Two studies published on February 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine reveal that patients with a rare autoimmune disease produce antibodies that attack microbe-fighting immune proteins called cytokines. These findings may help in explaining the reasons of some patients catching yeast infections recurrently. Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, or APS-I, afflicts one in 100,000 people and is characterized by disrupted thyroid and adrenal gland function and recurrent skin infections with one type of yeast.

Scientists at Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) in Texas claimed to have developed the BoNT-detecting substances or the antibodies – proteins made by the body to fight diseases – found in llamas. The llama antibodies, called single domain antibodies (sdAb) are molecularly flexible, unlike conventional antibodies, ScienceDaily reported. BoNTs directly hit the nervous system, resulting in paralysis that can be so severe as to require life support on a mechanical ventilator for weeks to months.

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AnaSpec has introduced the industry’s most comprehensive collection of anti-MMP zebrafish (Z-Fish(TM)) specific antibodies. AnaSpec’s existing portfolio of MMP research products includes SensoLyte(R) MMP assay kits, GO(TM) (catalog) MMP peptides, and MMP recombinant proteins products. The new MMP products include a wide selection of Z-Fish(TM) as well as human-specific MMP antibodies. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are members of a family of secreted or membrane-associated zinc endopeptidases involved in both normal and diseased tissue remodeling.

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Scientists have discovered two powerful new antibodies that neutralized all major forms of the HIV virus from the body of an African man. Scientists associated with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) at the Scripps Research Institute in the US said these antibodies had revealed an Achilles heel on the virus. This major discovery, reported in the journal Science, also found that these antibodies target a stable portion of the virus that does not frequently mutate a defense mechanism.

A research conducted by a team of researchers from La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has unveiled the gene responsible for stimulating the body’s immune system every time fatal viruses and pathogens attack the body. The stimulation of the immune system results in the production of disease-fighting antibodies in the body. The study finding is significant as it would help the researchers understand the molecular steps that activate the body’s immune system when the body is in danger.

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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