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Soon after the first description of monoclonal antibodies in 1976,
there was enormous interest in the clinical application of
antibodies, especially in the context of cancer. Antibodies
appeared to offer the "magic bullet" that would allow the specific
destruction of neoplastic cells. H- ever, many years' effort
resulted in very few cases of successful immu- therapy with
antibodies. As a result there was a major backlash against antibody
therapy, and the field lost a considerable amount of popularity.
Fashion, in science as well as in other things, tends to be
cyclical. Antibody-based therapy is once again attracting
scientists and clinicians. There are several reasons for the
renewed optimism; certainly the expe- ence of the last two decades
has provided a wealth of information about problems associated with
antibody therapy, and possible solutions to these problems.
Recombinant antibody engineering has rejuvenated the field,
allowing both the modification of antibodies to improve their in
vivo pr- erties and the isolation of novel antibody molecules by
such techniques as phage display. The results of recent clinical
trials have demonstrated unequivocally the benefit of antibody
therapy in a number of settings, and, finally, more careful
consideration has been taken of the types of disease best treated
using this approach.
Soon after the first description of monoclonal antibodies in 1976,
there was enormous interest in the clinical application of
antibodies, especially in the context of cancer. Antibodies
appeared to offer the "magic bullet" that would allow the specific
destruction of neoplastic cells. H- ever, many years' effort
resulted in very few cases of successful immu- therapy with
antibodies. As a result there was a major backlash against antibody
therapy, and the field lost a considerable amount of popularity.
Fashion, in science as well as in other things, tends to be
cyclical. Antibody-based therapy is once again attracting
scientists and clinicians. There are several reasons for the
renewed optimism; certainly the expe- ence of the last two decades
has provided a wealth of information about problems associated with
antibody therapy, and possible solutions to these problems.
Recombinant antibody engineering has rejuvenated the field,
allowing both the modification of antibodies to improve their in
vivo pr- erties and the isolation of novel antibody molecules by
such techniques as phage display. The results of recent clinical
trials have demonstrated unequivocally the benefit of antibody
therapy in a number of settings, and, finally, more careful
consideration has been taken of the types of disease best treated
using this approach.
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