PROTEIN – ANTIBODY CONJUGATES

PROTEIN – ANTIBODY CONJUGATES

Subject : Science & tech

Context : Recently, the researchers from University of Massachusetts have tested the mechanism ‘Protein–Antibody Conjugates’ in cell lines in the lab.

Concept :

Protein–Antibody Conjugates

• The new concept, Protein– Antibody Conjugates or PACs, combines two different approaches to drug delivery:
• One is biologics, where the idea is to target a defective protein in the system by delivering proteins to it.
• The other approach is to use antibodies for drug delivery.
• The antibodies are something the body produces to detect a foreign substance inside the body.
• The Protein–antibody conjugates or PACs, developed by the group, which have a protein attached to the antibody such as pancreatic cancer cells.

Significance of Protein–Antibody Conjugates

• The antibody plays the role of the address and indicates the cell where the drug should precisely be delivered.
• The biology involves complexity and this method may well fail if it is not tuneable.
• It combines concepts of biologics and antibody–drug conjugates to produce protein– antibody conjugates that can be used for targeted drug delivery.

What is antibody conjugation?

• Antibody conjugation, also known as antibody labeling, is a technique for modification of antibodies which involves with the attachment of a specific tag to an antibody.
• These labeled antibodies can be used to isolate and purify a protein of interest from a complex mixture, usually cells, tissues or whole organisms.
• Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is a commonly used enzyme for conjugation of antibodies.