Antibodies are vital tools for biomedical research and testing. Recombinant approaches to antibody development and production can reduce reproducibility issues and improve antibody accessibility and reliability. However, scaling up use of high quality, trustworthy, and cost-effective antibodies is hampered by a lack of policies on the use of recombinant antibodies in basic and translational research and the absence of clear processes to validate these reagents in use-based contexts. In addition, training and dissemination of antibody performance data, remaining key access challenges. Multi-sector collaborations and partnerships have been successful in overcoming barriers in the broader development and acceptance of other human-relevant nonanimal methodological areas of research and may prove to be similarly effective with antibodies. This virtual workshop aims to bring together a variety of stakeholders, including antibody manufacturers, end users, policymakers, and advocacy groups to address the issues of quality, cost, manufacturing, validation, and guidance associated with the use of recombinant antibodies in research and testing. The workshop will include talks and discussion describing perceptions and evidence of current challenges in de-risking recombinant antibody production and use, and improve trust in the reliability and application of recombinant antibodies in replacement of animal-produced antibodies for biomedical research. The meeting’s goal will be to form a new group with ongoing participation to implement its recommendations to stimulate the recombinant antibodies use in research.
