Lecture 20

Question 1

Autologous CART-T cell therapies

Answer 1

Using patient T-cells and engineering them to recognise specific tumours antigens and kill them. T-cells express CARs to allow this. Lots of labour. Allogenic CAR-T cell therapy (donation) but risks graft-vs-host disease and immune rejection.

Question 2

Stem cell transplant

Answer 2

Donation -> stem cell separated from blood -> stem cells given to patient after chemo/radiation therapy -> stem cells travel to bone marrow and produce healthy RBCs.

Challenges incl. donor matching and rejection.

Question 3

Faecal microbiota transplantation

Answer 3

Using donor faeces to recolonise gut microbiome of patient.

Question 4

Antibodies/Immunoglobulins

Answer 4

Proteins produced by B-cells in response to antigens. They are specific. Y-shaped molecule with 4pp chains (2 heavy, 2 light). Arms are called fab region (fragment antigen binding) while stick is FC region. In Fab region, also variable region where antigens bins (on tips of arms) in fc region also consistent region where antibodies bind to immune effector cells (called constant as shape is constant across all antibodies).

Question 5

Polyclonal

Answer 5

mix of antibodies that recognise different epitopes of the same antigen

Question 6

Monoclonal

Answer 6

Identical antibodies that bind to an epitope of an antigen. Single clone of immune cells.

Question 7

recombinant

Answer 7

Utilising plasmids to produce antibodies

Question 8

monospecific

Answer 8

Only bind to one epitope of an antigen

Question 9

Bispecific

Answer 9

Bind to two different epitopes on one antigen or one epitope on 2 different antigens.

Question 10

conjugated

Answer 10

antibody linked to toxin

Question 11

Disruption of survival signals

Answer 11

Bind to receptors to prevent cell proliferation

Question 12

Activation of immune cells

Answer 12

Natural killer cells (Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity), Macrophages (Antibody-Dependent Cellular Phagocytosis), Complement protein (Complement-Dependent Cytotoxicity)

Question 13

T-cell engagers

Answer 13

Recognises antigen on T-cell and on tumour cell, binding to them stimulating. They act as a bridge which allows release of perforins which lyses cells

Question 14

Non-T-Cell engager

Answer 14

Recognises 2 different antigens on tumour cells. Blocks proliferation signalling pathways. Activates immune cells.

Question 15

Conjugates mechanisms of actions

Answer 15

Links cytotoxic drug to tumour cell leading to cell death.

Question 16

Challenges an future directions

Answer 16

Immune response: Allergic, serum sickness

Therapeutic Abs recognised as foreign activating immune and innate reactions. Costs, scalability, delivery, drug resistance. Engineering Fc region where you can modify carbs on that region. You can mutate it or swap Fc regions.