ENGINEERED ANTIBODIES AND ANTIBODY FRAGMENTS FOR HUMAN-DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Many uses have been found for antibodies and antibody fragments in the treatment and diagnosis of human disease. Mouse monoclonal antibodies have been successfully used in man either alone or as immunoconjugate s for therapy and in vivo diagnosis. Recent advances in DNA technology and gene expression have resulted in the production of many new engin eered antibody forms, which show great promise for use as antibody-bas ed drugs. Chimeric (mouse variable region-human constant region) and h umanized (mouse antigen binding domains in a human antibody framework) antibodies are two engineered forms which may be of great therapeutic utility in humans, as these forms are unlikely to be recognized as fo reign proteins in man. Antibody fragments produced economically in mic roorganisms also have great potential as antibody-based drugs. Antibod y fragments such as Fab, F(ab')2, Fv and the single chain Fv (scAb) ca n easily be produced in large quantities from E. coli and exhibit the same binding characteristics as antibody fragments generated by proteo lysis of whole antibodies. The full potential of engineered antibodies and antibody fragments remains to be exploited.