> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.adaptyvbio.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Frequently Asked Questions

> Answers to the questions customers ask us most: order size, timelines, targets, formats, and data.

These are the questions we are asked most often. For assay-specific detail, see [Binding](/docs/experiment-types/binding), [Expression](/docs/experiment-types/expression), [Thermostability](/docs/experiment-types/thermostability), and [Enzyme Activity](/docs/experiment-types/enzyme-activity).

## Getting started

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I get started?">
    Onboarding is self-serve. Create an account, start a draft experiment, upload your sequences (CSV or FASTA), and you get an instant price estimate. When you are ready, submit for review and our team prepares a final quote before anything is charged. See [Creating Experiments](/docs/experiment-setup/creating-experiments) for the full walkthrough.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How many designs do I need to submit?">
    The minimum order is **20 designs per target**, and the price per design drops as the batch grows.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need an NDA before I share my targets or sequences?">
    You do not need one. Confidentiality is already part of our standard terms: your sequences, targets and results are treated as your confidential information from the moment you share them, whether or not a separate agreement is in place.

    If your organization requires a signed NDA or CDA anyway, we are happy to sign one. We can work from our standard template or review yours. Ask us before you start a draft experiment and we will get it in place first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does support work?">
    Reach us through the in-app chat or by emailing <a href="mailto:support@adaptyvbio.com">[support@adaptyvbio.com](mailto:support@adaptyvbio.com)</a>. Both routes reach the same team, and we follow up by email.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Pricing and quotes

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How much does it cost?">
    Pricing is per sequence and drops as batch size goes up. Binding screening and follow-on affinity characterization are priced separately, so you can size the scope to your budget.

    See our assay-specific pricing calculators at <a href="https://www.adaptyvbio.com/services" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">adaptyvbio.com/services</a>.

    For a firm quote, including target sourcing and any custom setup, start a draft experiment or contact us with your target and what you want to test.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What options change the price?">
    * **Replicates.** Duplicate measurement is included in the base price. Triplicate, 4x, and 5x are available as an upgrade.
    * **Assay resolution.** Binding screening uses two concentrations for a yes/no call. Full affinity characterization uses four concentrations and returns kinetic constants.
    * **Additional targets.** Cross-testing the same designs against further targets is priced per design, per target.
    * **Fab format.** Fab constructs carry a per-design surcharge, because they require two chains.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is the target protein included in the price?">
    No, the target reagent is quoted separately from the assay. Targets listed in our catalog are available through our regular suppliers, so they are quick to source. Custom or complex targets, for example peptide-MHC complexes, come from specialist vendors, and the reagent cost is passed through. If we already hold suitable target material from a prior run, we reuse it rather than charging for it again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is it cheaper to run a second assay on the same designs?">
    Yes. Adding an assay to designs we have already expressed, for example thermostability alongside binding, or affinity characterization after a screen, is priced at a reduced add-on rate, because we reuse the DNA and expressed material. Ask us to quote the combined scope.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What discounts are available?">
    Three, and they stack with the volume ladder:

    * **Academic rates**, a flat per-design rate at any volume, on every assay type.
    * **ProteinBase**, a further discount for publishing your results to <a href="https://proteinbase.com/publish" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">ProteinBase</a>.
    * **BenchBB**, partner rates arranged through BenchBB.

    The current rates for all three are on the <a href="https://www.adaptyvbio.com/services" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">services pages</a>. Tell us which applies when you request a quote.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I pay?">
    We invoice through **Stripe** once your experiment is confirmed. That covers card payment and bank transfer, and the invoice can be paid by anyone you forward it to.

    We also work with procurement teams. We can accept a **purchase order**, quote against a PO number, and complete vendor onboarding or supplier registration if your institution requires us set up as an approved vendor first. Tell us early if a PO has to exist before work starts, since that usually sets the timeline.

    For larger or ongoing programs we offer **prepurchased credits**: commit to a volume of work up front, draw it down across experiments, and take a volume discount on the whole commitment. Contact us to scope the terms.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Timelines

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How long until I get results?">
    Typical end-to-end turnaround from sequence submission:

    | Experiment | Turnaround |
    | - | - |
    | Expression | 2 to 3 weeks |
    | Binding | 3 to 4 weeks |
    | Thermostability | 2 to 3 weeks |

    A standard binding run breaks down roughly as: experiment preparation days 1 to 7, protein expression days 8 to 9, kinetic measurements days 10 to 15, data review and release days 16 to 21.

    Turnaround depends on your target and format. A hard-to-source target adds lead time; one available through our regular suppliers usually does not.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are follow on experiments with the same designs faster?">
    Yes. Any follow-on run on designs we have already built is faster than the first one, because it reuses the DNA and expressed material we hold rather than re-synthesizing from scratch. That covers characterizing screening hits, adding a second assay such as thermostability, and counter-screening against another target.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What can add time to a project?">
    Sourcing an unfamiliar or custom target, presenting a full-length membrane receptor (for example via nanodiscs or detergents), or troubleshooting a challenging antigen can each add lead time. We flag any expected impact during the review step, before you confirm.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Targets and sourcing

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do you source the target, or do I ship it?">
    Either works. We can source the target for you from third-party suppliers, or you can ship your own. If you ship it, we need purified, tagged protein in solution, and we will spec the exact amount, concentration, and format for your target. Browse the targets available through our regular suppliers in the <a href="https://targets.adaptyvbio.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">target catalog</a>.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can you handle custom or complex targets?">
    In most cases, yes. We can source custom targets by name, UniProt ID, or sequence. Complex reagents such as peptide-MHC complexes come from specialist vendors, since we do not express these in-house, with the reagent cost passed through and additional lead time. Tell us your target and we will confirm feasibility.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can you present full-length membrane receptors, or only the extracellular domain?">
    The extracellular domain (ECD) is the fastest and lowest-risk option, and it is what we recommend when it fits your biology. Full-length presentation via nanodiscs or detergents is possible for some targets but is more involved to set up, so it adds assay-development time. We focus on soluble targets and do not support arbitrary membrane proteins, though we can often work with binding domains derived from them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My target behaved badly last time. Why?">
    Some antigens show non-specific binding regardless of buffer or platform, and supplier batches vary. Every new target goes through onboarding QC, and when a reagent is problematic we optimize buffers and blocking, or switch suppliers. We recommend validating a new target before you invest in designing against it.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Protein formats

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Which protein formats do you support?">
    Peptides and miniproteins, nanobodies (VHH), single-chain variable fragments (scFv), antibody fragments (Fab), de novo proteins, and multi-chain constructs. See [Supported Protein Formats](/docs/experiment-setup/supported-protein-formats) for details and handling notes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do you support full-length IgGs?">
    Full-length IgGs remain challenging in our microbial cell-free system, and the system does not add glycosylation, so Fc-dependent (effector) work is not supported. Fab, scFv, and VHH are well supported.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can you counter-screen against off-target proteins?">
    Yes. We run the same designs against additional targets to check specificity, priced per design, per target. See the binding calculator for the current rate.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Data, ownership, and IP

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I get my data, and in what format?">
    Results and raw data are delivered through the Foundry Portal and the API. We create an organization for you and can add your teammates. For binding, you can download a full data package with raw sensorgrams, fits, and a table of kinetic values for your own reprocessing. See [Data Deliverables](/docs/experiment-setup/data-deliverables).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do you supply positive controls?">
    We encourage you to choose your own positive controls, since you know the binders and affinities that matter for your program, and a control you already trust makes the rest of the plate much easier to interpret.

    If you do not have one, we are happy to research the target and identify suitable positive controls with you. Raise it when you set up the experiment so we can source the material in time.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are negative controls included?">
    We run blank and negative controls as part of every assay. They are not attached to the standard download by default, but we are happy to include them on request. Ask when you set up your experiment.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who owns the data? Does it train your models?">
    The data is yours. We ask for a license to use it to improve our internal process models, for example our expression predictor, never for standalone use, and our standard agreement reflects this.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Callout>
  Still have a question? Email <a href="mailto:support@adaptyvbio.com">[support@adaptyvbio.com](mailto:support@adaptyvbio.com)</a> or start a draft experiment at <a href="https://start.adaptyvbio.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">start.adaptyvbio.com</a>.
</Callout>


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