Exploring the Native Human Antibody Repertoire to Create Antiviral Therapeutics

Abstract

Native human antibodies are defined as those that arise naturally as the result of the functioning of an intact human immune system. The utility of native antibodies for the treatment of human viral diseases has been established through experience with hyperimmune human globulins. Native antibodies, as a class, differ in some respects from those obtained by recombinant library methods (phage or transgenic mouse) and possess distinct properties that may make them ideal therapeutics

Prophylaxis and Therapy for Chikungunya Virus Infection

“…Human polyclonal antibody preparation and viro-inactivated hyperimmune serum are commonly used for the treatment of human viral infections [21][22][23]. Administration of human Ig against West Nile virus (an arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family) improves neurological virus-associated disease in humans [24,25], and passive immunization with convalescent serum from animals infected with alphaviruses has had a protective effect in animal models [26,27].…”

Discovery of high affinity anti-ricin antibodies by B cell receptor sequencing and by yeast display of combinatorial VH:VLlibraries from immunized animals

“…38 In contrast, antibodies with natively paired heavy and light chains, such as those isolated from hybridomas, express better, and in general show much better stability. 25,26,42 Our methods can therefore potentially streamline the huge amount of effort put into the discovery process. [20][21][22]27,28 Our results support the utility of next-generation sequencing in combinatorial library screening.…”

Emerging alphaviruses in the Americas: Chikungunya and Mayaro

“…The combination of interferon alpha (IFN-α) 2b and ribavirin produces a synergistic anti-CHIKV effect, as demonstrated in an in vitro study 46 . Passive immunization could be an appropriate preventive and therapeutic option for Chikungunya and Mayaro fevers because no alternative therapy is available 47 . In a mouse model, human polyvalent immune globulins extracted and purifi ed from plasma samples of donors in the convalescent phase of CHIKV infection exhibited high neutralizing activity, as well as a powerful therapeutic and prophylactic action against CHIKV infection 48 .…”