ALTHOUGH INVESTIGATION INTO BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODIFIERS HAS INCREASED RECENTLY, MOST OF THE EFFORT HAS BEEN TOWARDS POTENTIATING THE HOST'S CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNITY.

ALTHOUGH INVESTIGATION INTO BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODIFIERS HAS INCREASED RECENTLY, MOST OF THE EFFORT HAS BEEN TOWARDS POTENTIATING THE HOST'S CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNITY. DATA ACCUMULATED BY OUR LABORATORIES INDICATE THAT THE METHYLFURYLBUTYROLACTONE (MFBL) CLASS OF COMPOUNDS REPRESENTS NEW SYNTHETIC IMMUNE RESPONSE MODIFIERS CAPABLE OF ACTIVATING SEVERAL COMPONENTS OF IMMUNE RESPONSE WITH NEGLIGIBLE TOXICITY TO THE HOST. THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES RESEARCH DESIGNED TO ANALYZE ONE ASPECT OF THE IMMUNOSTIMULATORY ACTIVITY OF MFBLS, THE ABILITY TO STIMULATE ANTIBODY PRODUCTION. PHASE I RESEARCH WILL CONCENTRATE ON THE OPTIMIZATION OF TREATMENT REGIMENS AND THE EVALUATION OF THE RANGE OF ACTIVITY OF THE DRUGS TOWARD THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ANTIBODY RESPONSE TO T-DEPENDENT AND T-INDEPENDENT ANTIGENS. WE FURTHER INTEND TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF MFBL IN VIVO ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF ANTIBODY PRODUCTION IN MICE AS THAT RELATES TO MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY. IN ADDITION, WE WILL ASSESS MURINE IN VITRO ANTIGEN SENSITIZATION