Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies for the ErbB Family of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases

Overexpression of the erbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases has been observed in many human malignancies. Activation of erbB receptors causes and maintains the transformed state in these tumors. Cell surface residing erbB receptors therefore clearly represents a therapeutic target to control or reverse malignant tumor growth. One successful approach to disable erbB receptors was the development of the therapeutic monoclonal antibody Herceptin, which is a product of research begun in the early 1980s. This review will focus on the development of monoclonal antibodies able to inhibit or eradicate tumor cells, their mechanism of action in terms of disabling oncoproteins. We will also describe other potential forms of antibodies, a class of structurally designed small molecular weight molecules that may have application to human disease.