A research conducted by the University of Texas Medical School has discovered some antibodies that have the potential to prevent an HIV-positive person from progressing to AIDS. This study could be used to develop a vaccine or microbicides to prevent people who are not infected with HIV from getting in contact with it. Catalytic antibodies attack on HIV’s outer shell where the virus binds to immune system cells, preventing the entry of virus into the cells. According to the researchers, the antibodies are present in lupus patients whose immune systems, generally, malfunction and produce a number of unusual antibodies.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an immune globulin product called Gamunex for the treating a rare autoimmune disorder, CIDP. It is characterized by progressive muscle weakness and impaired sensory function in the limbs.
Designated as an orphan drug by the FDA, manufacturers have been provided with financial incentives to develop Gamunex. Caused by the damage to the myelin sheath that protects the nerve fibers, CIDP can be treated by Gamunex which is made from the plasma in human blood containing antibodies that fight infections. Talecris Biotherapeutics Inc. is the manufacturer of Gamunex.

Scientists in the U.S. have developed a much faster way to isolate highly specific antibodies needed to make flu vaccines by pinpointing the window of opportunity when the human immune response to a particular pathogen peaks. The discovery may also lead to new and faster ways to produce vaccines and therapies to fight several other diseases.

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 Laureate Pharma, Inc. has entered into a cGMP contract manufacturing agreement with Alopexx Pharmaceuticals, LLC. Alopexx’s mAb F598 antibody will now be manufactured by Laureate under the agreement. The antibody is intended to be used for the treatment and prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infections.

DSM Pharmaceutical Products’ unit, DSM Biologics, has collaborated with Upfront Chromatography A/S to optimize Upfront’s new, fully disposable chromatography system for use with DSM’s proprietary manufacturing technology. The fully integrated disposable chromatography system will offer biopharmaceutical manufacturers significant efficiency and productivity benefits and is expected to be available for commercial use by the summer of 2008. The flexible, easy-to-use and high capacity bioprocessing platform can be scaled from 0.1L to 100L for commercial manufacture and recovery of a range of biopharmaceuticals, including monoclonal antibodies.

MitoSciences Inc and the University of Oregon (UO) today announced the completion of an exclusive commercial license for a suite of biotechnology innovations. The agreement is associated with a portfolio of monoclonal antibodies that are being used by MitoSciences to develop tests for cell-based drug toxicity screening and for multiplexing assays used to generate mitochondrial protein biomarkers for diagnostics and personalized medicine. The antibodies are sold individually and in kits to the life science research market.

Knock-Out Technologies Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of eFoodSafety.com, is set to begin clinical testing of Proxorin™ for use as a natural antibiotic/anti-microbial in the treatment of common bacterial pathogens. The drug is based on the company’s CitroxinTM formula. Due to its natural composition, Proxorin may be used in a much larger range of health conditions than that addressed by antibiotics.