Monoclonal antibodies may revolutionize the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases

  Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a new type of antibody specifically designed to target a single target, proving its potential in fighting cancer and autoimmune diseases. According to the latest article from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), monoclonal antibodies may play an important role in fighting increasingly serious infectious diseases in the future.

  This article is about NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci and his colleagues Hilary D. Marston and Catharine I. Dr. Paules completed. They emphasized that research progress in related fields will promote the rapid and strategic development of monoclonal antibodies to prevent and treat increasingly serious problems. Infection can eventually change the epidemiological process.

  The concept of mAb was proposed in the 1970s, but scientists have developed improved and more direct antibody discovery, selection, optimization, and preparation methods that have specific therapeutic potential for mAbs. Until recently, it has proven clinical value. Widely recognized. For example, it has become possible to find monoclonal antibodies to specific pathogens directly from people who have been previously infected or vaccinated. In addition, replacing the mAb can extend the shelf life of the mAb, thereby providing higher safety.

  With the development of mAbs with special targeting functions and other characteristics, scientists can precisely adjust mAbs for specific treatment or prevention. For example, during the Ebola virus outbreak from 2014 to 2016, a small clinical trial of a drug called ZMapp (including three different mAbs) showed that mAbs can reduce the mortality of infected people. Studies conducted in laboratory animals have shown that monoclonal antibodies can protect pregnant women and their fetuses in areas where ten viruses are endemic. In addition, data from pre-clinical studies indicate that when mAbs are used to prevent influenza in uninfected individuals, mAbs targeting influenza viruses can treat influenza and prevent the spread of the virus.

  The author also recalled that the development of mAb-based therapies is very expensive and should be deployed and used with caution. However, target optimization will reduce the number of antibodies and develop a delivery framework for DNA and RNA antibodies, which will reduce the price of mAbs in the future. By prioritizing the development of monoclonal antibodies against infectious diseases, the authors believe that global health leaders will strengthen preventive measures to treat and prevent existing or new infectious diseases.