Citeab jumps out of bath

Antibody search engine Citeab, founded in the University of Bath’s Biology and Biochemistry department, has officially spun out from the institution.

The UK-based firm was founded last year in collaboration with the Bath-based web development firm Storm Consultancy, run by Bath graduates. It has since developed an international user base whilst still on campus, and has grown to be the largest antibody engine in an industry worth $2bn.

Prior to spinning out from the university, Citeab received funding from the UK’s Engineering and Phsyical Sciences Research Council’s Knowledge Transfer Champion Fund, the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s Innovation Fund, and Bath’s Research Development and Support Office.

Andrew Chalmers, founder of Citeab, said: “One of the biggest problems for a researcher is being sure that the antibody they’re about to spend hundreds of pounds on is going to work. They can waste time and money buying the wrong one. Citeab solves this problem. We rank antibodies by academic citations as these are the best guide to whether an antibody is likely to work in the laboratory – citations are independent and easily verifiable, and no one can pay to be the top hit.”