Theodora Stivarou, Greece

Hellenic Pasteur Institute Immunology
Postdoctoral researcher at the Immunology Laboratory (Department of Immunology) of the Hellenic Pasteur Institute (HPI) in Athens, Greece. Scientific project on the characterization of the biological properties of monoclonal, natural antibodies with cell-penetrating ability in living normal and cancer cells. PREVIOUS POSITIONS Postdoctoral researcher at the HPI Cellular and Molecular Oncology Laboratory (Department of Biochemistry) in Athens, Greece. Scientific project on the study of extracellular Heat Shock Protein 90 in breast cancer stem cells, using monoclonal antibody 4C5. Postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Histology-Embryology of the Molecular Carcinogenesis Group of the Medical School of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Scientific project on metabolic stress and stemness induction in Cdc6-overexpressing cells. External scientific collaboration with the Institute of Materials Science of the National Center of Scientific Research “DEMOKRITOS” in Athens, Greece. STUDIES PhD: 2010, PhD in Experimental and Clinical Oncology, University of Florence, Italy. PhD Thesis: “Metabolic studies on the recruitment into the mitotic cycle of tumour stem cells adapted to hypoxia”. BSc: 2005, BSc in Biology, University of Siena, Italy. BSc Thesis title: “Analysis of the gene expression correlated with the presence of p66Shc in T lymphocytes by means of DNA chips”. PUBLICATIONS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=stivarou+t&sort=date

Presenter of 1 Presentation

 Conference Calendar

NATURAL HUMAN MONOCLONAL IGGS ARE ABLE TO PENETRATE METASTATIC BREAST CANCER CELLS AND PRESENT ANTI-NEOPLASTIC EFFECTS ON CANCER CELL MIGRATION AND VIABILITY

Session Name
PS05 - CANCER AND AUTOIMMUNITY
Session Type
PARALLEL SESSIONS
Date
29.05.2021, Saturday
Session Time
10:00 - 12:00
Room
HALL E
Lecture Time
10:20 - 10:30
Presenter
Session Icon
Pre Recorded

Abstract

Background and Aims

Our laboratory has previously studied human, polyclonal, Natural Antibodies (NAbs) endowed with polyreactivity and cell-penetrating capacity in Intravenous Immunoglobulin therapeutic preparations. Recently, our interest has been focused on human monoclonal IgGs (mIgGs) endowed with Cell-Penetrating ability (CPAbs). In particular, we aimed to analyze CPAbs potential anti-neoplastic biological activities in metastatic breast cancer cells.

Methods

A series of mIgGs from Multiple Myeloma-G patients sera (known to contain high concentration of mIgGs exhibiting frequently NAb-like properties) were isolated by protein-G chromatography. The purity and monoclonality of mIgGs were verified by SDS-PAGE and IEF, respectively, while their polyreactivity against self- and non-self- antigens, by ELISA. mIgGs cell-penetrating capacity was analyzed in MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast cancer cells by immunofluorescence experiments and their effect on apoptosis and cancer cell migration, by flow cytometry and wound healing assays, respectively.

Results

Among 41 purified human mIgGs, 19 had cell-penetrating capacity with distinct cytoplasmic staining patterns. Three CPAbs inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell migration and also induced apoptosis. Moreover, two other CPAbs, which enhanced MDA-MB-231 motility, had no effect on their viability likewise to four CPAbs and three mIgGs without cell-penetrating capacity which also had no effect nor on cellular migration or cell viability.

Conclusions

We provide evidence that human natural mIgGs with cell-penetrating capacity exhibit anti-neoplastic functions and could be exploited as advantageous -due to their natural origin- anti-neoplastic tools. In conclusion, we consider that CPAbs could be used in cancer immunotherapy either per se, or as carriers for intracellular drug delivery, or both.

Hide