Patent Evaluation: A Method of Producing Autoantibodies

Summary

Novelty: A method of producing autoantibodies which are reactive with an antigen characteristic of an autoimmune disease is provided. The method is claimed to be capable of producing autoantibodies reproducibly and in large quantities, and may provide a simplified method of diagnosing autoimmune disease and for screening for substances with therapeutic effect.

Biology: Lymphocytes from a donor suffering from an autoimmune disease are administered to an immunodeficient mammal. Once reconstitution of immune cells has occurred, an animal producing the desired autoantibodies is selected, its B cells are immortalised and cultured to produce the autoantibodies. The production of human autoantibodies reactive to islet cells by the transfer of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from type I diabetic patients to SCID mice is described.