The DSHB was created in 1986 by the Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH) to bank and distribute hybridomas and the monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) they produce to the general scientific community in order to facilitate research. Our first intention was, and still is, to keep the prices low so that researchers can test multiple MAbs without commitment of significant funds, then continue to utilize those of interest without worry of expense. Our second intention was to relieve scientists of the time and expense of distributing hybridomas and MAbs they had developed. Our third intention was to assure the scientific community that MAbs with limited demand would still remain available. And finally, our fourth intention was to maintain the highest quality and to assist our customers in a timely fashion. We have striven over the past twenty-five years to remain true to our mission. Since 1996 we have been completely self-sufficient, requiring no funds from NIH, and have been able to keep prices very close to cost. We intend to continue this policy. The $32 price of a 1 ml sample of supernatant is still a fraction of the average commercial price, and our other products are similarly less expensive. The DSHB continues to respond rapidly to queries by customers concerning product quality and application. If a customer finds that the effectiveness of a hybridoma or supernatant has diminished, we immediately retest it and, if necessary, reclone the line. Our collection of hybridomas has grown over the past two years from 1200 to over 1500, an increase of 25%. We have obtained new hybridomas from a variety of individuals and institutions, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the NCI, and we eagerly await new collections, one that can be used for ChIP analyses of human transcription factors and one that includes hybridomas generated by over 30 institutions that comprise the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. We have also begun developing complex antibody chips, have tagged our most popular monoclonals with FITC for distribution and formed The Monoclonal Antibody Research Institute (MARI) at Iowa. In the past twelve months, the DSHB distributed close to 60,000 samples in over 11,000 orders worldwide. Our mission will remain the same as it has been for over twenty-five years, namely to serve the interests of basic scientists. If you have any ideas that would help the DSHB fulfill its mission more effectively or assist you with your research, let me know directly.

David R. Soll

Director, DSHB