They get a bunch of the science wrong, but some of it right in that typical popsci way.
For instance, it is possible to isolate the DNA sequence that codes for the functional and variable domains of the antibody.
But, it’s not possible to just take that and ‘grow it in bacteria’ as they say.
The construction of an antibody is very complex, with lots of cross-coupling and special confirmations that need to be induced by helper proteins in order to reach the final shape.
A bacterial cell doesn’t have the requisite ‘machinery’ to use a factory analogy, to do this.
When we make humanised antibodies for immunotherapy for cancer treatments we fuze a B/Plasma cell with a cancer cell to make it immortal, and then hope that the cell will churn out copies of itself and the antibody forever.
That’s one of the reasons pharma companies can charge $50,000 per dose... its time consuming, it’s fragile... and also, once they’ve done it, no-one else can come along and build the same thing (as you might be able to do by knocking off some chemical steps to make a drug)
For instance, it is possible to isolate the DNA sequence that codes for the functional and variable domains of the antibody. But, it’s not possible to just take that and ‘grow it in bacteria’ as they say.
The construction of an antibody is very complex, with lots of cross-coupling and special confirmations that need to be induced by helper proteins in order to reach the final shape.
A bacterial cell doesn’t have the requisite ‘machinery’ to use a factory analogy, to do this.
When we make humanised antibodies for immunotherapy for cancer treatments we fuze a B/Plasma cell with a cancer cell to make it immortal, and then hope that the cell will churn out copies of itself and the antibody forever. That’s one of the reasons pharma companies can charge $50,000 per dose... its time consuming, it’s fragile... and also, once they’ve done it, no-one else can come along and build the same thing (as you might be able to do by knocking off some chemical steps to make a drug)