Antibodies for HIV, Long Dismissed, Show Signs of Comeback at Seattles Theraclone
Summary
What if scientists could pinpoint exactly what’s going on in their immune system that keeps the virus at bay, put it in a bottle, and market it as a treatment for the vast majority of people who aren’t so genetically gifted?“That’s the key.” Theraclone reported some intriguing data on its program a week ago at the HIV Immunobiology Meeting in Keystone, CO, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.The company’s scientists look at blood or tissue samples from patients, and identify antibodies that are made by people’s immune systems against foreign invaders like viruses or bacteria.Mother Nature has evolved pretty efficient defenses against these infectious invaders, so the company’s philosophy is to follow these clues, and make genetically engineered copies of these antibodies as drugs.If it can get enough financial backing, possibly from a partner, it envisions taking forward a combination of antibodies, a so-called “polyclonal” brew that could attack the HIV virus from a variety of angles.