AtaGenix Laboratories
AtaGenix Laboratories
AtaGenix provides custom antibody development against small molecules (haptens) for food safety testing, disease biomarker detection, drug screening, and doping analysis. Small molecules lack immunogenicity on their own — we solve this through expert hapten modification and carrier protein conjugation (KLH, BSA, OVA), then produce high-specificity monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies validated for your target analyte.
4–5 mo
mAb Timeline
3 Species
Rat, Mouse, Rabbit
1–3
Clones Delivered
Free
Antigen Assessment
Small molecules (haptens) have immunoreactivity but lack immunogenicity — they can bind antibodies but cannot trigger an immune response on their own. The solution is to conjugate the small molecule to a large carrier protein, creating an immunogenic complex. AtaGenix provides the complete chain: hapten assessment → modification → conjugation → immunization → screening → antibody production → QC.
| Application | Examples | Downstream Format |
| Food Safety | Pesticide residues, mycotoxins, veterinary drug residues, food additives | ELISA kit, lateral flow strip |
| Disease Biomarkers | Disease-related metabolites, hormones, vitamins | Clinical immunoassay |
| Drug Screening | Drugs of abuse, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) | Competitive ELISA, CLIA |
| Doping Detection | Performance-enhancing substances, stimulants | Sports anti-doping assay |
Free Antigen Assessment
Provide your CAS number or molecular structure. We evaluate whether modification is needed for conjugation, recommend the optimal linker strategy, and design the hapten-carrier conjugate — all at no charge before the project starts.
Expert Conjugation Chemistry
Proven small molecule modification and conjugation techniques for challenging haptens. We handle functional group activation, spacer arm selection, and carrier protein coupling to maximize immunogenicity while preserving epitope structure.
Hapten-Specific Affinity Purification
Small molecule-BSA conjugate affinity chromatography isolates only antibodies that recognize the free hapten, not the carrier. This ensures minimal cross-reactivity and high specificity for your target analyte.
AtaGenix's small molecule antibody platform covers the complete pipeline from hapten assessment through conjugation, immunization, hybridoma screening, and monoclonal antibody production. We evaluate your target molecule's structure, design the optimal modification and conjugation strategy (KLH for immunization, BSA for screening/purification, OVA as tertiary control), immunize in rat, mouse, or rabbit, and deliver 1–3 monoclonal cell lines with purified antibody and QC data. Polyclonal antibody options are also available for faster turnaround. Total monoclonal timeline: 4–5 months.
A 5-stage pipeline from hapten assessment to validated monoclonal antibody. Total timeline: 4–5 months for monoclonal; shorter for polyclonal.
01
Hapten Assessment
Structure analysis
Modification site selection
Conjugation strategy design
02
Conjugation
Small molecule modification
KLH conjugation (immunogen)
BSA conjugation (screening)
03
Immunization
Rat / mouse / rabbit
Titer monitoring by ELISA
Competitive ELISA confirmation
04
Screening & Cloning
Cell fusion
Subclone screening
IC50 / cross-reactivity testing
05
Production & QC
Monoclonal antibody production
Hapten-affinity purification
Technical report
Service Scope
| ✓ Free antigen assessment (CAS number / structure) | ✓ Hapten modification & linker optimization |
| ✓ Carrier conjugation (KLH, BSA, OVA) | ✓ Immunization: rat, mouse, or rabbit |
| ✓ Hybridoma fusion & subclone screening | ✓ IC50 & cross-reactivity profiling |
| ✓ Hapten-specific affinity purification | ✓ Polyclonal option available (faster) |
| ✓ Deliverables: 1–3 clones + purified mAb + report | ✓ Optional: ELISA kit / lateral flow strip development |
| Property | Complete Antigen (e.g., protein) | Hapten (small molecule) |
| Immunogenicity | Yes (can trigger immune response alone) | No (must be conjugated to carrier) |
| Immunoreactivity | Yes | Yes (can bind antibodies) |
| Molecular Weight | >10 kDa | <1 kDa typically |
| Immunization Strategy | Direct immunization | Hapten–carrier conjugate required |
Need antibodies against other target types? For protein antigens, see Polyclonal Antibody or Rapid Hybridoma. For PTM-modified peptides, see Anti-PTM Service. For custom peptide immunogens, see Peptide Synthesis.
What do I need to provide to start a project?
Your small molecule antigen at ≥90% purity, or simply provide the CAS number / molecular structure and we can source the material. We offer a free antigen assessment to evaluate whether modification is needed and recommend the optimal conjugation strategy before the project begins.
Why do small molecules need carrier protein conjugation?
Small molecules (<1 kDa) are haptens — they can bind antibodies but cannot trigger an immune response on their own because they are too small to be recognized by T-cell receptors. Conjugating the hapten to a large carrier protein (KLH ~400 kDa) provides the T-cell epitopes needed to activate B cells and produce anti-hapten antibodies. KLH is used for immunization; BSA is used for ELISA screening (different carrier to avoid anti-carrier antibody interference).
How do you ensure the antibody recognizes the free small molecule, not just the conjugate?
We use competitive ELISA during screening to select clones that bind the free hapten in solution, not just the immobilized conjugate. During purification, we use hapten-BSA affinity chromatography followed by free hapten elution to isolate only antibodies with genuine small molecule specificity. Cross-reactivity profiling against structurally related compounds is included in the QC package.
Can you develop ELISA kits or lateral flow strips using the antibodies?
Yes. Once the monoclonal antibodies are validated, AtaGenix can proceed to develop competitive ELISA kits or colloidal gold lateral flow immunoassay strips for your target analyte. This is offered as an add-on service, enabling a complete pipeline from hapten to commercial detection kit.
Success rate and sensitivity are target-dependent and influenced by hapten structure, linker design, and epitope accessibility. Free antigen assessment helps identify feasibility early. Quote-based pricing.
Contact Us
+86-27-6552-3339
info@atagenix.com
Building C, R & D Building, No. 666, Shendun 4th Road, Donghu New Technology Development Zone, Wuhan
