Translational applications of antibody phage display

Recent developments in molecular immunology have facilitated the expression of immune repertoires in the form of immunoglobulin fragments on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage. Such approaches, known as "phage display", have provided powerful tools for producing monoclonal antibodies for research, clinical, and therapeutic applications. Our laboratory has combined these techniques with novel selection methods to isolate extraordinarily large arrays of human antibodies that can be used for developing new diagnostic reagents and methods for their use, as well as reagents that may serve as leads for the design of novel therapeutic molecules. In particular, application of phage display to the study of antibody-mediated autoimmune disease, notably idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and pemphigus have facilitated comprehensive genetic and serologic analyses of pathogenic autoantibodies thereby offering new insights into disease pathophysiology and approaches for their treatment.