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Monoclonal antibody therapy for cancer

Infection and response • Monoclonal antibodies (biology only) (HT only)

Key concepts

What you'll likely be quizzed about

  • Monoclonal antibodies are identical antibodies produced from a single clone of cells that bind a specific antigen.
  • Their therapeutic use exploits this specificity to direct treatment toward particular cell types expressing the antigen.
  • The main goal of targeted delivery is to enhance damage to diseased cells while minimizing adverse effects on healthy cells.

Flashcards

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What happens if the target antigen is also present on healthy cells?

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Targeting may cause collateral damage to healthy cells, increasing side effects and limiting treatment safety.

Key notes

Important points to keep in mind

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies depend on antigen specificity mostly unique to diseased cells.

Antibody specificity dictates the concentration of the payload at the target site.

Stable linkers in ADCs prevent early release of toxins into the bloodstream.

Radioimmunotherapy can kill cells through emitted radiation even without internalization.

Immunogenicity and tumor heterogeneity can decrease long-term effectiveness of treatment.

Limited penetration into tumors can hinder delivery to all cancer cells; dosage adjustments have limitations.

Off-target antigen expression represents a critical safety limitation for targeted delivery.

Combination therapies can reduce the chance of tumors losing antigens.

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