Increasing the Reuse of Protein Non-Naïve Nonhuman Primates in Pharmaceutical Drug Discovery and Development: An Overview and Industry Position on the Challenges and Benefits.

The IQ Consortium NHP Reuse Working Group (WG) comprises members from 15 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In 2020, the WG developed and distributed a detailed questionnaire on protein non-naïve NHP reuse to the WG member companies. The WG received responses from key stakeholders including principal investigators, facility managers, animal welfare officers and research scientists.

When to Extend Monitoring of Anti-drug Antibodies for High-risk Biotherapeutics in Clinical Trials: an Opinion from the European Immunogenicity Platform.

The determination of a tailored anti-drug antibody (ADA) testing strategy is based on the immunogenicity risk assessment to allow a correlation of ADAs with changes to pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety. The clinical impact of ADA formation refines the immunogenicity risk assessment and defines appropriate risk mitigation strategies. Health agencies request for high-risk biotherapeutics to extend ADA monitoring for patients that developed an ADA response to the drug until ADAs return to baseline levels.

Templating S100A9 amyloids on Aβ fibrillar surfaces revealed by charge detection mass spectrometry, microscopy, kinetic and microfluidic analyses.

The mechanism of amyloid co-aggregation and its nucleation process are not fully understood in spite of extensive studies. Deciphering the interactions between proinflammatory S100A9 protein and Aβ peptide in Alzheimer's disease is fundamental since inflammation plays a central role in the disease onset. Here we use innovative charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS) together with biophysical techniques to provide mechanistic insight into the co-aggregation process and differentiate amyloid complexes at a single particle level.

How Full-Length FVIII Benefits from Its Heterogeneity - Insights into the Role of the B-Domain.

Purpose: To explore how the natural heterogeneity of human coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and the processing of its B-domain specifically modulate protein aggregation.

Methods: Recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) molecular species containing 70% or 20% B-domain, and B-domain-deleted rFVIII (BDD-rFVIII), were separated from full-length recombinant FVIII (FL-rFVIII). Purified human plasma-derived FVIII (pdFVIII) was used as a comparator.

IVIG induces apoptotic cell death in CD56 NK cells resulting in inhibition of ADCC effector activity of human PBMC.

The mechanism of the efficacy of Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases is not well understood. This study aimed at understanding mechanisms of IVIG-mediated suppression of effector cell activities of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). We were particularly interested in CD56 NK cells, the main ADCC effector cells in PBMC.

A Flow-Cytometry-Based Approach to Facilitate Quantification, Size Estimation and Characterization of Sub-visible Particles in Protein Solutions.

Purpose: Sub-visible particles were shown to facilitate unwanted immunogenicity of protein therapeutics. To understand the root cause of this phenomenon, a comprehensive analysis of these particles is required. We aimed at establishing a flow-cytometry-based technology to analyze the amount, size distribution and nature of sub-visible particles in protein solutions.

Quantifying stickiness: thermodynamic characterization of intramolecular domain interactions to guide the design of förster resonance energy transfer sensors.

The introduction of weak, hydrophobic interactions between fluorescent protein domains (FPs) can substantially increase the dynamic range (DR) of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based sensor systems. Here we report a comprehensive thermodynamic characterization of the stability of a range of self-associating FRET pairs. A new method is introduced that allows direct quantification of the stability of weak FP interactions by monitoring intramolecular complex formation as a function of urea concentration.

Development of a transgenic mouse model with immune tolerance for human coagulation factor VIIa.

Purpose: Human factor VIIa (FVIIa) is commonly used as bypassing therapy to treat bleeding episodes in hemophilia patients with neutralizing antibodies to factors VIII (FVIII) or IX (FIX). There is a need for a suitable animal model to assess the immunogenicity of new FVIIa products during preclinical development. The aim of this study was the design of a novel transgenic mouse model with immune tolerance to human FVIIa.

On the transfer of cooperative self-assembled π-conjugated fibrils to a gold substrate.

The transfer of the cooperative self-assembled fibrils to a gold substrate has been studied by means of scanning probe microscopy techniques revealing the crucial role of the early formation of a monolayer.

Lability landscape and protease resistance of human insulin amyloid: a new insight into its molecular properties.

Amyloid formation is a universal behavior of proteins central to many important human pathologies and industrial processes. The extreme stability of amyloids towards chemical and proteolytic degradation is an acquired property compared to the precursor proteins and is a major prerequisite for their accumulation. Here, we report a study on the lability of human insulin amyloid as a function of pH and amyloid ageing.

Ultrathin silver nanowires produced by amyloid biotemplating.

By using a self-assembled amyloid from lysozyme as biotemplate we produced an ultrathin silver wire of 1 nm diameter and up to 2 mum in length, which is at the limit attainable in nanobiotechnological manufacturing. We showed that 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol produces a dual effect: it reduces ionic silver to colloidal nanoparticles with a regular size, depending on the length of incubation, and induces fibrillar assembly into the amyloid scaffold, forming the hollow channel filled with silver.

A false paradise - mixed blessings in the protein universe: the amyloid as a new challenge in drug development.

Significant advances in therapeutic applications of proteins and peptides have brought new challenges in the field of drug development. Ordered protein aggregation known as amyloid formation has recently emerged as a universal phenomenon due to extensive research in protein folding and amyloid diseases. The amyloid represents a new generic structure characterized by cross-beta-sheet formation in its core, which implies that any polypeptide can adopt this conformation under amyloid-prone conditions.

Differential neuroimmune markers to the onset of Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration and dementia: autoantibodies to Abeta((25-35)) oligomers, S100b and neurotransmitters.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) autoimmunity is a focus for dementia prevention. Generated autoantibodies against major etiopathogenic molecular targets as neuroimmune markers of dementia were measured by ELISA in patient sera. Biphasic antibody levels to Abeta((25-35)) oligomers, S100b and DA were detected during distinctly diagnosed dementia stages.

Engrafting fetal liver cells into multiple tissues of healthy adult mice without the use of immunosuppressants.

We have shown the fetal liver cell engraftments into multiple tissues of adult healthy mice, achieved without suppressing the animals' immune systems. Fetal cells from the livers of male C57Bl/6J Black lineage mice at day 13 to 15 of gestation were injected intravenously into female adult CC57W/MY White mice. The grafting was evaluated by Y-chromosome-specific PCR, cytometric analysis of fluorescently stained donor cells, and histological analysis.

Does the cytotoxic effect of transient amyloid oligomers from common equine lysozyme in vitro imply innate amyloid toxicity?

In amyloid diseases, it is not evident which protein aggregates induce cell death via specific molecular mechanisms and which cause damage because of their mass accumulation and mechanical properties. We showed that equine lysozyme assembles into soluble amyloid oligomers and protofilaments at pH 2.0 and 4.

Fibrillation of carrier protein albebetin and its biologically active constructs. Multiple oligomeric intermediates and pathways.

We showed that the genetically engineered carrier-protein albebetin and its biologically active constructs with interferon-alpha(2) octapeptide LKEKKYSP or differentiation factor hexapeptide TGENHR are inherently highly amyloidogenic at physiological pH. The kinetics of fibrillation were monitored by thioflavine-T (ThT) binding and the morphological changes by atomic force microscopy. Fibrillation proceeds via multiple pathways and includes a hierarchy of amyloid structures ranging from oligomers to protofilaments and fibrils.

Amyloid protofilaments from the calcium-binding protein equine lysozyme: formation of ring and linear structures depends on pH and metal ion concentration.

The calcium-binding equine lysozyme has been found to undergo conversion into amyloid fibrils during incubation in solution at acidic pH. At pH 4.5 and 57 degrees C, where equine lysozyme forms a partially unfolded molten globule state, the protein forms protofilaments with a width of ca.