Kenta’s technology for the generation and selection of an advanced class of fully human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) combines the advantages of classical hybridoma technology with a unique specific heteromyeloma fusion cell line.
Kenta's technology for the generation and selection of an advanced class of fully human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) combines the advantages of classical hybridoma technology with a unique specific heteromyeloma fusion cell line.
The most effective antibodies are generated by immunocompetent individuals (people who have an intact immune system). Kenta Biotech has developed a method of selecting B-cells isolated either from healthy individuals who have been actively immunised with a vaccine against the target organism, or from individuals who have successfully defeated an infection caused by the target pathogen. Antibodies produced by these B-cells are by definition highly relevant for the body's defence against the pathogen, and therefore are the ideal source for generation of highly protective MAbs.
The major hurdle in the exploitation of the therapeutic value of human MAbs has been the inability to easily select and culture antigen-induced antibody-producing human B cells and to use them to construct continuous MAb-producing cell lines. We have defined the properties of circulating antigen-specific human B-cells recruited through the immune response to polysaccharide and protein antigens, and have optimised their enrichment and propagation in culture for the production of fully human MAbs.
After isolation these highly antigen-specific human B-cells are immortalised employing a specific heteromyeloma cell line as fusion partner, which generates stable hybridomas for large scale manufacturing of our fully human MAbs.
Kenta's therapeutic antibodies are of completely human origin. Human-specific epitope recognition maximises the antibodies' protection and effector functions and minimises the risk of adverse reactions. The generation of Kenta's therapeutic antibodies does not require any genetic engineering steps that are time consuming and are protected by third party intellectual property rights.
The following figure illustrates the key differences of Kenta's technology from other technologies:
