Can a DNA construction kit replace expensive antibody medication?

A team led by Professor Kevin Hollevoet and Professor Paul Declerck of the Laboratory for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Antibodies in collaboration with Dr Nick Geukens of PharmAbs has developed a technique that enables the body itself to produce specific antibodies. The lab is now working with different research groups and companies to improve the technique. One of the big challenges is to select the most appropriate antibodies. 'In principle, we can inject the DNA code of any antibody, but we focus on diseases where this approach can help patients the best,' Hollevoet explains. 'Currently, we are mostly focused on cancer treatments, among others immune therapy. We also see possibilities for infectious diseases like HIV and the flu, and neurological diseases like Alzheimer's.'