antibodies Archives

Autoimmune encephalitis and psychiatric disorders

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Daniela Reisz studies the human mind from neurological, psychiatric, and philosophical perspectives, including brain-derived functions like morals, thinking, behaviour and cognition. Here, through the study of a rare case of autoimmune encephalitis, she develops a broader approach to psychiatric disorders including their biological causes.

Despite the latest advances in medical research, the causes of psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia (a long-term illness that affects the person’s perception of reality) remain a puzzle for researchers and doctors around the world. Unlocking the mechanisms behind these diseases is paramount for effectively treating or even preventing them. Through her study of an uncommon case of autoimmune encephalitis, […]

Conjugation chemistry creates affordable childhood vaccines

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Andrew Lees has developed a conjugation method for the development of conjugate vaccines using the chemical CDAP, and combining this with a minimal-profit business model, is providing vaccines at affordable rates to children in developing countries.

The immune system provides a formidable defence against pathogens. However, many bacteria possess a protective sugar polymer coat. In children, the immune system does not respond to these polymers unless they are chemically linked to a carrier. This is the basis of conjugate vaccines, a powerful but expensive means to fight diseases like pneumonia, the leading cause of death in […]

Making strides in veterinary pathology: A dedicated career

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Mast cell tumours and pancreatic diseases are common in dogs but also present to a lesser degree in other veterinary species, including cats and horses. For these and many other diseases of veterinary species, diagnostic methods and criteria were not well characterised and made determination of prognosis difficult. Changing this, with decades of research into the pathology of veterinary diseases, […]

Increasing the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies

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Dr Martina Zimmerman has used ThioFuc as part of the cell culture media in order to improve the potency of rituximab, which may in turn lead to a reduction in the number of antibody treatments required

The advent of monoclonal antibody (mAb) technology has allowed the production of antibodies that can target specific antigens on malignant tumour cells or other inflammatory molecules that are known to exacerbate diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease. Dr Martina Zimmermann, Dr Aline Zimmer, and their team from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, added 5-Thio-L-Fucose (ThioFuc) to the cell culture […]

Could a serpin antibody help to treat type 1 diabetes?

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Research from Dr Jan Czyzyk and his team at the University of Minnesota, USA, explores the balance between proteases and serpins, and how their activity can in turn affect the inflammation and tissue regeneration of pancreatic islet cells. Their findings show that antibodies can be used to change this serpin–protease balance, with interesting impacts. Excitingly, their research opens the possibility […]

Controlling aggregation in monoclonal antibody therapeutics

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Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become the most important form of protein therapeutic and represent five of the top ten selling drugs by revenue worldwide. mAbs bind monospecifically to certain cells or proteins. The objective is that this treatment will stimulate the patient’s immune system to attack those cells. Despite the many advantages of antibodies as therapeutics, their development is complicated […]