Antibodies naturally protect against infection because they initiate powerful killing and inflammatory processes.

Aims: In this project we are applying discoveries from our state-of-the-art cancer mAb program to the treatment of intractable infectious disease.

Engineered mABs with improved cancer- killing potency are being adapted to neutralise and destroy pathogens such as HIV and malaria.

Progress: This technology is possible because we have discovered the triggers that allow the antibodies to directly kill infected cells.

The body’s immune system is designed to resist and kill infection. Our successful approach to antibody engineering for cancer therapy is equally applicable an infection as we we can apply our monoclonal antibody engineering to develop new treatments for intractable infection. This is because antibodies to infectious agents harnesses the same potent killing and inflammatory mechanisms that we harness to destroy cancer cells.

We are adapting our engineered monoclonal antibodies for application in infection especially HIV, malaria, TB.

We already have engineered antibodies the 100 times more potent than the natural equivalent.

Significance and outcomes – potential for new therapies:

• New potent killing mAbs therapeutics for chronic or incurable infection
• Simple function-based prediction of for vaccine responses
• A new antibody engineering strategy that can be adapted to generate new medicines for the treatment of other diseases.

Results

Hogarth PM and Pietersz GA. Fc receptor targeted therapies for the treatment of Inflammation, Cancer and Beyond. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 11:311-331 2012.