A groundbreaking study from the University of Southampton reveals that engineering antibodies to be more rigid significantly enhances their ability to activate immune cells, potentially offering a more powerful approach to immunotherapy. These “super-strong” antibodies could revolutionize cancer treatment. (Artist’s concept.)
Scientists have created a new
type of super-strong antibody that could significantly enhance cancer
immunotherapy.
In an exciting advance for cancer
treatment, scientists have developed a new type of powerful antibody that could
help the immune system fight cancer more effectively.
Researchers at the University of Southampton have
redesigned antibodies, tiny proteins produced by white blood cells to defend
against harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses. By tweaking the shape and
stiffness of these proteins, the team discovered they could make them more
effective at rallying the immune system against cancer cells.
Their newly engineered antibody, which
is more rigid than natural ones, triggered a significantly stronger immune
response in early tests.
Their findings, which were funded by
Cancer Research UK, have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Key Insights From the Study
Professor Mark Cragg, from the Centre
for Cancer Immunology at the University of Southampton, said: “The concept of
using immuno-stimulation for cancer treatment is very exciting.
“Our study confirms that making even
subtle increases in the rigidity of antibodies significantly stimulates immune
activity, creating a powerful immune response against the disease. This
approach works for multiple antibodies targeting different immune receptors.
The ability to engineer these rigid antibodies could help develop more potent
drugs that can stimulate the immune system to target cancer or other diseases.”
The Y-shaped antibodies fight
infections by targeting and then binding onto molecules on the surface of
bacteria and viruses, or even cancerous cells.
Scientists say they created a new type of antibody, which are tiny proteins produced by white blood cells to protect our body from bacteria or viruses.
They can also be engineered to attach
to receptors on immune cells to activate our body’s immune defences.
But not all antibodies do this
effectively, said study co-author Isabel Elliott, a PhD student from
Southampton.
She added: “The shape and flexibility
of antibodies is crucial for how well they can activate immune cells – and we
found more rigid antibodies seem to be better at this. The reason for this is
likely because these rigid antibodies can hold molecules on the immune cells
closer together, which triggers a stronger activation signal. Floppier
antibodies are less likely to do this effectively.”
Engineering
the Antibody Structure
The two arms of antibodies, which give
its Y shape, are linked by a series of bridges, named disulfide bonds.
The Southampton scientists managed to
add extra bridges between the microscopic arms of the antibodies and tested it
against standard variants.
Dr Ivo Tews, a Professor in Structural
Biology at Southampton, added: “We used a supercomputer to visualise the
structure of the antibody in atomic detail, allowing us to position extra
disulfide bonds in the modified antibody.
“The results showed that the
experiment worked and that the new, more rigid antibodies were more effective
at activating immune cells. This idea of controlling antibody activity by
making them more rigid seems to apply to many other similar molecules on immune
cells.”
Executive Director of Research and
Innovation at Cancer Research UK, Dr Iain Foulkes, said: “Refining our
understanding of how to enable our immune systems to fight cancer is a complex
but fundamental step in helping cancer patients to have the best chance of a
good outcome when receiving immunotherapy treatment. Using the latest
technologies to engineer this type of super-strong antibody that could trigger
a promising immune response will empower us to continue pioneering new ways to
outsmart cancer.”
The research was funded by Cancer
Research UK.
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