Abzymes (Catalytic Antibodies) Services

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Creative Enzymes has established itself as a trusted expert in both traditional enzymology and emerging areas of biocatalytic innovation. Among our advanced capabilities, the design and synthesis of abzymes—also known as catalytic antibodies—represents a unique and rapidly developing specialty. These artificial enzymes, created through the principles of immunochemistry and molecular design, provide an unprecedented opportunity to catalyze reactions that natural enzymes cannot achieve. Leveraging our extensive technical knowledge, state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure, and multidisciplinary expertise in molecular biology, enzymology, and synthetic chemistry, Creative Enzymes delivers a complete suite of abzyme development services. From transition-state analog (TSA) design to production and activity evaluation, we deliver high-quality, fully customized solutions for research and industrial applications.

Our abzyme service platform is designed to empower scientists seeking to explore novel catalytic mechanisms, create new bioprocesses, or establish innovative therapeutic strategies. By integrating cutting-edge design strategies with precise experimental execution, Creative Enzymes provides a reliable and efficient pathway for producing high-performance abzymes tailored to your exact research goals.

Introduction to Catalytic Antibodies Development

Abzymes—catalytic antibodies engineered to mimic enzyme activity—represent a remarkable intersection of structural biology, immunology, and synthetic chemistry. The principle underlying abzyme design stems from the concept that antibodies can be raised against stable analogs of transition states. When an antibody binds specifically to a transition-state analog, it selectively stabilizes the transition state of the corresponding substrate during the reaction. This stabilization reduces the activation energy and enables catalysis, similar to how a natural enzyme accelerates biochemical reactions.

Although natural antibodies are not catalytic by default, the immune system's extraordinary ability to generate diverse binding sites makes it an ideal platform for engineering catalytic function. Abzymes have been created to catalyze ester hydrolysis, amide cleavage, redox reactions, pericyclic reactions, and even processes for which there is no natural enzymatic counterpart. While current catalytic efficiencies often fall below those of evolved biological enzymes, the scientific and technological potential of abzymes continues to expand.

Recent innovations—including combinatorial display technologies, high-throughput phage display, and rationally engineered TSAs—have greatly enhanced the efficiency and scope of abzyme development. Moreover, catalytic antibodies provide valuable insights into enzyme evolution, immune system flexibility, catalytic mechanism studies, and the development of novel therapeutic modalities, such as prodrug activation.

Design of an abzyme by transition-state analogue (TSA) Figure 1. Stable transition-state analogs are synthesized as haptens to elicit antibodies that bind and accelerate the corresponding reaction. (Adapted from Zhao et al., 2023)

Creative Enzymes is committed to advancing these promising frontiers by offering comprehensive abzyme services that combine rigorous design, precise synthetic control, and robust evaluation workflows.

Abzymes Development Services: What We Offer

Creative Enzymes provides a fully integrated abzyme development platform encompassing all steps required to design, synthesize, optimize, and characterize catalytic antibodies. Our services include:

Services	Description	Price
Design of Transition-State Analogs (TSA)	Transition-state analogs are essential for inducing catalytic antibody formation. We design, model, and optimize TSAs based on the reaction of interest, incorporating structural, electronic, and stereochemical considerations to ensure high catalytic potential.	Get a quote
Chemical Synthesis of Transition-State Analogs (TSA)	We perform custom organic synthesis of transition-state analogs with strict quality control. All TSA designs undergo synthetic feasibility assessment, structural verification, and purity evaluation before immunization.
Abzyme Production and Purification Services	Using immunization strategies, phage display, or hybridoma technology, we generate catalytic antibodies targeted specifically to the TSA. Each production pathway is selected according to the project's objectives, complexity, and required throughput.
Catalytic Activity Evaluation of Abzymes	Following antibody production, functional characterization is conducted through detailed kinetic profiling. We assess catalytic rate enhancement, substrate specificity, binding affinity, turnover efficiency, reaction conditions, and stability. Comparative assessments with natural enzymes or noncatalytic antibodies may also be provided.

Service Workflow

Workflow of abzymes (catalytic antibodies) services

Contact Our Team

Why Choose Us

Comprehensive Technical Expertise

Our team combines specialties in enzymology, molecular biology, immunology, and synthetic chemistry, enabling a holistic approach to catalytic antibody development.

Advanced TSA Design Capabilities

We apply state-of-the-art computational techniques and synthetic strategies to create high-fidelity transition-state analogs essential for catalytic induction.

Fully Integrated Service Platform

From TSA design to final activity evaluation, all stages of development are conducted in-house, ensuring seamless coordination and consistent quality.

Highly Customized Solutions

Every project is uniquely designed. We tailor reaction types, TSA structures, screening methods, and antibody formats to meet specific client goals.

Proven Experience and Reliability

Years of work in synthetic enzyme development—including abzymes, synzymes, and biomimetic catalysts—provide us with an unparalleled foundation of knowledge and successful cases.

Transparent Communication and Timely Delivery

We offer regular project updates, thorough documentation, and predictable timelines to ensure a smooth and efficient collaboration.

Abzymes Development: Case Studies

Case 1: Abzymes for Pathogen Recognition and In Situ Drug Synthesis

Researchers developed robust artificial catalytic antibodies capable of selectively recognizing bacterial pathogens and synthesizing antibacterial agents directly at the infection site. Using an enhanced bacterial imprinting technique, the team created antibody-like structures with precise morphological complementarity to target bacteria, enabling highly selective binding. These synthetic antibodies also function as bio-orthogonal catalysts, producing therapeutic molecules within captured bacteria. Both in vitro and in vivo studies confirmed their ability to discriminate among pathogens and eliminate them through localized drug activation. This work demonstrates a powerful strategy for engineering abzymes with dual targeting and catalytic functions for infectious-disease treatment.

Figure 2. Antibody mimics as bio-orthogonal catalysts for highly selective bacterial recognition and antimicrobial therapy. (Niu et al., 2021)

Case 2: In Vitro Evolution of Abzymes Using Phage Display

To enhance catalytic efficiency, researchers used phage display to evolve a hydrolytic abzyme, 6D9, originally generated through immunization with a transition-state analog (TSA). By screening a combinatorial library of 6D9 variants against a newly designed TSA, they optimized binding preferences for the transition state over the ground state—mirroring natural enzyme evolution. This strategy yielded abzyme variants with 6- to 20-fold higher catalytic turnover (k_cat). Structural studies revealed mutations not typically achievable through in vivo somatic hypermutation, including double-nucleotide changes within a single codon. The work highlights the power of in vitro evolution for engineering highly efficient catalytic antibodies.

In vitro abzyme evolution to optimize antibody recognition for catalysis Figure 3. Plots of (A) log (K_m/K_i) versus log (k_cat/k_uncat) and (B) log (K_i) versus log (k_cat/k_uncat) of catalytic antibodies obtained by in vivo (○) and in vitro evolution (●). (Takahashi et al., 2001)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the prospect and application of abzymes?

A: Abzymes currently exhibit modest catalytic efficiencies compared to natural enzymes, and their industrial application remains limited. However, they are of substantial scientific interest. Abzymes can be designed to catalyze reactions that natural enzymes cannot perform, making them valuable tools for studying reaction mechanisms, exploring novel catalytic pathways, and creating specialized reagents. Recent advances—especially combinatorial phage display—have dramatically increased the size of antibody libraries and expanded the possible catalytic functionalities. In biomedical research, abzymes show potential for prodrug activation, therapeutic targeting, and disease mechanism studies.
Q: What types of reactions can Creative Enzymes develop abzymes for?

A: We can design abzymes for a wide range of reactions, including hydrolysis, oxidation–reduction, carbon–carbon bond formation, rearrangements, pericyclic reactions, and pathway-specific transformations guided by TSA design.
Q: How long does an abzyme development project take?

A: Project timelines depend on complexity, TSA synthesis difficulty, and the selected production platform. Most projects range from several weeks to a few months.
Q: Can I provide my own TSA for abzyme development?

A: Yes. If you have an existing transition-state analog, we can use it directly for antibody generation.
Q: Do you offer high-throughput screening for catalytic activity?

A: Yes. For phage-display-based projects, we employ scalable screening strategies to identify candidates efficiently.
Q: Are the final abzymes suitable for in vivo applications?

A: We can engineer antibody formats suitable for in vitro or exploratory in vivo applications, depending on research needs. Additional stability or expression optimization can be provided upon request.

References:

Niu J, Wang L, Cui T, et al. Antibody mimics as bio-orthogonal catalysts for highly selective bacterial recognition and antimicrobial therapy. ACS Nano. 2021;15(10):15841-15849. doi:10.1021/acsnano.1c03387
Takahashi N, Kakinuma H, Liu L, Nishi Y, Fujii I. In vitro abzyme evolution to optimize antibody recognition for catalysis. Nat Biotechnol. 2001;19(6):563-567. doi:10.1038/89320
Zhao D, Chen J, Hu X, Zhang S. Catalytic antibodies: design, expression, and their applications in medicine. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2023;195(2):1514-1540. doi:10.1007/s12010-022-04183-1

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For research and industrial use only. Not intended for personal medicinal use. Certain food-grade products are suitable for formulation development in food and related applications.

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