Antibody therapy

• important for induction (at the time of allograft) as well as for acute rejection episodes

• they are not chronically used for outpatient

• “what does it sound like on the podcast when you swallow?”

• antithymocyte globulin

  • mix of antibodies of many specificities

  • targets are CD2, 3, 4, 8, 11a, 25, 44, 45, etc.

  • used in induction/rejection

• anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody

  • directed against epsilon chain of CD3; leads to receptor internalization and cell death/marginalization

  • therapy is limited because it is a mouse monoclonal antibody and humans mount an immune response against the drug

  • cytokine release syndrome leads to very sick patients (hypotension, pulmonary edema)

• anti-IL-2-receptor antibodies (anti-CD25)

  • targets α chain of IL-2 receptor

  • used for induction as well as rejection

Category: Medical Subject Notes , Pathology Notes