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Role of Antibodies in Cancer Treatment (An Overview)

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Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy, and Prognosis

Part of the book series: Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis ((HAYAT,volume 7))

Abstract

Drugs that target cancer cells more selectively than chemotherapeutics have spawned a revolution in cancer treatment (Nathan 2007). These so-called smart drugs are more effective and less toxic because they discriminate better between normal and malignant cells. A naturally occurring smart drug is an antibody that has an exquisite specificity for its target antigen. The foundations for passive immunotherapy were laid at the end of the nineteenth century, when Von Behring and Kitasato injected small doses of the diphteria toxin into animals, to produce serum that on administration to other animals provided passive immunity to diptheria. In 1908, Ehrlich grasped the potential of therapeutic antibodies when he formulated the magic bullet concept.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, UCDMC Cancer Center, 2800 Bidwell Street #3, Davis, CA, 95618, USA

    Huguette Albrecht

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  1. Huguette Albrecht
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Correspondence to Huguette Albrecht .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Biological Sciences, Kean University, Union, 07083, USA

    M. A. Hayat

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Albrecht, H. (2010). Role of Antibodies in Cancer Treatment (An Overview). In: Hayat, M. (eds) Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy, and Prognosis. Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3186-0_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3186-0_10

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