Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for generating an affinity reagent library against a target protein which interacts with a ligand, which comprises the following steps; •i) determining one or more structural element(s) of the ligand which are involved in ligand: target protein interaction; •ii) producing a library of peptides which retain these structural element(s); and •iii) grafting each peptide from the library of peptides into a portion of the affinity reagent molecule such that it may interact with the target protein, in order to produce an affinity reagent library.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidised Collagen II (CII) in which the antibody or fragment thereof is conjugated to a pharmaceutically active moiety. The invention also provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidised Collagen II (Gil) and a detectable label. The invention further provides the use of such compositions in medicine, in particular for the treatment of an arthropathy, and in methods of diagnosis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of diagnosing type 1 diabetes (T1D) or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) in a subject comprising testing a sample from the subject for the presence or absence of antibodies against modified insulin, wherein the presence of antibodies against modified insulin in the sample is indicative of T1D or LADA in the subject. The invention also provides a method of treating T1D or LADA in a subject in need thereof. Also provided are methods of determining the 10 therapeutic effectiveness of a therapeutic agent in treating T1D or LADA in a subject diagnosed with T1D or LADA. A kit for diagnosing T1D or LADA in a subject comprising reagents for determining the presence of antibodies against modified insulin in a sample from a subject is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidized Collagen II (CII) in which the antibody or fragment thereof is conjugated to a pharmaceutically active moiety. The invention also provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidized Collagen II (Gil) and a detectable label. The invention further provides the use of such compositions in medicine, in particular for the treatment of an arthropathy, and in methods of diagnosis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidised Collagen II (CII) in which the antibody or fragment thereof is conjugated to a pharmaceutically active moiety. The invention also provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidised Collagen II (CII) and a detectable label. The invention further provides the use of such compositions in medicine, in particular for the treatment of an arthropathy, and in methods of diagnosis.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for generating an affinity reagent library against a target protein which interacts with a ligand, which comprises the following steps; i) determining one or more structural element(s) of the ligand which are involved in ligand: target protein interaction; ii) producing a library of peptides which retain these structural element(s); and iii) grafting each peptide from the library of peptides into a portion of the affinity reagent molecule such that it may interact with the target protein, in order to produce an affinity reagent library.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), comprising: testing a sample from a subject for the presence or absence of antibodies against oxidised collagen II; wherein the presence of antibodies against oxidised collagen II in the sample is indicative of RA in the subject. The present invention also provides a method for identifying whether a subject responds to a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) and related methods of treating RA, a method for identifying whether a subject responds to an anti-TNF biologic and related methods of treating RA, and a method of diagnosing osteoarthritis (OA).

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidised Collagen II (CII) in which the antibody or fragment thereof is conjugated to a pharmaceutically active moiety. The invention also provides a composition comprising an antibody or fragment thereof against oxidised Collagen II (Gil) and a detectable label. The invention further provides the use of such compositions in medicine, in particular for the treatment of an arthropathy, and in methods of diagnosis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a substance that specifically binds a nuclear localization signal (NLS)-containing molecule. Said substance may be a naturally occurring, synthetic or recombinant antibody, or it may be a protein, a peptide or a small molecule. Preferably, said NLS-containing molecule is a HIV-1 protein, more preferably Vpr or Tat. In addition, the present invention relates to a composition or a vaccine comprising the substance of the invention, as well as methods of inhibiting viral infection through the administration thereof.

Abstract: Methods, recombinant host cells and kits are disclosed-for the production of members of specific binding pairs (sbp), e.g. antibodies, using display on the surface of secreted replicable genetic display packages (rgdps), e.g. filamentous phage. To produce a library of great diversity recombination occurs between first and second vectors comprising nucleic acid encoding first and second polypeptide chains of sbp members respectively, thereby producing recombinant vectors each encoding both a first and a second polypeptide chain component of a sbp member. The recombination may take place in vitro or intracellularly and may be site-specific, e.g. involving use of the loxP sequence and mutants thereof. Recombination may take place after prior screening or selecting for rgdps displaying sbp members which bind complementary sbp member of interest.

Abstract: DNA constructs comprise a first exon sequence of nucleotides encoding a first peptide or polypeptide, a second exon sequence of nucleotides encoding a second peptide or polypeptide and a third sequence of nucleotides between the first and second sequences encoding a heterologous intron, for example that of Tetrahymena thermophila nuclear pre-rRNA, between RNA splice sites and a site-specific recombination sequence, such as loxP, within the intron, the exons together encoding a product peptide or polypeptide. Such constructs are of use in methods of production of peptides or polypeptides, transcription leading to splicing out of the intron enabling translation of a single chain product peptide or polypeptide. Isolated nucleic acid constructs consisting essentially of a sequence of nucleotides encoding a self-splicing intron with a site-specific recombination sequence within the intron, for use in creation of constructs for expression of peptides or polypeptides, are also provided.

Abstract: Methods, recombinant host cells and kits are disclosed for the production of members of specific binding pairs (sbp), e.g. antibodies, using display on the surface of secreted replicable genetic display packages (rgdps), e.g. filamentous phage. To produce a library of great diversity recombination occurs between first and second vectors comprising nucleic acid encoding first and second polypeptide chains of sbp members respectively, thereby producing recombinant vectors each encoding both a first and a second polypeptide chain component of a sbp member. The recombination may take place in vitro or intracellularly and may be site-specific, e.g. involving use of the loxP sequence and mutants thereof. Recombination may take place after prior screening or selecting for rgdps displaying sbp members which bind complementary sbp member of interest.