Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen that is primarily responsible for serious respiratory infections (but potentially a wide variety of infections), and is becoming increasingly dangerous due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant mutant strains. A method of protection against A. baumannii could potentially be the use of monoclonal antibodies for treatment or prophylaxis. I have created a panel of monoclonal antibodies against A. baumannii derived from the B cells of an infected mouse by fusing B cell lymphocytes from the mouse with an immortal cell line (cancer cells). I created a library of these hybridomas and tested the resulting antibodies for reactivity to A. baumannii. I ran multiple rounds of testing for the clones, and compiled a list of the most reactive hybridomas. Thus far I have purified and readied three clones that could be tested in mice to see if they provide protection against A. baumannii. Additional clones need to be expanded for antibody production and their products purified and characterized.
The research in this study is chiefly focused on B cells in response to the infection, the defensiveness of natural antibodies, and the expression of complement-mediated responses. Once enough antibodies are purified, they will be tested to hopefully find one that is protective against A. Baumannii.
This work has been relevant to my career because I plan to get a masters, or likely a PhD in immunology. This study has been extremely helpful in growing my skills and knowledge of the subject matter, and I have fallen in love with research.
Author(s): Bea Jones, Tim Wilson, PhD.
Advisor(s): Timothy Wilson, Microbiology Department
You must be logged in to post a comment.