What are Monoclonal antibodies | How are they created | Applications | Itolizumab | Tocilizumab | Sci & Tech
In News:
India recently faced a shortage of two monoclonal antibody therapies namely, Itolizumab & Tocilizumab.
So what are Monoclonal antibodies?
They are artificially created antibodies to aid the body’s natural immune system.
They target a specific antigen, a protein from the pathogen that induces an immune response.
How are they created?
They are created in the labratory by exposing WBCs to a particular antigen.
To increase the number of antibodies produced, a single WBC is cloned, which in turn is used to create identical copies of antibodies.
In a healthy body, the immune system creates antibodies naturally, they are tiny Y-shaped proteins in the blood that recognize microbial enemies and bind to them, signaling the immune system to then launch an attack on the pathogen.
To people whose immune systems are unable to make sufficient amounts of these antibodies, scientists provide a helping hand- using monoclonal antibodies.
History:
Nobel-prize winner immunologist Paul Ehrlich proposed the idea of a ‘Zauberkugel‘ (magic bullet), a compound that selectively targets a pathogen.
After 8 decades of research, scientists had developed Muromonab-CD3, which is considered to be the world’s first monoclonal antibody.
Muromonab-CD3 is used as an immunosuppressant to reduce acute rejection in patients with organ transplants.
Applications:
Now commonly used in treating Ebola, HIV, COVID, psoriasis, etc.
