led by Jordan D Dimitrov
Investigation of the physicochemical mechanisms of antibodies specificity and polyspecificity. Molecular mechanisms and biological consequences of the interaction of antibodies with low molecular weight cofactor molecules.
The immune repertoire of healthy individuals contains antibodies (Abs) that bind diverse low molecular compounds, including essential cofactor molecules like heme, ATP or FAD. Our working hypothesis is that the binding of cofactors to circulating Abs is part of a physiological process which impacts the functional properties of Abs and regulates the availability of the cofactors by modulating their catabolism and signaling properties. A corollary of this hypothesis is that the capacity of some monoclonal Abs to bind various cofactors may be used for different therapeutic strategies, for example for the selective and targeted delivery of compounds or catalytic activities at particular sites in infectious or inflammatory conditions, or for neutralizing the pathogenic potential of some cofactors (ATP, heme).