News & Publications

OGA March 2026 Research Release: A Roadmap for Better Antibodies in Research

We have released two linked preprints representing the most comprehensive examination of the antibody validation problem to date — and a concrete, evidence-based strategy to fix it.

The first study quantifies the ethical and scientific costs of poor antibody validation using rigorous knockout-control data, focus groups, a national survey, and systematic analysis of 785 publications. The second presents 15 consensus recommendations from a Delphi process involving 32 international experts across five stakeholder groups — institutions, funders, publishers, manufacturers, and researchers.

Together they form a practical roadmap for change. We have produced tailored action plan documents for each stakeholder group, and tools on this site to support implementation.

Antibody Validation for Flow Cytometry

We worked with Rachel Leeson from Addgene to develop a practical guide to validating antibodies for flow cytometry. Key principles:

• Confirm your antibody can detect the antigen at endogenously expressed levels, using your specific staining protocol.
• Test several antibodies where possible.
• When a good candidate is found, explore its validity in your samples of interest.
• More than one approach may be needed if genetic manipulation of your cells is not possible.

Improving Antibody Reproducibility — NC3Rs & OGA Workshop Report

The OGA community co-hosted a workshop with the NC3Rs bringing together antibody manufacturers, end-users, pharmaceutical industry representatives, academic researchers, publishers, research funders, and experts in research culture and integrity.

Participants explored challenges including quality control, lot-to-lot variability, and validation practices, and identified actions to improve reproducibility and research integrity. The full meeting report is available below.

MRC Better Methods Better Research Award

The OGA team received a prestigious Investigator Award from the MRC Better Methods Better Research panel. The grant supports our work to improve the selection and use of high-quality antibodies in biomedical research, enhancing the integrity, reproducibility, and impact of research outcomes.

The project aims to benefit researchers, funders, biotech companies, and ultimately patients by reducing waste and ensuring meaningful, trustworthy scientific findings.