Mirus announces new method for making antibodies

Madison, Wis. — Mirus Bio Corporation says its scientists have developed a way to make antibodies faster and more cheaply.

Antibodies, naturally part of the immune system, are manufactured both for the treatment of diseases and for diagnostics or research. Mirus' new technique, described in the February issue of BioTechniques, involves intravenously injecting DNA into animals, whose immune systems produce the antibodies that are harvested and used.

According to the Madison-based biotech firm, this DNA injection is more efficient than injecting proteins that have to be isolated and purified.

The research was conducted by Mary Kay Bates, Hans Herweijer, and colleagues at Mirus Bio and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.