Anti-Ricin Protective Monoclonal Antibodies

Development of anti-ricin protective monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) started in the early 1980s. Much progress has been made since then. Antibodies possess great potential for development as antidotes against toxins. These can be used either prophylactically to prevent, or therapeutically to treat, toxin-mediated intoxications in an emergency situation. Unlike many other therapeutic products, antibodies offer unique and high target specificity, and long half-life in serum. There are several mAbs which are currently in the discovery stage for medical countermeasures against ricin intoxication. This review summarizes these mAbs, including their anti-ricin mechanism, generation, and efficacies in vivo.

Keywords: Ricin, protective, monoclonal antibodies, chimerization, humanization.