Abstract
To treat viral diseases that have no working vaccine, a group of researchers has engineered immune cells to spit out specific antibodies that can fight off a host of infections, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and HIV (Sci. Immunol. 2019, DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aax0644). Engineering these immune cells, called B cells, has been no small feat, say scientists who spoke to C&EN. B cells naturally produce a diverse array of antibodies by randomly mixing and matching different antibody genes. Creating a high-yield system that overrides that natural programming so that the cell reliably produces a specific antibody has been a challenge, says Richard James, who works on B-cell engineering at Seattle Children’s Research Institute but was not involved in the paper. Justin Taylor and his team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center targeted RSV with their B-cell engineering system. RSV strikes children, the elderly, and people whose immune systems are compromised,
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
