Discovery of Antibodies

Overview

Journal BMJ

Specialty General Medicine

Date 1992 Nov 21

PMID 1477573

Citations 14

Authors

M B Llewelyn

R E Hawkins

S J Russell

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Passive immunisation has been used in clinical practice since the end of last century, mainly for prophylaxis. Success of early treatments was marred by anaphylactic reactions and serum sickness because antibodies or antitoxins were not raised in humans. Recombination of gene segments during antibody synthesis means that specific antibodies for numerous antigens can be produced from a limited gene pool. Killer lymphocytes, phagocytes, and complement then bind to the constant region of the antibody facilitating elimination of the pathogen. Development of a method of obtaining large quantities of antibodies against a specific antigen (monoclonal antibodies) offers the possibility of initiating host defence mechanisms against any unwanted antigen, though some problems still remain in preventing the body from attacking the monoclonal antibody.

Citing Articles

Passive Immunisation in the Treatment of Infectious Diseases Related to Highly Potent Bacterial Toxins.

Prygiel M, Mosiej E, Wdowiak K, Zasada A Biomedicines. 2025; 12(12.

PMID: 39767826 PMC: 11673946. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12122920.

Should treatment of hypogammaglobulinemia with immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) become standard of care in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia?.

Noto A, Cassin R, Mattiello V, Bortolotti M, Reda G, Barcellini W Front Immunol. 2023; 14:1062376.

PMID: 37122737 PMC: 10140292. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1062376.

Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies for treatment of COVID-19.

Taylor P, Adams A, Hufford M, de la Torre I, Winthrop K, Gottlieb R Nat Rev Immunol. 2021; 21(6):382-393.

PMID: 33875867 PMC: 8054133. DOI: 10.1038/s41577-021-00542-x.

A new era for monoclonal antibodies with applications in neurology (Review).

Sirbu C, Ghinescu M, Docu Axelerad A, Sirbu A, Ionita-Radu F Exp Ther Med. 2020; 21(1):86.

PMID: 33363597 PMC: 7725033. DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.9519.

Aptamers as Therapeutic Agents: Has the Initial Euphoria Subsided?.

Hassel S, Mayer G Mol Diagn Ther. 2019; 23(3):301-309.

PMID: 31037641 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-019-00400-6.

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