"Primatization" of Recombinant Antibodies for Immunotherapy of Human Diseases: A Macaque/Human Chimeric Antibody Against Human CD4

Immunoglobulin variable region genes from non-human primates, cynomolgus macaques, were shown to have 85%–98% homology with human immunoglobulin sequences and yet macaques are phylogenetically distant enough to respond against conserved human antigens. Immunoglobulin genes were isolated from monkeys immunized with human CD4 antigen and a human/monkey chimeric anti-CD4 antibody with 91–92% homology to human immunoglobulin framework regions was cloned and expressed. The antibody has an apparent affinity of 3.2 × 10 −11 M and exhibits potent immunosuppressive properties in vitro.