Study Shows That Small Protein Can Broaden Immune Response in Humans
Treating cancer patients with interleukin-7 (IL-7), a small protein that can stimulate the immune system, leads to an increase in lymphocytes, key to the production of effective immune responses, in the body, according to a new study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The demonstration that IL-7 is able to broaden the possible immune responses in humans could have a wide range of clinical implications. This study was published online June 23, 2008, in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Researchers Find Quick Way to Make Human Monoclonal Antibodies against Flu
Human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) — highly specific, identical, infection-fighting proteins produced in large quantities in the lab in cell lines that are derived from a single antibody-producing cell — against influenza can be rapidly produced in the lab, according to a new report from scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Using cells drawn from volunteers inoculated with seasonal influenza vaccine, the investigators made influenza-specific mAbs in just a few weeks rather than the typical two to three months. The new technique could potentially be used to rapidly create mAbs for a range of uses, the team says.
Alternative technologies for the purification of therapeutical antibodies
Vicente Rivera, Vania Bonifaz, Gabriel Rosas y Jorge Paniagua
Los continuos avances en la biología molecular y celular, han facilitado la identificación de proteínas (receptores de factores de crecimiento, moléculas de señalización, proteínas del ciclo celular y moduladores de la apoptosis) involucradas en el desarrollo de enfermedades; dicho conocimiento se ha utilizado para el diseño de productos biofarmacéuticos (proteínas recombinantes, anticuerpos monoclonales y ácidos nucleicos) dirigidos hacia estos blancos [1, 2], siendo la insulina humana recombinante el primer producto generado a partir de tecnología recombinante en 1982.
MIT researchers have discovered why an unusually short bacterial protein can have many more interactions than would normally be expected of something its size.
Researchers Show that Fibrosis
Can Be Stopped, Cured and Reversed Modified Protein Developed by UC
San Diego Researchers May Lead to
First Cure for Cirrhosis of the Liver
By Debra Kain
University of California, San Diego researchers have proven in animal studies that fibrosis in the liver can be not only stopped, but reversed. Their discovery, to be published in PLoS Online on December 26, opens the door to treating and curing conditions that lead to excessive tissue scarring such as viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, pulmonary fibrosis, scleroderma and burns.
Genetically Modified Protein May Bridge Gap in Studying Effectiveness of Anti-Clotting Drugs
NEW YORK, (Dec. 18, 2007) – Findings published in Nature Biotechnology by Columbia University Medical Center researcher Thomas Diacovo, M.D., may lead to the identification of a research model that will better enable the study of drug therapies to prevent blood clotting in heart attack and stroke patients.
Researchers Led by Penn Vet Uncover the Delicate Protein Balance Behind the Immune System Response
PHILADELPHIA -– A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has identified the protein interactions involved in the immune system process that fights infection yet, in certain inflammatory diseases, runs amok and attacks friendly tissue.
Researchers from the Institute of Biotechnology IDs new functions in genes of Escherichia coli
Investigadores del Instituto de Biotecnología identificaron
nuevas funciones en los genes de la bacteria
Escherichia coli enterohemorrágica O157:H7,
relacionadas con la regulación de la expresión y
secreción de proteínas. Con ello, descubrieron que
el repertorio de moléculas, denominadas factores
de virulencia –con el cual puede causar padecimientos
como diarrea, colitis hemorrágica y síndrome
urémico hemolítico– es mucho más amplio de lo
considerado hasta ahora.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a long-acting growth hormone for use in human therapy. The new discovery could mean that children and adults with growth hormone disorders will not have to have injections as often, reducing the need for daily treatments.
MIT researchers have identified a critical link between two proteins found in brain tumors, a discovery that could eventually help treat a form of brain cancer that kills 99 percent of patients.
Promising protein may prevent eye damage in premature babies
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A protein long thought to be one of the body’s supporting players has quietly been taking a lead role in healthy eyesight, a discovery that could rapidly lead to treatments for babies born before their eyes are finished growing, University of Florida and Harvard Medical School researchers have found.
Scripps Research Scientists Discover Mouse Appetite Suppressant Research Could Lead to Treatments for Human Obesity
LA JOLLA, CA, June 18, 2007—A protein called interleukin-18 (IL-18), previously known mainly for its role in the immune system, is also a powerful appetite suppressant for mice once they reach the equivalent of adulthood, according to scientists at The Scripps Research Institute. Members of the research team hope the work will eventually lead to the development of new treatments for preventing obesity in humans. Unlike similar proteins, IL-18 suppresses appetite without unwanted side effects such as fever or sickness behavior, suggesting it might be a particularly good target for further study.
Stanford researchers clarify protein's role in multiple sclerosis
By Mitzi Baker
STANFORD, Calif. — A protein found primarily in the lens of the eye could be the critical “tipping point” in the spiral of inflammation and damage that occurs in multiple sclerosis, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine report.
Alberto Diaz-Quiñonez y Jorge Paniagua Solís, Dirección de Investigación en Inmunotecnología, Laboratorios Silanes, S.A. de C.V.
La industria biotecnológica farmacéutica es relativamente nueva, por lo que no ha desarrollado la eficiencia de costos que tiene la industria farmacéutica tradicional. En noviembre de 2006 el Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD) en Tufts University anunció la publicación del primer estudio que calcula el costo de desarrollo de un nuevo medicamento biotecnológico. La conclusión es que la innovación en biotecnología resulta muy costosa, ya que se requiere una inversión de mil 200 millones de dólares para la aprobación de un medicamento de este tipo para uso humano.1
New Scripps Research Monoclonal Antibody Destroys Methamphetamine In Vitro
Study Yields Potential Treatment to Help Combat Global Epidemic
LA JOLLA, CA, February 27, 2007—Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a new monoclonal antibody that destroys the highly addictive drug methamphetamine. These new findings suggest an entirely new way to treat the global epidemic of methamphetamine abuse.
Mata-González M.T. y Paniagua-Solís J. Laboratorios Silanes S.A. de C.V.
Durante el 2002 la industria biotecnológica celebró el vigésimo aniversario de la aprobación del primer producto biofarmacéutico: la insulina. El vencimiento de las patentes de estos primeros biofarmaceúticos abrió la posibilidad de comercializarlos como “biogenéricos”.
