E-Book Overview
A team of experts comprehensively review the theoretical and practical aspects of applying antibodies in both the laboratory and clinic. For general understanding, the book thoroughly introduces the basic science of the antibody molecule, including recombinant engineering. Several novel in vivo applications of therapeutic antibodies are then presented to illustrate their special value in varied clinical settings. For those new to the field, there are readily reproducible methods for generating and purifying antibodies and for modifying them for clinical application. Timely and comprehensive, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Antibodies offers today's researchers a concise introduction to the field, as well as a highly useful compendium of practical protocols that will greatly facilitate the application of these powerful new diagnostic and therapeutic agents.
E-Book Content
M E T H O D S I N M O L E C U L A R M E D I C I N E TM
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Antibodies Edited by
Andrew J. T. George Catherine E. Urch
Humana Press
The Antibody Molecule
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1 The Antibody Molecule Andrew J. T. George 1. Introduction The importance of antibody molecules was first recognized in the 1890s, when it was shown that immunity to tetanus and diphtheria was caused by antibodies against the bacterial exotoxins (1). Around the same time, it was shown that antisera against cholera vibrios could transfer immunity to naïve animals, and also kill the bacteria in vitro (1). However, although antitoxin antibodies rapidly found clinical application, there was little understanding regarding the nature of the antibody molecule. Indeed, the earliest theories suggested that the antitoxins were derived by modification of the toxin— intriguingly similar “antigen incorporation” theories were propounded as late as 1930 (1). In more recent times, thanks to the effo