Interview with Mingjie Xie, Chief Executive Officer, Rapid Novor

As biologics continue to reshape modern medicine, antibody discovery is entering a new phase—one defined not just by technological advancement, but by a fundamental shift in perspective.

In a recent discussion with Oxford Global’s CEO Cerlin Roberts, MingJie Xie, CEO of Rapid Novor, outlined how emerging platforms are challenging long-standing assumptions and opening new pathways for discovery.

Solving a Crisis—and Unlocking Opportunity

Rapid Novor’s journey began with a problem that shook the scientific community: the antibody reproducibility crisis. For decades, valuable monoclonal antibodies risked becoming unusable as original cell lines were lost or no longer viable.

The company’s solution, the REmAb platform, provided a way to recover and standardise these assets—converting legacy antibodies into a consistent, reusable recombinant format. What began as a rescue mission quickly evolved into something more ambitious.

Researchers began asking a new question: could a similar approach be applied beyond monoclonal antibodies—to polyclonal antibodies, and even to antibody proteins directly from blood?

That question led to the development of REpAb, a platform that represents a significant departure from traditional discovery methods.

A Shift from Cells to Proteins

For decades, antibody discovery has largely been cell-centric, because there was no practical way to directly sequence antibody proteins. Instead, the field has relied on sequencing the underlying genetic material as an indirect route to recovering antibody sequences.

“The real target is the antibody protein itself,” Xie notes.

Rapid Novor’s approach flips the model. Instead of starting with cells, the REpAb platform begins with functional antibody proteins circulating in the blood—bringing researchers closer to the biological reality they are trying to understand.

This protein-centric, function-first approach offers a fundamentally different entry point into discovery—one that prioritises antibodies that are actually present and functioning in the blood, rather than sequences inferred from antibody-producing cells.

From “Make then Test” to “Test then Make”

Traditional workflows often follow a familiar pattern: generate a large pool of candidates, then test each one to identify those with desirable properties.

Rapid Novor reverses this logic.

By working directly with functional proteins, the platform enables early-stage screening, enrichment, and depletion—filtering candidates before sequencing even begins. The result is a more focused, higher-quality set of antibodies that have already demonstrated functional relevance.

It is a subtle shift, but one with significant implications for efficiency and precision.

Meeting the Needs of Modern Therapeutics

As therapeutic demands grow more complex, so too must the tools used to discover them. Pharma and biotech companies are increasingly seeking antibodies with properties that go beyond simple binding, for example, in anti-idiotype antibody discovery or pH-dependent antibody discovery.

This is where Rapid Novor’s approach is gaining traction.

By moving selection power upstream, discovery workflows can be designed around the functional characteristics that matter most. It’s a strategy that aligns with the growing sophistication of biologics—and the need for more targeted, effective therapies.

The Role of AI—and the Data Behind It

Like many areas of life sciences, antibody discovery is moving toward AI-enabled platforms. But Xie is quick to point out that AI alone is not a silver bullet.

“The key question is what data you feed into the system,” he explains.

If AI is trained solely on traditional data sources, it risks reinforcing existing limitations. The real opportunity lies in integrating multiple, complementary data streams—combining insights from both protein and genetic levels.

Rapid Novor’s platform is built with this philosophy in mind, aiming to create richer, more informative datasets that can unlock the full potential of AI-driven discovery.

A Faster Path to Better Medicines

Looking ahead, Xie is optimistic about the future of biologics discovery. Platforms that combine functional insight, advanced analytics, and AI have the potential to transform how antibodies are discovered—making the process faster, more cost-effective, and more impactful.

The ultimate goal is clear: to deliver better therapeutic assets, more efficiently, and with a greater benefit to human health.

Looking Ahead

As antibody discovery continues to evolve, the shift toward function-first, protein-centric approaches may prove to be one of the most important developments of the decade.

In a field where precision matters, starting with what works—rather than what might—could make all the difference.