Using hapten design to discover therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for treating methamphetamine abuse. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 322

When generating monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against small molecules, the chemical composition and molecular orientation of the drug-like hapten on the antigen is a crucial determinant. This is especially important when attempting to discover ther-apeutic mAb against the drugs of abuse ()-methamphetamine [()-METH], ()-amphetamine [()-AMP], and the related com-pound ()-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [()-MDMA, the plus isomer in the racemic mixture known as MDMA or ecstasy]. The goal of these studies was to design and synthe-size ()-METH-like haptens with structural attributes that could make them effective for generating monoclonal antibodies for treating medical problems associated with these stimulant drugs of abuse. Five prototype ()-METH-like haptens, which mimic structural aspects of these drugs, were synthesized an