Feasibility study to determine whether new generation catalytic antibodies can overcome existing limitations for future use in clinical settings.

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Research into the therapeutic use of catalytic antibodies stretches back over 30 years but to date there is not a single example of success in the clinic. This is in stark contrast to the ever-expanding use of antibodies to treat a range of diseases when they are used as binders and modulators of protein function. This feasibility study aims to answer whether this imbalance can be redressed through the utilisation of novel techniques now available in antibody research (specifically improved antibody phage libraries and bispecific antibody technologies) combined with an examination of the therapeutic and commercial potential of catalytic antibodies should the primary issues of poor catalytic efficiency and selectivity as compared to the natural enzymes be addressed. As a test case we have chosen to try and make catalytic antibodies that share the therapeutically useful properties of streptococcal IgG endopeptidase but lack the enzyme's immunogenicity, which seriously limits its clinical potential.