New therapeutic options for HCV infection in the monoclonal antibody era.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and the most common indication for liver transplantation. Current therapies are ineffective in a relevant percentage of patients raising the urgent medical need to develop adequate therapies for this infection. Broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against the HCV E2 glycoprotein (HCV/E2), the major target of the neutralizing humoral immune response, are considered as a possible novel therapeutic strategy for this infection. In the last few years, several anti-HCV/E2 human mAbs have been described in literature to be possibly used for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes. In this review, we illustrate the best candidates for an anti-HCV mAb-based therapy, considering their cross-neutralization profiles and their ability to overcome possible viral escape mechanisms.

Neutralization activity and kinetics of two broad-range human monoclonal IgG1 derived from recombinant Fab fragments and directed against Hepatitis C virus E2 glycoprotein.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. There is evidence that neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies may find potential applications in novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies. This paper describes the very high neutralization activity and unique biological features of two broadly cross-reactive and cross-neutralizing anti-HCV human monoclonal IgG1 derived from human monoclonal recombinant Fab fragments.

A phage display vector optimized for the generation of human antibody combinatorial libraries and the molecular cloning of monoclonal antibody fragments.

A novel phagemid vector, named pCM, was optimized for the cloning and display of antibody fragment (Fab) libraries on the surface of filamentous phage. This vector contains two long DNA "stuffer" fragments for easier differentiation of the correctly cut forms of the vector. Moreover, in pCM the fragment at the heavy-chain cloning site contains an acid phosphatase-encoding gene allowing an easy distinction of the Escherichia coli cells containing the unmodified form of the phagemid versus the heavy-chain fragment coding cDNA. In pCM transcription of heavy-chain Fd/gene III and light chain is driven by a single lacZ promoter. The light chain is directed to the periplasm by the ompA signal peptide, whereas the heavy-chain Fd/coat protein III is trafficked by the pelB signal peptide. The phagemid pCM was used to generate a human combinatorial phage display antibody library that allowed the selection of a monoclonal Fab fragment antibody directed against the nucleoprotein (NP) of Influenza A virus.

Feline Morbillivirus Infection in Domestic Cats: What Have We Learned So Far?

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) was identified for the first time in stray cats in 2012 in Hong Kong and, since its discovery, it was reported in domestic cats worldwide. Although a potential association between FeMV infection and tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) has been suggested, this has not been proven, and the subject remains controversial. TIN is the most frequent histopathological finding in the context of feline chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is one of the major clinical pathologies in feline medicine. FeMV research has mainly focused on defining the epidemiology, the role of FeMV in the development of CKD, and its in vitro tropism, but the pathogenicity of FeMV is still not clear, partly due to its distinctive biological characteristics, as well as to a lack of a cell culture system for its rapid isolation. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of FeMV infection, including genetic diversity of FeMV strains, epidemiology, pathogenicity, and clinicopathological findings observed in naturally infected cats.

Hemagglutinin consensus-based prophylactic approaches to overcome influenza virus diversity.

Each year millions of people are infected by influenza viruses, and this causes a substantial economic and health burden on our society. Influenza epidemics and pandemics are attributable to the ongoing evolution of influenza viruses through antigenic drift and shift, respectively. One of the reasons for the continuous circulation of influenza viruses in the human population is the incomplete protection conferred by currently available seasonal influenza vaccines against possible arising drifted or shifted influenza strains. Recently, tremendous efforts have been focused on the development of a more effective broadly reactive or universal influenza vaccine. The main objective of underdevelopment vaccines is to protect the human population not only from currently circulating virus strains but also from possible future variants without the need for their continuous update. Different approaches have been developed to reach this goal and elicit an effective and cross-protective immune response. Among these, consensus-based prophylactic approaches to effectively prevent influenza infections are the major focus of this review.