H5N1 Human Antibody Discovered By Dutch Biotech

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Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines;  Conferences;  Medical Devices
Article Date: 14 Sep 2007 - 7:00 PDT

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Researchers from Dutch biotech company Crucell NV, with headquarters in Leiden, The Netherlands, have discovered a human monoclonal antibody against the deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu.

The company will present findings of pre-clinical studies at the 5th International Bird Flu Summit on September 27th and 28th in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

Crucell Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Jaap Goudsmit said:

"Using phage display technology a set of human monoclonal antibodies active against a broad range of distinct H5N1 strains was developed."

The company will show evidence that the newly manufactured antibodies can prevent and cure infection by H5N1 virus in mice.

Scientists at Crucell produced the antibodies using the company's new PER.C6 cell based vaccine production technology and tested their biophysical and immunological properties.

PER.C6 uses cell culture to manufacture recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies on a large scale.

In the case of influenza vaccine, the virus is grown in carefully selected cells instead of chicken's eggs.

Cell technology has the added advantage of speeding up vaccine production by reducing the manufacturing start up time.

PER.C6 is gaining a foothold in the vaccine production market because it has a good safety profile, can be scaled to different production needs, and is productive under serum free culture conditions, according to the company's marketing literature.

The deadly strain of H5N1 poses a global public health threat because many experts believe it is only a matter of time before it mutates into a version that passes from human to human.

At present the only way a human can be infected is through contact with a sick or dead bird carrying the virus.

According to World Health Organization records, nearly 200 people have died from being infected with the deadly strain of H5N1, from just over 320 laboratory confirmed cases worldwide. This is in addition to the millions of birds that have died or been culled.

Monoclonal antibodies are identical to one another and highly specific to one antigen. They are made by cloning a single parent immune cell.

They have been used variously in human medicine (for instance to target specific cancer cells) since a technique for making them was developed by Köhler and Milstein in the 1970s (for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize).

Click here for more information on the 5th Internation Bird Flu Summit in Las Vegas, 27-28 Sept.

Click here to learn more about Monoclonal Antibodies (private website).

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today