Monoclonal antibodies and Chinese mice

Brendan and Joanna are joined by immunologist Dr. Paul Ibbett to unpack the biologic therapies Brendan is using for his optic neuritis.

What's covered

• Biologics vs. monoclonal antibodies, and how they're manufactured in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines
• Why ~90% of drugs fail, and how AI/ML is improving antibody design
• The blood-brain barrier and why it makes neurology so hard to treat
• The immune system as a "spider's web" — B cells, T cells, and TNF-alpha
• Brendan's journey: Rituximab didn't work, now on infliximab (a TNF-alpha blocker), with steroids tapering
• How inflammation damages the optic nerve, and a possible Behçet's disease diagnosis