Catalytic<b> </b>antibodies as potential therapeutics

253-258The idea that enzymes can be generated by employing antibodies complimentary to haptenic groups, resembling the transition state of a given reaction, laid down the foundation of catalytic antibodies. New possibilities arise for their therapeutic applications, because of high degree of reaction specificity, greater affinity towards transition state analog and the latent ability to block unwanted protein-protein interactions. Antibody directed abzyme prodrug therapy (ADAPT) will largely replace antibody directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT) for selectively delivering chemotherapeutic agents to the affected tissues. They can enzymatically cleave specific surface proteins and sugars on viruses or tumour cells, thereby disrupting the invaders. They had also been successfully used to detoxify drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. Desired reaction selectivity can be induced in antibodies to exhibit a wide range of chemical reactions, so that they would prove to be a milestone in human endeavour to treat genetic diseases, which show brighter prospects for their therapeutic applications in near future. This review aims at analyzing the updated information on biochemical and mechanistic implications of catalytic antibodies with special reference to their therapeutic application and the advances made in these areas