MUCOSAL PLANTIBODIES: A HUMAN ANTISPERM SIGA

总体目标是开发一种基于抗体的屏障避孕杀微生物剂。本申请限于人抗精子分泌伊加（SigA）的生产和体外评价，其在玉米中以高水平表达。SigA抗体是非炎性的，并且是粘膜表面上的主要同种型抗体，并且保护通常与胃肠道、呼吸道和泌尿生殖道的粘液分泌物中的SigA抗体水平相关。抗体在免疫性不育中的作用、它们的效力和抗体的特异性使它们成为用于女性受控屏障方法的候选者。这些研究将证明在植物中制备避孕植物体的可行性，并为临床开发提供合适的低成本产品。拟定商业应用：以抗体为基础的技术在全身性治疗方面已经取得了成果，但是抗体尚未开发的商业应用是在粘膜预防方面。阴道避孕杀微生物剂是粘膜抗体的一个重要应用，但该技术是如此灵活，以至于它很容易扩展到其他避孕和生殖健康应用或预防其他粘膜部位病原体引起的疾病。

The overall goal is to develop an antibody based, barrier contraceptive microbicide. This application is limited to the production and in vitro evaluation of a human anti-sperm secretory IgA (SigA), that is expressed at high levels in corn. SigA antibodies are non-inflammatory and the predominant isotype of antibody on mucosal surfaces, and protection generally correlates with levels of SigA antibodies in the mucus secretions of the gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts. The role of antibodies in immune infertility, their potency, and specificity of antibodies make their candidates for use in female controlled-barrier methods. These studies will demonstrate the feasibility of making a contraceptive plantibody in plants and provide a suitable low cost product for clinical development. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Antibody-based technology is now coming to fruition for systemic therapeutics, but eh untapped commercial applications for antibodies are in mucosal prevention. A vaginal contraceptive microbicide is one important application for mucosal antibodies, but the technology is so flexible that it is readily extended to other contraceptive and reproductive health applications or to the prevention of diseases by pathogens at other mucosal sites.