Invitrogen Antibody Validation*

A commitment to antibody performance

Antibodies are some of the most critical research reagents used in the lab. Poor specificity or application performance can significantly frustrate the ability to obtain good results, which can cause critical delays. Underperforming antibodies result in a lack of reproducibility, wasting time and money. In other words, researchers need antibodies that bind to the right target and work in their applications every time. To help ensure superior antibody results, we've expanded our specificity testing methodology using a 2-part approach for advanced verification.

Nature articles: reproducibility, validation and specificity tests

In collaboration with Nature, learn more about Thermo Fisher Scientific’s commitment to antibody validation and performance. This series of 3 articles explores the reproducibility crisis, protocols and standards, and our specificity testing methodology with data from numerous antibodies and pathways.

Antibody resources and eLearning

Tips to make the most of your antibodies

As seen in Science, use these tips for set up, designing, doing and troubleshooting your experiments.




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Application Note: Hitting the mark - specificity analysis of histone antibodies

Learn which criteria to consider when choosing a histone PTM-specific and how we’re validating these antibodies with the most appropriate tests, including peptide array, ChIP and ELISA.


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2-part testing approach flyer

Learn more about our 2-part validation testing approach in this easy-to-read, one-page document. It summarizes our comprehensive verification testing process and describes how we provide a new standard of confidence for our customers.

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eLearning modules on specificity testing

Learn about antibody specificity testing using our interactive education tool. These narrated online education modules explain our Thermo Fisher Scientific testing approach and provide in-depth data and workflows for our specificity tests. Take them at your own pace and learn more!

Reproducibility crisis e-book

In collaboration with Wiley publishing, learn more about what suppliers, publishers, and others in the scientific community are doing to address antibody reproducibility problems.



Application note: EGFR pathway - using CRISPR knockout

Read the app note to learn how Thermo Fisher is validating antibodies in the EGFR pathway, using CRISPR knockout and other specificity tests to verify antibody performance.


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Invitrogen antibodies are currently undergoing a rigorous 2-part testing approach

Part 1—Target specificity verification

This helps ensure the antibody will bind to the correct target. Our antibodies are being tested using at least 1 of the following methods to ensure proper functionality in researcher’s experiments. Click on each testing method in the table below for detailed testing strategies, workflow examples and data figure legends.

Immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry(IP-MS)

IP-mass spectrometry—testing using immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry to identify antibody targets

Genetic modification

Knockout—expression testing using CRISPR-Cas9 cell models

Knockdown—expression testing using RNAi to knockdown gene of interest

Independent antibody verification (IAV)

IAV—measurement of target expression is performed using two differentially raised antibodies recognizing the same protein target

Biological verification

Cell treatment—detecting downstream events following cell treatment

Relative expression—using naturally occurring variable expression to confirm specificity

Neutralization—functional blocking of protein activity by antibody binding

Peptide array—using arrays to test reactivity against known protein modifications

Orthogonal method—correlation using both antibody dependent and independent method

Part 2—Functional application validation

These tests help ensure the antibody works in a particular application(s) of interest, which may include(but are not limited to):

Most antibodies were developed with specific applications in mind. Testing that an antibody generates acceptable results in a specific application is the second part of confirming antibody performance.

Featured videos

Bobby: A look at antibody validation


Antibody validation through advanced specificity verification

Addressing the antibody reproducibility crisis: A panel discussion with key scientific leaders

Validation standards for reproducibility

Thermo Fisher Scientific is committed to adopting validation standards for our Invitrogen antibody portfolio that are tested for both target specificity and functional application. By supporting the International Working Group for Antibody Validation (IWGAV), and adopting their recommendations, we’re doing our part to ensure reproducibility and proper functionality in the scientific community.