Week 4, Apr 2024: Fc-Mediated Functions

Fc-mediated antibody effector functions play an important role in the humoral immune response and form a necessary link between innate and adaptive immunity. The constant (Fc) region is the tail portion of an antibody that interacts with other components of the immune system, such as immune cells and complement proteins. Well-known functions include opsonization, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), and complement activation. 

During last week’s Fc-Mediated Function Summit, researchers explored various aspects of Fc-mediated functions, such as the pathophysiology of FcRn, targeting FcγR for antibody-based immunotherapy, and innovative drug design with Fc Factor 8. The use of Fc biology was clearly demonstrated to have high potential in advancing molecular development, clinical utility, and novel therapeutic applications. 

A study published this month in Nature explores influenza antibody breadth and effector functions as immune correlates from acquisition of pandemic infection of children. In the study, Jia et al. describes how cross-reactive antibodies with FcR effector functions could lessen pandemic virus impact in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. Their results show that seasonal vaccination is beneficial against pandemic influenza viruses. 

Also related to pandemics, a journal pre-proof by Severa et al. highlights how Fc-mediated regulation of antiviral and inflammatory responses, in absence of viral replication, might positively tune immune response during SARS-CoV-2 infection. It may also be exploited in monoclonal antibody-based therapeutic and prophylactic strategies against viral infections.