Table 2.
Classification of therapeutic proteins, along with functions and examples
| Group | Sub-group | Functions | Examples | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group-I | Ia |
Replace a protein that is deficient or abnormal Treat metabolic disorders or endocrine dysfunctions such as IL-1 Ra for type 2 diabetes mellitus and disorders like haemophilia A |
Factor VIII (Hemophilia A) | Roth et al. (2001), Akash et al. (2012b, a) |
| Ib | Stimulate various haematological and body responses |
INF-α (Hepatitis C) Erythropoietin (chronic anaemia) |
Corwin et al. (2002), van Zonneveld et al. (2004) | |
| Ic | Modify the pathophysiology of the disease |
Botulinum toxin type A and B (dystonia) Lepirudin (heparin-induced thrombocytopenia) |
Oates et al. (1991), Eriksson et al. (1997) | |
| Group-II | IIa | —Either activate a signalling pathway or impair their ability to function |
• Cetuximab-Monoclonal antibody that binds to EGFR to treat colorectal, neck and head cancer • Anakinra (IL-1Ra) |
Saltz et al. (2004) |
| IIb | —Can deliver proteins specifically and on-target | • Ibritumomab tiuxetan, denileukin diftitox for treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and persistent cutaneous T-Cell lymphoma | Witzig et al. (2002), Ohya and Matsuda (2005) | |
| Group-III | IIIa | Protecting against a harmful foreign agent |
• Hepatitis B surface Ag (HBsAg) for Hepatitis B infection • Anti-rhesus (rh) IgG vaccine, used in routine postpartum prevention of Rh (D) immunization in Rh(D) negative women |
Crosnier et al. (1981), MacKenzie et al. (2004) |
| IIIb | Treating an autonomous disease | |||
| IIIc | Treating cancer | |||
| Group-IV | Group IV proteins are not used to treat disease, but they are mentioned here because they are crucial in the decision-making process before treating and managing many diseases. These proteins are purified, and recombinant proteins are used for medical diagnostics (both in vivo and in vitro) |
• Recombinant purified protein derivatives (DPPD) for diagnosis of tuberculosis exposure • Capromab pendetide for Prostate cancer detection • Apcitide for Imaging of acute venous thrombosis |
Duchin et al. (1997), Coler et al. (2000), Sodee et al. (2000), Campos-Neto et al. (2001) |