HAEMOPHILIA RESEARCH
Characterisation of antifactor VIII antibodies in haemophilia A
EM Duncan, Z Rudzki , P Han, JV Lloyd
This is a collaborative project with the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Unit of the Division of Haematology. Patients with haemophilia A who develop inhibitory antibodies against the infused factor VIII required to control their bleeding episodes become refractory to treatment. Alternatives to factor VIII are very costly and not very effective. If the regions of factor VIII against which these inhibitors are directed could be identified, then it may be possible to use synthetic peptides that mimic these regions as a therapeutic approach. We have adapted standard technology to allow us to produce peptides which represent any chosen region of the factor VIII molecule. We are testing these for their ability to bind to factor VIII and to neutralise the inhibitory antibodies.
This project is supported by the Haemophilia Foundation of Australia