Dual Action Antibodies

Genentech, a pharmaceutical company based in San Francisco has recently made huge pushes towards the development of dual action antibodies. Dual Action antibodies combine the action of multiple antibodies so that a greater benefit can be obtained, financially, physically, and mentally. Two of Genentech’s primarily produced drugs include Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody that shuts down HER2, a growth accelerator in about 20 percent of breast tumors and Avastin, an antibody that blocks a protein that stimulates the formation of tumor- feeding blood vessels. The starting cost for each of these drug treatments is at 43,000 dollars. Scientist Germaine Fuh and his team created a modified version of the Herceptin antibody that not only shut down the HER2 receptor in mice but also locked onto VEGF, Avastin's target. This is incredibly relevant in man kind’s strides to develop better cures for cancer. Designing such "dual-specific" antibodies could help solve a major problem with chemotherapy drugs: cancer cells can become resistant to them, mutating in ways that allow them to dodge the medication's action. It is not uncommon for doctors to mix various chemotherapy drugs to try and kill cancers before they can exploit this escape mechanism (resistance); which is why having a single drug that can hit the cancer from multiple directions would simplify treatment. Having a dual action antibody would be beneficial to patients affected with cancer because of its superior performance but also from a business/ financial standpoint. It would lower manufacturing costs for companies and also create a more affordable and accessible treatment for cancer patients. Tests are still being conducted regarding the effectiveness of using dual action antibodies , but due to financial concerns, are progressing somewhat slowly
At the tip of each branch the antibody is an active site, which grabs a specific molecule on an invading microbe or cancer cell. Many of the antibodies have the ability to weakly bind to a second antigen. By exploiting this ability and making the bonds tight and functional Fuh’s team was able to create a dual action antibody that was somewhat successful. Their experiments t have fueled interest in the overall potential of such drugs and their effects can be phenomenal. If the concept proves successful, antibodies that stick to two targets might be used to treat infectious diseases as well as cancer--offering the promise of drugs that work better and cost less.

http://technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25087/

http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4672