HDX-MS Antibody Characterization
Epitope and paratope mapping service
Epitope and paratope mapping by HDX-MS provides experimental evidence for where an antibody binds its antigen, measured directly in solution.
When an antibody binds its antigen, the residues at the interface become protected from solvent, and HDX-MS picks that up directly. We compare deuterium uptake in the free and bound states, and the regions that exchange less are the ones protected by antibody contact.
It isn’t a replacement for crystallography or cryo-EM, but it answers a different question. It’s faster to set up, works on antigens or antibodies that don’t crystallize easily, and reports on the interaction in solution rather than in a crystal lattice.
Common reasons clients come to us
- Confirming or refining an epitope before filing a patent
- Distinguishing whether two antibody candidates hit the same site or different ones
- Investigating why a variant lost potency after an engineering round
- Supporting freedom-to-operate arguments with binding-site data
Sample Requirements
As a starting point, plan on roughly 200 µg of antigen and 250 µg of antibody. The real amount depends on the protein size and antibody format, as well as how many states you want to compare, so we’ll confirm quantities with you before anything ships.
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