Thomas Jefferson University - Hilary Koprowski
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Hilary Koprowski
Cancer Biology
Thomas Jefferson University
Jefferson Medical College
Department of Cancer Biology
Professor
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Mailing Address
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233 South 10th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
United States
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Expertise and Research Interests
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RESEARCH INTERESTS
1. MICROBICIDES FOR PREVENTION OF HIV INFECTION
The strongest known HIV inhibitor is griffithsin, isolated from red algae. We have modified this compound in order to produce it in medicinal plants, which are then used as suppositories in vagina and in anus. These suppositories serve a double role prevent AIDS and if such infection takes place, it produces an immune response to the infection.
CANCER
1. NEEDLE-FREE VACCINE AGAINST CERVICAL CANCER
The medicinal plant Aloe vera has been utilized by the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories to serve as a host for the efficient production of disease-fighting biological materials. The primary focus of the work at the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories is the development of a new generation of vaccine capable of protecting humans against a wide variety of viral diseases without having to use injections. The Aloe plant has been shown by the Biotechnology Laboratories to produce disease-fighting proteins in the form of virus-like particles that resemble the actual cervical cancer-causing virus (human papillomavirus), but are not capable of causing disease. These Aloe-based preparations have been tested in animals and the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories have confirmed that upon vaginal immunization with these virus-like particles contained in the Aloe extract, there has been an immune response. The Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories are currently engaged in research aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the vaccine by determining the best formulation of suppositories that include Aloe extract with the virus-like particles. The research results of the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories are ready for publication and a corresponding patent application has been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
2. ANTIBODIES FOR TREATMENT OF CANCER AND DEVELOPMENT OF CANCER VACCINE
We have developed simultaneously a vaccine and therapeutic antibody against human breast and lung cancer. We have proven their capability to destroy human cancer transplanted in a special breed of mice. The two products against breast and lung cancer are near the stage of clinical trials.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
1. NEEDLE-FREE SMALLPOX VACCINE
Vaccination against smallpox was resumed a few years ago in the United States among high risk groups, including military personnel and health care workers. This was initiated mainly in response to the threat of bioterrorism. One disadvantage of the current live vaccine is that it can have serious and potentially lethal complications, not only in the recently immunized individual, but also among people who are in close contact with that individual. At the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories, we have produced in plants an alternative vaccine which is free of serious side effects. This vaccine product is less expensive to produce than the current live vaccine, utilizing the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories methodologies for large-scale production in plants.
The plant-based smallpox vaccine developed by the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories has been found to fully protect mice exposed to live pox virus. While this new vaccine can be easily administered by injection, it can also be administered by nasal spray. Following further testing in rhesus monkeys, the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories expect that clinical trials can be undertaken in 2010.
2. POLIOMYELITIS VACCINE NEW GENERATION
Presently, there are two types of polio vaccine, oral and injectable, which were developed in the 1950s and are still used today for immunization. Dr. Hilary Koprowski was the developer of this oral polio vaccine. The eradication of polio with the oral vaccine has come to a halt because one of the strains has caused polio in vaccinated persons. Thus, there is a need for a new oral polio vaccine which can be used for eradication. At the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories, Dr. Hilary Koprowski is producing a new oral polio vaccine which has no living virus, but immunizes the recipients with virus-like particles. This is an important project since upon completion the new vaccine can be used in the Polio Eradication Program. The project involves a large number of personnel, large amount of equipment and supplies.
3. IMPROVED DPT VACCINE
The current pediatric vaccine against Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus, commonly referred to as the DPT vaccine, requires five injections to assure full protection. The Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories have applied advanced plant biotechnology to generate three vaccine components in plants and have tested a combination of these components in animals to determine their effectiveness for immunization against DPT. Our testing showed that two doses were enough to evoke a protective level of immunization. We are currently developing the methodology to combine the three vaccine components into one plant simultaneously, to facilitate efficient production of an improved vaccine which requires two doses instead of five reducing the cost of the vaccine. We have employed this strategy in the carrot plant to develop the vaccine in such a manner that it would be suitable for oral delivery. After testing this vaccine in primates, we are planning to proceed with human trials.
4. COMMERCIAL FISH VACCINES
The Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories has worked in close collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School on this project. We are developing vaccines, which can be grown in plants, to combat common infectious diseases of fish. We are engaged in pilot studies utilizing large-scale, plant-based preparations, and have reached the point of development where these products are ready for field trials. These inexpensive and safe vaccines hold promise to be extremely helpful for application in the growing industry of commercial fish farming throughout the world.
5. MEDICINAL PLANT BREAKTHROUGH THE PROMISE OF YERBA SANTA
The Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories have performed in-depth studies of the potential use of a medicinal herb - Yerba Santa for the production of modern medicinals. The plant has been used for centuries by native tribes to cure respiratory diseases and is sufficiently safe that it is currently in use in the American food industry. Yerba Santa holds great potential not only for the efficient production of pharmaceuticals in the plant, itself, but also for the administration of these pharmaceuticals to people either orally, through a nasal spray or through vaginal or rectal suppositories containing the plant material. The Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories have developed proprietary technology to utilize this plant to produce easily administered pharmaceutical products to fight avian flu, HIV/AIDs and other diseases.
6. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
The clinical trial for the treatment of multiple sclerosis with inosine is concluded and at the stage of analyzing clinical and laboratory data. We have obtained the meaningful evidence of the value of inosine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Our results have been accepted for publication by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The next stage includes expanded multi-center clinical trials.
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TOBACCOA RICH SOURCE OF BIOFUEL
The Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories have been investigating alternative means of producing biofuels, as inexpensively, quickly and energy-efficiently as possible. We are conducting pioneering research in the engineering of tobacco plants, to create efficient production of biofuel using the plants leaves and stems. The rapid growth of the tobacco plant and the leaf content of our specially engineered tobacco strains can result in more efficient biofuel production than is the case with other crops which have been traditionally used for biofuel manufacturing (production). Tobacco plants are naturally rich in sugars, starch, and low-lignin cellulose that can be converted into ethanol, yielding up to 1100 gallons of bio-ethanol per acre. Additionally, tobacco seeds are naturally rich in oils suitable for conversion to biodiesel. We are able to adjust the plant metabolism to significantly increase the oil accumulation in the leaves and stems of the tobacco plant. Our tobacco engineering project should at least double the amount of biodiesel produced per acre of crops in comparison to the amount produced from soybeans. Moreover, with tobacco as a model, we believe that there is great promise for the application of this technology to other commercial crops such as alfalfa, soybeans or even weeds.
In summary, at the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories we use our expertise in molecular biology, plant biotechnology, plant virology and immunology to develop new technologies and products for prevention and treatment of various diseases and to extend the range and productivity of plants that can be used as factories . We have developed these technologies for application in a number of plant species such as tomato, tobacco, cauliflower, collard, carrot and the medicinal plant, Yerba Santa. Using our cutting-edge technology, we have produced and tested a variety of plant-based vaccines and other pharmaceuticals. The current list includes vaccines against smallpox, DTP, SARS, avian flu, hepatitis B, rabies, anthrax, HIV, RSV, and a variety of agents for immunization and control of human cancer, such as lung, breast colorectal and genital. We are also working on the optimization of plant biomass for production of biofuel, both ethanol and biodiesel, by genetic manipulation of plant metabolism. The preliminary results are very promising.
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Keywords
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Animal Care; Animal Colony; Antibody Formation; Antiinflammatory Agent; Athymic Mouse; Biomedical Equipment Resource; Biomedical Facility; Cancer; Cancer Biology; Cancer Prevention; Carcinogenesis; Cell Sorting; Chemical Model; Clinical Research; Computer Processing Of Laboratory Data; Computer Simulation; Cytokine; Cytokine Receptor; Drug Design Synthesis Production; Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology; Flow Cytometry; Fluorescent Dye Probe; Gene Expression; Goat; Growth Factor; Growth Media; Hamster; Health Science Manpower; Helper T Lymphocyte; High Performance Liquid Chromatography; Histopathology; Human Tissue; Hybridoma; Immunoconjugate; Immunology; Immunomodulator; In Situ Hybridization; Laboratory Mouse; Laboratory Rabbit; Laboratory Rat; Mass Tissue Cell Culture; Microbiology; Microorganism Classification; Monoclonal Antibody; Multiple Myeloma; Mycoplasma; Neoplasm Cancer Genetics; Neoplasm Cancer Immunodiagnosis; Nervous System Infection; Neurotransmitter; Oral Administration; Pathologic Process; Peptide Chemical Synthesis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protein Purification; Rabies; Rabies Vaccine; Rabies Virus; Radioimmunoassay; Rnase Protection Assay; Safety Equipment; Severe Combined Immunodeficiency; Sodium Potassium Atpase; Tissue Cell Preparation; Veterinary Medicine; Virus Antigen; Virus Infection Mechanism
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Publications
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- Portocarrero, Carlo, Karen Markley, Hilary Koprowski, Sergei Spitsin and Maxim Golovkin. 2008. Immunogenic properties of plant-derived recombinant smallpox vaccine candidate pB5. Vaccine : 26: 5535-5540.
- Brodzik, Robert, Sergei Spitsin, Max Golovkin, Katarzyna Bandurska, Carla Portocarrero, Monika Okulicz, Zenon Steplewski and Hilary Koprowski. 2008. Plant-derived EpCAM antigen induces protective anti-cancer response. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 57: 317-323.
- Spitsin, S., V. Andrianov, N. Pogrebnyak, Y. Smirnov, N. Borisjuk, C. Portocarrero, V. Veguilla, H. Koprowski and M. Golovkin. 2009. Immunological assessment of plant-derived avian flu H5/HA1 variants. Vaccine 27: 1289-1292.
- Koprowski, H. 2009. Rabies in the Face of the 21st Century. Zoonoses and Public Health 56: 258-261.
- Markowitz, Clyde E., Sergei Spitsin, Vanessa Zimmerman, Dina Jacobs, Jayaram K. Udupa, D. Craig Hooper and Hilary Koprowski. 2009. The treatment of multiple sclerosis with inosine. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 15: 619-625.
- Andrianov, Vyacheslav, Mykolai Borisjuk, Natalia Pogrebnyak, Anita Brinker, Joseph Dixon, Sergei Spitsin, John Flynn, Paulina Matyszczuk, Marilyn Laurelli, Maxim Golovkin and Hilary Koprowski. 2009. Potential of tobacco as a production platform for biofuel: Overexpression of Arabidopsis DGAT and LEC2 genes increases accumulation and shifts the composition of lipids in green biomass. Plant Biotechnology Journal. In Press.
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Individual Expertise profile of
Hilary Koprowski, Copyright © Hilary Koprowski.
Last Updated
by Hilary Koprowski : Wednesday, December 2, 2009 2:25:02 PM
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