Immunoconjugates: current status and future potential

Whilst the concepts involved in immunoconjugates go back two centuries to the ideas of Ehrlich; it was only in the early 1980s that biotechnology gave us the tools to make pure immunoconjugates, in quantities sufficient for clinical studies [Garnett, M.C. (2002) "Targeted drug conjugates: principles and progress". Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 53, 171-216]. The early problems with immunogenicity that antibodies encountered in the clinic were addressed, in part by chimeric antibodies and later with humanised antibodies. At this time a number of different approaches were seriously evaluated for immunoconjugates, all with significant industrial backing, particularly from the emerging biotechnology companies.