Engineering humoral immunity as prophylaxis or therapy.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Gene Therapy
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Humoral immunity is traditionally engineered via vaccination or monoclonal antibody (mAb) transfer.
• Engineered antibodies offer precise targeting for disease intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the field of engineered humoral immunity, focusing on viral vector-mediated in vivo antibody production.
• To explore this strategy as an alternative to traditional vaccines and as novel therapeutics.

Main Methods:

• Delivery of antibody-encoding transgenes via viral vectors for host cell expression and secretion.
• Utilizing adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for clinical translation.

Main Results:

• Viral vectors can mediate long-term expression of broadly neutralizing antibodies for disease prevention and treatment.
• Successful application in animal models for infectious diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and addiction.
• Adeno-associated virus vectors are leading platforms for clinical translation.

Conclusions:

• Vector-mediated antibody expression presents a novel therapeutic strategy for precise manipulation of humoral immunity.
• Potential for preventing intractable infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, malaria, HCV) and treating neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., Alzheimer's disease).
• Offers an alternative to conventional immunogen-based vaccine design.