These substances have utility in the manufacture of vaccines and as a treatment for certain immunodeficiency and autoimmune disorders. Versatile - can be used in vaccines or as a therapeutic. Broad Application - immunodeficiency, autoimmune and B cell lymphoproliferative diseases. They are produced in the bone marrow and enter the blood stream upon maturation as naive B cells. When a naive B cell encounters an antigen recognized by its membrane-bound antibody, it begins to divide rapidly and its progeny differentiate into memory B cells and plasma cells.
Plasma cells secrete large quantities of antibodies which recognize and neutralize the antigen.
Substances which can enhance this immune response would have utility in the production of potent vaccines. Though the immune response protects its host against foreign invaders, immune disorders exist and continue to cause suffering. In particular, certain immunodeficiency, autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disorders, due to loss of B cell diversity, manifest themselves as suboptimal immune response or self-recognition, respectively. Substances which can modulate B cell diversity and thereby minimize the population of undesirable B cells have utility in the treatment of such disorders.