Monoclonal Antibodies as Therapeutic Agents

Monoclonal Antibodies as Therapeutic Agents
What are antibodies?
Antibodies are ideal for the use in drug therapies because they are very specific in the functions that they carry out in biological systems. They can be described as Y-shaped proteins that consist of four polypeptide chains. Residing in the arms of the Y are two identical light polypeptide chains and the stem of the Y consists of two heavy polypeptide chains. The light polypeptide chains that make up the arms are referred to as a Fab (Fragment for Antigen Binding) and function by recognising the antibody's target or antige…