1. ¹Transplantation Research Institute of Sun Yat-sen University, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, 600 Tianhe Rd, Guangzhou 510630, China
2. ²Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
3. ³Laboratory of Viral and Gene Therapy, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 225 Changhai Rd, Shanghai 200438, China

Correspondence: Qijun Qian, Tel: +86-21-35030677; Fax: +86-21-35030677; E-mail: qianqj@sino-gene.cn

Abstract

Antibodies as therapeutic agents are mostly used in oncology, as illustrated by their applications in lymphoma, breast cancer or colorectal cancer. This review provides a brief historical sketch of the development of monoclonal antibodies for cancer treatment and summarizes the most significant clinical data for the best-established reagents to date. It also discusses strategies to improve the anti-tumor efficacy of antibody therapy, including antibody gene therapy and exploitation of bone marrow derived primary mesenchymal stem cells as the antibody gene transporter.