Researchers Go Fishing, Pull Out Antigens

Researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center have developed a method for finding the molecular targets of the immune system, known as antigens. The method extends a widely used technique, called library display, to more complex proteins. It could have broad applications in biological and medical research. The research team, led by National Jewish and Howard Hughes Medical Institute immunologist John W. Kappler, Ph.D., is already collaborating with teams looking for causes of the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis, developing cancer vaccines, and understanding the molecular triggers of chronic beryllium disease. The technique is described in the April 2004 issue of PloS Biology (http://www.plosbiology.org), a publication of the Public Library of Science.