Requirements for human antibody cocktails for oncology

Pritumumab, the first therapeutic antibody for glioma patients

Immunotherapy is now at the forefront of cancer therapeutic development. Gliomas are a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer for which immunotherapy may hold promise. Pritumumab (also known in the literature as CLNH11, CLN-IgG, and ACA-11) was the first monoclonal antibody tested in cancer patients. Pritumumab is a natural human monoclonal antibody developed from a B lymphocyte isolated from a regional draining lymph node of a patient with cervical carcinoma. The antibody binds ecto-domain vimentin on the surface of cancer cells. Pritumumab was originally tested in clinical trials with brain cancer patients in Japan where it demonstrated therapeutic benefit. It was reported to be a safe and effective therapy for brain cancer patients at doses 5-10 fold less than currently approved antibodies. Phase I dose escalation clinical trials are now being planned with pritumumab for the near future. Here we review data on the development and characterization of pritumumab, and review clinical trails data assessing immunotherapeutic effects of pritumumab for glioma patients.

Technical and ethical limitations in making human monoclonal antibodies (an overview)

In the broadest sense there are no longer any technical limitations to making human mAbs. Biological issues involving the type and nature of either a synthetic or a natural antibody, advantages of various B cell immunological compartments, and various assays needed to qualitate and quantitate mAbs have essentially been solved. If the target antigen is known then procedures to optimize antibody development can be readily planned out and implemented. When the antigen or target is unknown and specificity is the driving force in generating a human mAb then considerations about the nature and location of the B cell making the sought after antibody become important. And, therefore, the person the B cell is obtained from can be an ethical challenge and a limitation. For the sources of B cells special considerations must be taken to insure the anonymity and privacy of the patient. In many cases informed consent is adequate for antibody development as well as using discarded tissues. After the antibody has been generated then manufacturing technical issues become important that greatly depend upon the amounts of mAb required. For kilogram quantities then special considerations for manufacturing that include FDA guidelines will be necessary.

Recombinant therapeutic antibodies

Recombinant antibody technology has revolutionized the development of antibody therapeutics. This minireview offers an overview of enabling technologies and future prospects of this rapidly progressing field.