Antibody Development - Examples from viral and proteomic studies

Abstract: This thesis, which is based on four original papers, covers different aspects of antibody development. The overall goal of my work has been to obtain an increased understanding of antibody repertoires as they develop in vivo and in vitro. In Paper I-III antibody repertoires was evaluated and used to dissect virus-induced antibody responses and characterize such antibodies. Furthermore, tools for more efficient studies of such characterized antibodies were developed. The study of antibody repertoires in this thesis reveals, not only insights of the composition of antibodies induced by a common virus, but also features for such binders developed by combinatorial and non-combinatorial approaches. Such developed antibodies may contribute with data important for future design of vaccine candidates. In Paper IV, limitations in biomarker verification processes are addressed. A proof-of-concept study was developed, describing an approach with high-throughput potential relying on enrichment of proteins by antibody fragments in complex serum samples followed by an MRM mass spectrometry readout. Taken together, the in vitro developed binders in combination with MRM readout provides a powerful method to quantify protein biomarkers in a high-throughput manner approaching the criteria for clinical usage.