Monoclonal Antibodies That Recognize the Human Type I Interferon Receptor and Block Interferon Signaling

Type I interferons play a critical role in both innate and adaptive immunity through the stimulation of the IFNAR1 which initiates interferon signaling in response to viral and bacterial infections. However, abnormal interferon signaling is associated with human diseases, such as lupus. The present invention discloses six hybridomas that produce mouse monoclonal antibodies specific for the extracellular domain of human IFNAR1. Two of the monoclonal antibodies are able to bind IFNAR1 and reduce interferon signaling. As such, they can be utilized as a research tool for studying the expression of IFNAR1 and the inhibition of IFNAR1 function in humans or possibly as therapeutic reagents for human diseases.