Research Subject Area: Immunology

REF impact found 88 Case Studies

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Amyloidosis and acute phase proteins: development of new drugs and a new approach to academia-industry collaboration

Summary of the impact

The UCL Centre for Amyloidosis and Acute Phase Proteins has designed and developed new chemical entities targeting serum amyloid P component (SAP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and transthyretin, for novel therapeutic approaches to amyloidosis, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. The UCL spin out company, Pentraxin Therapeutics Ltd, founded by Sir Mark Pepys to hold his intellectual property (IP), has licensed two programmes to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). These highly synergistic, collaborative multi-million pound developments, strikingly exemplify new working relationships between academia and the pharmaceutical industry.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Clinical Medicine

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Medical and Health Sciences: Immunology, Neurosciences

Antibodies to ACTH and related hormones as diagnostic tools

Summary of the impact

Measurement of hormones is essential to the understanding and diagnosis of endocrine diseases. White and her research group have developed unique antibodies that are widely used in diagnostic assays for adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and related peptides, including the first and only kit for measuring pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), the precursor of ACTH. These assays are used worldwide for diagnosis, decisions on treatment, monitoring for recurrence of tumours and prognosis in a number of patient groups with life-threatening endocrine disorders. Global sales of the ACTH Elecsys tests by Roche exceeded 6 million kits since 2008. AstraZeneca has used the POMC and ACTH assays in its drug discovery programmes in the cardiovascular and metabolic diseases therapy area. The antibodies therefore have had health impact in relieving suffering and in improving patient care, as well as commercial impact in worldwide sales of assays and influencing drug development strategies.

Submitting Institution

University of Manchester

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Biological Sciences: Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Medical and Health Sciences: Immunology, Oncology and Carcinogenesis

Antibody sequence and structure analysis assists biologic drug design

Summary of the impact

Research by Dr Andrew Martin at the UCL Research Department of Structural & Molecular Biology has led to a series of antibody-related tools being made available for free use over the Web. One of these, Abysis, has been visited over 360,000 times by over 8,000 users. Abysis has also been released under a commercial license and has been purchased by companies ranging from small biotechs to large pharma for use in their antibody therapeutic development pipelines, allowing them to identify unusual features of their sequences and to improve strategies for humanisation. Martin has also acted as an expert witness for drug companies in patent disputes.

Submitting Institutions

University College London,Birkbeck College

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Economic

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Applied Mathematics
Information and Computing Sciences: Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing
Medical and Health Sciences: Immunology

Antigenic Cartography

Summary of the impact

Researchers in the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology have developed a new methodology to analyse pathogen evolution. This `antigenic cartography' has led to the group becoming integrally involved in the World Health Organisation (WHO) influenza vaccine strain selection process, and has directly contributed to more accurate and appropriate flu vaccine design, with associated international impacts on disease prevention and public health (the flu vaccine is given to ~350 million people annually). The research has directly affected how public health professionals conduct disease surveillance and sampling.

Submitting Institution

University of Cambridge

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Health

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Immunology, Medical Microbiology

Avian Metapneumovirus Research Leading to Improved Disease Control in Global Poultry

Summary of the impact

Since its discovery in the 1980s, avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) has spread in poultry populations worldwide with major adverse health and food security implications for commercial chickens and turkeys. Research at the University of Liverpool (UoL) led to the registration of a live vaccine in 1994 which has played a global role in AMPV control, thereby safeguarding the supply of poultry meat and eggs. Recent research and development at the UoL has identified key control measures, relating to vaccine application, vaccine selection, efficacy and safety, which have had a significant impact on poultry health and consequently, poultry producers and consumers. In particular, demonstration that live AMPV vaccines can revert to virulence, that vaccine type applied influences field protection and that continuous use of a single vaccine can influence circulating field strains, has resulted in UoL leading policy making with regard to current AMPV vaccine protocols.

Submitting Institution

University of Liverpool

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Veterinary Sciences
Medical and Health Sciences: Immunology, Medical Microbiology

B cell depletion: an effective therapy in rheumatoid arthritis

Summary of the impact

Research at UCL pioneered B cell depletion to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and also stimulated the development of B-cell-directed therapies for other autoimmune rheumatic, haematological and neurological diseases. Now NICE approved, B cell depletion (based on rituximab) in RA is as effective as the alternative (anti-TNFα drugs) and an option for patients unable to gain benefit from anti-TNFα drugs. Rituximab offers drug-cost savings of up to £5,000/annum/patient and for many is a more convenient therapy, being given as an infusion only every five months apart, or more. B cell depletion has also proved to have an excellent safety profile, with many receiving repeated courses of treatment. As a consequence of UCL research, rituximab has brought substantial benefit to patients with many autoimmune diseases, including over 200,000 who have been treated with rituximab for RA so far.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Clinical Medicine

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Immunology

Better Treatment and Prevention of Atopic Eczema

Summary of the impact

Research investigating genetic and environmental interactions leading to skin barrier breakdown in atopic eczema has delivered health benefits by improving the prevention and treatment of this condition. We found that established emollient formulations (e.g. Aqueous Cream BP) containing the harsh emulsifier sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) damage the skin barrier in patients with atopic eczema and identified an underlying molecular mechanism. Consequently, the NICE Quality Standard and Guidelines now reflect our advice that Aqueous Cream should not be used as a leave-on emollient, SLS has been removed from all emollient formulations in the UK and we have helped develop the next generation of `SLS-free' skin-care products. Medicines regulators including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and New Zealand MedSafe have also issued new advice as a result of our research.

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

Summary Impact Type

Health

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Immunology

BioVex: UCL spin-out company develops viral cancer therapy to phase III trial and is sold for $1bn

Summary of the impact

UCL spin-out company BioVex was launched in 1999 to exploit research undertaken by David Latchman at the UCL Medical Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Biochemistry. (This department is now part of the Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, UCL/Birkbeck and Latchman is now Master of Birkbeck.) Biovex worked to develop inactivated herpes simplex viruses as therapies, and a promising dual-action oncolytic vaccine for solid tumours, OncoVEXGM-CSF, was taken into successful Phase II trials. In 2011 the company was bought out by Amgen for $1 billion — still the largest ever cash sale of a UK biotech — and Amgen has now taken this virus into a Phase III trial with promising initial results.

Submitting Institutions

University College London,Birkbeck College

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Immunology, Medical Microbiology

1a. Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP), a newly recognised disease of calves, is caused by colostral transfer of cross-reactive alloantibodies induced in dams by PregSure Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) vaccine

Summary of the impact

Impact: Animal Health and Welfare, Economics: The BVD vaccine associated with emergence of BNP was withdrawn from sale.

Significance: BNP cases have been reported worldwide. On affected farms, the case fatality rate is very high, with losses of up to 5% of calves in a herd being reported. Despite the vaccine being withdrawn, cases continue to be found in some calves born to dams that have been historically vaccinated. In addition, reporting has increased due to increased awareness and Zoetis subsidising post-mortem examinations. However, as an indirect measure, the number of cases being diagnosed at post-mortem at SRUC fell by 42% between 2012 and 2013.

Beneficiaries: Livestock Industry, Animal Health Company, Farmers.

Attribution: Work performed by University of Edinburgh (Penny, Morrison, Sargison, Bell) and SRUC (Hosie, Howie, Kerr, Caldow) identified BNP as a new disease entity, elucidated the cause, and developed strategies to reduce the incidence. This also involved a collaboration with the Moredun Research Institute (Willoughby)

Reach: BNP is recognised world-wide (a peak of 4500 cases in 2011) including France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, and Spain. The disease is unknown in countries which do not vaccinate against BVD (Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland)

Submitting Institutions

University of Edinburgh,SRUC

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Immunology

Commercialisation of a Novel Diagnostic Test for Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

Summary of the impact

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a frequently fatal disease of haematological malignancy patients, caused by fungi from the genus Aspergillus. Dr Christopher Thornton has developed and commercialised a novel point-of-care test for the diagnosis of IPA with an Aspergillus-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) JF5 generated using hybridoma technology. Using this mAb, he has developed a lateral-flow device (LFD) for the rapid detection of Aspergillus antigen in human serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALf) that signifies active infection. Commercial exploitation of the patented technology has been met through the establishment of a University of Exeter spin-out company, Isca Diagnostics Limited.

Submitting Institution

University of Exeter

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Immunology, Oncology and Carcinogenesis

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