Immunological Toolbox expands access to veterinary research reagents
A global research resource providing information on more than 20,000 immune reagents has been relaunched with a new platform designed to improve access to tools for veterinary immunology research.
The Immunological Toolbox brings together curated information on immune reagents and services used to study immune responses, vaccination and infection, and to identify pathogens. The resource supports researchers in 81 countries and is backed by funding from UK Research and Innovation's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The new website brings together the UK Immunological Toolbox resources held at the Pirbright Institute and the Roslin Institute through a single access point, while making the resource available to researchers internationally.
Reagents listed include antibodies, antigens and cytokines, which can be used in laboratory assays to detect, measure or trigger specific immune responses. By providing information on available reagents across different species and applications, the Toolbox is intended to help researchers identify suitable tools and facilitate collaboration.
The platform includes expanded documentation, a FAQ section and compliance resources, alongside streamlined processes for submitting and requesting antibodies. An updated news interface and a more scalable technical platform have also been introduced.
“The Toolbox exists to jointly connect, contribute, and accelerate scientific progress,” said Dr Danish Munir, Head of the Immunological Toolbox. “We welcome all reagents, new or existing, commercial or custom, with diversity strengthening the resource for everyone.”
The community-driven approach is intended to address gaps in veterinary research reagents by allowing researchers to contribute information about tools, methods and research findings as well as access existing resources.
The platform has already supported international vaccine development programmes and initiatives including the Livestock Antibody Hub and the Swine Toolkit. More than 1,000 researchers worldwide are expected to use the expanded resource.
Examples of research supported by Toolbox reagents include work at LMU Munich to delineate chicken immune markers using omics and multicolour flow cytometry, and research at Pirbright examining Fc-mediated functions of porcine IgG subclasses.
The latter study concluded that pigs are a valid model for research into zoonotic diseases, illustrating how access to appropriate immune reagents can support studies across animal health and disease research.
It is hoped that the relaunch will ensure an infrastructure for shared research, with plans for enhanced user profiles and contribution tracking, together with automated tools that could capture and link new research outputs and reagents.
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