The Native Antigen Company
Breaking Barriers in Emerging Infectious Diseases Research

Studying infectious diseases necessitates the use of inactive or weakened viruses. But handling them poses significant safety risks, complicates research due to increased mutability, and often triggers only limited immune responses. There’s also the potential for reversion, where some of the attenuated viruses may relapse to their disease-causing form.

A viable and promising alternative is Virus-Like Particles (VLPs). They mimic the antigenic or native-like characteristics of a real virus, but lack their genetic material—which represents a promising avenue to circumvent the limitations tied to conventional vaccine research and development methodologies.

The Native Antigen Company—a part of LGC Clinical Diagnostics—is at the forefront of leveraging these VLPs to enable better diagnostics and assay design, the hallmarks of vaccinology and drug discovery.

One of the significant benefits of VLPs is their safety. Their handling doesn’t necessitate costly containment facilities or high-grade protective gear, which effectively lowers the barriers to entry for vaccine and therapy developers. Its applications are endless – spanning testing new drug candidates, developing and validating diagnostic assays and studying epidemiology and disease transmission.

“Since inception, our focus has naturally been drawn towards infectious diseases, and we have positioned ourselves as global leaders in the field of emerging infectious diseases,” says Dr. Holger Hannemann, Director of Research, The Native Antigen Company.

A Vehicle for Fast and Diverse Recombinant Proteins

A substantial product catalog and exceptional scalability speed are the defining strengths of The Native Antigen Company.

The driving force behind this is its VirtuE expression system, which leverages a selected highly transfectable HEK293 cell pool. Although of neuronal origin, this cell line can carry out most of the post-translational folding and processing required to generate functional, mature protein from a wide spectrum of both mammalian and non-mammalian nucleic acids.

The Native Antigen Company has successfully used it to generate an unmatched library of over 1500 unique antigens, antibodies, viruses, particles, and toxins. Some of its high-quality VLPs include formidable viruses like dengue, Ebola, Zika, rubella, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, and a breath of rare products that cannot be found anywhere commercially.

“Our collaborations with numerous universities and government institutes provide us with vital insights into underserved disease areas.Then we use our recombinant expression system to promptly address those needs, adding to our extensive library,” says Pardeep Sharda, Senior Product Manager, The Native Antigen Company.

Its rapid response and production scaling were showcased in February 2020, when it became the first company to commercially offer the SARS-CoV-2 S1 and S2 Spike proteins. This trend continued with swift product developments of the Alpha, Beta, P1 and Omicron variants within just five weeks of the WHO’s report signaling the new variants.

Transparency and Quality at the Heart of its Collaboration

The Native Antigen Company demonstrates transparency and customer satisfaction through the implementation of a stage-gate management approach. It facilitates clients to assess early samples and provide feedback at each stage. An iterative feedback loop allows for continuous improvement and ensures the final product exceeds client expectations.

Since inception, our focus has naturally been drawn towards infectious diseases, and we have positioned ourselves as global leaders in the field of emerging infectious diseases

Adding to its credibility, The Native Antigen Company holds an ISO 9001:2015 certification, reinforcing its position as a reliable biotech research partner that adheres to stringent quality control processes.

Taking an Active Part in Pandemic Preparedness

Another key differentiator for The Native Antigen Company is its advanced expertise in homo- and hetero-oligomeric protein complex production. These protein complexes—trimeric viral Spike proteins or the human cytomegalovirus gH pentamer complex—provide a better representation of naturally occurring tertiary protein structures, and enable researchers to study the pathogen’s behavior and develop interventions that disrupt the viral activity. Their practical application becomes increasingly apparent when considering their crucial role in tackling global health risks such as influenza and dengue viruses.

A case in point is the current global dengue situation. Roughly one-third of the world’s population resides in areas at risk of dengue infection. The disease’s reach is constantly expanding, driven mainly by global warming; for instance, Europe recorded as many dengue infections last year as it did in the last decade combined. Regions in southern France, Spain, and Italy have reported the establishment of new mosquito breeding colonies and autochthonous dengue and chikungunya virus cases.

“Our extensive library of complex proteins provide a valuable tool in the pandemic response and preparedness landscape, by supporting researchers, diagnostic assay manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies in their research and intervention strategies,” says Gareth Humphries, Scientific Sales Specialist, The Native Antigen Company.

Such endeavours highlight the firm’s role as an agent of change and progress in the global health research ecosystem. The future of vaccinology is primed for a substantial makeover, and The Native Antigen Company proudly stands at its epicentre as a trusted partner and supplier.