Monoclonal antibodies as immunomodulatory therapy against cancer and autoimmune diseases

Since Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich proposed the concept of magic bullet in 1906, Köhler and Milstein discovered Hybridoma technology in 1975, and Greg Winter pioneered the technique to humanize monoclonal antibodies in 1988, monoclonal antibodies have been successfully developed to treat medical illnesses. Monoclonal antibodies are effective treatments for inhibition of alloimmune reactivity, haematological malignancies, solid organ malignancies, viral illnesses and are also used as antiplatelet therapy. Their successful use in cancer and autoimmune diseases in humans have made them one of the fastest growing classes of new drugs approved for these indications in last few decades. This review focuses on the role of monoclonal antibodies as an immunomodulatory therapy against cancer and autoimmune diseases, the strategies used to enhance efficacy, and how resistance mechanisms are being addressed to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients.