Burkholderia antibody molecules for therapeutics and diagnostics

Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei are highly pathogenic Gram - negative bacteria and the causative agents of melioidosis and glanders, respectively. These infections, which occur in humans and other animals, are endemic is wide regions of the developing world. This Phase II SBIR project will build on the success of our Phase I work, which established methods for generating monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that bind surface carbohydrates and proteins of these Tier 1 Burkholderia pathogens. In Phase II, MAbs generated with these methods will be screened with a combination of computational, immunological, biophysical, and protection assays. The outcome of Phase II will be a selected subset of MAbs that, based on these assays, have the best functional properties for development as therapeutics. In subsequent phases of this work, the immunological properties and manufacturing capabilities of the MAb subset will be further optimized. The ultimate purpose of these studies is to develop these MAbs for clinical use to neutralize Burkholderia infections in humans.