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This highly readable textbook serves as a concise and engaging primer to the emerging field of antibody engineering and its various applications. It introduces readers to the basic science and molecular structure of antibodies, and explores how to characterize and engineer them. Readers will find an overview of the latest methods in antibody identification, improvement and biochemical engineering. Furthermore, alternative antibody formats and bispecific antibodies are discussed.The book's content is based on lectures for the specializations “Protein Engineering” and “Medical Biotechnology” within the Master's curriculum in “Biotechnology.” The lectures have been held at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, in cooperation with the Medical University of Vienna, since 2012 and are continuously adapted to reflect the latest developments in the field. The book addresses Master- and PhD students in biotechnology, molecular biology and immunology, and all those who are interested in antibody engineering.

Monoclonal antibodies have become important treatments for cancer, inflammation and a wide range of other diseases, representing an increasing share of the most successful pharmaceutical markets. The technologies to discover these drugs have been developed by select centers of excellence in industry and academia, and are continually being fine tuned in the race to identify the best antibody-based drug candidates and accelerate their paths to patients. The objective of this volume is to provide a series of guides to those evaluating and preparing to enter particular areas within the field and to offer specialized perspectives to established researchers. The chapters set into context the significance of key developments and important considerations for selecting different approaches, such as antibody humanization, isotype selection, lead candidate selection criteria and protein production. All contributors to this work are experts in their fields, and many have played pivotal roles in the creation of these technologies.

Catalytic antibodies have attracted attention because they can combine exquisite specificity with permanent and potent antigen inactivation. The field has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years due to the discovery of antibodies with comparatively efficient peptidase and nuclease activities. In principle, antibody catalysis could serve as a platform technology for curing hitherto intractable human diseases, a potential which is exemplified by the availability of catalysts capable of cleaving biologically important targets such as HIV coat proteins. Equally important, catalytic antibodies to physiologically important target autoantigens have been identified in disease. This volume addresses fundamental questions concerning the immunological genesis of the catalytic activity in antibodies, its relationship with classical antigen binding activity, and the biochemical mechanisms involved in catalysis. The contents reflect three main challenges in the field, i.e. to delineate the biological functions of catalytic antibodies in autoimmune disease; to isolate therapy-grade antibody catalysts with sufficient specificity and turnover to permit rapid removal of microbial and tumor antigens; and to develop immunogens that recruit immature catalyst-producing B cells into the clonal selection pathway and induce adaptive improvements of the catalytic function. Well-edited and up-to-date, this book reviews the current knowledge in the field and explores ways by which natural and engineered catalytic activities can be harnessed for medical applications. It should therefore be of special interest to immunologists, biochemists, biotechnologists, rheumatologists and pathologists.

The Antigens, Volume VI is a comprehensive treatise covering all aspects of antigens, including their chemistry and biology as well as their immunologic role and expression. Parasite antigens and their immunogenicity in infected hosts are explored, along with the nature of the antibody-combining site and the phenomenon of immunological tolerance. Comprised of three chapters, this volume begins with a discussion on the dynamic aspects of the function of antibodies, paying particular attention to the structure of immunoglobulins and the folding of their domains; the dynamics of segmental flexibility; the kinetics of antibody-hapten association and the kinetic expression of elementary interaction; and the conformational transitions within the antibody molecule induced by hapten binding. The next chapter focuses on the immunogenicity of parasite antigens in infected hosts, citing such parasites as trypanosomes, Schistosoma mansoni, and Fasciola hepatica. The last chapter deals with immunological tolerance, its induction and duration, and its effect on the specificity of the immune response. This monograph will be of interest to practitioners and researchers in immunology, experimental and clinical medicine, biochemistry, and other disciplines.

The Antigens, Volume IV is a comprehensive treatise covering all aspects of antigens, including their chemistry and biology as well as their immunologic role and expression. Topics covered range from the immune reactions of lipids and lipid model membranes to the immunology of antibiotics and protective antigens of bacteria. Antigens of pathogenic fungi are also explored, along with adjuvants and antigenic competition. Comprised of seven chapters, this volume begins with a review of lipids as antigens, followed by a discussion on the immunological aspects of antibiotics. The next two chapters are concerned with more complex antigens, namely, bacteria and fungi, as well as the relationship between immunity and infection. The last three chapters deal with three important areas of immunology: antigenic competition, adjuvants, and lectins. In particular, the chemistry of lectins and their application to immunology are examined. This monograph will be of interest to practitioners and researchers in immunology, experimental and clinical medicine, biochemistry, and other disciplines.

The Antigens, Volume III is a comprehensive treatise covering all aspects of antigens, including their chemistry and biology as well as their immunologic role and expression. Topics covered range from microbial polysaccharides and lymphocytic receptors for antigens to antigenic determinants and antibody-combining sites. Allergens and the genetics of allergy are also explored. Comprised of seven chapters, this volume begins with a review of microbial polysaccharides as antigens, followed by a discussion on antigenic determinants and their specific reaction with antibody-combining sites. The reader is then introduced to the reaction of antigens with their specific receptors on lymphocytes. The next four chapters are concerned with several categories of more complex antigens which, in most cases, have yet to be characterized adequately at a molecular level: allergens, histocompatibility antigens, antigens of Mycoplasmatales and chlamydiae, and animal viruses. The book concludes with an analysis of virus infections and the immune responses they elicit. This monograph will be of interest to practitioners and researchers in immunology, experimental and clinical medicine, biochemistry, and other disciplines.

This book provides comprehensive up-to-date information on the structure and function of immunoglobulins. It describes the basic features of these molecules, which assists the reader in understanding how they function as an integral part of the immune system. The Immunoglobulins describes the localization and structure of different binding sites of immunoglobulin molecules, including the antigen-binding site, on the basis of latest x-ray crystallography studies. It discusses recently developed biotechnological methods that allow scientists to obtain fully active antibody molecules in vitro even without immunization and to construct new variants of immunoglobulins and their fragments by fusing with various other active molecules. A survey of recent knowledge on immunoglobulin-binding molecules other than antigens and on flexibility of immunoglobulin molecules concludes the discussion of functional aspects of the problem. Describes recent reviews on the structure and function of immunoglobulin molecules of various species Summarizes in detail recent findings on the fine structure of the antigen-combining site Presents comparative data on the antigen-recognizing sites of other molecules such as MHC proteins and T-cell receptors Summarizes growing data on immunoglobulin binding sites responsible for the reaction of immunoglobulins with molecules other than antigens Explores the rapid advance of recent biotechnological methods used for the construction of antibody molecules and their fragments with new properties Presents extensive references and is lavishly illustrated