Metabolômica: Acesso Aberto

The Role of Biological Agents in Immunotherapy

Abstract

Imran Haruna Abdulkareem

Many autoimmune diseases and cancers have an underlying immune basis, and these include Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis, as well as breast cancer. Biological therapies are monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins which contain specific recognition components that have antibody function. This principle takes advantage of antigen specificity to produce monoclonal antibodies to the desired antigen. Problems of biological therapies include ethical, regulatory, and licensing issues, documentation of trials, funding, adverse effects, media attention and publicity, selection issues, time considerations and risk-benefit analysis. Therefore, proper and strict regulation of research on humans as well as use of these biological agents should be carefully enforced and monitored by the authorities, to ensure maintenance of transparency and good standards.