title: Immunotoxins up to the present day.
abstract: Immunotoxins consist of monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies conjugated to bacterial or plant toxins. The toxins used are typically of the A-B type in which a toxic A chain is coupled to a B chain responsible for cell binding and facilitation of A chain entry into the cytosol. Two broad strategies have been followed: coupling intact toxins, or A chains alone, to antibodies. This review examines current progress in in vitro and in vivo research, including recent clinical studies, concentrating principally on ricin or ricin A chain conjugates. The future role of conjugates using membrane-acting toxins, immunolysins, is also discussed.
authors.affiliation: St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, Charterhouse Square, London.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Drobniewski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000922:Immunotoxins; D012276:Ricin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000922:Immunotoxins; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D012276:Ricin