Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibody therapy has entered a new arena: treatment of diarrhea.

Monoclonal antibodies, which are extensively used in fundamental research, medicine and biotechnology, may be the answer to a growing problem in the area of in-patient care: life-threatening diarrhea.  There is a dark side to the increasing use of antibiotics: the intestinal diseases which come about when normal gut bacteria are eliminated by these antibiotics, enabling infection by Clostridium difficile. Patients who spend only two days in hospital have a 10% chance of infection, which rises to 50% with stays of over a month. In 2007, there were 33.6 deaths per 100,000 discharged patients, representing a 147% increase in 11 years. Some patients are at higher risk because there is a 60% chance of reoccurrence in patients who have had more than one episode of infection.

Donna Ambrosino, MD, from MassBiologics reports that “We need new approaches to prevent the recurrence of C. difficile to decrease morbidity, hospitalizations and health utilization costs.” Monoclonal antibodies appear to provide this new approach. There was an astonishing 70% reduction in the recurrence rate of infection in a recent study involving adding monoclonal antibodies to the standard of care antibiotics therapy.

Best-in-Class Monoclonal Antibody Producers Feature:

• Full-service monoclonal antibody production services from hybridoma development to monoclonal antibody development, production, purification and post processing.
• Design metrics capable of integrating all aspects of monoclonal antibody development, from initial research to manufacture.
• High yield assay techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antigen microarray assay or immuno-dot blot assay method.

Top Considerations before Buying Monoclonal Antibodies:

One of the most important things to look for when choosing a provider is whether they have an effective integration scheme. This will result in shorter product development time, getting you to the therapeutic lead stage sooner, which is always a key consideration in emerging biotech markets.

Key Producers:
 
1. AMS Biotechnology (Europe) Ltd (amsbio) provides life science research reagents and services to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Its expanding catalogue contains 285,000 products. amsbio, which was founded in 1987 and restructured in 1997, specializes in Genomics, Proteomics and Immunology. This ISO 9001:2008 registered company added monoclonal antibody production to its peptide and polyclonal antibody services in 2004. Future plans include adding DNA damage screening, Cell Assays, Tumour Xenograft, and primate and rodent services. ambios is able to ship products to companies around the world from its offices in Switzerland, Germany and the UK.

2. Maine Biotechnology Services (MBS) offers complete antibody services, including hybridoma development, polyclonal antibody development, antibody production, purification and post processing. Its MultiPure technology enables customers to assess relative affinity, physical characteristics and matched pair capability before proceeding to subcloning. What sets it apart is its Academic Discovery Track, a scaled-down antibody development which is an affordable alternative for researchers and academics. MBS is continually expanding its product line and services. Recent additions include two antibodies that recognize large, small and branched versions of Polyethylene glycol (PEG). This Portland, Maine-based company, founded in 1990, ships products to companies around the United States and in the European Union.

3. Thermo Fisher Scientific was created in 2006 when Thermo Electron, founded in 1956 to provide analytical and laboratory products and services, and Fisher Scientific, founded in 1902 to provide laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies and services, joined forces. This synergy allowed Thermo Fisher to become a global company with offices and operations around the world. The Fisher Scientific division offers a complete portfolio of laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies and services. Thermo Scientific produces analytical instruments, laboratory equipment, software, consumables and reagents and provides a range of services including ways to improve workflow from sample preparation and sample analysis to data interpretation.

4. Acorda Therapeutics' core business is the development of therapies that will help restore nerve function to patients who have experienced damage to the spinal cord (SCI) or are afflicted by multiple sclerosis (MS) or other disorders of the nervous system. Acorda has three preclinical programs focused on finding new approaches to the repair of the central nervous system (CNS). The first involves testing the use of Chondriotinase to break down the scar tissue that develops as a result of spinal injury. The other two concern stimulating repair of the myelin sheath with either remyelinating antibodies or neuregulin growth factors. Acorda was founded in 1995 and is based in Hawthorne, NY,

Monoclonal antibodies
Definition: Monoclonal antibodies are made from a single immune cell clone or cell line and are therefore identical. "Immortalised" hybridoma cells, which are hybrids of an antibody-producing mortal lymphoid cell and a malignant (immortal) myeloma cell, are able to continuously secrete these specific antibodies, in theory providing an unlimited supply. Monoclonal antibodies can be synthesized to specifically bind to almost any substance, enabling either purification of that substance or detection of trace amounts in a heterogeneous substance.