Novel Methods for Treatment and Postexposure Prophylaxis

The overall objective of this collaborative research project is to develop novel methods for the treatment and postexposure prophylaxis of human rabies. There is currently no treatment for rabies, a disease causing tens of thousands of deaths annually with a near 100% case-fatality rate. We have developed an anti-idiotypic rabies anti-receptor antibody (designated B9) that, in preliminary experiments, appears useful for treatment of established brain infection with rabies virus (by a mechanism of receptor blockade) and for immunoprophylaxis (by inducing the formation of rabies neutralizing antibody). Specific goals of this Phase I are to 1) further investigate the use of B9 anti-receptor antibody for therapy of rabies in a laboratory animal model (mouse) and define optimal dose and schedule of treatment, 2) investigate the ability of 39 antibody to induce protective neutralizing rabies antibody and compare this reagent with a licensed rabies vaccine, 3) determine the toxic effects of 39 antibody in mice, and 4) prepare and purify a large amount of 39 antibody and a master hybridoma cell bank for these and future studies. The toxicology and efficacy studies will provide detailed information on the usefulness of the B9 anti-id for treatment and prophylaxis of human rabies.