Researchers find quick way to make human monoclonal antibodies against flu

The mAbs made in this study were not tested on influenza virus strains with pandemic potential, such as the H5N1 subtype that causes so-called bird flu. Nevertheless, notes Dr. Ahmed, the ability to make high-affinity influenza mAbs quickly raises the possibility of deploying them in combination with other disease control strategies in the event of a global influenza pandemic. According to Dr. Ahmed, the group is now planning to use their technique to generate mAbs against H5N1.

To make the new influenza mAbs, the researchers first inoculated volunteers with seasonal influenza vaccine. The scientists wanted to know if a subset of immune system cells called antibody-secreting plasma cells (ASCs) could serve as a source of mAbs. ASCs are the body’s first responders, churning out a surge of antibodies as part of the initial reaction to infection or vaccination. ASC activity is swift but brief. In this study, ASC responses peaked at one week after vaccination, then dropped sharply and were barely detectable after two weeks. The Emory University researchers found a way to capture the fleeting ASCs that produce the initial wave of influenza-specific antibodies. Importantly, says Dr. Ahmed, as many as 80 percent of the purified ASCs produced influenza-specific antibodies.

Dr. Wilson and his coworkers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation used the vaccine-generated, influenza-specific ASCs to create the mAbs. Only a few weeks elapsed between vaccination of the volunteers and purification of human mAbs with a high affinity for influenza virus. “With just a few tablespoons of blood, we can now rapidly generate human monoclonal antibodies that potentially could be used for diagnosis and treatment of newly emerging strains of influenza,” says Dr. Wilson. “In the face of a disease outbreak, the ability to produce infection-fighting human mAbs swiftly would be invaluable.”

The technique developed by the Emory University and Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientists is not limited to the production of mAbs for influenza, and the team is currently working to make mAbs for other disease agents. “This research holds clinical potential for a host of infectious diseases including anthrax, respiratory syncytial virus and pneumococcal pneumonia,” says Dr. Capra.