Immunology Case Study: Effectiveness of Monoclonal Antibody Therapies

This case study delves into the field of immunology, particularly focusing on the application of monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies in the treatment of cancer. It explains the role of the immune system in combating infections and toxins, highlighting the rapid advancements in this sector. The study details the mechanism of action of mAbs, including their ability to specifically target and bind to cancer cells, thereby stimulating the immune system. Different types of mAbs, such as naked, conjugated, and bi-specific antibodies, are discussed, along with their respective functions and examples. The case study also addresses the effectiveness of these therapies, especially in treating various types of cancer, and acknowledges the potential side effects associated with their use. References to relevant research and journals are provided to support the information presented. This case study is a valuable resource for students studying immunology and related fields, offering insights into the practical application of mAb therapies in cancer treatment.

CASE STUDY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

MAIN BODY
The organs and the procedures followed by the body which fights against the infections
and toxins are immune system and its study is known as immunology (Jenmalm & Prescott,
(2017)). The immune system protects us from infections through various lines of defence and
thus, it is essential to study it so that we can improve it to a basic level and become able to fight
with those bacterial cells. There are many diseases which are not severe and can be treated at
home by the patient himself or his family with some easy steps by having a basic knowledge of
immunology so that they can deal with the diseases (Macpherson, de Agüero & Ganal-
Vonarburg, (2017)). I observed that nowadays a rapid development is taking place in this sector.
In present time, monoclonal antibody therapies are obtained to be an effective method to
stimulate the immune system of patient to attack those bacteria and other cells. This form of
therapy uses some monoclonal antibodies abbreviated as mAb which binds mono specifically to
certain cells. I found that it is possible to create a mAb specific to almost any extracellular
surface target. It is the most effective form of immunotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies that are
used to treat humans have suffix "mab". The effectiveness of this treatment can be observed by
implementing it on cancer which is a very hazardous disease and very common in today's world.
The immune system of a person becomes very weak when he is suffered with cancer. In order to
boost up the immune system of a person having cancer there are many monoclonal antibodies
which can be used in treating the disease (Tajiri, Aonuma & Sekine, (2017)). By using these
antibodies person may fight with the foreign substances that are causing the disease. These
antibodies when entered to the bodies stick with some specific proteins known as antigens. These
antibodies circulates in the entire body until they find these antigens. When they find these
antigens they attach to them in order to destroy them. There are different type of monoclonal
antibodies which are used in treatment of cancer such as naked mAb, conjugated mAb and bi-
specific mAb. Out of them, naked monoclonal antibodies work by themselves without any
actuation. Some of these mAb's attached directly to the antigens on cancer cells whereas some
work by binding to antigens on different cells. This type of mAbs further plays their role in
different ways for instance- some of them enhance the response of a person's immune against
the cells of cancer by directly attaching to them. A most commonly used mAb of this kind is
Alemtuzumab which is used to treat the patients of CLL( chronic lymphocytic leukaemia). The
antigen which causes this disease is CD52 and found on lymphocytes cells (Choo & et.al,
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(2017)). In contrary to this, some naked mAbs boosts the immune responses by activating the
checkpoints of the system. Also, some naked mAb attached to the antigens and block them to
function. Trastuzumab is an antibody which blocks the HER2 protein that causes breast and
stomach cancer. Now, those antibodies which are entered in the human body during their
chemotherapy are known as conjugated mAb. These type of antibodies are sometimes referred as
labelled, tagged or loaded. Inrityumomab tiuxetan is a radiolabelled mAb that fight against CD20
antigens which founds on the lymphocytes known as B cells. These antigens are treated using
radio immunotherapy. Chemolabeled antibodies have strong chemotherapy drugs. Some
important chemolabelled mAbs that are used to fight cancer are Brentuximab vedotin which
targets CD30 antigen and used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma. Also, Ado-trantuzuma is attached
with chemotherapy to attack HER2 which causes breast cancer. In addition to these, there are
some mAbs which are combination of two different antibodies that is they can attach to two
different proteins or antigens simultaneously and such type of antibodies are known as bi-
specific mAb. The most common example is blinatumomab which is used to treat lymphocytic
leukaemia (Yagi & et.al, (2017)). A part of this drug attacks the CD19 antigens whereas the
other part attack CD3 protein. In order to bind the cancer cells, this type of mAb will have to
destroy both the antigens.
As far as mAbs are proven to be effective tool to fight against cancer it may be noted
that these mAbs have some side effects associated with the. Although naked mAbs have less
severe in comparison to the chemotherapy drugs. These includes fever, cold, weakness, etc.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Choo, M. & et.al, (2017). Characterization of H type 1 and type 1 N-acetyllactosamine glycan
epitopes on ovarian cancer specifically recognized by the anti-glycan monoclonal
antibody mAb-A4. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 292(15), 6163-6176.
Jenmalm, M. C., & Prescott, S. L. (2017). The intestinal microbiota and the child’s immune
system. Microbiota in health and disease: from pregnancy to childhood. Wageningen
Academic Publishers, Wageningen, the Netherlands, 121-139.
Macpherson, A. J., de Agüero, M. G., & Ganal-Vonarburg, S. C. (2017). How nutrition and the
maternal microbiota shape the neonatal immune system. Nature Reviews
Immunology, 17(8), 508-517.
Tajiri, K., Aonuma, K., & Sekine, I. (2017). Cardiovascular toxic effects of targeted cancer
therapy. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 1-7.
Yagi, S. & et.al, (2017). Clinical significance of intratumoral HER2 heterogeneity (IHH) using
endoscopic biopsy specimens in patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer (GC) who
received T-mab-based chemotherapy.
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