**Background of Furin Antibodies**
Furin, a proprotein convertase belonging to the subtilisin-like protease family, plays a critical role in proteolytic activation of precursor proteins by cleaving them at specific multibasic motifs. It is involved in diverse physiological processes, including hormone maturation, viral glycoprotein processing (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 spike protein), and cellular homeostasis. Dysregulation of furin is linked to pathologies such as cancer metastasis, neurodegenerative diseases, and infectious disorders, making it a therapeutic and diagnostic target.
Furin antibodies are immunological tools designed to detect, quantify, or inhibit furin activity. These antibodies are widely used in research to study furin’s expression, localization, and function in cellular and disease models. Monoclonal antibodies offer high specificity for applications like Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, or flow cytometry, while polyclonal antibodies may detect multiple epitopes, enhancing sensitivity. Therapeutic furin antibodies are also explored to block pathogenic processes, such as viral entry or tumor progression, by interfering with substrate cleavage.
Recent advancements focus on engineering antibodies with enhanced affinity, neutralization capacity, or conjugation to drug carriers. Challenges include minimizing off-target effects and optimizing delivery in vivo. As furin’s role in diseases like COVID-19 and cancer gains attention, furin antibodies remain pivotal for both basic research and translational drug development.
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