| abstract |
Altered antibodies in which at least parts of the complementary determining regions (CDRs) in the light and/or heavy variable domains of an acceptor monoclonal antibody have been replaced by analagous parts of CDRs from one or more donor monoclonal antibodies, and in which there has been minimal alteration of the acceptor monoclonal antibody light and/or heavy variable domain framework region in order to retain donor monoclonal antibody binding specificity, wherein such donor antibodies have specificity for microorganisms, in particular specificity for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); a process for preparing such altered antibodies; a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutic, non-toxic amount of such altered antibodies and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent; a method of prophylactically or therapeutically treating a microorganism-induced disease state in a human or animal in need thereof which comprises administering an effective amount of such altered antibodies to such human or animal; a specific epitope of the F protein of RSV; monoclonal antibodies directed against such epitope; Fab fragments of such monoclonal antibodies; a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutic, non-toxic amount of such monoclonal antibodies or Fab fragments and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent; and a method of prophylactically or therapeutically treating RSV infection in a human or animal in need thereof which comprises administering an effective amount of such monoclonal antibodies or Fab fragments to such human or animal. |