Antibody-Drug Conjugates

In News

Recently , Researchers from University of Massachusetts  in the U.S designed a type of nanoparticle that embodies a new approach to treating diseases.

Protein–Antibody Conjugates

• The new concept, Protein– Antibody Conjugates or PACs, combines two different approaches to drug delivery:
  • One is biologics, where the idea is to target a defective protein in the system by delivering proteins to it.
  • The other approach is to use antibodies for drug delivery.
• The antibodies are something the body produces to detect a foreign substance inside the body.
• The Protein–antibody conjugates or PACs, developed by the group, which have a protein attached to the antibody such as pancreatic cancer cells.

                                                             ImageCourtsey:TH

Significance

• The antibody plays the role of the address and indicates the cell where the drug should precisely be delivered.
• The biology involves complexity and this method may well fail if it is not tunable.
• It combines concepts of biologics and antibody–drug conjugates to produce protein– antibody conjugates that can be used for targeted drug delivery.
  • A biologic drug (biologics) is a product that is produced from living organisms or contains components of living organisms. The composition may include sugars, proteins, or nucleic acids or complex combinations of these substances.
• Research  could have an impact on incurable diseases, so-called undruggable ones like pancreatic cancer.
  • Undruggable cases: Pancreatic cancer is an example. “There are [types] that are considered undruggable. In 90% of pancreatic cancers, this is the case. 

Antibody Conjugation

• Antibody conjugation, also known as antibody labeling, is a technique for modification of antibodies which involves the attachment of a specific tag to an antibody.
• These labeled antibodies can be used to isolate and purify a protein of interest from a complex mixture, usually cells, tissues or whole organisms.
• Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is a commonly used enzyme for conjugation of antibodies.
• Antibodies
  • Antibodies are something the body produces to detect a foreign substance inside the body. 
  •  Antibodies can be developed to recognise anything that does not belong in our bodies. 
  • That includes cancer cells as well. If there is something different on the surface of a cancer cell compared to a healthy cell, you can design the antibody that selectively goes to the cancer cell.

Source :TH