Immunity is an important aspect of human health as our immune system is the first line of response, and defense, against disease or infection. Invading bacteria or viruses are distinguished, and recognized as foreign, by their genome, antigens. The immune system generates its own set of chemicals called antibodies that counter the effect of antigens. Antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, are basically Y-shaped proteins that identify or track the antigen of invading microbes and neutralize their effect. The effectiveness of our immune system depends on how soon such antibodies are produced and how effective they are. But, there again, antigen – antibody reactions may be beneficial or harmful.
However, it’s not always possible to wait for the body’s immune system to generate effective antibodies. The disease may be progressing rapidly, damaging one or more organs seriously, and multiple lives may be at stake, as in the case of an epidemic or pandemic. Something has to be done quickly. Medication can only suppress the symptoms, while antibiotics may not always be effective. A better approach is required. That is where Monoclonal Antibodies come into the picture.
When people who were infected with a particular virus or bacteria did not show severe symptoms, it implies their immune system produced antibodies that were effective in fighting the antigens from the microbe. The antibodies are found in their body for up to 5 or 7 months since infection.
If these antibodies are carefully extracted or harvested from their body and then replicated or ‘cloned’ in a laboratory, they can be injected into a patient’s body. The patient’s body now has the antibodies required to fight the invader’s antigens. These cloned or duplicated antibodies are called Monoclonal Antibodies or MABs. In contrast to MABs, a vaccine aims to boost or provoke one’s immune system to generate antibodies that are effective in fighting the foreign antigen. While MAB is an inorganic approach, vaccine is an organic one.
The practice of Monoclonal Antibodies emerged in the late 1970s and 1980s. They were used to fight certain deadly strains of the influenza virus. Interestingly, the problematic antigen need not necessary come from outside the body. Sometimes the immune system overreacts to certain developments causing strong reactions. For example, the immune system attacks transplanted organs like a liver or kidney. In autoimmune disorders, the immune system attacks different parts of the body. So over the years, MABs have been used to target the specific antigen causing a particular reaction in order to suppress it.
This implies, MABs have a wide range of applications. They have been used to fight viruses like Ebola, IAV, HIV-1, Hepatitis C and RSV, allergic reactions caused by asthma, and inflammations caused by ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and ankylosing spondylitis. Further, MABs have taken centre-stage in recent years due to their ability to fight cancers of the blood, colon, rectum and breast.
Interestingly, the beneficial antibodies being cloned in a lab need not necessarily come from humans and can come from certain animals too. Accordingly, MABs are of 4 broad types.
In addition to the virus mentioned above, MABs have been used to fight SARS, MERS and other infections caused by the corona family of viruses in the last decade. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020, there has been an accelerated drive to use MABs to fight the virus. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency of the US Govt has played a stellar role in approving and regulating the use of MABs for Covid-19 treatment along with publishing clear guidelines on which MAB-based drug is to be used when.
So in the last 1 and half years, you may have heard of drugs such as:
In some people who are infected with the Covid-19 virus, the immune system gets into an overdrive, releasing bursts of proteins called cytokine storms. While these may or may not fight the Covid-19 virus effectively, they certainly cause severe inflammation in the body, which can be life-threatening. In such a scenario, the antigens from these cytokines must also be suppressed. This too is undertaken by a certain category of MABs called Anti-interleukin-6 Receptor Monoclonal Antibodies. Levilimab and Tocilizumab (which is in the news presently) are examples of drugs based on this type.
Anti-CD6 monoclonal antibodies is similar to Anti-interleukin-6 Receptor Monoclonal Antibodies but here, the biochemical mechanism is slightly different. Itolizumab is a drug based on this type.
Monoclonal Antibodies is a fine example of why billions of dollars are pumped into drug and pharmaceutical research today. With new-age diseases become more complex or more deadly, and viruses sprouting thousands of mutations in short periods of time, radical approaches are required to identify and fight the underlying cause effectively. That is what saves lives and brings hope to the billions of humans who inhabit this beautiful planet.
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
Chennai – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801
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