antibodies

The body protects itself from invading viruses and bacteria using antibodies, but when a new threat emerges it takes time for the body to produce new ones. A new system from Berkeley Lab should speed up the discovery of new artificial antibodies.

A collaboration between physicists and immunologists has provided new insights into ways to optimize the efficacy of oral vaccines. The research is working towards an oral hepatitis B vaccine that is safer, cheaper and more easily administered than the current injectable alternative.

The first step in many cancer treatments is to surgically remove the tumor, however this often isn’t enough. As long as a few cancer cells remain the tumors often grow back, but a new innovative spray gel, administered onto a cancerous site during surgery, may help prevent the tumors recurring.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three scientists who tapped into evolution to produce vital chemicals. It was awarded to Frances H. Arnold for directing the evolution of enzymes, and to George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter, who manipulated phages to create new antibodies.

Mostly known for its lustrous fleece and predilection for vigorous spitting, the humble alpaca may soon be more famous for its novel immune system. A study has discovered that the animals produce a unique nanobody that could be recruited into a new treatment for cancer.

HIV is a life sentence, but it can be managed through antiretroviral therapy. New clinical trials in humans have shown that drugs based on two antibodies naturally found in some people can put HIV into hiding for months at a time.

Melanoma, a common type of skin cancer, is traditionally detected via observing changes in irregular moles, and then conducting a skin biopsy. A team has now developed a blood test that can detect melanoma in its early stages, reducing the need for expensive, and frequently unnecessary biopsies.

After successful and safe clinical trials, the FDA has approved a first-of-its-kind migraine preventative medicine. It's the first in an entirely new class of drugs designed to block the activity of a specific peptide known to activate migraines that has been cleared for public use by the agency.

Researchers from Washington University have tested a new weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s. In mice, the team has demonstrated an antibody that can clear away the disease’s build-up of proteins in the brain, which may lead to an early-stage treatment to prevent symptoms from occurring.

Researchers have revealed the mechanism behind an antibody that can potentially inactivate the body's allergic processes.​ The breakthrough brings researchers one step closer to developing a universal treatment that can prevent the fundamental immune response at the heart of all allergic reactions.

A new antibody treatment developed specifically for migraine prevention has just completed Phase III human clinical trials with remarkably positive results, raising hopes of a possible revolution on the horizon for sufferers of this debilitating condition.

Stem cells are the blank slate on which all the specialized cells in our bodies are built, and finding ways to revert adult cells back to that stage can help fight a whole range of illnesses. Now scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have found human antibodies that can perform the function.