The Antibodypedia, a searchable online database of publicly available antibodies hosted in collaboration with Nature Publishing Group (NPG), has announced that it now catalogues more than 500,000 individual antibodies. These antibodies collectively detect 88 percent of the proteins encoded by the human genome. The database also holds the results of nearly 145,000 experiments performed with these antibodies, as well as 32,000 links to publications related to their use.
Antibodypedia is a free, open access, and growing resource for data and commentary on antibodies from both commercial and academic providers. Its antigen-centric structure reportedly allows users to compare the properties of a range of antibodies detecting a particular target. Antibodies are ranked according to their spectrum of efficacy, with peer-reviewed user data contributing to their rankings such that the scoring system recapitulates the community's preferences.
Version 7 of Antibodypedia, released in November 2012, is said to provide a more robust search experience through its inclusion of filters users can apply to refine their queries. Additionally, integration with Nature journal manuscript annotation tools, such as gene and protein highlighting and the "Inside this article" box, provides a real-time snapshot of Antibodypedia's contents to scientists browsing nature.com.
The database continues to forge collaborations with academic working groups such as the Human Protein Atlas, based in Stockholm, and the Recombinant Antibody Network, an antibody-generating consortium run by researchers at the University of Chicago, UCSF, and the University of Toronto.
