Therapeutic antibodies Case study I: Prevention of respiratory syncytial virus illness
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199646579.003.0015
In this first case study the history of a viral disease, originating as a primate respiratory infection, and how antibody therapy came to the rescue of human neonates suffering from the same infection, is developed. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was discovered around 60 years ago and affects a large proportion of children within the first few years of their life. After the development of anti-RSV immune donor polyclonal antibody treatment, large reductions in infant mortality were seen. Further major improvements occurred when monoclonal antibodies targeting specific sites on the RS virus became available. The story of the development of therapeutic antibody approaches, enabled by the close interplay of academic and biotechnology company research, is retold in this chapter.
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