Clinical trials of antibody therapy

Much of the 25 years since Kohler and Milstein first described making monoc lonal antibodies (mAbs) has been spent trying to develop these reagents to treat human disease. Until recently, progress has been frustratingly slow a nd by 1994 only one mAb, anti-CD3 (OKT3), had been licensed for clinical us e. In the past five years, however, the situation has changed dramatically, with numerous mAbs now showing clinical potential, and a further seven app roved for human treatment. Furthermore, all indications are that this upwar d trend will continue, with a quarter of all new biological products curren tly undergoing clinical development being antibody based.