Science
When antibodies mislead: the quest for validation – Nature.com
Research antibodies don’t always do what it says on the tin. Test for true signals before you start your experiment.

Research antibodies are designed to recognize and bind to specific proteins according to their shape and chemical properties.Credit: Adapted from Molekuul/SPL
Commercial antibodies are commonplace in biology laboratories. Researchers use these giant Y-shaped proteins to detect specific molecules in cells, tissues and test tubes. But sometimes the proteins detect other molecules, too or even instead. When that happens, confusion can snowball.
Consider the gene CR9ORF72. Its often mutated in peo…
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