Description of Invention:
Activated human leukocytes play an essential role in counter-adaptive immune responses such as allograft rejection, autoimmune disease, and graft-versus-host disease. Depletion of leukocytes involved in these responses by using preparations of leukocytes-specific antibodies may be therapeutic in preventing and reversing these conditions. To date, however, the available monoclonal preparations do not have sufficiently broad specificity to limit the activity of many types of cells involved in counter-adaptive immunity, and the available polyclonal preparations have significant side effects caused by their unintended specificity for bystander cells or cells with beneficial properties.
The NIH announces a new treatment for blocking an undesirable immune response, wherein polyclonal antibodies are designed to preferentially target activated immune cells, rather than resting immune cells or blood cells involved in non-immune processes. These antibodies have a heightened specificity for activated lymphocytes and monocytes and decreased activity for resting or beneficial leukocytes and other blood elements.
Inventors:
He Xu and Allan D. Kirk (NIDDK)
Patent Status:
DHHS Reference No. E-102-2004/0 --
U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/581,201 filed 18 Jun 2004
PCT Application No. PCT/US2005/21364 filed 16 Jun 2005, which published as WO 2006/033688 on 30 Mar 2006
U.S. Patent Application No. 11/629,934 filed 18 Dec 2006
For Additional Information Please Contact: Tara L. Kirby Ph.D.
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301)435-4426
Email: tarak@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301)402-0220
