# Rapid identification and selection of functional antigen-specific monoclonalantibodies by FcGR-enabled screening on CellRaft Arrays in the CellRaft AIRSystem

> **NIH NIH R44** · CELL MICROSYSTEMS, INC. · 2024 · $752,527

## Abstract

Project Summary
 The production of antibodies using hybridoma or primary B-cells with in vitro screening technologies
represents one of the most industrialized processes in contemporary life science. Products including research
reagents, diagnostic tests and biopharmaceuticals rely on the throughput, efficiency and quality of different
antibody screening and manufacturing methods. Despite the large-scale and high-quality requirements of these
industries, automation of the process for selecting specific antibodies for manufacturing remains an unmet need.
The CellRaft Technology represents a novel means of imaging, identifying, and isolating single cells and clonal
colonies. By imaging cells on the proprietary CellRaft Array using the CellRaft AIR® System, phenotypes can
be characterized in detail and over time, prior to isolating cells and colonies for downstream propagation. During
the Phase I program, we tested and developed novel reporter cell lines, software, and cell-based co-culture
assays that leveraged our CellRaft AIR System as an automated antibody screening platform. Briefly, the
CellRaft Technology relies on the CellRaft Array, which contains thousands of microwells, each featuring a
releasable polystyrene floor where cells are seeded and cultured. Cells are phenotypically monitored on the
array with the imaging capabilities of the CellRaft AIR System. Using the CellRaft Cytometry analytical software,
cells can be tracked over time and analyzed for various phenotypes, including fluorescence intensity, as well as
expansion into clonal colonies. The AIR System provides an automated, cost-effective, efficient, and robust
platform for screening the production, affinity and functionality of monoclonal antibody producing cells prior to
isolation so only the most promising candidates need to be harvested. During Phase II, we will adapt the
hybridoma and Jurkat reporter cell line co-culture that was developed in Phase I to be able to screen hundreds
of thousands of primary B cells on the CellRaft-HTS Array. We will evaluate a high throughput workflow for
assessing production and functionality of novel antibodies against therapeutically relevant antigen targets.
Current technologies offering automated solutions to this challenging workflow are incapable of rivaling the cost
savings, throughput, and the detailed phenotypic and functional characterization proposed here.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10843286
- **Project number:** 5R44AI157022-03
- **Recipient organization:** CELL MICROSYSTEMS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica Hartman
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $752,527
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-01-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10843286

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10843286, Rapid identification and selection of functional antigen-specific monoclonalantibodies by FcGR-enabled screening on CellRaft Arrays in the CellRaft AIRSystem (5R44AI157022-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10843286. Licensed CC0.

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