The present invention encompasses isolated antibodies, or antigen-binding
portions thereof, that specifically bind mature human IL-1 Beta. These
antibodies, or antigen-binding portions thereof, generally exhibit high
binding affinities (low k.sub.ooff values), reduced deamidation compared
to the native antibody, and can be used to treat various diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or neuroinflammation.