The major interest of the Pincus laboratory is the antibody molecule: structure-function relationships, its role in host-pathogen and autoimmune responses, and potential uses for prevention and treatment of disease. Current projects include: (1) The use of antibodies and immunoconjugatesfor eradicating HIV infection. We are testing two different approaches in macaque models of HIV infection. The first targets immunotoxins to HIV-infected cells (see Figure below); the second targets CD45RO+ memory T cells. (2) We first became interested in ricin toxin as a component of anti-HIV immunotoxins, but as concerns about bioterrorism grew, we have developed a panel of ricin-neutralizing antibodies and studied the mechanisms of antibody-mediated ricin neutralization. Surprisingly, we found that antibodies bind and neutralize toxin in the intracellular milieu
