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Source: Trellis Bioscience
10.26.2007

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 26, 2007): Scientists from Trellis Bioscience are presenting data today on their discovery of monoclonal antibodies from human blood against a target protein of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The antibodies were identified and isolated directly from the antibody producing B cells of RSV-infected patients, using a proprietary process called CellspotTM developed at Trellis. These human anti-RSV antibodies are being evaluated for therapeutic utility in animal models of RSV infection. Findings are being presented at the RSV 2007 Symposium held at Marco Island, Florida.

"RSV is a major cause of serious respiratory infections in children under age four, the elderly and immunocompromised patients, resulting in almost one million hospitalizations annually," remarked Bruce Keyt, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Research of Trellis Bioscience. "There is no specific therapy for these patients. Our research indicates that we may be able to target a key protein involved in viral pathogenesis, the G protein also known as the "attachment factor", and have a therapeutic effect. This poster demonstrates that using our proprietary platform technology, CellSpot, we were able to isolate antibodies against the G protein directly from the blood of infected patients."

Trellis' technology was invented to overcome the deficiencies of current screening methods for high performance antibodies: limited throughput and a small number of screening parameters.

CellSpot can isolate superior antibodies by simultaneously screening on ten different parameters such as specificity, affinity, and cross-reactivity with other antigens. The very high throughput capability to screen up to 1,000,000 cells in several days allows the identification of low frequency antibodies that would have otherwise escaped detection. The technology enables finding antibodies directly from human blood cells.

External Link: http://www.trellisbio.com/news.php