The breakthrough has the potential to improve monoclonal antibody production efficiency, and could lower manufacturing costs, in turn expanding access to these essential biotherapeutics.
Monoclonal antibodies are important in treating a wide range of diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory conditions, infectious diseases, respiratory illnesses, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular diseases.
In 2024 alone, global sales exceeded $240 billion, a figure that underscores the need for scalable, cost-effective manufacturing of these antibodies, supported by precise monitoring tools. Currently, production monitoring relies on endpoint assays that do not capture real-time cellular secretion.
To address this, Dr. Jucaud’s team has developed the first biosensing platform capable of rapidly and cost-effectively tracking live antibody secretion dynamics. The microfluidic design decreases culture volume, concentrates antibodies, and positions hybridoma cell lines directly above a PC-TIR biosensor, originally developed by Dr. Ye’s group at the University of Texas San Antonio.
This configuration allows antibodies secreted to be characterized within an hour, making it a powerful tool for comparing cell lines, optimizing production processes, and selecting high-secreting clones to enhance monoclonal antibody manufacturing while lowering costs.
With this biosensor, we can spot the true ‘powerhouse’ cells that secrete antibodies at the highest rates per cell. This precision lets us identify and prioritize the best producers early in the process.
Dr. Vadim Jucaud, Principal Investigator, Terasaki Institute
The first author of the study, Dr. Danial Khorsandi, explained that advanced biosensor technologies like this could revolutionize biomanufacturing processes.
Because antibody secretion rate is directly tied to manufacturing efficiency, selecting these powerhouse cells could transform how we scale up monoclonal antibody production, ultimately driving down costs and making life-saving immunotherapies more affordable for patients.
Dr. Vadim Jucaud, Principal Investigator, Terasaki Institute
Dr. Jucaud’s team expects that the platform’s rapid, precise, and scalable design will advance both fundamental research and industrial-scale biomanufacturing, helping address the global demand for antibody-based diagnostics and therapies. Overall, this innovative platform offers a means to streamline production, lower unnecessary costs, and broaden access to these therapies for more patients.
Journal Reference:
Khorsandi, D., et al. (2025) Real-time and label-free monitoring of monoclonal antibody secretion rates using a PC-TIR biosensor. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2025.117979.