Research thwarted by unreliable antibodies

More than 100 scientists met in California to find a solution to the increasingly research-thwarting problem of unreliable antibodies, according to NPR.

Researchers are finding that custom antibodies, which should help scientists zero in on specific aggressors and help fight disease. But the antibodies aren’t being as specific as they were designed to be—in fact, some of them have become so unreliable as to discredit their research.

Sometimes, the antibodies will latch onto an unintended bullseye. The result could be a confused scientist—or a ruined experiment, in one famous study cited by NPR. The problem can be worse when smaller labs make cheaper antibodies, which can be even less reliable.

At this meeting in California earlier this week, the group of assembled scientists decided on a set of voluntary standards to make antibodies easier to compare.

But that would take a lot of time and a lot of money, says NPR. There aren’t formal regulations of antibodies by the government, and a lot of younger scientists don’t necessarily recognize the problem, according to some veteran researchers. Check out NPR to see the how the regulations could work—or run into a wall.