IL-6 Antibody Development Service

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) antibodies have shown high efficacy in the therapeutics of inflammatory diseases by inhibition of IL-6 activity. Our company provides cutting-edge research services to help you develop highly specific antibodies and accelerate the therapeutic antibodies development in Autoimmune Diseases & Inflammation.

IL-6 in Autoimmune Diseases & Inflammation

IL-6 is released by macrophages, fibroblasts and myeloid cells by upstream factors including IL-1β, TNF-α and Toll-like receptors. It involves in immune response and inflammation by influencing the cell fate commitment of T cells, and supports the growth of B cells and plasma cells another important biological processes. IL-6 is one the representative cytokine of the IL-6 family containing IL-11, IL-27, IL-35, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and other cytokines, which share similar receptor complexes pattern and overlapping biological activities with IL-6. The blockade of IL-6 has been shown benefits in autoimmune diseases, which functions mainly through three distinct mechanisms to stimulate immune outcomes.

Fig.1 Signaling modes, JAK/STAT cascade and therapeutic targets of IL-6 (Jones B.E., et al., 2018)

• Classical Signaling

IL-6 binds to the transmembrane bound IL-6 receptor (mbIL-6R) to induce the phosphorylation of transcription factors (STAT1 and STAT3) through Janus kinases (JAK1 and JAK2). This pattern of IL-6 action can be observed in a limited number of lymphocytes and myeloid cells.

• Trans-signaling

IL-6 binds to the soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), which principally generated by proteolysis of ADAM17, and the gp130 protein located on cell surface, to activate STAT3 and recruit leukocytes, accompanied by the expression of chemokines, ultimately promoting the production of inflammation. This pattern occurs in a wider range of cells and tissues in a form of pleiotropy.

• Cluster Signaling

IL-6 can bind to sIL-6R from dendritic cells and form a complex with pg130 from adjacent CD4+ T cells to regulate the fate of Th17 cell via the activation of STAT3 and other factors. This pattern is able to elicit activation of STAT3 in a faster and stronger manner.

The sthenic functioning of these signaling pathways triggers detrimental inflammation, with one of the underlying mechanisms being summarized as IL-6-STAT3 axis, which has been considered as a promising target for the development of drugs to treat inflammatory diseases. Some therapeutic antibodies targeting this axis have been used in the therapeutics of autoimmune diseases such as Castleman's disease and Rheumatoid arthritis.

Our Services

Inhibition of IL-6 protein activity by therapeutic antibodies is one of the vital steps in the therapy for Autoimmune Diseases & Inflammation. Our company provides mature package of antibodies development services for IL-6 signaling pathways as the following workflow:

Antigen Validation

IL-6 signaling pathways

Antibody Generation

Antibody Optimization

Antibody Characterization

Antibody Production & Purification

Our advantages

With the participation of researchers with successful antibody development experience, and the ability to initiate and complete antibody development in a short period of time, our company is committed to providing meticulous services for the development of therapeutic antibodies to IL-6 signaling pathways. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more detailed information.

Reference

1.  Jones, Britta E et al. "IL-6: a cytokine at the crossroads of autoimmunity." Current opinion in immunology 55 (2018): 9-14.