ABSTRACT
The antibodies approved for the treatment of diseases, including cancer, have been developed predominantly based on the understanding and identification of key targets involved in disease pathology. Thus, for oncology, marketed antibodies to epidermal growth-factor receptors/human epidermal growth-factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor treat cancer by blocking the function of these targets that are crucial for tumor progression. The success in designing and developing antibody-based cancer therapy depends largely on selecting suitable targets. Advancements toward earlier detection and improved outcomes with new targeted therapies promise to transform cancer into a chronic and manageable condition rather than a uniformly fatal disease. Advances in gene-expression analysis have enabled large-scale gene profiling to identify “tumor-specific” antigens. One of the more important activities of antibodies is to help trigger cellular immune responses against various targets, such as a pathogen, a pathogen-infected host cell, or a tumor cell.
