Therapeutic antibodies are biopharmaceuticals widely used to treat cancer, autoimmunity, and inflammatory diseases or for drug delivery to the target antigen, most of which are monoclonal antibodies. The therapeutic antibody recognizes and binds to the antigen receptor to activate or inhibit a series of biological processes for blocking cancer cell growth or triggering the immune system. The mechanism of action between therapeutic antibody and small molecule pharmaceutical is dramatically different, even though they target the same antigen site. Compared to small-molecule pharmaceuticals, therapeutic antibodies possess high affinity, high specificity, and low immunogenicity properties. It is essentially a monoclonal antibody that can recognize and bind to a unique epitope. Here at KSAS, we use three different approaches; a) develop the antibody by replacing the Fab region of IgG and add the target receptors for pro-inflammatory molecule, b) developing more specific Fab by modification of specific region within Fab, and c) development of bispecific antibodies.
An illustration of inflammatory response of TNF-a.
Vaccine is the most efficient safeguard against a viral infection. Though nucleic acid-based vaccines are most preferred as of now, it has risk associated with unwanted side effects and r genome integration. Protein-based vaccines are the safest vaccine. Protein vaccines are comparatively safer tools because of definite half life inside a living organism that doesn’t poses a permanent genome integration risk and generates a higher antigenic response compared to nucleic acid-based vaccines. As a safer and better efficient alternative, KSAS team, along with INADS USA, is working on protein-based vaccines for several existing viral infections.
Cancer, a complex and often formidable adversary, is a disease that fundamentally alters the way our cells behave. One of the most important limitations with available chemotherapy and medicines is discrimination of cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Naturally available or herbal molecules are proven to be helpful to some extent for various kinds of cancers. We have also exploited the same approach and with existing results of our preliminary studies on plant-based medicinal molecule/s, we have found that the molecule/s we are working on has a specific tendency to target only cancer cells. This mechanism involves targeting a specific pathway in cancerous cells that is well proven to be disturbed to give rise to this condition. Our approach is four pronged: A. killing tumour cells, B. affecting specifically cancerous cells, C. converting cancerous cells to normal cells by inhibiting the tumour generating molecules and complex formation, D. differentiating the cancerous cells. Thus, finding new medicines which will not only develop future treatments for cancer, it will provide a holistic treatment.
SCI is a traumatic, life-altering, challenging and devastating injury that changes the life-quality of persons drastically. Managing SCI, providing support and rehabilitation are resource-intensive endeavors. A comprehensive review of SCI provided by Cripps et al. has shown that the rate of prevalence is from 236 to 1009 per million, majority being from developed countries including North America, and leading etiology being four-wheeled motor vehicle accidents. An estimate (2020) of the annual incidence of SCI is 54 cases per million, in the United States, and about 17,810 new cases each year (Jain et al., 2015) and people living with SCI in United States range from 250,000 to 368,000. Also, less than 1% of persons experienced a complete neurological recovery by the time of discharge.
KSAS, along with its parent organization INADS (Institute of Advanced Sciences), USA, is developing a mRNA based therapeutics to regenerate the active neurons after injury. At KSAS we are working on two different approaches:
- Axonal regeneration by inhibition of activation of an inhibitory molecule
- miRNA-based treatment for spinal cord injuries
Image showing important molecules in regulating different pathways for axonal regeneration.
Diagram showing construction of CAR and its mechanism of action.
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) is a groundbreaking immunotherapy approach commonly used in the treatment of certain types of cancer. It involves genetically modifying a patient's own T cells (a type of immune cell) to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) on their surface. This modified CAR-T cell can then recognize and target specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells. At KSAS, along with INADS USA. We are working on a project aimed at modifying T cells in order to target our own antibody-producing B cells for developing a therapeutics based on engineered T-cells.
