Monoclonal antibodies have revolutionized the treatment of a range of diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. However, antibodies of mouse origin have limitations that can impact their effectiveness in humans. Fortunately, advances in technology have led to the development of more humanized antibodies, and humanized mice have played a crucial role in this process.
Disadvantages in clinical application of murine antibody
One of the significant disadvantages of murine antibodies is their specificity to a single antigen, which can limit their effectiveness against pathogens with mutations in that antigen. In addition, slight alterations at the antibody binding site can prevent cross-linkage with the antigen, which can impact hemagglutination. However, chimeric antibody technology has created antibodies with more human-like features by combining the human-derived constant region of immunoglobulin with the variable region of antibodies of mouse hybridoma origin. These chimeric antibodies have been used to treat patients with multiple myeloma and hematological malignancies and are less expensive to produce than fully humanized mice.
Advantages of humanized mice
Cyagen’s humanized mice have been instrumental in developing more effective therapies. Engraftment-based humanization can lead to impairments in mature B-lymphocytes, reduced production of immunoglobulins, and restricted T-cell generation. Genetic humanization has effectively evaluated immunotherapeutic efficacy, clinical response estimation, and tumor-specific antibodies. One example is RenMab, a novel mouse that produces receptor-binding domain (RBD)-blocking antibodies with four different epitopes. With the help of humanized mice, a rational antibody cocktail was produced against COVID-19 that has proven immunogenic and demonstrates hACE2 blocking activity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of humanized antibodies has led to more effective therapies for a range of diseases. Cyagen’s humanized mice have played a crucial role in this development, paving the way for even more innovative therapies in the future.
