This application requests funds to purchase a dedicated ClonePix FL system (Genetix Ltd.) to automate the screening and selection of monoclonal antibody-secreting hybridoma cell lines. The instrument will be housed and operated by the Vanderbilt Monoclonal Antibody Core (VMAC) in support of several major Vanderbilt users, including the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), Jim Ayers Institute for Precancer Detection and Diagnosis, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Special Program of Research Excellence in Gastrointestinal Cancer (GI- SPORE), Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium (MMHCC), Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB), and a wide spectrum of research programs within the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). The vast majority of these users are involved in cancer- or other health-related research efforts supported by NIH. Over the past ten years, Vanderbilt has built one of the finest Core Facility Networks in the country. Accelerated success in discovery areas such as proteomics, mass spectrometry, and targeted therapeutics (see Research Programs and Shared Resources in appendix) has generated an explosion in demand for new mAb's and significantly more activity than the VMAC can handle. The current backlog is almost three months and the projected demand for next year could extend delays to over six months. The main bottleneck is the labor-intensive task of generating and screening hybridoma cell lines to identify desired clones. The ClonePix system dramatically increases productivity by automating most aspects of this process. Last year, the VMAC topped out at 28 fusions with two technicians working significant overtime. The ClonePix system will enable these individuals to perform as many as ~100 fusions/year while reducing hands on time.
Monoclonal antibodies are critically important tools in a broad range of research and clinical applications used to study and treat cancer. A key role of the VMAC is to accelerate progress in multiple areas of health and cancer research by making these crucial reagents inexpensive, easy to make, and readily available to the Vanderbilt research and healthcare community. The instrument described in this application is central to this mission and essential for the VMAC's ability to meet Vanderbilt demand for these critical research tools.
