Antibody-IL-2 fusion proteins: a novel strategy for immune protection

Advances in genetic engineering and expression systems have led to a rapid progress in the development of immunoglobulins fused to other proteins. These 'antibody fusion proteins' have novel properties and include antibodies fused to the cytokine interleukin-2. In the present review we describe strategies for construction of these antibody-interleukin-2 fusion proteins and discuss their in vitro and in vivo properties. Antibody-interleukin-2 fusion proteins retain both antibody associated functions such as antigen binding, complement activation and Fc gamma receptor binding as well as interleukin-2 associated functions such as the stimulation of proliferation of CTLL2 cells. In vivo, they produce strong potentiation of the host immune response against any associated antigen. In addition, these novel molecules are able to target tumor cells and produce a specific and effective T cell response capable of eliminating the tumor. These properties suggest that antibody-interleukin-2 fusion proteins will be useful in the diagnosis and/or treatment of human cancer as well as in the potentiation of human response against any associated antigen.     

Improving location awareness in indoor spaces using RFID technology

Location awareness is a key issue to improve the development of autonomous entities that are embedded into ubiquitous computing environments. GPS seems to be the best solution to develop outdoor location systems, but the performance of these systems is not good enough to locate objects or humans within indoor environments, mainly if accuracy and precision are required. In this article we propose the use of a cheap and reliable technology as RFID to develop a passive RFID-based indoor location system that is able to accurately locate autonomous entities, such as robots and people, within a defined surface. This system is applied to solve the robot tracking problem. We include the evaluation of the proposal by comparing our system technology performance with other alternatives built on different technologies (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IrDA, ultrasound, etc.). We have also performed a location awareness proof concept test to analyze the viability of the approach.     

User interface analysis for groupware applications in the TOUCHE process model

Groupware applications require a special attention during the first development stages since, in addition to interactions of the users with the system, interactions among the users through the system should be considered. The methodological approach we present in this paper is part of a complete process model called TOUCHE. The proposal is based on several models to perform the analysis of CSCW systems. The methodology presented to address the analysis stage provides the mechanisms to specify the organization of the participants of a system, the roles they play, the interaction of the users within the system and the interaction among the different participants through the system, i.e., person–computer–person interaction. The integration within the process model is also slightly depicted. The artefacts of the whole process are robustly connected, what facilitates the inter and the intra-stage traceability. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposal.     

Enhancing visitors’ experience in art museums using mobile technologies

Mobile technologies are present in our daily life and the functionality of these devices should not be restricted to support phone calls or to organize people’s work. We live in a world of connectivity and mobile devices allow users to access a great variety of resources using IR, Wi-Fi, RFID, Bluetooth, GPS, GPRS, and so on. In particular, PDA and smartphones are being successfully applied to cultural heritages as an alternative to traditional audio-guides. These electronic guides are offered to users in order to make the visit to the exhibition more pleasant and effective. Our research group has been working in the design and development of mobile software for art museums based on PDA for the past four years. During this period two systems were developed. This paper summarizes the basic features of both applications. The first one is currently operating in a real museum. These applications have been designed by applying a user-centered development process and the main goal of these systems is to improve visitors’ satisfaction by using the PDA while visiting the museum. As the result of usability evaluations performed with real users on the first application, the definition, implementation and evaluation of a new system was conceived. Moreover, the paper describes how personalization issues influenced the development of the system. Location-awareness, internationalization, HCI patterns, language adaptation to visitors and accessibility issues were the most important contributions to personalize the application. The final evaluation performed on the system has proved that the main goals initially stated were successfully achieved.     

A RANTES-antibody fusion protein retains antigen specificity and chemokine function

The successful eradication of cancer cells in the setting of minimal residual disease may require targeting of metastatic tumor deposits that evade the immune system. We combined the targeting flexibility and specificity of mAbs with the immune effector function of the chemokine RANTES to target established tumor deposits. We describe the construction of an Ab fusion molecule with variable domains directed against the tumor-associated Ag HER2/neu, linked to sequences encoding the chemokine RANTES (RANTES.her2.IgG3). RANTES is a potent chemoattractant of T cells, NK cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells, and expression of RANTES has been shown to enhance immune responses against tumors in murine models. RANTES.her2.IgG3 fusion protein bound specifically to HER2/neu Ag expressed on EL4 cells and on SKBR3 breast cancer cells as assayed by flow cytometry. RANTES.her2.IgG3 could elicit actin polymerization of THP-1 cells and transendothelial migration of primary T lymphocytes. RANTES.her2.IgG3 prebound to SKBR3 cells also facilitated migration of T cells. RANTES.her2.IgG3 bound specifically to the CCR5 chemokine receptor, as demonstrated by flow cytometry, and inhibited HIV-1 infection via the CCR5 coreceptor. RANTES.her2.IgG3, alone or in combination with other chemokine or cytokine fusion Abs, may be a suitable reagent for recruitment and activation of an expanded repertoire of effector cells to tumor deposits.