This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Matthews, R. C.
Right arrow Articles by Burnie, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Matthews, R. C.
Right arrow Articles by Burnie, J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, July 2003, p. 2208-2216, Vol. 47, No. 7
0066-4804/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.47.7.2208-2216.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Preclinical Assessment of the Efficacy of Mycograb, a Human Recombinant Antibody against Fungal HSP90

Ruth C. Matthews,1,2 Gordon Rigg,2 Samantha Hodgetts,2 Tracey Carter,2 Caroline Chapman,2 Carl Gregory,2 Chris Illidge,2 and James Burnie1,2*

Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manchester,1 NeuTec Pharma plc, Manchester M13 9WL, United Kingdom2

Received 12 February 2003/ Returned for modification 5 March 2003/ Accepted 11 April 2003

Mycograb (NeuTec Pharma plc) is a human genetically recombinant antibody against fungal heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). Antibody to HSP90 is closely associated with recovery in patients with invasive candidiasis who are receiving amphotericin B (AMB). Using in vitro assays developed for efficacy assessment of chemotherapeutic antifungal drugs, Mycograb showed activity against a wide range of yeast species (MICs against Candida albicans [fluconazole {FLC}-sensitive and FLC-resistant strains], Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, and Candida parapsilosis, 128 to 256 µg/ml). Mycograb (4 or 8 µg/ml) showed synergy with AMB, the fractional inhibitory index being 0.09 to 0.31. Synergy was not evident with FLC, except for FLC-sensitive C. albicans. Murine kinetics showed that Mycograb at 2 mg/kg produced a maximum concentration of drug in serum of 4.7 µg/ml, a half-life at alpha phase of 3.75 min, a half-life at beta phase of 2.34 h, and an area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to t h of 155 µg · min/ml. Mycograb (2 mg/kg) alone produced significant improvement in murine candidiasis caused by each species: (i) a reduction (Scheffe's test, P < 0.05) in the mean organ colony count for the FLC-resistant strain of C. albicans (kidney, liver, and spleen), C. krusei (liver and spleen), C. glabrata (liver and spleen), C. tropicalis (kidney), and C. parapsilosis (kidney, liver, and spleen) and (ii) a statistically significant increase in the number of negative biopsy specimens (Fisher's exact test, P < 0.05) for C. glabrata (kidney), C. tropicalis (liver and spleen), and C. parapsilosis (liver). AMB (0.6 mg/kg) alone cleared the C. tropicalis infection but failed to clear infections caused by C. albicans, C. krusei, C. glabrata, or C. parapsilosis. Synergy with AMB, defined as an increase (Fisher's exact test, P < 0.05) in the number of negative biopsy specimens compared with those obtained using AMB alone, occurred with the FLC-resistant strain of C. albicans (kidney), C. krusei (spleen), C. glabrata (spleen), and C. parapsilosis (liver and spleen). Only by combining Mycograb with AMB was complete resolution of infection achieved for C. albicans, C. krusei, and C. glabrata.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medical Microbiology, 2nd Floor, Clinical Sciences Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 161 276 8827. Fax: 44 161 276 8826. E-mail: james.burnie{at}cmmc.nhs.uk.


Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, July 2003, p. 2208-2216, Vol. 47, No. 7
0066-4804/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.47.7.2208-2216.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Karwa, R., Wargo, K. A (2009). Efungumab: A Novel Agent in the Treatment of Invasive Candidiasis. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 43: 1818-1823 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Semighini, C. P., Heitman, J. (2009). Dynamic duo takes down fungal villains. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106: 2971-2972 [Full Text]  
  • Xin, H., Dziadek, S., Bundle, D. R., Cutler, J. E. (2008). Synthetic glycopeptide vaccines combining {beta}-mannan and peptide epitopes induce protection against candidiasis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105: 13526-13531 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hodgetts, S., Nooney, L., Al-Akeel, R., Curry, A., Awad, S., Matthews, R., Burnie, J. (2008). Efungumab and caspofungin: pre-clinical data supporting synergy. J Antimicrob Chemother 61: 1132-1139 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cowen, L. E., Steinbach, W. J. (2008). Stress, Drugs, and Evolution: the Role of Cellular Signaling in Fungal Drug Resistance. Eukaryot Cell 7: 747-764 [Full Text]  
  • Casadevall, A., Pirofski, L.-a. (2007). Antibody-Mediated Protection through Cross-Reactivity Introduces a Fungal Heresy into Immunological Dogma. Infect. Immun. 75: 5074-5078 [Full Text]  
  • Ji, Y., Ferracci, G., Warley, A., Ward, M., Leung, K.-Y., Samsuddin, S., Leveque, C., Queen, L., Reebye, V., Pal, P., Gkaliagkousi, E., Seager, M., Ferro, A. (2007). beta-Actin regulates platelet nitric oxide synthase 3 activity through interaction with heat shock protein 90. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 8839-8844 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Murciano, C., Villamon, E., Yanez, A., O'Connor, J.-E., Gozalbo, D., Gil, M. L. (2006). Impaired immune response to Candida albicans in aged mice.. J Med Microbiol 55: 1649-1656 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Selvakumar, D., Miyamoto, M., Furuichi, Y., Komiyama, T. (2006). Inhibition of Fungal {beta}-1,3-Glucan Synthase and Cell Growth by HM-1 Killer Toxin Single-Chain Anti-Idiotypic Antibodies.. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 50: 3090-3097 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Xin, H., Cutler, J. E. (2006). Hybridoma Passage In Vitro May Result in Reduced Ability of Antimannan Antibody To Protect against Disseminated Candidiasis. Infect. Immun. 74: 4310-4321 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zhang, M. X., Bohlman, M. C., Itatani, C., Burton, D. R., Parren, P. W. H. I., St. Jeor, S. C., Kozel, T. R. (2006). Human Recombinant Antimannan Immunoglobulin G1 Antibody Confers Resistance to Hematogenously Disseminated Candidiasis in Mice. Infect. Immun. 74: 362-369 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Pitarch, A., Jimenez, A., Nombela, C., Gil, C. (2006). Decoding Serological Response to Candida Cell Wall Immunome into Novel Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Therapeutic Candidates for Systemic Candidiasis by Proteomic and Bioinformatic Analyses. Mol. Cell. Proteomics 5: 79-96 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ibrahim, A. S., Spellberg, B. J., Avenissian, V., Fu, Y., Filler, S. G., Edwards, J. E. Jr. (2005). Vaccination with Recombinant N-Terminal Domain of Als1p Improves Survival during Murine Disseminated Candidiasis by Enhancing Cell-Mediated, Not Humoral, Immunity. Infect. Immun. 73: 999-1005 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Casadevall, A., Pirofski, L.-a. (2004). New Concepts in Antibody-Mediated Immunity. Infect. Immun. 72: 6191-6196 [Full Text]