Isolation of antibodies from non-human primates for clinical use

Antibodies intended for clinical use have been isolated from non-human primates (NHP), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and macaques (Macaca fascicularis and Macaca mulatta), essentially with the use of the phage-display technology. All studies presenting such isolations have been reviewed and presented here, following the main steps of this technology, and advantages and disadvantages of NHP species were analyzed. Optimization of the tolerance of chimeric NHP-human antibodies by germline humanization was mentioned, and the recent alleviation of legal constraints was revealed. The methodology combining the use of phage-displayed libraries built from immunised NHP with germline humanization should be chosen more frequently to develop well-tolerated IgGs, directed against infectious or human antigens.