the currently used therapeutic antibodies may cause side effects in patients and so this
line of therapy has only been exploited where the benefits outweigh the problems that
may be encountered. Great success has been seen in the treatment of prostate cancer
in men and breast cancer in women using humanised monoclonal antibodies which
bind to hormone receptors on the tumour cells and inhibit their growth as a result.
7.14 The future uses of antibody technology
Antibodies are incredibly useful molecules which can be designed to detect an almost
limitless number of antigens. They are adaptable and will operate in many conditions.
They can be used in both diagnostic and therapeutic scenarios. In the future there
will be a rise in the availability of therapeutic antibodies both for the up- and
downregulation of cellular and systemic responses. Cancer therapy andimmune
modulationof autoimmune phenomena are probably the two areas where greatest
developments will take place.
Biosensors for the detection of disease will become increasingly available as will
multiplelab on a chip(LOC) formats. LOC devices are miniaturised devices that are
capable of handling microscopic amounts of liquids and perform a number of labora-
tory assays in miniature. They are frequently fully automated and can give rapid
results without the equipment normally required for laboratory assays. They have the
added advantage that they can be used in field situations as they are becoming
increasingly portable.
The use of non-animal systems for antibody generation will be exploited more fully
with more use of phage display and other DNA library based systems.
7.15 Suggestions for further reading
Burns, R. (ed.) (2005).Immunochemical Protocols, 3rd edn. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.
Coligan, J. (2005).Short Protocols in Immunology. New York: John Wiley. (A good background
book which gives detail of immunological protocols and how they can be used to investigate
the immune system.)
Cruse, J. and Lewis, R. (2002).Illustrated Dictionary of Immunology, 2nd edn. Boca Raton, FL:
CRC Press. (An excellent book which describes in detail immunological processes and how they
interact. A good balance of text and graphics.)
Howard, G. and Kaser, M. (2007).Making and Using Antibodies: A Practical Handbook. Boca
Raton, FL: CRC Press. (An excellent book which describes in detail methods for producing,
validating, purifying, modifying and storing antibodies.)
Subramanian, G. (ed.) (2004).Antibodies,Volume 1,Production and Purification. Dordrecht:
Kluwer Academic. (This book gives good coverage of methods for antibody production,
purification, modification and storage.)
Wild, D. (2005).Immunoassay Handbook, 3rd edn. New York: Elsevier. (This book describes in
detail background to many clinical immunoassays and how to design and validate them.)
299 7.15 Suggestions for further reading
