[Monoclonal antibodies in oncology]

A start was made on explorations into hybridoma technologies at the N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center in the late 1970s. ICO series monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against different human differentiation leukocyte antigens have been designed in a short period of time. MAb to antigens CD25, CD8, CDw50, CD5, CD4, CD7, CD3, CD71, CD34, CD45, CD38, CD11b, CD16, and CD95 have gained worldwide recognition at International HDLA Workshop Conferences. Today, the collection of hybridomas at the Center includes more than 200 samples. MAb are used for immunophenotypic assays of blood and bone marrow cells, for classification of lymphomas and leukemias, for assessment of human immunity for immunophenotypic diagnosis of minimal residual tumor in multiple myeloma. New prognostic markers in various nosological entities and MAb biological activity are under study. MAb have been used to develop ELISA diagnostic kits. They are employed as vectors for immunotoxin design, for immunomagnetic separation, many MAb-based drugs have been designed. A start has been made on the promising development of a new line of biopharmacy, namely design of new immunoliposomal dosage forms of doxorubicin and betulinic acids.