Reassessing therapeutic antibodies for neglected and tropical diseases.

In the past two decades there has been a significant expansion in the number of new therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that are approved by regulators. The discovery of these new medicines has been driven primarily by new approaches in inflammatory diseases and oncology, especially in immuno-o...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Main Authors: Rob Hooft van Huijsduijnen, Somei Kojima, Dee Carter, Hisafumi Okabe, Akihide Sato, Wataru Akahata, Timothy N C Wells, Kei Katsuno
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007860
https://doaj.org/article/f943fdcc8ea44d97886eddaabf3dcef9
Description
Summary:In the past two decades there has been a significant expansion in the number of new therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that are approved by regulators. The discovery of these new medicines has been driven primarily by new approaches in inflammatory diseases and oncology, especially in immuno-oncology. Other recent successes have included new antibodies for use in viral diseases, including HIV. The perception of very high costs associated with mAbs has led to the assumption that they play no role in prophylaxis for diseases of poverty. However, improvements in antibody-expression yields and manufacturing processes indicate this is a cost-effective option for providing protection from many types of infection that should be revisited. Recent technology developments also indicate that several months of protection could be achieved with a single dose. Moreover, new methods in B cell sorting now enable the systematic identification of high-quality antibodies from humanized mice, or patients. This Review discusses the potential for passive immunization against schistosomiasis, fungal infections, dengue, and other neglected diseases.