Bispecific antibodies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Bispecific antibodies - Research Paper Example In recent years, antibody therapy has become a new treatment modality for tumor patients, although the majority of responses are only partial and not long lasting. Based on evidence that effecter- cell-mediated mechanisms significantly contribute to antibody efficacy in vivo, several approaches are currently perused to improve the interaction between Fc receptor-expressing effecter cells and tumor target antigens. With this purpose the invention of monoclonal antibodies in vivo started. In the initial phase the results were not satisfactory and these antibodies in trial in vivo showed a only 20% clearance of the tumor cells but after letting it go through different formatting processes it went up to achieving 80% clearance. Bispecific antibodies have got 2 hinging sites which are specific for getting attached to immune recruiting cells and also to target antigens which are mostly transformed cells. "Bispecific antibodies (BsAb) can, by virtue of combining two binding specificities, i mprove the selectivity and efficacy of antibody-based treatment of human disease. Recent studies underline the importance of both the 'anti-trigger' and 'anti-target' modalities of BsAb for therapeutic efficacy". (Spriel, A.B., Ojik, H.H.V, & Winkel, J.G.J. 2000). There has always been an issue of side effects when it comes to cancer therapy and a lot of patients would not even go for therapies due the bad side effects. In the past few decades things have started improving an the standard mode of ontological therapies which were chemotherapy and radiation it is now switching more towards treatment of cancer with more of antibiotic and immunoglobulin. This has brought a lot of hope for future success in getting a strong hold of cancer with fewer emergences of side effects. Bispecific antibodies do not occur in nature and they need to be synthesized in vivo, through either recombinant DNA, or cell fusion technique. "Bispecific antibodies have been manufactured by fusing the DNA encodi ng a single chain antibody (ScFv) after the C terminus (CH3-ScFv) or after the hinge (Hinge-ScFv) with an antibody of a different specificity. The fusion protein is expressed by gene transfection in the context of a murine variable region. Transfectomas secrete a homogeneous population of the recombinant antibody with two different specificities, one at the N terminus (anti-dextran) and one at the C terminus (anti-dansyl). The CH3-ScFv antibody, which maintains the constant region of human lgG3, has some of the associated effectors functions such as long half-life and Fc receptor binding. The Hinge-ScFv antibody which lacks the CH2 and CH3 domains has no known effectors functions". (Coloma, M.J. &'Morrison, S.L. 1997). Production of Bispecific antibodies has been a challenging task but has still been encouraged because of the advantages it has towards treating cancer with less side effects. There are still some disadvantaged of cost and failure rate, and future challenges and tasks are also to be taken in consideration. We will have an overview of the rational of producing Bispecific antibo