Comparative evaluation of meglumine antimoniate encapsulated in a mixture of conventional and PEGylated liposomes and immunotherapy using an anti-canine IL-10 receptor-blocking monoclonal antibody on canine visceral leishmaniasis

Monoclonal antibodies: From magic bullet to precision weapon

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used to prevent, detect, and treat a broad spectrum of non-communicable and communicable diseases. Over the past few years, the market for mAbs has grown exponentially with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.07% from 2024 (237.64 billion USD estimated at the end of 2023) to 2033 (679.03 billion USD expected by the end of 2033). Ever since the advent of hybridoma technology introduced in 1975, antibody-based therapeutics were realized using murine antibodies which further progressed into humanized and fully human antibodies, reducing the risk of immunogenicity. Some benefits of using mAbs over conventional drugs include a drastic reduction in the chances of adverse reactions, interactions between drugs, and targeting specific proteins. While antibodies are very efficient, their higher production costs impede the process of commercialization. However, their cost factor has been improved by developing biosimilar antibodies as affordable versions of therapeutic antibodies. Along with the recent advancements and innovations in antibody engineering have helped and will furtherly help to design bio-better antibodies with improved efficacy than the conventional ones. These novel mAb-based therapeutics are set to revolutionize existing drug therapies targeting a wide spectrum of diseases, thereby meeting several unmet medical needs. This review provides comprehensive insights into the current fundamental landscape of mAbs development and applications and the key factors influencing the future projections, advancement, and incorporation of such promising immunotherapeutic candidates as a confrontation approach against a wide list of diseases, with a rationalistic mentioning of any limitations facing this field.

LaSap vaccine: Immunotherapy and immunochemotherapy associated with allopurinol in dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum

Canine visceral leishmaniasis is a parasitic zoonosis that has a profound impact on public health in countries where it is endemic. Chemotherapeutic treatments cannot keep dogs stable for long periods, and the risk of generating parasitic resistance must be considered. Forty-four symptomatic and naturally infected dogs with Leishmania infantum were tested with two treatment protocols (i) immunotherapy with LaSap vaccine and (ii) immunochemotherapy with LaSap vaccine plus allopurinol. At 90 days after the end of the treatment, it was verified that, although both protocols had generated significant clinical improvements with a greater production of IFN-γ/IL-10, in relation to the parasite load, mainly in the skin, the dogs treated only with immunotherapy maintained the same profile. These results indicate that LaSap is a good strategy to control dog parasitism.

Canine Leishmaniasis: Update on Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Dog are the main reservoir of Leishmania infantum, causing canine leishmaniasis, an incurable multisystemic disease that leads to death in symptomatic dogs, when not treated. This parasite causes visceral, cutaneous, and mucosal leishmaniasis in people in the Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, South America, and West Asia. This disease is mostly unknown by veterinarians outside the endemic areas, but the disease is expanding in the Northern Hemisphere due to travel and climate change. New methodologies to study the epidemiology of the disease have found new hosts of leishmaniasis and drawn a completely new picture of the parasite biological cycle. Canine leishmaniasis diagnosis has evolved over the years through the analysis of new samples using novel molecular techniques. Given the neglected nature of leishmaniasis, progress in drug discovery is slow, and the few drugs that reach clinical stages in humans are unlikely to be commercialised for dogs, but several approaches have been developed to support chemotherapy. New-generation vaccines developed during the last decade are now widely used, along with novel prevention strategies. The implications of the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of canine leishmaniasis are fundamental to public health.