Absolute Antibody was founded in 2012 with a vision to make recombinant antibody technology accessible to all scientists. We provide recombinant antibody services and research tools to scientists across various research areas, including immunotherapy, allergies and infectious diseases such as the new coronavirus. Recombinant antibodies are important as they ensure the same antibody is produced with every manufacturing production run. We were very excited to win a 2020 Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for our rapid overseas growth over the last three years.
Absolute Antibody offers antibody sequencing, engineering and recombinant production as custom services, as well as a unique catalogue of engineered recombinant antibodies. Antibodies are important biomedical research tools, but reproducibility can be an issue when they are produced using traditional methods. Recombinant antibodies ensure experiments are reproducible, as well as open up new experimental possibilities by enabling the engineering of new antibody formats. Though recombinant antibodies are standard in the pharmaceutical industry, these antibodies have not been as widely available for diagnostics or research. Absolute Antibody has been at the forefront of the movement to make recombinant antibodies more readily available to all scientists.
Most recently, during the coronavirus pandemic, we have used our antibody offerings to support the researchers who are working to better understand, diagnose, treat and prevent COVID-19. For example, we have manufactured human antibodies sequenced from patients recovering from COVID-19 to aid in therapeutic development. We are also providing antibodies that detect the COVID virus for use in diagnostic kits and research, and have shipped these coronavirus antibodies to scientists around the world.
Between our Queen’s Award win and contributing to the global fight against coronavirus, 2020 has been a very busy and fulfilling year for the Absolute Antibody team!
Our Global Expansion
Absolute Antibody decided to apply for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade because our team has rapidly expanded to support researchers around the world. We were founded in Oxford in 2012, opened a manufacturing facility at the Wilton Centre in Redcar in 2014, and moved our headquarters to the site in 2019. During the three-year application period for the Queen’s Award, our overseas sales increased 100% and the proportion of sales exported grew to 81% of total sales.
Of particular note, we merged with the Boston-based Kerafast, Inc. in 2018 to increase our presence in the North American market. We’ve also built a network of 30 distributors worldwide to serve customers in 62 different countries. Our customer list includes 14 of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies by revenue, as well as academic researchers and biotechnology and diagnostics companies around the world.
Winning the Queen’s Award
Since winning our Queen’s Award, Absolute Antibody has received significant recognition in our North East England backyard. Our company leaders have been interviewed on local radio stations and for articles in several regional newspapers. This has raised awareness of our company and its contribution to the global fight against coronavirus, which has in turn helped us recruit new scientists to join our team. In addition, our global network of customers, investors and partners has been enthusiastic in support of our Queen’s Award win. Our employees have been excited by our Queen’s Award recognition, and we all look forward to celebrating together in person once the coronavirus situation allows!
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