The new drug was administered intravenously within 24 hours before each transplant and at two, four, six, and eight weeks after the procedures. None of the patients reported significant side effects as a result of receiving the drug. In addition to its use in kidney transplants, Zenapax is currently being evaluated for the prevention of rejection in other organs, as well as for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, Vincenti said. One of the first fruits of biotechnology, monoclonal antibodies traditionally have been made by injecting mice with a target protein or infectious organism and then isolating and growing the cells that produce antibodies against the foreign substance. As a consequence, mouse antibodies typically can be given only once, which is rarely enough to prevent or treat disease.
Humanized monoclonals attempt to solve that problem.
Using computer modeling and genetic engineering, Protein Design Labs combined the binding site of a mouse antibody, the small part of the antibody that attaches to its target, with 90 percent of a human antibody.