The U.S researchers have discovered a new technology to identify and clone human antibodies specifically tailored to fight infections. Thanks to this discovery, the scientists might be able to quickly and effectively create new treatments for influenza and a variety of other communicable diseases.

The antibodies are created by the immune system, when an infection is present. Most of the antibodies created will have no effect, but a very few will bond to the invader and replicate to neutralize the infection.

In their research, published in Nature, OMRF’s Patrick Wilson, Ph.D., and J. Donald Capra, M.D., and Emory’s Rafi Ahmed, Ph.D., and Jens Wrammert, Ph.D. describe a new process through which they developed a “smart bomb” for the immune system.

They have used fully human monoclonal antibodies specifically designed to fight the infection without doing any harm to the body.

The OMRF and Emory researchers isolated antibody-secreting cells (plasma cells) from people who had received the influenza vaccine, then cloned the antibody genes from these cells.

“We can recognize which cells are made and then make antibodies from them directly,” Wilson said. “It’s a rapid and efficient way to make fully human antibodies.”

The scientists explained that their research was aimed at combating influenza, but it can be used to create treatments for any condition—such as anthrax or smallpox—for which a vaccine already exists.

"With just a few tablespoons of blood, we can now rapidly generate human antibodies that can be used for immunization, diagnosis and treatment of newly emerging strains of influenza," Wilson says. "In the face of a disease outbreak, the ability to quickly produce infection-fighting human monoclonal antibodies would be invaluable."

Wilson and his clinical collaborator, OMRF’s Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., are currently working to make more antibodies from other infections—including hepatitis C, pneumococcal pneumonia, and anthrax.

“Vaccines can activate the immune system, but they need time to take effect, and many offer less than 100 percent protection and carry risks of side effects,” OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D., said. “With further research and testing, this new method might allow a nurse going into the center of an outbreak to receive a shot to keep her safe from infection. Soldiers in the field could keep a shot of anti-anthrax in their packs in case of a biological attack.”

With more research, this new technology could also be the key factor in fighting diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cancer, Prescott added.