Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
heart graft. Daclizumab (Zenepax
®
) and basiliximab (Simulect
®
) are
monoclonal antibodies that bind to the docking protein for inter-
leukin-2 (IL-2), the key growth signaling protein for T lymphocytes,
also called T cells. If
T cells
do not receive the IL-2 trigger, they do
not increase in number and an effective immune response does not
occur. These monoclonal antibodies, each made more like human
antibodies in slightly different ways, prevent the effective docking of
IL-2 and are used to prevent rejection of organ grafts.
Stopping Immune Attacks Against the Body
Interferons
are a family of immune system signal proteins that play
many different roles in our bodies. Interferons were originally
named because they interfered with the ability of viruses to infect
cells. They also have been genetically engineered to provide treat-
ments to weaken or strengthen the immune response. One form of
interferon, interferon-beta, slows the immune response and restores
balance to an immune system directing a destructive attack against
the body's own tissues. Such an attack plays an important role in
multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease in which the immune system
attacks
myelin
, the fatty insulation around nerve fibers in the brain
and spinal cord. As a result of the loss of myelin, people with
MS can experience attacks of weakness, eye problems, difficulty
walking, and even paralysis. Several forms of interferon-beta
(Betaseron
®
, Avonex
®
, and Rebif
®
) are used to reduce the frequency
of attacks in multiple sclerosis and slow the development of handi-
capping disabilities.
Controlling Hepatitis
A type of interferon produced by white blood cells, alpha interferon,
has been engineered and produced to keep the progression of
hepatitis C virus, a serious liver infection, under control. The first
alpha interferons were slightly modified forms of natural interferon
alpha produced in
E. coli
. More recent versions, peginterferon and
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