No description available.

No description available.

The need for an unlimited source of islets and a safer method of immunosuppression has limited the widespread application of islet transplantation. To remedy the shortage of donor tissue, xenotransplantation of neonatal porcine islets (NPI) has been proposed. In this study we sought to determine if combining co-transplantation of NPI with Sertoli cells (SC) with a short-term monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy would prevent NPI xenograft rejection. We hypothesize that this combination of treatments will lead to long-term NPI xenograft survival. Our result show a significant increase in the proportion of mice achieving long-term graft survival compared to untreated mice transplanted with NPI alone, as 7/7 mice treated with anti-LFA-1 mAb (p=0.001), 7/8 mice treated with anti-CD154 mAb (p=0.003), and 4/9 mice treated with anti-CD45RB mAb (p=0.020) achieved and maintained normoglycemia long-term. Therefore, we conclude that the combination of mAb therapy with SC is highly efficacious in preventing NPI xenograft rejection. / Experimental Surgery

Thesis (Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences) -- University of Colorado Denver, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 209-236). Free to UCD affiliates. Online version available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations;

The glycosylation patterns of monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) have become very important in determining therapeutic abilities of many drugs. The thesis studied 3 cell lines producing humanized Mabs in the presence of variable concentrations of the reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) to artificially lower the CRP and affect glycan patterns. A new high-throughput hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) method was developed and used to show a decrease in the Galactosylation Index (GI) of NS0 IgG1 by as much as 50% in cultures with CRP values lower than -100 mV. The shift in GI was unique to NS0 cultures; CHO DP-12 indicated no significant change in GI but did have a 7% increase in fucosylated species in cultures with higher [DTT]. Furthermore no DTT related shifts were observed in any of the CHO EG2-hFc glycans. EG2-hFc did however have an exceptionally high GI of 0.625 compared to GIs of 0.245 in DP-12 and 0.314 in NSO. Another component of the trials determined, using S35 radiolabeling, that the assembly pathway of IgG1 progressed via HC→HC2→HC2LC→HC2LC2 and that the ratio of heavy chain dimer to heavy chain monomer increased greatly over time for cultures with higher DTT concentrations. The increase in heavy chain dimers and lower GI appear to be correlated, possibly due to disruption of the disulfide bonds between LC and HC within the Golgi. This disruption in disulfide bonds affecting galactosyltransferase (GalT) activity is supported by the findings that the partially reduced fragments of IgG1; HC and HC2, are less galactosylated than the HC2LC and whole IgG1 when treated with GalT. When native and agalactosylated EG2-hFc and IgG1 were treated with GalT in vitro, EG2-hFc exhibited an almost 10 fold higher activity level. The cause for the higher activity may be due to overall size difference or point mutations in the Fc region of EG2-hFc. Through the manipulation of CRP, glycan patterns can be influenced however the effect is not universal and must be determined on a per cell line basis. Furthermore, EG2-hFc’s higher GI value may translate into better in vivo activity as a therapeutic and determination of reasons for the high GI may lead to better means for future glycoengineering. / February 2015

The ability to formulate monoclonal antibodies at high concentration in a low-viscosity form is of broad interest in drug delivery, as monoclonal antibody-based drugs are now prescribed for cancer, autoimmune disorders, and many other diseases. Herein, we create highly concentrated antibody dispersions (up to 260 mg/mL) via three different methods, utilizing proline as an interacting depletant or trehalose as a non-interacting depletant. These dispersions are able to achieve viscosities an order of magnitude lower than similarly concentrated antibody solutions over a range of formulation pHs. When diluted, these antibody dispersions return to monomer. The proline acts to minimize protein zeta potential, thus reducing the electrostatic repulsion on the protein, even when formulated 3 pH units away from the antibody pI. In addition, it acts as a depletant, forcing the monomers into cluster via osmotic effects / text

No description available.

No description available.

Taura syndrome (TS) is one of the most devastating diseases affecting the shrimp farming industry worldwide. The causative virus, Taura syndrome virus (TSV), has been identified. My work is centred on the development of monoclonal antibodies against TSV. I have also characterized a novel variant of the virus from Venezuela and evaluated the effect of hyperthermia on TSV infection. This work has resulted in 3 manuscripts, which constitute the core of this dissertation. The taxonomy throughout this dissertation is done according to Holthuis (1980).The first manuscript describes the production of a monoclonal antibody reacting with the Belize strain of TSV. The antibody, MAb 2C4, exhibits good sensitivity and specificity for TSV in immunohistochemistry (IHC) and dot blot immunoassay. MAb 2C4 reacted with the TSV-HI94, TSV-SI98 and TSV-BZ02 variants, but not with the TSV-VE05 and TSV-TH05 variants. This antibody adds and improves tools to those available for TSV diagnosis.Chapter three describes a relatively novel variant of TSV from Venezuela, which was characterized by our laboratory. By genetic sequencing, this new isolate exhibits a 94% similarity with TSV-HI94. IHC, dot blot immunoassay and bioassays were also performed. While processed samples reacted only weakly with the TSV monoclonal antibody MAb 1A1, the virus in its native state reacted strongly with the antibody. In bioassays, TSV-VE05 presented mortality comparable to TSV-HI94 in Penaeus vannamei. These data confirm the presence of TSV in Venezuela and that a new variant of the virus was responsible for the outbreak of TS.In chapter four, the behavior of TSV infection under hyperthermic conditions was examined. I compared the susceptibility of Kona stock P. vannamei to the infection by two variants of TSV under hyperthermic conditions (32oC). Shrimp, infected with TSV-HI94, were resistant to infection at high temperature. However, under the same hyperthermic conditions, the challenged shrimp were fully susceptible to the infection by TSV-BZ02. This susceptibility to TSV-BZ02 at higher temperatures was independent both of the route of infection and of the salinity of water. I conjecture that TSV-BZ02 might be a temperature permissible mutant of TSV.

No description available.