Peru native looks at using antibodies against salmonella
Mar. 19—PLATTSBURGH — Many may not have heard of monoclonal antibodies prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But that is not the case for Peru native Angelene Richards, who recently, and successfully, defended her dissertation and earned her Ph.D. in Immunology & Infectious Diseases from the University at Albany School of Public Health.
Reflecting on her chosen field of study, Richards sees both the irony of studying infectious diseases in the midst of a global pandemic and the importance of such work.
"It reinforces the need to really investigate infectious diseases to save lives and make sure we can sustain our global economy," she told The Press-Republican.
"But did I think I would be defending from a laptop in my house during a pandemic? Absolutely not."
INTEREST IN SCIENCE
Richards graduated from Peru High School as salutatorian in 2008, then attended Syracuse University for two years before transferring to Ithaca College.
There, many biology and environmental biology courses piqued her interest in science, and she became intrigued by figuring out how things work.
She subsequently did a six-month internship at the University of Toronto Medical School in the surgical skills center, where she helped coordinate class to teach medical students and physicians new techniques in surgical capacity.
Richards initially thought about going to medical school as her mom, Darlene, is a nurse.
Then she got a job as a lab manager at Albany Medical College, spending time at the lab bench as opposed to the operating room, and found that day-to-day lifestyle more appealing.
"But it was also the tactile aspect — working with my hands, having a question and planning an investigation start to finish."
SALMONELLA RESEARCH
Through the lab manager position, Richards gained a lot of experience in "in vivo" work through mouse modeling.
"While people can be squeamish about it, it's important to note that if you want to put a drug into a human safely, you need to test it on an animal model," she said.
Working with biomedical sciences professor Dr. Nicholas Mantis — chief of microbial pathogenesis and immunology at the state Department of Health's Wadsworth Center lab — led Richards to her specialty in looking at the potential of monoclonal antibodies to treat infectious disease in the model of salmonella.
"My research has really been to examine the potential of oral antibodies to passively immunize against salmonella," she explained.
Active immunization is what happens when a vaccine is injected, causing the body to respond and generate antibodies, Richards continued.
Conversely, passive immunization involves giving someone those antibodies, already formed. Richards added that passive immunization mimics what naturally occurs in animals and humans, such as when a mother passes on antibodies to a pathogen to her baby through breast milk.
GATES FOUNDATION
Richards' dissertation was part of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiative that was funded by the organization's Global Health Division.
Diarrheal disease caused by a number of pathogens, including salmonella, is one of the leading causes of death globally in children under the age of five, she said.
Richards and her team found the use of oral antibodies against salmonella does work, though the window of protection is limited depending on GI (gastrointestinal) transit time. In mice, that is about 60 minutes.
"It did work, but if you want to use it in a therapeutic or prophylactic manner, you have to bump up the antibody concentration or get it to stay in the gut longer," Richards said.
"It could be dependent on the pathogen or how you formulate antibody, but (the research) added to the field of oral prophylaxis by antibodies."
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES
Monoclonal antibodies have become more present in the vernacular due to the development of treatments that help reduce the risk of hospitalization for people mild-to-moderately sick with COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to products manufactured by Eli Lilly and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Eli Lilly's antibody infusion treatment, called bamlanivimab, was deployed to many residents of Meadowbrook Healthcare — of which Angelene's father, Paul, is administrator/CEO — who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year.
Richards pointed to other monoclonal antibodies on the market. She explained that, due to their specificity and typical potency, they can be used in oncology.
Another well-known treatment, she continued, is Humira, which is used to dampen the immune response for people with conditions such as Crohn's disease.
NEXT STEPS
Richards hopes to pursue an industry position where she can see her research being used practically to improve human wellbeing.
She credited the environment and teachers at Peru Central, particularly math teacher Lin Chen, for equipping her with the tools to get through graduate school.
"Just having a hard work ethic, just pushing yourself to be the best and to really challenge your ability to develop your skillset and your intellect," Richards said. "In general, having a really great work ethic and willpower."
Email Cara Chapman:
Twitter: @PPR_carachapman
