35 years ago, the first methods to produce specific antibodies in order to use them as therapeutics were developed. Initially, those antibodies were derived from mice. The functionality equates to antibodies in the human immune system; antigens are bound by the key-lock mechanism of the antibody and the immune system is recruited towards these antigens. The use of therapeutic antibodies is not limited to infectious diseases, they can also be applied against cancer for example, where specific antigens are presented on malignant cells, or certain inflammatory disorders.
Development of Antibody Technologies
However, antibodies derived from mice are of limited use as therapeutic agents since the human immune system recognizes such antibodies as foreign molecules and may trigger a defense reaction against them. In this case, the human organism combats the antibody, which reduces the benefits of the therapeutic substance. It is possible to reduce such defense reactions by chimerizing or humanizing the mouse antibodies, thus decreasing their immunogenicity.
Only recently, technological advances have introduced fully human antibodies, which should show very few or no side effects at all. MorphoSys has developed a concept for the in vitro generation of highly specific and fully human antibodies and established an antibody library called HuCAL (Human Combinatorial Antibody Library).
