Moh Daha, a successful scientist with a strong personality, who loves to stimulate and support his colleagues

Mohammed R. Daha is a successful and very productive scientist. He is internationally recognised for his expertise of Complement. In addition, he contributed to many other fields of Immunology, in particular Clinical Immunology within Internal Medicine. He did not only contribute to Nephrology and Transplantation, but also to Rheumatology, Infectious diseases and Pulmonology. He enjoyed teaching and he was also appreciated for his guidance of biomedical and clinical PhD's.

Labeled antigens and antibodies: the evolution of magic markers and magic bullets

The ability to label antigens and antibodies with simple chemicals and even with whole proteins fostered new approaches to basic studies of the immune system as well as new methods of immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy. This was especially true following the introduction of monoclonal antibodies, which enhanced the specificity of many of these applications. The uses to which these labeled immunoreagents were put were legion, and those who employed them might come from any field of biology or medicine. Many of these technical elaborations were critical to progress in immunology and in many other biomedical sciences. They illustrate also the often complex interplay between technology and theory.

[Clinical immunology in rheumatology]

When the Institute of Rheumatology, USSR Ministry of Health, was founded, its first director Academician A. I. Nesterov set up an immunological laboratory to attack the problems of immunodiagnosis and pathogenesis of rheumatism. Since 1958 studies of systemic diseases of connective tissue and autoimmunity under the supervision of Prof. V. A. Nasonova have been under way. Radioisotopic, enzyme immunofluorescence diagnostic assays for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) have been developed. Jointly with Czechoslovakia and the USA, the Institute of Rheumatology standardized the definitions of ANA. The laboratory have proposed the guidelines of the USSR Ministry of Health for immunodiagnosis of rheumatic diseases (RD). For immunodiagnosis, immunofluorescence, enzyme immunoassays, gel precipitation, back electrophoresis, radial immunodiffusion are widely used to measure the concentrations of anticardiolipin antibodies, mitochondrial antibodies, neutrophilic antibodies. The clinical and immunological subtypes of diffuse connective tissue diseases have been identified and characterized. Mixed connective tissue disease, poststreptococcal arthritis are described. The laboratory equipment for polymerase chain reaction permits DNA diagnosis.

In vivo clearance by the mononuclear phagocyte system in humans: an overview of methods and their interpretation

The mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) is responsible for the elimination of foreign material, effete autologous material and immune complexes. To study the relationship between MPS function and human disease, several test substances have been developed, and used to determine the clearance capacity of the MPS in human subjects in vivo. These test substances and the multitude of factors that influence the elimination of these substances (and complicate the interpretation of the test results) are discussed. Use of these probes has provided important new insights, that may lead to the development of treatment modalities by which MPS function is modified in order to influence disease processes more effectively.

ELISA: highlights of the present state of the art

ELISA is now very widely used. Many variations on the theme have been described. The search for further improvements is ongoing, mainly in the areas of sensitivity, specificity and practicability. Of course, the application of monoclonal antibodies is important in this respect. Next to that, further improvements in the detection of the enzyme label have come to the fore. Examples regarding the use of tetra-methylbenzidine as a peroxidase-substrate and details on its safety, a novel amplification method for detecting alkaline phosphatase and an enhanced luminescence method to detect peroxidase are given.

The development and use of radiolabeled antitumor antibodies

The use of radioactive tumor-localizing antibodies is developed historically, starting with the demonstration that antibodies can be radioiodinated without destroying antibody activity. Then, antibodies against normal organs were shown to contain antibodies which localize in the normal organ. Subsequently, antibodies capable of localizing in tumors were demonstrated, and these localized well enough to permit their use diagnostically by scanning for radioactivity and their use therapeutically by localizing sufficient radioiodine. Various relevant problems are discussed.