The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Section on Molecular Neurobiology is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further evaluate or commercialize specific rabbit monoclonal antibodies generated against the ErbB4 receptor (also known as HER4) that have been validated for specificity using tissue sections and extracts from ErbB4 knockout mice.

ErbB4/Her4 is a receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates cell proliferation, cell differentiation and cell survival.  ErbB4 has been implicated in the pathology of numerous cancers (e.g., breast cancer, non-small cell lung carcinoma, adenocarcinoma), as well as psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia).  As a result, ErbB4 is an excellent target for developing therapies against these diseases.  Unfortunately, the study of ErbB4 has been slowed by the lack of highly specific and functional antibodies against the receptor.

In order to overcome the deficiencies with current ErbB4 antibodies, NIH inventors have generated three rabbit monoclonal antibodies with improved properties and versatility.  Specifically, the mAb-6, mAb-7 and mAb-10 hybridomas produce antibodies with a high degree of specificity and affinity for ErbB4.  These antibodies recognize specific epitopes on the intracellular domains of ErbB4 without cross-reaction against other proteins, and can be used successfully in the immunostaining of fixed tissue.  

Competitive Advantages:

• Potential to be the gold standard for ErbB4 antibodies due to its specificity and affinity, as confirmed by using tissue extracts and sections from ErbB4 knockouts.
• Greater affinity for ErbB4 than currently available antibodies, giving them superior properties in diagnostic and biochemical applications
• Unlike currently available polyclonal antibodies to ErbB4, the monoclonal antibodies do not cross-react with other proteins
• Unlike currently available antibodies, these antibodies are capable of immunostaining fixed tissue samples
• The epitopes on ErbB4 that are recognized by each monoclonal antibody have been mapped

Commercial Applications:

• Basic research tool for the study of ErbB4
• Reagent for diagnostic applications such as Western Blotting, ELISA, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry in fixed tissue samples
• Reagent for biochemical techniques such as immunoprecipitation