When it comes to treating cancer and other incredibly destructive diseases, any progress is extremely welcomed, both by those suffering from these diseases, and their family members. Thankfully, a huge new step in the right direction has been discovered by scientists around the world: recombinant antibodies. Understanding what they are, and how they could change the future of medicine as we know it, is of utmost importance.
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So What Are Recombinant Antibodies Anyway?
In layman’s terms, recombinant antibodies are antibody fragments that are produced using recombinant antibody coding genes. This technology is fairly new and is beginning to replace monoclonal antibody treatments in some areas. As we learn more about this amazing new recombinant antibody technology, the limits of how we treat deadly diseases such as cancer are being completely rethought.
Here are just eight amazing advantages of recombinant antibodies that you should know about:
1. Superior Lot-to-Lot Consistency
Recombinant antibodies consistently exhibit higher lot-to-lot consistency results, especially when compared to more traditional monoclonal antibodies. The key reason scientists have determined this is because recombinant antibodies avoid issues related to genetic drift and instability. These two issues have been associated with both monoclonal antibodies and other traditional hybridoma-based technology in the past.
2. Animal-Free Manufacturing Process
When scientists find technology that does not require animal lives and parts to be used, it’s a win for the ethical treatment of life. Thankfully, recombinant antibodies do not require the use of animals in this manner, although animal cells are sometimes still used in recombinant antibody research and technology. Instead, recombinant antibodies are purified using tissue culture supernatant of transfected host cell lines.
3. Easier Manufacturing and Modification Process
There are many amazing benefits that recombinant antibodies have over traditional monoclonal antibodies. For example, recombinant antibodies can be modified with ease after the peptide sequence within them is fully identified (which we are now able to do thanks to modern sequencing technology). Fc fragments inside recombinant antibodies can be exchanged with other antibody classes and species, which is a feature that many scientists thought might be impossible until fairly recently.
4. They Can Be Produced Faster
Recombinant antibodies can be produced within weeks, whereas traditional monoclonal antibodies often took months (if not a full year) to produce successfully. The key reason this more rapid production is possible is the ability to skip animal immunization and hybridoma optimization processes. When scientists were instead focusing on monoclonal antibodies, both of these processes were a must.
5. The Production Capabilities are Scalable
Large-scale production of recombinant antibodies is much simpler and less expensive than monoclonal antibody large-scale production. Since recombinant antibodies can be produced via in vitro methods, their scaling ability far exceeds that of monoclonal antibodies. Many clinics produce their recombinant antibodies in-house as well, which allows them to create and distribute supplies of recombinant antibodies much easier.
6. Cancer Cells Can Be Targeted Directly
Using these amazing new technologies, recombinant antibodies can be used to directly target cancer cells in the body. In doing so, they make it easier for human bodies to re-learn which cells are cancer cells after they’ve lost the ability to do so. The in-tandem efforts of recombinant antibodies and human immune system cells make future cancer treatments and therapies much more promising.
7. Healthy Cells Are Left Alone
Beyond targeting cancer cells directly, recombinant antibodies can flag them for immune system cells. Healthy cells do not become fodder in the war against the cancer cells attacking a person’s body thanks to this jump in medical science. As this tech progresses even further, the process of getting rid of cancer cells in the human body will be so fast that it will be unrecognizable next to more recent treatment methods.
8. Treatment Can Be Delivered Faster
Lastly, the fact that recombinant antibodies can be so hyper-targeted means that they can now directly deliver life-saving treatments to human immune cells, and cancer-destroying treatments to human cancer cells. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are both now deliverable straight to harmful cancer cells thanks to recombinant antibodies technology and its many astonishing applications.
Enhancing Diagnostic and Research Tools with Recombinant Antibodies
Recombinant antibodies significantly advance diagnostic applications and the creation of reliable research tools. Their unparalleled specificity and reproducibility enhance enzyme immunoassays (ELISA), crucial for accurate disease detection and monitoring. This integration exemplifies the synergy between advanced biotechnology and clinical practice, paving the way for precision medicine and innovative research methodologies
Recombinant Antibodies Are the Future
Thanks to their seemingly endless possibilities for future treatments, recombinant antibodies have become the talk of medicine’s future. As we pump more time and money into perfecting our uses of, and understanding of, recombinant antibodies, we can step one step closer to a cancer-free world. Now that you know more about recombinant antibodies, you can do your part by spreading the fantastic news about this miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime scientific breakthrough with your friends and family!
