Improving biomedical research using an industry-academic open research collaborative

Biomedical research has a high rate of replication failure, making the drug and diagnostic development pipelines slow, expensive and risky. In preclinical research, antibodies are an important reagent used to identify proteins, validate drug targets and investigate disease mechanisms. However, they are also a common driver of replication failure, with some antibodies exhibiting poor selectivity for their intended target. To overcome this barrier, we have established an open research collaboration with industry. We use this open ecosystem to conduct consensus-endorsed antibody quality control experiments. Our collaboration has shown that >50% of research antibodies (n=614), were poorly selective for their intended target in 3 commonly used applications. This work has led to:

• The removal of unsuitable reagents from the market.

• Open data that improves the reproducibility of biomedical research.

• The development of new antibodies that are more reliable.

The work is supported by the Only Good Antibodies community, which maximises impact by including stakeholders from commercial databases, research institutions, research funders, publishers and experts in antibody production. This collaboration has used open data to successfully advocate for:

• A review of guidelines for applicants at a research funding agency.

• New funding calls for reagent validation.

• Funding for an education and awareness program informed by the open data.

Presented at Midlands Innovation Open Research Week, 07/05/2025.