional RT-PCR would have failed.

Key Application Scenarios

• Functional Screening with Recombinant Supernatants

  • ProSpeed™ expression supernatants enable high-throughput ELISA and reporter gene assays.

  • Example: From 116 positive B cells screened against IL-8, ProSpeed™ confirmed 85 dual binders, with 16 shown to block IL-8/CXCR1 signaling.

• Multiple Rounds of Screening Beyond Beacon’s Limits

  • ProSpeed™ enables iterative functional and specificity testing that is impractical on-chip alone.

  • Example: From 156 initial binders, sequential ELISA, FACS, and counter-screening reduced candidates to 14 highly specific antibodies.

• Improved Sensitivity to Reduce False Negatives/Positives

  • Enhanced assay conditions allow discrimination between true binders and artifacts.

  • Example: Of 121 cell binders identified by Beacon, only 24 were confirmed as true binders with ProSpeed™ supernatants.

• “Rescuing” Missed Hits

  • Nested PCR strategies allow recovery of low-abundance cDNA sequences that would otherwise be lost.

  • Ensures greater antibody diversity by capturing rare clones.

Conclusion

The ProSpeed™ Single B Cell Antibody Discovery Platform redefines what’s possible in antibody lead identification by addressing the critical bottlenecks of Beacon-based screening. By integrating linear expression technology, ProSpeed™ delivers:

• Expedited timelines (2–3 weeks vs. 5–6 weeks).

• Improved assay sensitivity, reducing false negatives and positives.

• Greater cost-effectiveness, particularly when hit rates are low.

• Rescue of missed hits, preserving valuable diversity.

With over 100 successful projects, ProBio’s ProSpeed™ platform offers a powerful and scalable solution for next-generation antibody discovery campaigns—helping scientists move faster from discovery to development with better functional outcomes.

📩 Contact us to learn more about ProSpeed™

Read more: ProSpeed™ single B cell Ab discovery

Email: cdmo.us@probiocdmo.com
Tel: +1-732-885-9188 (US)
www.probiocdmo.com