New magic bullets can hit more than one target

Abstract

Monoclonal antibodies have emerged as an attractive and successful class of molecules for therapeutic intervention in several areas of human disease. However, evidence is accumulating that targeting a single protein, or single epitope on a protein, is not sufficient to achieve efficacy in certain diseases. The therapeutic range of monoclonal antibodies may therefore be more limited than anticipated. How can multiple antigen targeting be achieved and in what setting can it be beneficial? Intense efforts in antibody engineering have explored different ways to reach this goal and have yielded innovative classes of molecules presenting intrinsic advantages as well as challenges at different development stages.

Keywords::

• bispecific antibody
• crossreactivity
• polyclonal antibody
• therapeutic antibody

Notes