Method of classifying antibody, method of identifying antigen, method of obtaining antibody or antibody set, method of constructing antibody panel and antibody or antibody set and use of the same

Abstract

It is intended to provide a method whereby a plural number of antibodies against cell surface antigens are quickly classified and to provide a method whereby antigens of the thus classified antibodies are quickly identified. Further, it is intended to provide a method of promoting the utilization of the useful data obtained by the above methods. Furthermore, it is intended to provide an antibody which is effective in treating or diagnosing cancer. Namely, a method of classifying antibodies which comprises: (1) the step of preparing a plural number of antibodies respectively recognizing cell surface antigens; (2) the step of bringing each of these antibodies into contact with a cell of the same species; (3) the step of analyzing each of the cells having been treated in the step (2) by flow cytometry and thus obtaining data indicating the reactivity of each antibody with its cell surface antigen; and (4) the step of comparing the thus obtained data and classifying the individual antibodies depending on the similarity. A method of identifying antigens which further comprises: (5) the step of selecting one to several antibodies from each antibody group formed in the step (4) and identifying antigens thereof; and (6) on the assumption that antigens of the antibodies belonging to a single antibody group are the same or highly related to one another, making relations between the antigens having been identified in the step (5) and the antibody groups to thereby identify the antigens. An antibody against HER1, an antibody against HER2, an antibody against CD46, an antibody against ITGA3, an antibody against ICAM1, an antibody against ALCAM, an antibody against CD147, an antibody against C1qR, an antibody against CD44, an antibody against CD73, an antibody against EpCAM and an antibody against HGFR, each obtained by using the above methods.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of international application No. PCT / JP2007 / 063689, filed Jul. 9, 2007, which claims priority to Japanese applications No. 2006-189872, filed Jul. 10, 2007 and No. 2007-058458, filed Mar. 8, 2008. The contents of these three applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a method of classifying a plurality of antibodies, a method of identifying antigen, a panel displaying characteristics of an antibody, and the like, as well as an antibody related to a disease and a use thereof.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Success of Herceptin to breast cancer (see, non-patent document 1) and Rituxan (non-patent document 2) to malignant lymphoma B shows that an antibody is effective as a therapeutic agent to a cancer. Certain antibodies exhibit an ADCC effect (non-patent document 3) and / or a CDC effect (non-patent document 4) by...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]Currently, the present inventors can comprehensively obtain antibodies to cell surface antigens. As the next step, it is necessary to identify an antibody to each antibody and to screen useful antibodies. However, it will take a much labor and time and considerably high cost to individually identify an antigen for the comprehensively obtained antibodies.

[0008]Under such circumstances, the present invention aims at the effective use of comprehensively obtained antibodies to cell surface antigens in medical fields and research fields, and has an object to provide a useful method therefor. That is to say, the present invention has an object to provide a method of classifying a plurality of antibodies to cell surface antigens rapidly. Also, the present invention has another object to provide a method of rapidly identifying an antigen for the antibody. Furthermore, the present invention has a further object to provide a method of promoting to use useful information obtained by such methods. The present invention has a yet further object to provide an antibody effective for treatment and diagnosis of cancers.

[0010]The present inventors focus on the histogram of the results of the flow cytometry analysis and classify the antibodies based on the similarity so as to obtain a plurality of antibodies groups. Then, it is confirmed that antigens to antibodies belonging to the same antibody group are common. This fact means that it is possible to determine antigens for all antibodies by selecting the respective antibody in each antibody group and identifying the antigen of the representative antibody. Thus, the present inventors have succeeded in finding a method for identifying antigens comprehensively and rapidly. On the other hand, the present inventors carry out classification of antibodies and identification of an antigen according to the above-mentioned technique and consider the reactivity between each antibody group and clinical samples so as to search for clinically applicable antibodies. As a result, the present inventors have succeeded in finding a novel antibody specific to certain kinds of cancers. Furthermore, they have reached the findings that information obtained by using a clinical sample (relationship between the antibody and disease) is extremely useful for establishing methods for diagnosis and treatment.

Problems solved by technology

However, it will take a much labor and time and considerably high cost to individually identify an antigen for the comprehensively obtained antibodies.

Furthermore, the comprehensively obtained antibodies may include unnecessary antibodies from the viewpoint that they do not have sufficient affinity and reactivity, or they have substantially the same as the other antibodies.

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