Trimers of nanobodies, a simpler form of antibody made by some animal species, were effective at preventing and treating COVID-19 in preclinical studies, researchers reported in the Sept. 22, 2021, issue of Nature Communications.

Although targeted therapies are prescribed on the basis of a patient's molecular makeup, they do not work every time. And in those instances where they do work, they basically stop working every time. In response, researchers have developed a number of systems whose goal it is to predict which drugs will be effective for an individual patients.

Researchers have retrospectively divided more than 16,000 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations into four structure-based subgroups, and looked at how the members of each subgroup fared depending on which EGFR inhibitor they were given.

Monoclonal antibodies are already a pillar of cancer therapy, and cancer makes up the largest indication of FDA-approved antibodies, with almost 40% of the total. At the 2021 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, Elena Garralda predicted that engineered versions of classical antibodies will soon join them on their pedestal.

Researchers have retrospectively divided more than 16,000 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations into four structure-based subgroups, and looked at how the members of each subgroup fared depending on which EGFR inhibitor they were given.

Investigators at MD Anderson Cancer Center have published data suggesting that activating KRAS mutations may be selected for in pancreatitis, because they protect pancreatic tissue from damage.

Driven by advances in scientific understanding, the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has begun to see successes one subtype at a time. At the 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), which is currently being held in virtual format, researchers were optimistic that the same path would be possible for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Delivering antibodies in the form of their DNA could enable their therapeutic use under several circumstances where traditional antibodies fall short. One of those is resource-poor settings where the current cost of antibodies makes them a nonstarter. Perhaps the largest opportunity to expand antibody use in such settings is for HIV, where broadly neutralizing antibodies have the potential to be the next best thing to a vaccine or a cure – if they can be made to last, for cheap.

Driven by advances in scientific understanding, the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has begun to see successes one subtype at a time. At the 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), which is currently being held in virtual format, researchers were optimistic that the same path would be possible for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Monoclonal antibodies are a triumph of modern medicine. They are also too expensive to be a standard therapy in all but the wealthiest countries. “Having 10% or 15% of your population on antibodies is not sustainable even in wealthy countries,” Rachel Liberatore told BioWorld. Liberatore is director of research and development at Renbio Inc., which is testing the intramuscular delivery of antibody-encoding DNA to prevent and treat infections, including SARS-CoV-2 and HIV.