Evaluating the immunogenicity of protein drugs by applying in vitro MHC binding data and the immune epitope database and analysis resource

Clin Dev Immunol. 2013:2013:467852. doi: 10.1155/2013/467852. Epub 2013 Oct 8.

Abstract

The immune system has evolved to become highly specialized in recognizing and responding to pathogens and foreign molecules. Specifically, the function of HLA class II is to ensure that a sufficient sample of peptides derived from foreign molecules is presented to T cells. This leads to an important concern in human drug development as the possible immunogenicity of biopharmaceuticals, especially those intended for chronic administration, can lead to reduced efficacy and an undesired safety profile for biological therapeutics. As part of this review, we will highlight the molecular basis of antigen presentation as a key step in the induction of T cell responses, emphasizing the events associated with peptide binding to polymorphic and polygenic HLA class II molecules. We will further review methodologies that predict HLA class II binding peptides and candidate epitopes. We will focus on tools provided by the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource, discussing the basic features of different prediction methods, the objective evaluation of prediction quality, and general guidelines for practical use of these tools. Finally the use, advantages, and limitations of the methodology will be demonstrated in a review of two previous studies investigating the immunogenicity of erythropoietin and timothy grass pollen.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Databases, Protein
  • Epitopes / immunology*
  • Epitopes / metabolism
  • HLA Antigens / immunology*
  • HLA Antigens / metabolism
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / immunology
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations*
  • Protein Binding / immunology
  • Proteins / immunology*
  • Proteins / metabolism
  • Proteins / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Epitopes
  • HLA Antigens
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations
  • Proteins