[New advances in therapeutic use of monoclonal antibodies]

New major advances may be expected in a near future regarding the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb), mainly thanks to the remarkable progress in biotechnology and the better knowledge of cellular homeostasis. The concept of antibody-targeted drugs relies upon the use of mAbs as vectors capable of specifically delivering at targeted cells (i.e. tumours) other active agents that could exert locally a cytotoxic effect (radioisotope, toxin, enzyme, drug). Other approaches will also be concidered such as the development and use of bispecific mAbs, intracellular mAbs or fragments of mAbs. These novel original approaches open promising therapeutic prospects. However, in many cases, their real interest in terms of "efficacy-safety-cost" ratio remains to be demonstrated as compared to other classical therapeutic approaches.