Main description:

The Natural Anti-Gal Antibody as Foe Turned Friend in Medicine provides a comprehensive review of the natural anti-Gal antibody, which is the most abundant antibody in humans constituting ~1% of immunoglobulins and the carbohydrate antigen it recognizes, the a-gal epitope. It discusses the discovery of this antigen/antibody system, its evolution in mammals, the pathological effects of this antibody, and its possible use in various therapies in humans. Most significantly, the book discusses microbial and regenerative therapies in which an antibody present in all humans may be harnessed as an in vivo pharmaceutical agent that enables a wide variety of therapies.

Some of these therapies are described as experimental studies that are compiled in this book, other already studied therapies in the area of cancer immunotherapy are also included in this book.

Contents:

SECTION 1: ANTI-GAL BACKGROUND 1. Anti-Gal in humans and its antigen the a-gal epitope 2. Why do we produce anti-Gal: Evolutionary appearance of anti-Gal in Old World primates 3. Anti-Gal comprises most of anti-blood group B antibodies: Landsteiner's enigma 4. Anti-Gal interaction with Trypanosoma, Leishmania and Plasmodium parasites 5. Anti-Gal B cells are tolerized by a-gal epitopes in the absence of T cell help

SECTION 2: ANTI-GAL AS FOE 6. Anti-Gal and other immune barriers in xenotransplantation 7. Anti-Gal IgE mediates allergies to red meat 8. Anti-Gal and autoimmunity

SECTION 3: ANTI-GAL AS FRIEND 9. Anti-Gal mediated amplification of viral vaccine efficacy 10. Cancer immunotherapy by anti-Gal mediated in situ conversion of tumors into autologous vaccines 11. Anti-Gal as cancer cell destroying antibody and as antibiotics targeted by a-gal bi-functional molecules 12. Acceleration of wound and burn healing by anti-Gal/a-gal nanoparticles interaction

SECTION 4: FUTURE HYPOTHETICAL DIRECTIONS 13. Anti-Gal and anti-non gal antibodies in regeneration of extracellular matrix (ECM) bio-implants in humans 14. Post infarction regeneration of ischemic myocardium by intramyocardial injection of a-gal nanoparticles 15. Regeneration of injured spinal cord and peripheral nerves by a-gal nanoparticles 16. Inhalation of a-gal/sialic acid liposomes for decreasing influenza virus infection