Researchers Engineer Antibodies That Unlock Body's Regenerative Potential

Our body makes antibodies to fight infections. But the synthetic versions of these molecules could hold the key to stimulating the body’s ability to regenerate.

The findings come from a decade-long collaboration between the teams of Sachdev Sidhu, a professor in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, and Stephane Angers, Associate Dean of Research in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, that have been creating synthetic antibodies for diverse applications.

Antibodies are increasingly being developed into drugs thanks to their ability to bind and affect the function of other proteins in cells. Because they are encoded by genes, antibodies can be created in the lab using genome and protein engineering technologies.

Now Sidhu and Angers’ teams have created antibodies that could one day stimulate tissue in the body to repair itself, as described in a study published online in eLife, an open-access journal. A newly launched Toronto startup, AntlerA Therapeutics, will turn the antibodies into drug-like molecules for regenerative medicine.  See the full article HERE.

 90 total views