Production of murine monoclonal antibodies against metastasis-associated antigens of prostate cancer cells using subtractive immunization

• Grant number: 14/23738-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: December 01, 2015 - November 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Andrei Moroz
• Grantee: Andrei Moroz
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ana Marisa Fusco Almeida ; Athanase Billis ; Elenice Deffune ; Marcel Otavio Cerri ; Maria José Soares Mendes Giannini ; Sérgio Luis Felisbino ; Wagner José Fávaro

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy in men and the second leading cause of male cancer-related deaths in America and in the Western world. In Brazil, the estimated number of new cases was 68.800 for the year of 2014. The most lethal PCa form is the castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), for which available treatments grant median survival of 24 months for affected patients, however, there are no definite cure treatments for this form of prostate cancer. Currently, adjuvant therapies for chemotherapy and radiotherapy are of great relevance, immunotherapy being one of most importance, which employs monoclonal antibodies, tools that also have great value for diagnosis and staging of PCa. In this sense, this research project aims to obtain and characterize a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies directed specifically against human prostate tumor cells. These antibodies, after obtained, will be tested in human prostate tumoral tissue stored at pathology services, to validate their diagnosis/staging applications. Moreover, the best monoclonal antibodies obtained in this project will be studied at in vitro assays to screen for their potential direct or immune mediated antitumoral effects. After the characterization and description of the target antigens recognized by these monoclonal antibodies, it will be possible to deposit patents on the produced clones, and to obtain novel national antibodies, that could help in the diagnosis/staging of PCa. Additionally, monoclonal antibodies with antitumoral properties can, in the future, be humanized and employed in PCa immunotherapy. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE ALMEIDA, RODRIGO; NAKAMURA, CECILIA NAOMI; DE LIMA FONTES, MARINA; DEFFUNE, ELENICE; FELISBINO, SERGIO LUIS; KANENO, RAMON; FAVARO, WAGNER JOSE; BILLIS, ATHANASE; CERRI, MARCEL OTAVIO; FUSCO-ALMEIDA, ANA MARISA; et al. Enhanced immunization techniques to obtain highly specific monoclonal antibodies. mAbs, v. 10, n. 1, p. 46-54, 2018. (15/21884-0, 14/23738-8, 16/07047-0)