The Impact of the Hybridoma Technology on the R&D of Idiotypic Antibodies

Immune Jumping in Autoimmune Long-Covid

This Long-Covid disease, mild or severe, is multiorgan or system-wide, spanning from fatigue to clotting abnormalities and autoantibody. The spectrum of different symptoms in Long-Covid diseases makes it difficult to point to a common immunopathogenic etiology. Different immune pathways are presented and critically evaluated. A hypothesis is advanced that indicates autoimmune reactions as cause for Long-Covid disease. The immune network pathway describes a redirection of the nominal anti-SARS-CoV response towards an autoimmune target. Several therapeutic interventions are suggested to suppress the autoimmune pathway.

What Molecular Recognition Systems Do Mesenchymal Stem Cells/Medicinal Signaling Cells (MSC) Use to Facilitate Cell-Cell and Cell Matrix Interactions? A Review of Evidence and Options

Mesenchymal stem cells, also called medicinal signaling cells (MSC), have been studied regarding their potential to facilitate tissue repair for >30 years. Such cells, derived from multiple tissues and species, are capable of differentiation to a number of lineages (chondrocytes, adipocytes, bone cells). However, MSC are believed to be quite heterogeneous with regard to several characteristics, and the large number of studies performed thus far have met with limited or restricted success. Thus, there is more to understand about these cells, including the molecular recognition systems that are used by these cells to perform their functions, to enhance the realization of their potential to effect tissue repair. This perspective article reviews what is known regarding the recognition systems available to MSC, the possible systems that could be looked for, and alternatives to enhance their localization to specific injury sites and increase their subsequent facilitation of tissue repair. MSC are reported to express recognition molecules of the integrin family. However, there are a number of other recognition molecules that also could be involved such as lectins, inducible lectins, or even a MSC-specific family of molecules unique to these cells. Finally, it may be possible to engineer expression of recognition molecules on the surface of MSC to enhance their function in vivo artificially. Thus, improved understanding of recognition molecules on MSC could further their success in fostering tissue repair.