Recombinant human CD74 for cancer and immunology research

Summary 
A recombinant chimeric version of CD74 containing the human extracellular domain, which binds MIF-1 and MIF-2 and has the potential as a valuable research tool for cancer and immunology studies examining the CD74-MIF axis.

Technology Overview
CD74 interactions with migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a growing area of cancer and immunology research.  However, current recombinant versions of CD74 have a limited ability to bind MIF.  Researchers at OHSU have developed an E. coli-expressed recombinant version of human CD74 with the following properties:

• Improved binding of MIF-1 and MIF-2, as compared to commercially available versions of recombinant CD74.
• Demonstrated ability to bind several antibodies currently used in human CD74 biology research and recombinant human and mouse Class II proteins.
• Stable, with no decrease in activity, when stored at -80 °C in glycerol for up to 6 months.

Publications
Meza-Romero et al., “Increased CD74 binding and EAE treatment efficacy of a modified DRα1 molecular construct.” Metabolic Brain Disease 2019. Link
Benedek et al., “MIF and D-DT are potential disease severity modifiers in male MS subjects.” PNAS 2017. Link

Licensing Opportunity
This technology is available for licensing.