Four ways Envisia is changing the game in antibody discovery

Traditional antibody discovery workflows often suffer from a critical drawback: functionality is assessed too late in the process. As a result, antibodies that bind but lack functional therapeutic efficacy may be mistakenly advanced, while rare but valuable functional candidates are overlooked.

Our next-generation Envisia platform is purpose-built for function-focused screening at single-cell resolution. This new approach to antibody discovery prioritises biological relevant functionality from the start and streamlines the discovery workflow.

1. Dynamic, real-time functional insights

At the heart of Lightcast’s Envisia platform is its ability to evaluate functional performance of live cells in real time, directly at the single-cell level. Unlike legacy workflows that rely on downstream assays to determine functionality, Envisia enables researchers to assess therapeutic relevance early in the pipeline. This minimises the risk of progressing non-functional candidates and maximises confidence in lead selection.

2. Multi-assay functional screening

Functionality isn’t just assessed earlier; it’s assessed more comprehensively with a range of functions. Envisia supports a suite of serial, function-focused assays including blocking/competition assays; membrane binding; biomolecule secretion; and cytotoxicity. All assays are conducted in a single, integrated environment, eliminating the need for time-consuming secondary assays across different instrumentation.  

3. Faster hit identification and single-cell recovery

Traditional workflows risk losing viable antibody-producing cells during lengthy screening. Envisia overcomes this by enabling rapid dispensing of functional antibody hits in less than 1 hour, preserving critical mRNA and protein expression data for downstream validation. This reduces timelines and improves recovery of high-value candidates.

4. Eliminating crosstalk

Crosstalk between cells can undermine data integrity in single-cell assays. Envisia solves this with proprietary optical electrowetting-on-dielectric (oEWOD) technology. Each cell is isolated in an enclosed droplet, minimising signal interference and delivering high-fidelity functional readouts.

A new paradigm in antibody discovery

By integrating single-cell analysis, multi-functional assays, and robust cell recovery into one seamless system, Lightcast empowers researchers to shift from a binding-first approach to a function-focused paradigm. Workflows on the Envisia platform has the potential to enhance lead quality, reduce attrition rates, and accelerate the discovery of antibodies with real therapeutic potential.
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Download our white paper to learn more about the shift towards function-focused discovery.

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