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Stronger Starts for Discovery Programs

Every biologic program starts with a scientific hypothesis and a finite runway. Each decision in discovery determines how far that runway extends.

More than 30% of therapeutic antibodies entering development exhibit aggregation, poor solubility, or expression issues that limit progression (1-5).

Most originate in early discovery, when hit quality, manufacturability, or biological relevance go unverified. Each missed signal increases re-engineering costs and compresses the time available to produce defensible results.

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United to strengthen the foundation of biologics discovery

Identifying Discovery Risks Early

Download the Discovery Risk Index

Building Discovery on Evidence

Understanding where risk originates is only part of the solution, converting that awareness into structure protect scientific integrity as discovery advances.

What Successful Programs Do Differently

Accordion with Poppins
Measure biophysical parameters during feasibility to identify aggregation or expression liabilities when they are still correctable and cost-effective.
Use orthogonal assays, independent antibodies, and multiplex analyses to confirm target relevance and mechanism in cellular and tissue systems.
Apply recombinant and VHH scaffolds validated for expression, folding integrity, and yield to ensure early hits can advance without redesign.
Standardize QC and documentation so results remain comparable and predictive across assays, sites, and development stages.
Standardize QC and documentation so results remain comparable and predictive across assays, sites, and development stages.

Integrating Feasibility

1

Orthogonal validation

Establishes biological relevance where it matters most at the point of feasibility. Recombinant and VHH engineering provide stable, soluble scaffolds that retain folding integrity and yield, reducing re-engineering cycles later in development.

2

Orthogonal validation

Capture stability and developability data early, transforming discovery results into reproducible evidence packages that withstand internal review and support efficient decision-making across development functions.

Strategic Perspective

“The turning point in discovery is when feasibility starts being about evidence. The earlier stability and validation are measured together, the fewer surprises arise downstream.”

Darcy Birse
General Manager, Antibody Solutions

Proof In Practice

EpiCypher partnered with Fortis to establish nucleosome-based antibody validation, using quantitative epitope mapping to confirm specificity in complex chromatin contexts. The collaboration produced reproducibility that held across sites and assay formats, strengthening oncology discovery pipelines for both internal and partnered programs.

Read the Case Study

From Practice to Partnership

EpiCypher partnered with Fortis to establish nucleosome-based antibody validation, using quantitative epitope mapping to confirm specificity in complex chromatin contexts. The collaboration produced reproducibility that held across sites and assay formats, strengthening oncology discovery pipelines for both internal and partnered programs.

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Proving Antibodies Are Ready for Scale

Optimization marks the point where scientific promise meets operational reality. The goal is that feasibility data withstands production, where expression limits, conjugation behavior, and formulation stability are under stress. Each decision reinforces whether an antibody can maintain performance and survive developmental review.

VHH Sections
1.

Single-Domain and VHH Engineering
VHH antibodies mitigate the instability and heterogeneity often seen in full-length mAbs. Their compact, 15 kDa monomeric scaffolds resist aggregation, maintain folding integrity, and bind recessed epitopes inaccessible to standard VH–VL formats. Hydrophilic frameworks and Cys22–Cys92 disulfide bridges stabilize conformation and enable robust expression across constructs.

Within Fortis, Abcore leads single-domain and recombinant antibody engineering, applying manufacturability screening and expression profiling early in feasibility to reduce re-engineering cycles and improve yield predictability. Abcore’s scientific team, recognized for its pioneering VHH work in camelid-derived scaffolds and antibody conjugation, extends this expertise to both research and therapeutic formats.

Benefits
• Reduced aggregation and higher yield uniformity
• Improved binding to structurally complex epitopes
• Simplified conjugation and labeling workflows
2.

Conjugation Chemistry and Analytical Control
Controlled linker selection and verified drug-to-antibody ratios ensure structural uniformity and payload stability throughout manufacturing. Fortis integrates recombinant antibody production and conjugation chemistry under harmonized QC conditions so that manufacturability data generated at small scale remain predictive at production scale. Analytical verification confirms DAR distribution and conjugation uniformity across batches, minimizing formulation iterations and reducing time to CMC readiness.

Within this stage Bethyl Laboratories anchors assay validation and documentation continuity from conjugation through analytical review, ensuring the chemistry-to-data pathway remains traceable and compliant.

Benefits
• Predictive data continuity from discovery to scale-up
• Reduced re-engineering cycles during optimization
• Documented lineage and traceability for efficient developmental review
3.

Spatial Biology And Functional Validation
Spatial validation confirms that conjugated antibodies preserve biological relevance within tissue context. Fortis conducts multiplex immunofluorescence and histology using PhenoImager HT and Lunaphore COMET platforms, achieving up to forty-plex imaging at 0.23–0.25 µm/pixel resolution. Tissue preparation, staining, imaging, and analysis are performed in-house, maintaining data continuity across validation stages.

Panels incorporate validated immune, epithelial, checkpoint, and signaling markers from the Fortis antibody library, with options for fit-for-purpose customization. Arista Biologicals extends this validation framework into applied diagnostics and immunoassay compatibility testing, confirming that antibodies perform predictably across biological systems and detection platforms.

Benefits
• Verification of target engagement in tissue context
• Integrated multiplex and phenotypic validation
• Smooth transition from analytical to biological verification
Strategic Perspective

“An antibody program’s strength is proven under pressure. Operating on a dedicated production campus gives Bethyl complete control of every step, from animal care to assay validation, minimizing variability and ensuring consistent performance.”

Darcy Birse
Senior Director, Sales & Marketing, Antibody Solutions

Proof In Practice

Valted Seq applied integrated antibody development and conjugation workflows to evaluate a complex diagnostic target. Abcore-engineered VHH scaffolds and Bethyl lineage-verified antibodies maintained stability and yield throughout conjugation, producing uniform DAR distribution and reducing optimization time by two development cycles.

Read the Case Study

Offer includes:

  • 20% discount on all catalog antibodies
  • Valid for new Antibody Services engagements
  • Spatial Biology and Histology Validation in tissue context to confirm mechanism and target engagement
  • Enzymes, Master Mixes, and Assay Design optimized for precision

From Practice to Partnership

Fortis works beside you to transform reproducibility frameworks into measurable advantages in yield, time, and program credibility.

See how we prepare antibodies for scale and review.

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Maximizing Return on Early Discovery

Early discovery decisions determine how efficiently hits advance and how resilient programs remain under review. Each transition from feasibility to CMC is both a technical and financial event, where data quality and continuity define valuation and progress.

Establishing consistency early enables measurable gains in development efficiency. Independent studies confirm that rigorous antibody characterization and standardized QC frameworks reduce re-engineering cycles, lower material waste, and shorten verification timelines across transitions from discovery to pre-clinical review (3–4).

When documentation, lineage, and analytical data retain their meaning across teams and technologies, programs advance not through repetition but through data that remain interpretable and actionable at every stage.

Strategic Perspective

“Antibody programs gain measurable efficiency when reproducibility begins at feasibility. Data produced under consistent validation and QC conditions remain interpretable across assays and development stages.”

David Potter
Director, Monoclonal Antibody Development

Proof In Practice

NextPoint Therapeutics partnered with Fortis to advance next-generation immuno-oncology antibodies targeting novel checkpoint pathways. Together, we implemented a framework connecting recombinant antibody production, conjugation chemistry, and analytical validation. Each construct was tracked through sequence verification, expression optimization, and conjugation analysis within a single documentation schema.

Results

  • Achieved full lineage traceability from sequence through conjugation
  • Generated reproducible analytical data that advanced development readiness ahead of schedule
  • Maintained data comparability across platforms and assays
  • Reduced redundant testing and shortened review cycles
  • Increased internal review confidence and accelerated preclinical transfer

Read the Case Study

Sustaining Stronger Programs

Get preferred pricing on our integrated antibody services through December 31, 2025.

Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited.
  • VHH Discovery Services – Identify high-affinity binders using the AbNano™ phage display platform. Solid Phase Panning: $10,000 | Solution Phase Panning: $15,000.
  • Spatial Biology Characterization – 20% preferred pricing on high-plex and multiplex imaging with analytical support across immune, oncology, and signaling panels.
  • Custom Antibody Development – Preferred pricing available for new polyclonal, monoclonal, and recombinant projects initiated before 12.31.25.
  • Catalog Antibodies - 30% discount on all antibodies and ELISA kits validated for consistent performance.

From Practice to Partnership

Integrated Capabilities

  • Connected chemistry and process control that reduce rework
  • rMab, Polyclonal, VHH, and Anti-Idiotype Engineering for yield, stability, and translational fidelity
  • Spatial Biology and Histology Validation in tissue context to confirm mechanism and target engagement
  • Enzymes, Master Mixes, and Assay Design optimized for precision
Let’s Get Started

References

  1. Bailly B, et al. Predicting antibody developability profiles through early-stage discovery screening. mAbs. 2020;12(1):1743053.
  2. Zhang W, et al. Developability assessment at early-stage discovery to enable development of antibody-derived therapeutics. Antibody Therapeutics. 2022;5(5):248–260.
  3. Kahn B, Solache A, Bradbury ARM. Antibody characterization is critical to enhance reproducibility in biomedical research. eLife. 2024;13:e100211.
  4. Fritschy JM, Bradbury ARM, Solache A, et al. Improving the integrity and reproducibility of research that uses antibodies. Front Mol Biosci. 2024;11:136352