It goes without saying that recombinant antibodies, like all binding reagents, need to be validated at the outset (see R. D. Polakiewicz Nature 518, 483 (2015) and L. P. Freedman Nature 518, 483 (2015)). However, we anticipate that recombinant antibodies will require only one such extensive characterization — unlike conventionally raised antibodies.

This single validation will assure scientists that antibodies with identical sequences will have similar reactivity profiles — subject to routine checks that binding activity has not been compromised during transit or by storage conditions.

We are aware that our proposal is incompatible with current business models for commercial reagent antibodies. We do not believe that the answer is to defend the status quo, which has not served science well (A. Bradbury and A. Plückthun Nature 518, 27–29; 2015). The solution is to develop more imaginative business strategies that are compatible with the marketing of fully validated, publicly available recombinant antibody sequences.