Antibody structure and function relationships in health and disease prevention

抗体结构和功能在健康和疾病预防中的关系对于宿主防御、疾病预防和治疗，了解免疫系统及其在健康和疾病中的调节是必不可少的。为了实现这一目标，我们的研究重点是抗体遗传学和工程学在疾病预防中的应用。我们实验室发现了牛抗体，这是已知存在于具有独特结构特征的物种中的最大抗体。拟议的研究旨在确定产生这些类型抗体的未知机制，并提高对免疫系统发育过程中抗体多样化的认识。这些研究旨在了解新生儿出生后免疫系统的发育情况，以增强新生儿对感染的宿主防御能力。我们独特的牛抗体的发现为开发新的疗法和疫苗提供了机会，通过设计抗体来预防那些传统疗法无效的疾病，例如病毒感染。最近，我们实验室构建了中和牛疱疹病毒-1的抗病毒抗体片段，因此具有治疗价值。通过结构优化和修饰，将增强抗体片段的多功能效力。研究的重点是通过抗原化来开发针对牛疱疹病毒-1的新型疫苗。牛疱疹病毒-1是一种具有重要经济意义的牛病原体，目前的预防策略并不完全有效，阻碍了根除疾病的努力。意义：抗体遗传学和结构和功能关系的研究将促进对宿主防御的了解，这些知识对于设计新的疗法和疫苗至关重要。了解出生后免疫系统抗体臂的发育将有助于制定加强新生儿免疫以预防感染的策略。针对牛疱疹病毒-1的新疫苗的开发将有助于防止养牛业遭受严重的经济损失。

Antibody Structure and Function relationships in Health and Disease PreventionFor host defence, disease prevention and therapy, knowledge of the immune system and its regulation in health and disease is essential. Towards this goal, our research is focused on antibody genetics and engineering as applied to disease prevention. Our laboratory discovered bovine antibodies, largest known to exist in a species with unique structural characteristics. Proposed studies aim at defining the unknown mechanisms that generate these kinds of antibody and, also, advance knowledge of antibody diversification during immune system development. The studies aim at understanding the development of post-birth neonatal immune system to enhance host defence ability of newborns against infections. Our discovery of unique bovine antibodies offers an opportunity to develop novel therapies and vaccines, by designing antibodies, for prevention of those diseases where conventional therapies fail, for example, viral infections. Recently, our laboratory constructed anti-viral antibody fragment that neutralizes bovine herpes virus-1 and is, thus, of therapeutic value. The multi-functional potency of antibody fragment will be enhanced via structural optimization and modification. Studies are focused on developing novel vaccine via 'antigenization' against bovine herpes virus-1, an economically significant cattle pathogen for which current prevention strategies are not fully effective hampering disease eradication efforts.Significance: Studies of antibody genetics and 'structure and function' relationships will advance knowledge of host defence essential to designing new therapeutics and vaccines. An understanding of the development of antibody arm of the immune system post-birth will help develop strategies to strengthen immunity of newborn to prevent infections. Development of new vaccines against bovine herpes virus-1 will help prevent serious economic losses to cattle industry.