Bioinformatics researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Genentech have developed a new shotgun protein sequencing method based on mass spectrometry that reduces the time required to sequence an unknown antibody to under 36 hours — a “dramatic reduction” compared to the most widely used technique today, which can take weeks or even months.

The process also reveals unexpected changes that go undetected using traditional sequencing methods. This is critical for the biotech industry, because unexpected modifications may be vitally important for efficacy and safety of antibodies.