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1.
Cell ; 174(4): 938-952.e13, 2018 08 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30096313

ABSTRACT

Antibodies are promising post-exposure therapies against emerging viruses, but which antibody features and in vitro assays best forecast protection are unclear. Our international consortium systematically evaluated antibodies against Ebola virus (EBOV) using multidisciplinary assays. For each antibody, we evaluated epitopes recognized on the viral surface glycoprotein (GP) and secreted glycoprotein (sGP), readouts of multiple neutralization assays, fraction of virions left un-neutralized, glycan structures, phagocytic and natural killer cell functions elicited, and in vivo protection in a mouse challenge model. Neutralization and induction of multiple immune effector functions (IEFs) correlated most strongly with protection. Neutralization predominantly occurred via epitopes maintained on endosomally cleaved GP, whereas maximal IEF mapped to epitopes farthest from the viral membrane. Unexpectedly, sGP cross-reactivity did not significantly influence in vivo protection. This comprehensive dataset provides a rubric to evaluate novel antibodies and vaccine responses and a roadmap for therapeutic development for EBOV and related viruses.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/isolation & purification , Ebolavirus/immunology , Epitopes/immunology , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/prevention & control , Membrane Glycoproteins/immunology , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/administration & dosage , Female , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/immunology , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/virology , Immunization , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Treatment Outcome
2.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 118(48)2021 11 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34815336

ABSTRACT

Nonhormonal products for on-demand contraception are a global health technology gap; this unmet need motivated us to pursue the use of sperm-binding monoclonal antibodies to enable effective on-demand contraception. Here, using the cGMP-compliant Nicotiana-expression system, we produced an ultrapotent sperm-binding IgG antibody possessing 6 Fab arms per molecule that bind a well-established contraceptive antigen target, CD52g. We term this hexavalent antibody "Fab-IgG-Fab" (FIF). The Nicotiana-produced FIF had at least 10-fold greater sperm-agglutination potency and kinetics than the parent IgG, while preserving Fc-mediated trapping of individual spermatozoa in mucus. We formulated the Nicotiana-produced FIF into a polyvinyl alcohol-based water-soluble contraceptive film and evaluated its potency in reducing progressively motile sperm in the sheep vagina. Two minutes after vaginal instillation of human semen, no progressively motile sperm were recovered from the vaginas of sheep receiving FIF Film. Our work supports the potential of multivalent contraceptive antibodies to provide safe, effective, on-demand nonhormonal contraception.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Contraception/methods , Spermatozoa/immunology , Administration, Intravaginal , Animals , Antibodies/immunology , Contraceptive Agents/pharmacology , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments/pharmacology , Immunoglobulin G/pharmacology , Male , Models, Animal , Sheep , Sperm Motility
3.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 118(11)2021 03 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33836604

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has reemphasized the need to identify safe and scalable therapeutics to slow or reverse symptoms of disease caused by newly emerging and reemerging viral pathogens. Recent clinical successes of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in therapy for viral infections demonstrate that mAbs offer a solution for these emerging biothreats. We have explored this with respect to Junin virus (JUNV), an arenavirus classified as a category A high-priority agent and the causative agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF). There are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs available for preventing or treating AHF, although immune plasma from convalescent patients is used routinely to treat active infections. However, immune plasma is severely limited in quantity, highly variable in quality, and poses significant safety risks including the transmission of transfusion-borne diseases. mAbs offer a highly specific and consistently potent alternative to immune plasma that can be manufactured at large scale. We previously described a chimeric mAb, cJ199, that provided protection in a guinea pig model of AHF. To adapt this mAb to a format more suitable for clinical use, we humanized the mAb (hu199) and evaluated it in a cynomolgus monkey model of AHF with two JUNV isolates, Romero and Espindola. While untreated control animals experienced 100% lethality, all animals treated with hu199 at 6 d postinoculation (dpi) survived, and 50% of animals treated at 8 dpi survived. mAbs like hu199 may offer a safer, scalable, and more reproducible alternative to immune plasma for rare viral diseases that have epidemic potential.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/pharmacology , Antibodies, Viral/pharmacology , Hemorrhagic Fever, American/prevention & control , Junin virus/metabolism , Animals , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Guinea Pigs , Hemorrhagic Fever, American/blood , Humans , Macaca fascicularis
4.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 117(7): 3768-3778, 2020 02 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32015126

ABSTRACT

Antibody-based therapies are a promising treatment option for managing ebolavirus infections. Several Ebola virus (EBOV)-specific and, more recently, pan-ebolavirus antibody cocktails have been described. Here, we report the development and assessment of a Sudan virus (SUDV)-specific antibody cocktail. We produced a panel of SUDV glycoprotein (GP)-specific human chimeric monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using both plant and mammalian expression systems and completed head-to-head in vitro and in vivo evaluations. Neutralizing activity, competitive binding groups, and epitope specificity of SUDV mAbs were defined before assessing protective efficacy of individual mAbs using a mouse model of SUDV infection. Of the mAbs tested, GP base-binding mAbs were more potent neutralizers and more protective than glycan cap- or mucin-like domain-binding mAbs. No significant difference was observed between plant and mammalian mAbs in any of our in vitro or in vivo evaluations. Based on in vitro and rodent testing, a combination of two SUDV-specific mAbs, one base binding (16F6) and one glycan cap binding (X10H2), was down-selected for assessment in a macaque model of SUDV infection. This cocktail, RIID F6-H2, provided protection from SUDV infection in rhesus macaques when administered at 50 mg/kg on days 4 and 6 postinfection. RIID F6-H2 is an effective postexposure SUDV therapy and provides a potential treatment option for managing human SUDV infection.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/administration & dosage , Ebolavirus/immunology , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/drug therapy , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/administration & dosage , Disease Models, Animal , Ebolavirus/genetics , Female , Glycoproteins/immunology , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/virology , Humans , Immunotherapy , Macaca mulatta , Male , Mice , Viral Proteins/immunology
5.
Nature ; 514(7520): 47-53, 2014 Oct 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25171469

ABSTRACT

Without an approved vaccine or treatments, Ebola outbreak management has been limited to palliative care and barrier methods to prevent transmission. These approaches, however, have yet to end the 2014 outbreak of Ebola after its prolonged presence in West Africa. Here we show that a combination of monoclonal antibodies (ZMapp), optimized from two previous antibody cocktails, is able to rescue 100% of rhesus macaques when treatment is initiated up to 5 days post-challenge. High fever, viraemia and abnormalities in blood count and blood chemistry were evident in many animals before ZMapp intervention. Advanced disease, as indicated by elevated liver enzymes, mucosal haemorrhages and generalized petechia could be reversed, leading to full recovery. ELISA and neutralizing antibody assays indicate that ZMapp is cross-reactive with the Guinean variant of Ebola. ZMapp exceeds the efficacy of any other therapeutics described so far, and results warrant further development of this cocktail for clinical use.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Viral/therapeutic use , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/drug therapy , Immunization, Passive , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology , Antibodies, Neutralizing/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Cross Reactions/immunology , Ebolavirus/immunology , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Guinea , Guinea Pigs , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/blood , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/immunology , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/virology , Macaca mulatta/immunology , Macaca mulatta/virology , Male , Molecular Sequence Data , Sequence Alignment , Viral Envelope Proteins/chemistry , Viral Envelope Proteins/immunology , Viremia/drug therapy , Viremia/immunology , Viremia/virology
6.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 113(16): 4458-63, 2016 Apr 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27044104

ABSTRACT

Countermeasures against potential biothreat agents remain important to US Homeland Security, and many of these pharmaceuticals could have dual use in the improvement of global public health. Junin virus, the causative agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF), is an arenavirus identified as a category A high-priority agent. There are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs available for preventing or treating AHF, and the current treatment option is limited to administration of immune plasma. Whereas immune plasma demonstrates the feasibility of passive immunotherapy, it is limited in quantity, variable in quality, and poses safety risks such as transmission of transfusion-borne diseases. In an effort to develop a monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based alternative to plasma, three previously described neutralizing murine mAbs were expressed as mouse-human chimeric antibodies and evaluated in the guinea pig model of AHF. These mAbs provided 100% protection against lethal challenge when administered 2 d after infection (dpi), and one of them (J199) was capable of providing 100% protection when treatment was initiated 6 dpi and 92% protection when initiated 7 dpi. The efficacy of J199 is superior to that previously described for all other evaluated drugs, and its high potency suggests that mAbs like J199 offer an economical alternative to immune plasma and an effective dual use (bioterrorism/public health) therapeutic.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Antibodies, Viral/pharmacology , Hemorrhagic Fever, American/drug therapy , Hemorrhagic Fever, American/immunology , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antibodies, Viral/genetics , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Disease Models, Animal , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Guinea Pigs , Humans , Junin virus , Mice , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/immunology , Recombinant Fusion Proteins/pharmacology
7.
J Infect Dis ; 218(suppl_5): S565-S573, 2018 11 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29982718

ABSTRACT

Background: The 2013-2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemics in West Africa highlighted a need for effective therapeutics for treatment of the disease caused by filoviruses. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are promising therapeutic candidates for prophylaxis or treatment of virus infections. Data about efficacy of human mAb monotherapy against filovirus infections in preclinical nonhuman primate models are limited. Methods: Previously, we described a large panel of human mAbs derived from the circulating memory B cells from Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) infection survivors that bind to the surface glycoprotein (GP) of the virus. We tested one of these neutralizing mAbs that recognized the glycan cap of the GP, designated mAb BDBV289, as monotherapy in rhesus macaques. Results: We found that recombinant mAb BDBV289-N could confer up to 100% protection to BDBV-infected rhesus macaques when treatment was initiated as late as 8 days after virus challenge. Protection was associated with survival and decreased viremia levels in the blood of treated animals. Conclusions: These findings define the efficacy of monotherapy of lethal BDBV infection with a glycan cap-specific mAb and identify a candidate mAb therapeutic molecule that could be included in antibody cocktails for prevention or treatment of ebolavirus infections.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Neutralizing/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Viral/therapeutic use , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/drug therapy , Animals , Macaca mulatta
8.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 111(16): 5992-7, 2014 Apr 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24711420

ABSTRACT

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause devastating lower respiratory tract infections in preterm infants or when other serious health problems are present. Immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab (Synagis), a humanized IgG1 mAb, is the current standard of care for preventing RSV infection in at-risk neonates. We have explored the contribution of effector function to palivizumab efficacy using a plant-based expression system to produce palivizumab N-glycan structure variants with high homogeneity on different antibody isotypes. We compared these isotype and N-glycoform variants with commercially available palivizumab with respect to both in vitro receptor and C1q binding and in vivo efficacy. Whereas the affinity for antigen and neutralization activity of each variant were indistinguishable from those of palivizumab, their Fcγ receptor binding profiles were very different, which was reflected in either a reduced or enhanced ability to influence the RSV lung titer in challenged cotton rats. Enhanced Fcγ receptor binding was associated with reduced viral lung titers compared with palivizumab, whereas abrogation of receptor binding led to a drastic reduction in efficacy. The results support the hypotheses that classic antibody neutralization is a minor component of efficacy by palivizumab in the cotton rat and that antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity can significantly enhance the efficacy of this antiviral mAb.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/chemistry , Antibodies, Viral/therapeutic use , Polysaccharides/metabolism , Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/drug therapy , Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/immunology , Respiratory Syncytial Viruses/immunology , Sigmodontinae/virology , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Neutralizing/pharmacology , Complement C1q/metabolism , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Humans , Lung/drug effects , Lung/immunology , Lung/pathology , Lung/virology , Male , Neutralization Tests , Protein Binding/drug effects , Receptors, Fc/metabolism , Respiratory Syncytial Viruses/drug effects , Sigmodontinae/immunology , Treatment Outcome
9.
Curr Top Microbiol Immunol ; 375: 107-26, 2014.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22772797

ABSTRACT

Antibody-based products are not widely available to address many global health challenges due to high costs, limited manufacturing capacity, and long manufacturing lead times. There are now tremendous opportunities to address these industrialization challenges as a result of revolutionary advances in plant virus-based transient expression. This review focuses on some antibody-based products that are in preclinical and clinical development, and have scaled up manufacturing and purification (mg of purified mAb/kg of biomass). Plant virus-based antibody products provide lower upfront cost, shorter time to clinical and market supply, and lower cost of goods (COGs). Further, some plant virus-based mAbs may provide improvements in pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics , Plant Viruses/genetics , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/biosynthesis , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Ebola Vaccines/therapeutic use , Humans , Immunoglobulin Idiotypes/therapeutic use
10.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 109(44): 18030-5, 2012 Oct 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23071322

ABSTRACT

Filovirus infections can cause a severe and often fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates, including great apes. Here, three anti-Ebola virus mouse/human chimeric mAbs (c13C6, h-13F6, and c6D8) were produced in Chinese hamster ovary and in whole plant (Nicotiana benthamiana) cells. In pilot experiments testing a mixture of the three mAbs (MB-003), we found that MB-003 produced in both manufacturing systems protected rhesus macaques from lethal challenge when administered 1 h postinfection. In a pivotal follow-up experiment, we found significant protection (P < 0.05) when MB-003 treatment began 24 or 48 h postinfection (four of six survived vs. zero of two controls). In all experiments, surviving animals that received MB-003 experienced little to no viremia and had few, if any, of the clinical symptoms observed in the controls. The results represent successful postexposure in vivo efficacy by a mAb mixture and suggest that this immunoprotectant should be further pursued as a postexposure and potential therapeutic for Ebola virus exposure.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/prevention & control , Plantibodies/therapeutic use , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/isolation & purification , CHO Cells , Cricetinae , Cricetulus , Macaca mulatta , Plantibodies/isolation & purification
11.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 108(51): 20690-4, 2011 Dec 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22143789

ABSTRACT

No countermeasures currently exist for the prevention or treatment of the severe sequelae of Filovirus (such as Ebola virus; EBOV) infection. To overcome this limitation in our biodefense preparedness, we have designed monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) which could be used in humans as immunoprotectants for EBOV, starting with a murine mAb (13F6) that recognizes the heavily glycosylated mucin-like domain of the virion-attached glycoprotein (GP). Point mutations were introduced into the variable region of the murine mAb to remove predicted human T-cell epitopes, and the variable regions joined to human constant regions to generate a mAb (h-13F6) appropriate for development for human use. We have evaluated the efficacy of three variants of h-13F6 carrying different glycosylation patterns in a lethal mouse EBOV challenge model. The pattern of glycosylation of the various mAbs was found to correlate to level of protection, with aglycosylated h-13F6 providing the least potent efficacy (ED(50) = 33 µg). A version with typical heterogenous mammalian glycoforms (ED(50) = 11 µg) had similar potency to the original murine mAb. However, h-13F6 carrying complex N-glycosylation lacking core fucose exhibited superior potency (ED(50) = 3 µg). Binding studies using Fcγ receptors revealed enhanced binding of nonfucosylated h-13F6 to mouse and human FcγRIII. Together the results indicate the presence of Fc N-glycans enhances the protective efficacy of h-13F6, and that mAbs manufactured with uniform glycosylation and a higher potency glycoform offer promise as biodefense therapeutics.


Subject(s)
Ebolavirus/metabolism , Fucose/immunology , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/chemistry , Antiviral Agents/chemistry , Complement C1q/chemistry , Ebolavirus/immunology , Female , Fucose/chemistry , Glycosylation , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/immunology , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/prevention & control , Humans , Immune System , Immunization, Passive , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Molecular Sequence Data , Surface Plasmon Resonance , Nicotiana
12.
Front Immunol ; 15: 1371156, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39351230

ABSTRACT

Effective treatment and immunoprophylaxis of viral respiratory infections with neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) require maintaining inhibitory concentrations of mAbs at the airway surface. While engineered mAbs with increased affinity to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) are increasingly employed, little is known how increased affinity of Fc to FcRn influences basal-to-apical transepithelial transport (transcytosis) of mAbs across the airway epithelium. To investigate this, we utilized a model of well-differentiated human airway epithelium (WD-HAE) that exhibited robust FcRn expression, and measured the transepithelial transport of a mAb against SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (CR3022) with either wildtype IgG1-Fc or Fc modified with YTE or LS mutations known to increase affinity for FcRn. Despite the marked differences in the affinity of these CR3022 variants for FcRn, we did not find substantial differences in basal-to-apical transport reflective of systemic dosing, or apical-to-basal transport reflective of inhaled dosing, compared to the transport of wildtype IgG1-Fc. These results suggest increasing FcRn affinity may only have limited influence over transcytosis rates of systemically dosed mAbs across the human airway epithelium over short time scales. Over longer time scales, the elevated circulating levels of mAbs with greater FcRn affinity, due to more effective FcRn-mediated recycling, may better resupply mAb into the respiratory tract, leading to more effective extended immunoprophylaxis.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I , Immunoglobulin G , Receptors, Fc , Respiratory Mucosa , Transcytosis , Humans , Receptors, Fc/metabolism , Receptors, Fc/immunology , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/metabolism , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology , Immunoglobulin G/immunology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Respiratory Mucosa/metabolism , Respiratory Mucosa/immunology , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/prevention & control
13.
PLoS One ; 18(3): e0282147, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36996137

ABSTRACT

High rates of unintended pregnancies worldwide indicate a need for more accessible and acceptable methods of contraception. We have developed a monoclonal antibody, the Human Contraception Antibody (HCA), for use by women in vaginal films and rings for contraception. The divalent F(ab')2 region of HCA binds to an abundant male reproductive tract-specific antigen, CD52g, and potently agglutinates sperm. Certain other antibody activities mediated by the Fc region such as mucus trapping, complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) could have beneficial or negative effects. The purpose of this study was to document HCA Fc effector functions and determine whether an engineered variant of HCA with a modified Fc region, HCA-LALAPG, retains desirable contraceptive activity while minimizing Fc-mediated effects. Fab and Fc functions were compared between HCA and HCA-LALAPG. Fab activity was assessed using sperm agglutination and modified swim-up ("sperm escape") assays. Fc functions were assessed by CDC (sperm immobilization), ADCP, and cervical mucus penetration assays. HCA and HCA-LALAPG showed equivalent activity in assays of Fab function. In the assays of Fc function, HCA supported strong CDC, ADCP, and sperm trapping in cervical mucus whereas HCA-LALAPG demonstrated little to no activity. HCA and the HCA-LALAPG variant were both highly effective in the sperm agglutination assays but differed in Fc mediated functions. Use of the HCA-LALAPG variant for contraception in women could reduce antibody-mediated inflammation and antigen presentation but may have reduced contraceptive efficacy due to much weaker sperm trapping in mucus and complement-dependent sperm immobilization activity.


Subject(s)
Semen , Sperm Agglutination , Pregnancy , Humans , Male , Female , Sperm Agglutination/genetics , Antibodies, Monoclonal , Contraceptive Agents , Contraception , Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity
14.
MAbs ; 14(1): 2013594, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35000569

ABSTRACT

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021 underscores the need for manufacturing platforms that can rapidly produce monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies. As reported here, a platform based on Nicotiana benthamiana produced mAb therapeutics with high batch-to-batch reproducibility and flexibility, enabling production of 19 different mAbs of sufficient purity and safety for clinical application(s). With a single manufacturing run, impurities were effectively removed for a representative mAb product (the ZMapp component c4G7). Our results show for the first time the reproducibility of the platform for production of multiple batches of clinical-grade mAb, manufactured under current Good Manufacturing Practices, from Nicotiana benthamiana. The flexibility of the system was confirmed by the results of release testing of 19 different mAbs generated with the platform. The process from plant infection to product can be completed within 10 days. Therefore, with a constant supply of plants, response to the outbreak of an infectious disease could be initiated within a matter of weeks. Thus, these data demonstrated that this platform represents a reproducible, flexible system for rapid production of mAb therapeutics to support clinical development.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal , Antibodies, Viral , COVID-19/immunology , Nicotiana , Plants, Genetically Modified , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/biosynthesis , Antibodies, Monoclonal/chemistry , Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antibodies, Viral/biosynthesis , Antibodies, Viral/chemistry , Antibodies, Viral/genetics , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Humans , Plants, Genetically Modified/chemistry , Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics , Plants, Genetically Modified/growth & development , Plants, Genetically Modified/immunology , Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/genetics , Recombinant Proteins/immunology , Nicotiana/chemistry , Nicotiana/genetics , Nicotiana/growth & development , Nicotiana/immunology , COVID-19 Drug Treatment
15.
Depress Anxiety ; 28(7): 560-7, 2011 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21608087

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Little is known about whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or pharmacotherapy is relatively more advantageous for depressive versus anxiety disorders. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis wherein we searched electronic databases and references to select randomized controlled studies comparing CBT and pharmacotherapy, with or without placebo, in adults with major depressive or anxiety disorders. The primary effect size was calculated from disorder-specific outcome measures as the difference between CBT and pharmacotherapy outcomes (i.e., positive effect size favors CBT; negative effect size favors pharmacotherapy). RESULTS: Twenty-one anxiety (N = 1,266) and twenty-one depression (N = 2,027) studies comparing medication to CBT were included. Including all anxiety disorders, the overall effect size was.25 (95% CI: -0.02, 0.55, P =.07). Effects for panic disorder significantly favored CBT over medications (.50, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.98). Obsessive-compulsive disorder showed similar effects-sizes, though not statistically significant (.49, 95% CI: -0.11, 1.09). Medications showed a nonsignificant advantage for social anxiety disorder (-.22, 95% CI: -0.50, 0.06). The overall effect size for depression studies was.05 (95% CI: -0.09, 0.19), with no advantage for medications or CBT. Pooling anxiety disorder and depression studies, the omnibus comparison of the relative difference between anxiety and depression in effectiveness for CBT versus pharmacotherapy pointed to a nonsignificant advantage for CBT in anxiety versus depression (B =.14, 95% CI: -0.14, 0.43). CONCLUSIONS: On balance, the evidence presented here indicates that there are at most very modest differences in effects of CBT versus pharmacotherapy in the treatment of anxiety versus depressive disorders. There seems to be larger differences between the anxiety disorders in terms of their relative responsiveness to pharmacotherapy versus CBT.


Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Anxiety Disorders/therapy , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/methods , Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy , Adult , Combined Modality Therapy , Humans , Panic Disorder/therapy , Phobic Disorders/therapy , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/therapy , Treatment Outcome
16.
EBioMedicine ; 69: 103478, 2021 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34256345

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Approximately 40% of human pregnancies are unintended, indicating a need for more acceptable effective contraception methods. New antibody production systems make it possible to manufacture reagent-grade human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for clinical use. We used the Nicotiana platform to produce a human antisperm mAb and tested its efficacy for on-demand topical contraception. METHODS: Heavy and light chain variable region DNA sequences of a human IgM antisperm antibody derived from an infertile woman were inserted with human IgG1 constant region sequences into an agrobacterium and transfected into Nicotiana benthamiana. The product, an IgG1 mAb ["Human Contraception Antibody" (HCA)], was purified on Protein A columns, and QC was performed using the LabChip GXII Touch protein characterization system and SEC-HPLC. HCA was tested for antigen specificity by immunofluorescence and western blot assays, antisperm activity by sperm agglutination and complement dependent sperm immobilization assays, and safety in a human vaginal tissue (EpiVaginal™) model. FINDINGS: HCA was obtained at concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 4 mg/ml and consisted of > 90% IgG monomers. The mAb specifically reacted with a glycan epitope on CD52g, a glycoprotein produced in the male reproductive tract and found in abundance on sperm. HCA potently agglutinated sperm under a variety of relevant physiological conditions at concentrations ≥ 6.25 µg/ml, and mediated complement-dependent sperm immobilization at concentrations ≥ 1 µg/ml. HCA and its immune complexes did not induce inflammation in EpiVaginal™ tissue. INTERPRETATION: HCA, an IgG1 mAb with potent sperm agglutination and immobilization activity and a good safety profile, is a promising candidate for female contraception. FUNDING: This research was supported by grants R01 HD095630 and P50HD096957 from the National Institutes of Health.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , CD52 Antigen/immunology , Contraception, Immunologic/methods , Spermatozoa/immunology , Vaccines, Contraceptive/immunology , Antibody Specificity , Female , Humans , Male
17.
Methods Enzymol ; 660: 239-263, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34742392

ABSTRACT

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) hold great promise for treating diseases ranging from cancer to infectious disease. Manufacture of mAbs is challenging, expensive, and time-consuming using mammalian systems. We describe detailed methods used by Kentucky BioProcessing (KBP), a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, for producing high quality mAbs in a Nicotiana benthamiana host. Using this process, mAbs that meet GMP standards can be produced in as little as 10 days. Guidance for using individual plants, as well as detailed methods for large-scale production, are described. These procedures enable flexible, robust, and consistent production of research and therapeutic mAbs.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal , Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Mammals , Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities , Plants , Plants, Genetically Modified , Nicotiana/genetics
18.
Plant Biotechnol J ; 8(5): 638-54, 2010 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20514694

ABSTRACT

Plants have been proposed as an attractive alternative for pharmaceutical protein production to current mammalian or microbial cell-based systems. Eukaryotic protein processing coupled with reduced production costs and low risk for mammalian pathogen contamination and other impurities have led many to predict that agricultural systems may offer the next wave for pharmaceutical product production. However, for this to become a reality, the quality of products produced at a relevant scale must equal or exceed the predetermined release criteria of identity, purity, potency and safety as required by pharmaceutical regulatory agencies. In this article, the ability of transient plant virus expression systems to produce a wide range of products at high purity and activity is reviewed. The production of different recombinant proteins is described along with comparisons with established standards, including high purity, specific activity and promising preclinical outcomes. Adaptation of transient plant virus systems to large-scale manufacturing formats required development of virus particle and Agrobacterium inoculation methods. One transient plant system case study illustrates the properties of greenhouse and field-produced recombinant aprotinin compared with an US Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmaceutical product and found them to be highly comparable in all properties evaluated. A second transient plant system case study demonstrates a fully functional monoclonal antibody conforming to release specifications. In conclusion, the production capacity of large quantities of recombinant protein offered by transient plant expression systems, coupled with robust downstream purification approaches, offers a promising solution to recombinant protein production that compares favourably to cell-based systems in scale, cost and quality.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/biosynthesis , Aprotinin/biosynthesis , Genetic Engineering/methods , Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism , Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Aprotinin/immunology , Plant Viruses , Plants, Genetically Modified/immunology , Recombinant Proteins/immunology , Rhizobium
19.
Toxins (Basel) ; 12(4)2020 03 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32235318

ABSTRACT

PB10 IgG1, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) directed against an immunodominant epitope on the enzymatic subunit (RTA) of ricin toxin (RT), has been shown to passively protect mice and non-human primates from an aerosolized lethal-dose RT challenge. However, it was recently demonstrated that the therapeutic efficacy of PB10 IgG1 is significantly improved when co-administered with a second MAb, SylH3, targeting RT's binding subunit (RTB). Here we report that the PB10/SylH3 cocktail is also superior to PB10 alone when used as a pre-exposure prophylactic (PrEP) in a mouse model of intranasal RT challenge. The benefit of the PB10/SylH3 cocktail prompted us to engineer a humanized IgG1 version of SylH3 (huSylH3). The huPB10/huSylH3 cocktail proved highly efficacious in the mouse model, thereby opening the door to future testing in non-human primates.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/pharmacology , Antibodies, Neutralizing/pharmacology , Antidotes/pharmacology , Lung Diseases/prevention & control , Ricin/antagonists & inhibitors , Administration, Inhalation , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/administration & dosage , Antibodies, Neutralizing/administration & dosage , Antidotes/administration & dosage , Chlorocebus aethiops , Disease Models, Animal , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Lung Diseases/chemically induced , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis , Ricin/immunology , Vero Cells
20.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis ; 14(3): e0007803, 2020 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32203503

ABSTRACT

Non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica strains, including serovar Typhimurium (STm), are an emerging cause of invasive disease among children and the immunocompromised, especially in regions of sub-Saharan Africa. STm invades the intestinal mucosa through Peyer's patch tissues before disseminating systemically. While vaccine development efforts are ongoing, the emergence of multidrug resistant strains of STm affirms the need to seek alternative strategies to protect high-risk individuals from infection. In this report, we investigated the potential of an orally administered O5 serotype-specific IgA monoclonal antibody (mAb), called Sal4, to prevent infection of invasive Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm) in mice. Sal4 IgA was delivered to mice prior to or concurrently with STm challenge. Infectivity was measured as bacterial burden in Peyer's patch tissues one day after challenge. Using this model, we defined the minimal amount of Sal4 IgA required to significantly reduce STm uptake into Peyer's patches. The relative efficacy of Sal4 in dimeric and secretory IgA (SIgA) forms was compared. To assess the role of isotype in oral passive immunization, we engineered a recombinant IgG1 mAb carrying the Sal4 variable regions and evaluated its ability to block invasion of STm into epithelial cells in vitro and Peyer's patch tissues. Our results demonstrate the potential of orally administered monoclonal IgA and SIgA, but not IgG, to passively immunize against invasive Salmonella. Nonetheless, the prophylactic window of IgA/SIgA in the mouse was on the order of minutes, underscoring the need to develop formulations to protect mAbs in the gastric environment and to permit sustained release in the small intestine.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Immunoglobulin A/pharmacology , Immunoglobulin G/pharmacology , Salmonella/drug effects , Administration, Oral , Africa , Animals , Disease Models, Animal , Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial/drug effects , Female , HeLa Cells , Humans , Hybridomas , Immunization, Passive , Immunoglobulin A, Secretory , Immunoglobulin G/genetics , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Peyer's Patches , Salmonella typhimurium/drug effects
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