Current methods for the generation of human antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases are a significant area of unmet medical need in the Western World, but human antibodies are an emerging drug class that could address this demand. Some autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are currently benefiting from antibody treatment and new and existing technologies for antibody generation could facilitate the production of effective human antibodies as future drug candidates for other autoimmune diseases. Several methods of generating human antibodies for use as therapeutics have been established, the most commonly used being phage display and transgenic mouse technologies and more recently, cell-free display technologies have also emerged. In this review, we explain the principles behind the various methods of antibody generation and highlight some potential benefits of certain approaches in the context of treatment of autoimmune disease.