NU 2008-136 

Inventors

Yashpal Kanwar* 

Ping Xie 

Short Description

Identification of species-specific epitopes for generating antibodies against tubulointerstitial nephritis antigen (TINag)

Abstract

Northwestern researchers have developed a method for production of species-specific tubulointerstitial antigen (TINag) antibodies. Tubulointerstitial kidney disorders are known to develop due to the presence of TINag, which stimulates production of auto-reactive antibodies. If TINag antibodies are produced, the disease progresses rapidly, leading to kidney failure. Therefore, study of TINag and TINag specific antibodies is a crucial step to understanding severe kidney disease and discovering therapies against it. Until the development of this innovative method by Prof. Kanwar and colleagues, TINag antibody production was a cumbersome and labor-intensive process. This TINag antibody production method could accelerate the pace of kidney disease research enabling development of therapeutics in the future. 

Applications

• Clinical and laboratory research of kidney diseases

Advantages

• Easy to produce
• Species-specific