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Antibody therapy on the horizon for C. difficile
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SAN FRANCISCO — Researchers are closer to developing antibody therapy against Clostridium difficile. Sylvia Wong, a graduate student at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research at the University of Toronto, and colleagues have developed human synthetic antibodies that could potentially inhibit the toxins produced by C. difficile.
“Two of the toxins generated by C. difficile, toxin A and toxin B, are currently thought to perpetrate the symptoms of the infection,” Wong said at a press briefing. “A third toxin, C. difficile transferase toxin (CDT), also plays an unclear role. Importantly, the BI/NAP1/027strain of C. difficile, which is associated with a majority of the hospital outbreaks, produces all three toxins.”
CDT binds to the lipolysis-stimulated lipoprotein receptor (LSR), but the receptors for toxins A and B are unknown. Wong and colleagues generated a synthetic antibody that binds to both toxin A and B. Toxins A and B are used to detect C. difficile, but the sensitivity at detecting the toxins is poor.
“In addition to their potential therapeutic role in the treatment of C. difficile, we are hoping that the antibodies produced in our research will also be used as a diagnostic tool to detect the presence of the toxins and, thereby, improve the accuracy of C. difficile diagnosis.”
In another study presented at the meeting, researchers from UCB Pharma in the United Kingdom tested a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes C. difficile toxins A and B. In the preclinical model, the treatment offered 100% protection during the first 11 days of infection and 82% protection out to 28 days during the chronic/reinfection phase.
For more information:
Wong S. #F-1537.
Humphreys D. #B-1738.
Both presented at: 52nd ICAAC; Sept. 9-12, 2012; San Francisco.
Disclosure: Wong reports no relevant financial disclosures.