What is the minimum affinity for peptides used in custom synthesis?
As a general rule it is only possible to synthesize recombinant MHC complexes where the peptide has a medium to high affinity for the MHC allele. Although we do not exclusively rely on predictive algorithms, in our experience decisions based on binding affinities determined via these methods correlate well with the outcome of synthesis of custom MHC-peptide complexes. We therefore advise our customers to use the SYFPEITHI algorithm to score their peptides www.syfpeithi.de. We will typically only proceed with a custom synthesis for peptides scoring 21 or above. However we are prepared to evaluate the synthesis of MHC-peptide complexes that yield a score of 20 or lower if other conclusive binding data are available. If scoring with SYFPEITHI is not available for your allele of choice please contact us.
