PAPERS

In 1970, Feidman and Roblin published a seminal paper in Science proposing that genetic diseases could be cured by using 'good' DNA to replace the 'defective' DNA causing genetic disease. This idea - the central tenet of gene therapy - remains sound but has proved...

Reliable, specific polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies are important tools in research and medicine. However, the discovery of antibodies against their targets in their native forms is difficult. Here, we present a novel method for discovery of antibodies against membrane...

Adenoassociated virus (AAV) vectors are a popular choice for modern gene therapies because of their favorable safety profile, low immunogenicity, and the ease with which they can be transduced into different cell and tissue types. An AAV genome is a single strand of DNA...

Until very recently, adeno-associated virus (AAV) had an excellent safety record as a viral vector for gene therapies, which goes a long way to explain its widespread use in this capacity. However, the question of immunogenicity and particle toxicity—especially at high...

Ryan founded Oxford Genetics in 2011, after earning a first class degree in genetics and a PhD from Oxford University. The idea behind the company was to simplify and standardise the process of DNA engineering using a proprietary DNA plasmid platform called SnapFast™ that...

Amid the rush to develop an effective vaccine against COVID-19, antibody therapy has become a major strategy to ameliorate and treat cases of severe disease. Armed with the capacity to neutralise pathogens and orchestrate the immune system, promising antibody candidates for...

The history of gene replacement therapies is a tale of scientific endeavor, persistence in the face of adversity, and world-changing discoveries. It encompasses breakthroughs in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, immunology, virology,...

How a single cell line lit the spark that turned gene therapies from theoretical possibility to therapeutic reality. All scientists dream of making an impact. Few can look back and identify a single experiment that led to the creation of an entire scientific...

CRISPR, or a “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat,” was first discovered in E. coli in 1987. But its interaction with the endonuclease Cas9, and the recognition that this odd quirk of the prokaryotic immune system could be used to precisely and...

Protein therapeutics are a major class of biopharmaceuticals and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) rule this domain. In this article, Dr Nancy Lopez-Anton outlines the key technologies employed in this important therapeutic discovery area; how they have evolved and what...