Immunotherapy, infectious diseases

The modern biotechnology industry has come up with important blood products, infectious disease combatants, immunotherapy products, growth factors for mammalian cells, and monoclonal antibodies. Approximately 4600 biotechnology companies exist in the world. Over 140 biopharmaceuticals are on the market and hundreds more are in the clinic against over 200 diseases (AIDS, cardiovascular, diabetes, arthritis, cancer etc). 

Hengel H, Masihi K N (2003). Combinatorial immunotherapies for infectious diseases. Int. Immunopharmacol. 3 1159-1167. 

Preclinical Results and Clinical Applications. Both pDNA- and mRNA-based vaccinations were demonstrated to be efflcacious in animal models as prophylactic or therapeutic immunotherapies against tumors, infectious diseases, and allergy. Two pDNA-based vaccines are commercialized for veterinary use an anti-equine fever and an anti-infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) for farm-raised salmons. In humans, several formulations of nucleic acid vaccines are tested in clinical trials (see the actualized list of trials at www.clinicaltrials.gov). Although pDNA-based vaccine trials were reported in the context of antitumor, antivirus (HIV, influenza virus, HBV) and antiparasite Plasmodium falciparum) approaches, mRNA-based vaccines were up to now tested only as immunotherapies against cancer (review by Liu and Ulmer for pDNA [35] and Pascolo for mRNA [36]). 

In addition to the recombinant vaccine presently in development, research on cocktails of monoclonal antibodies is being conducted at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, to replace the despeciated horse serum. The cocktail approach will enhance the safety of the immunotherapy, and recombinant techniques will probably also reduce the cost of therapeutic antibody. 

Wannemacher RW Jr, Pace JG. Medical defense against biological warfare Exploratory immunotherapy studies on toxins of potential BW threat. In US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Annual Report 1987. Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md USAMRIID 1987 129-135. 

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