Medical & Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd. (MBL), with the collaboration of Osaka University, has successfully generated several fully human monoclonal antibodies against pandemic A (H1N1 and H3N2) type influenza virus by utilizing blood samples from volunteers who were inoculated with influenza vaccine.
Professor Kazuyoshi Ikuta, Ph. D., at the Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, has confirmed through in vitro experiments that the fully generated human antibodies can neutralize H3N2 influenza virus strains. Professor Ikuta is now evaluating the preventative and therapeutic effects in an infected mouse model. After completing in vivo experiments in infected animal models with the neutralizing antibodies, MBL plans to commence a collaborative clinical development program with a pharmaceutical company. These neutralizing human IgG antibodies against the influenza virus are expected to be effective in severe infections. In combination with anti-viral drugs these antibodies will have greater success than anti-viral drugs alone.