title: Therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies in inflammatory diseases.
abstract: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are antibodies of a single antigen specificity produced by identical immune cells, i.e., clones of a common germ cell. They offer unprecedented opportunities to drug development because of their ability to target almost any cell surface or secreted molecule with remarkable efficacy and safety. In this chapter, the application of human mAbs in the treatment of inflammatory diseases is reviewed. We discuss in detail several mAb-based drugs such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF), anti-interleukin-1 (anti-IL-1) receptor, anti-IL-6 receptor, anti-α4 integrin subunit, and anti-CD20 agents, all of which have been documented by clinical trials to be efficacious and have been approved for the therapy of several inflammatory and immune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, spondyloarthropathies, juvenile arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and others. These novel drugs can be used either as a monotherapy or in combination with other conventional therapeutic modalities, particularly if the disease under treatment is refractory to therapy using solely conventional techniques. As a large variety of mAb-based agents targeting a plethora of cytokines, chemokines, adhesion and co-stimulatory molecules, receptors, as well as diverse cell types, are presently under investigation, the therapeutic armamentarium of the clinician is expected to greatly broaden in the near future, providing improved patient care for a wide range of devastating diseases of our times.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunogenetics, Center of Immunology and Transplantation, Immunobiology Division, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Hellas, Greece.
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kotsovilis
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andreakos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized