Antibodies are among the most commonly used reagents in life-science laboratories, employed in everyday experiments, diagnostics, and clinical tests. Despite their widespread use, however, no standard guidelines define how these invaluable biological tools should be validated prior to use. Poorly characterized antibodies may yield nonspecific results that are difficult to replicate even when the only difference is the antibody’s production lot.
In 2012, a group of Amgen researchers attempted to reproduce the results of 53 “landmark” papers; only 6 had scientific findings that could be replicated. “Even knowing the limitations of preclinical research, this was a shocking result,” the Amgen group, led by C. Glenn Begley, wrote in its commentary (Nature, 483:531-33, 2012). In several instances, the analysis found that failure to reproduce experimental data ...
