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Advantages of Recombinant Monoclonal Antibodies over Hybridoma-Derived AntibodiesArticleRecombinant monoclonal antibodies have emerged as a superior alternative to hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies, offering numerous advantages in antibody production and application. This article explores the benefits of recombinant techniques over traditional hybridoma methods, focusing on considerations such as reproducibility, scalability, storage, and the increasing role of recombinant antibodies in diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Happy Hollidays!ArticleHolliday junctions were discovered in 1964 by geneticist Robin Holliday to describe how gene-conversion events occur during meiosis in fungi. Holliday junctions are a four-way DNA junction formed during replication fork regression, homology-dependent repair, and mitosis. Specifically, they are an intermediate of replication and form at the site of double-stranded DNA breaks.
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Understanding Neuronal Network Activity in Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy 9October 18, 2024ArticleDevelopmental and epileptic encephalopathy 9 is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation in PCDH19. Because disease only occurs in heterozygous PCDH19 individuals, scientists developed a mosaic mouse model where some cells express PCDH19 and others do not. This model helped them understand that PCDH19-negative neurons are hyperexcitable in a DEE9 mouse model and how the brain responds as a result.
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From Cancer to Crops: How Antibody Engineering is Changing EverythingArticleThe discovery of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in 1975 heralded a remarkable breakthrough in precision medicine, opening up many doors for personalized diagnosis and care. Just over a decade later, in 1986, the FDA approved the first mAb product to prevent kidney transplant rejection.1 Since then, advances in mAb engineering have been monumental, fundamentally changing how we approach the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmune conditions. Beyond healthcare, antibody technology is now essential for developing new tools to monitor the health of our environment, improve agricultural products, and build more resilient food sources.
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Clinically used broad-spectrum antibiotics compromise inflammatory monocyte-dependent antibacterial defense in the lungArticleHospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections in the US and Europe. Antibiotic use is a significant risk factor for HAP but the mechanisms involved in this risk factor remain poorly understood. This recent study explored microbiome diversity and the impact of transplanting microbiota samples from antibiotic treated and antibiotic naive patients into wild type mice or those lacking short chain fatty acid (SCFA) receptors. These experiments highlighted the role of the naïve microbiota for inducing SCFAs that play a critical role in antimicrobial activity of inflammatory monocytes in the lung.