May 29, 1998. Live, intact high secretor or rare cells are recovered for subsequent cloning in a highly streamlined process that takes only one day.
Secreted proteins are a cornerstone of the biotechnology industry.
Although by some estimates, only a small fraction of all proteins are secreted by cells, these are the most likely to exhibit therapeutic potential. Limiting dilution cloning is labor intensive and highly variable. Captured protein is detected by binding of a fluoresccinated reporter antibody. Using FACS, the fluorescence intensity of each GMD can be quantified and single cells recovered based on level of protein secretion. Viable cells which outgrow the matrix can be cloned resulting in profound cell line enrichment or isolation of rare cells.