Ask a scientist?

Recently we had to venture to a website called ask a scientist which is run by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and ask a question pertaining to cells. Here is the question I posed and the answer I received. 

 

Question: I recently met with a dermatologist to be treated for psoriasis. He went over some of the newer treatments that are available. Up until now I have typically treated it in a topical fashion with creams and ointments. He was explaining some of the injections-biologics that are available. Biologics specifically target the immune system and are made from proteins of living cells (Psoriasis, 2009). The one he is thinking about putting me on he said was derived from human cells. He mentioned that some of the other ones that are available are a mix of human and another species, often mice. My question is how does introducing other species proteins into our body affect us over time? Are there any ill affects? What other species are we/can we use cells or parts of cells to treat certain diseases?

Answer: Follow up with the physician directly on the specifics of the recommended treatment. I am not sure which treatment they may have been referring to. There are quite a few human proteins that are used in treatment. They are not necessarily manufactured by human cells and the therapeutic protein may be made by bacteria, insect, mice, or even plant cells. Purification of the therapeutic protein is thus key.

One therapy that comes to mind that might be relevant is the use of monoclonal antibodies that bind to immune cells and can help temper an overactive immune system. The older antibodies were not completely human derived and the non-human derived regions could be immunogenic. The body starts to recognize the therapeutic protein as an invader and generates antibodies against it, thus preventing successful repeat treatments. We now have many different therapeutic antibodies, derived using recombinant DNA technologies, that are completely human-derived, and thus do not illicit an immune response.
Hope that helps.

Disclaimer:

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Ask a Scientist website provides a forum for teachers, students, and others to discuss biomedical topics with scientists. Participating scientists answer questions to the best of their knowledge. The information they provide is intended for educational purposes only. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute assumes no responsibility for the scientific accuracy of Ask a Scientist responses or for the content of references and Web links that may be provided in responses. Views expressed in Ask a Scientist responses are not necessarily those of HHMI.

So there you have it. I am still curious about biologics and where they are derived from. So I guess I have something new to study.