MRSA continues to be one of the most notorious and challenging pathogens in both hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections. Central to its resistance is the expression of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs)—particularly PBP2a and, to a lesser extent, PBP2b—which have low affinity for beta-lactam antibiotics like methicillin.

With the need for early and accurate MRSA detection more critical than ever, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting PBP2a and PBP2b present a promising route for developing RUO-grade in-vitro diagnostic tools. SynAbs is at the forefront of creating specific, high-affinity antibodies to these targets to support antibiotic resistance diagnostics.

PBP2a, encoded by the mecA gene, has a significantly reduced binding affinity for beta-lactam antibiotics. This allows MRSA strains to continue synthesizing their peptidoglycan cell wall despite antibiotic presence. Unlike native PBPs, PBP2a remains functional even under antibiotic pressure, making it a critical resistance determinant.

While PBP2b does not contribute directly to methicillin resistance, it plays a supportive role in peptidoglycan synthesis. Some studies suggest its involvement in the expression or regulation of PBP2a, and its presence can provide additional diagnostic markers in differentiating resistant strains.

Both PBP2a and PBP2b are membrane-associated, which complicates purification and immunogenic presentation. SynAbs overcomes this by immunogens that mimic surface-exposed domains.

The conserved nature of PBPs requires monoclonal antibodies with ultra-high specificity to avoid cross-reactivity with native PBP1, PBP2, or PBP3.

Due to their endogenous bacterial nature, PBPs are poor immunogens. SynAbs enhances immune responses via proprietary carrier conjugation technology, home made adjuvants, and multiple immunization schedules.

We express and purify functional fragments of PBP2a and PBP2b, focusing on extracellular and catalytic domains likely to be antigenic. These proteins undergo structural validation to confirm native-like folding.

Mice and rats are immunized under optimized conditions, and spleen cells are fused with myeloma cells to generate hybridomas. Screening is performed for:

• Specificity to PBP2a or PBP2b

• No cross-reactivity with other PBPs or bacterial proteins

• Strong affinity at physiological conditions

All candidate mAbs are validated using:

• Western blotting (against MRSA lysates)

• Immunofluorescence (on fixed bacterial cultures)

• Flow cytometry (for potential live-cell detection)

These antibodies are produced at RUO-grade quality and optimized for use in diagnostic formats.

Monoclonal antibodies against PBP2a and PBP2b can be deployed across multiple diagnostic platforms:

• Lateral Flow Assays for rapid bedside MRSA detection

• ELISA kits for hospital laboratory use

• Biosensor integration for digital diagnostic devices

These tools offer advantages over PCR by avoiding false negatives due to gene expression variability.

With extensive expertise in bacterial protein targeting, SynAbs offers tailor-made monoclonal antibodies for challenging targets like PBP2a and PBP2b. We provide:

• Custom antibody development pipelines

• High-throughput hybridoma screening

• RUO-quality antibody production for diagnostics

Partner with SynAbs to enhance the fight against MRSA with next-generation immunodiagnostic tools.

SynAbs – Empowering diagnostics through immunological precision.