John McCafferty
Encyclopedia
John McCafferty is a British scientist, one of the founders of Cambridge Antibody Technology
, well known as one of the inventors of scFv antibody fragment phage display, a technology that revolutionised the monoclonal antibody drug discovery. Later improvements of antibody phage display technology enables the display of millions of different antibody fragments on the surface of filamentous phage (better known as antibody phage library) and subsequent selection of highly specific recombinant antibodies to any given target. This technology is widely exploited in pharamaceutical industry for the discovery and development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to treat mainly cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases. One of the most successful was HUMIRA (adalimumab
), discovered by Cambridge Antibody Technology
as D2E7 and developed and marketed by Abbott Laboratories
. HUMIRA, an antibody to TNF alpha, was the world's first phage display derived fully human antibody, which achieved annual sales exceeding $1bn therefore achieving blockbuster status.
In 2002, after 12 years in Cambridge Antibody Technology(now MedImmune
, a fully owned subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Astrazenaca)McCafferty set up a group at the Sanger Institute developing and utilising methods for protein generation and recombinant antibody isolation in high throughput for proteomic applications.McCafferty has been involved in developing large human antibody repertoires both at CAT and at the Sanger Institute from which antibodies of high affinity and specificity to any antigen can be derived. He currently runs a laboratory at the Biochemistry Dept at University of Cambridge capitalising on the above technologies with a focus on the study of protein:protein interactions driving direct cell:cell communication
Cambridge Antibody Technology
Cambridge Antibody Technology was a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom...
, well known as one of the inventors of scFv antibody fragment phage display, a technology that revolutionised the monoclonal antibody drug discovery. Later improvements of antibody phage display technology enables the display of millions of different antibody fragments on the surface of filamentous phage (better known as antibody phage library) and subsequent selection of highly specific recombinant antibodies to any given target. This technology is widely exploited in pharamaceutical industry for the discovery and development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to treat mainly cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases. One of the most successful was HUMIRA (adalimumab
Adalimumab
Adalimumab is the third TNF inhibitor, after infliximab and etanercept, to be approved in the United States. Like infliximab and etanercept, adalimumab binds to TNFα, preventing it from activating TNF receptors; adalimumab was constructed from a fully human monoclonal antibody, while infliximab...
), discovered by Cambridge Antibody Technology
Cambridge Antibody Technology
Cambridge Antibody Technology was a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom...
as D2E7 and developed and marketed by Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
. HUMIRA, an antibody to TNF alpha, was the world's first phage display derived fully human antibody, which achieved annual sales exceeding $1bn therefore achieving blockbuster status.
In 2002, after 12 years in Cambridge Antibody Technology(now MedImmune
MedImmune
MedImmune, LLC, headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, became a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca in 2007. Since being acquired, MedImmune has remained a Maryland-based biotechnology development enterprise...
, a fully owned subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Astrazenaca)McCafferty set up a group at the Sanger Institute developing and utilising methods for protein generation and recombinant antibody isolation in high throughput for proteomic applications.McCafferty has been involved in developing large human antibody repertoires both at CAT and at the Sanger Institute from which antibodies of high affinity and specificity to any antigen can be derived. He currently runs a laboratory at the Biochemistry Dept at University of Cambridge capitalising on the above technologies with a focus on the study of protein:protein interactions driving direct cell:cell communication