Frequently Asked Questions about Antibodies, the Complement Pathway & Effector Functions Activation in the Field of Antibody Immunotherapy.

If you’re looking for information about antibodies that can help you understand the field of antibody immunotherapy better , then this Q&A blogpost will help answer many of your questions about natural antibodies , and how antibodies lead to the activation of the complement pathway , and the activation of effector functions .

www.gapsos.com

So how does antibody immunotherapy works?

It’s designing antibodies that work on overriding the immune system responses and lead to certain effects that lead to the annihilation of a pathogen or anti-tumor effects and much more.

What are natural antibodies and the difference between the ones we’ve already mentioned?

Natural antibodies are flowing in the bloodstream of a person, but it’s produced without the presence of infections, foreign bodies, vaccinations…etc. . . .

While the ones we mentioned are usually produced due to an immune response.

And what are these antibodies used on?

They can lead to the activation of the complement system to lead to the pathogen’s lysis before the adaptive immune system starts responding.

Here’s another example, when it comes the xenotransplantation of organs which is transplanting cells or organs from one species to another, these antibodies are thought to be part of the resistance.

Alright, can you tell me how the antibodies assist in the activation of the complement system?

Mainly antibodies that bind to the antigens are capable of attracting the 1^st components of the complement cascade via their receptors and thus leads to the activation of the complement pathway which is classical.

And how can this result in killing the pathogen that the antibody has bound itself to?

It can actually lead to that through two different ways that we’ll take a look at:

The pathogen like bacteria would be ingested through a process called opsonization through phagocytes as a result of being attracted through specific complement molecules as a result of the attraction of the complement cascade, another way is through the assistance of the antibodies through what is called MAC short for membrane attack complex where the pathogen is killed directly.

And what is the activation of effector functions and how is that related to antibodies?

Antibodies actually have at least two paratope , these paratope are capable of attaching to antigen epitopes , and through that ability the antibody can attach itself to several antigens and then through the coating of the pathogen it’s possible to activate effector functions to be able to attack these cells .