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Members

Ilse Hofmann

Name of the laboratory

DKFZ
Antibody Core Facility
German Cancer Research Center
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280
69120 Heidelberg, Germany
+46 (0)6221 42 3351

Members of the laboratory

Unit Leader
Ilse Hofmann i.hofmann@dkfz.de
Technicians
Natalie Erbe-Hofmann n.erbe@dkfz.de
Tanja Schlechter t.schlechter@dkfz.de
Claudia Tessmer c.tessmer@dkfz.de
Mathias Utz m.utz.@dkfz.de

Laboratory activity

Availability of tools for protein analysis has long been a major bottleneck in basic and translational science. In particular, highly specific (monoclonal) antibodies are the basis in many cell biology studies as well as in clinical diagnostics. To meet this continuous need, the Antibody Core Facility at DKFZ develops and produces high quality mouse and rat monoclonal antibodies targeting various kinds of antigens. More than 400 antibodies against 300 antigens have either been generated in the unit, or have been transferred to and are administered by the unit. Antibodies generated by the unit have been a prerequisite in a number of scientific discoveries and several are now used in routine diagnostics worldwide. Further, the unit supports licensing of proprietary monoclonal antibodies to companies.

The Antibody Core Facility uses state-of-the-art hybridoma technologies for production of monoclonal antibodies via the somatic fusion of lymphocytes from immunized mice or rats. We advise in the selection of antigens, immunize animals and perform screening of mother clones by e.g. ELISA, immunofluorescence or IHC. Clones having been tested successfully will be subcloned, expanded and maintained to guarantee long-time availability of materials. In addition, we provide non-GMP production and purification of antibodies. Lastly, we offer antibody sequencing, engineering and recombinant expression. These next generation engineered antibodies open new avenues of approach in biomedical research, diagnostics and as therapeutics.

Techniques available

  • Monoclonal antibody production (mice/rat)
  • Polyclonal antibody production (guinea pig)
  • Recombinant antibody production in HEK cells
  • Sequencing of hybridomas
  • Cloning techniques
  • Protein expression
  • Genetic immunization
  • Screening Techniques (ELISA, immunofluorescence, IHC, Western blot)
  • Antibody purification

Publications (2020-present)

  • Nikitina E, Burk-Körner A, Wiesenfarth M, Alwers E, Heide D, Tessmer C, Ernst C, Krunic D, Schrotz-King P, Chang-Claude J, von Winterfeld M, Herpel E, Brobeil A, Brenner H, Heikenwalder M, Hoffmeister M, Kopp-Schneider A, Bund T. Bovine meat and milk factor protein expression in tumor-free mucosa of colorectal cancer patients coincides with macrophages and might interfere with patient survival. Mol Oncol. 2023.
  • Weisshaar N, Wu J, Ming Y, Madi A, Hotz-Wagenblatt A, Ma S, Mieg A, Hering M, Zettl F, Mohr K, Schlimbach T, Ten Bosch N, Hertel F, Müller L, Byren H, Wang M, Borgers H, Munz M, Schmitt L, van der Hoeven F, Kloz U, Carretero R, Schleußner N, Jackstadt R-F, Hofmann I, Cui G (2022). Rgs16 Promotes Anti-tumor CD8+ T Cell Exhaustion. Science Immunology, 7, eabh1873.
  • Tessmer C, Plotzky C, Fees J, Welsh H, Eudenbach R, Faber M, Simon A, Angelova A, Rommelaere J, Hofmann I, Nüesch JPF (2022). Generation and validation of monoclonal antibodies suitable for detecting and monitoring parvovirus infections. Pathogens 11, 208.
  • Kim M, Reidenbach S, Schlechter T, Rothmann AC, Will R, Hofmann I. Plakophilin 1-deficient cells up-regulate cytokine expression and this correlates with immune cell recruitment in prostatic tumors. FEBS J 2022 Nov 15. doi: 10.1111/febs.16680.
  • Phillips E, Balss J, Bethke F, Pusch S, Christen S, Hielscher T, Schnölzer M, Fletcher MNC, Habel A, Tessmer C, Brenner LM, Göttmann M, Capper D, Herold-Mende C, von Deimling A, Fendt SM, Goidts V. PFKFB4 interacts with FBXO28 to promote HIF-1α signaling in glioblastoma. Oncogenesis. 2022 Sep 17;11(1):57. doi: 10.1038/s41389-022-00433-3.
  • Vit G, Hi A, Neugebauer N, Kraft BN, Sigismondo G, Cazzola, A, Tessmer C, Duro J, Krijgsveld J, Hofmann I, Berger M, Klüter H, Niehrs C, Nilsson J, Krämer A. Human SLFN5 and its Xenopus Laevis Ortholog regulate entry into mitosis and oocyte meiotic resumption. Cell Death Discov. 2022 Dec 8;8(1):484. doi: 10.1038/s41420-022-01274-0.
  • Yang D, Strobel TD, Bulkescher J, Tessmer C, Hofmann I, Hoppe-Seyler F, Hoppe-Seyler K. FAM57A (Family with Sequence Similarity 57 Member A) Is a Cell-Density-Regulated Protein and Promotes the Proliferation and Migration of Cervical Cancer Cells. Cells,2022, 11(20), 3309.
  • Bund T, Nikitina E, Chakraborty D, Ernst C, Gunst K, Boneva B, Tessmer C, Volk N, Brobeil A, Weber A, Heikenwalder M, Zur Hausen H, de Villiers E M (2021). Analysis of chronic inflammatory lesions of the colon for BMMF Rep antigen expression and CD68 macrophage interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 118: No. 12 e2025830118.
  • Varghese CS, Will R, Tessmer, C, Hofmann I, Hessling B, Pawlita M, Höfler D (2021). Biological activity characterization of the diagnostically relevant human papillomavirus 16 E1C RNA. Microbiology Research 12, 539-552.
  • Weissinger SE, Zahn M, Marienfeld R, Tessmer C, Moldenhauer G, Moller P (2021). A new reliable and highly specific monoclonal antibody to detect the C-terminal region of silencer of cytokine signaling 1. Eur J Haematol, 107:74-80.
  • Li X, Schmohl F, Qi H, Bennewitz K, Tabler CT, Poschet G, Hell R, Volk N, Poth T, Hausser I, Morgenstern J, Fleming T, Nawroth PP, Kroll J (2020). Regulation of Gluconeogenesis by Aldo-keto-reductase 1a1b in Zebrafish. Iscience, 23:101763.