Table 3.
Challenges of FDA-approved anti-HIV therapeutic antibodies development.
Challenge | Notes | References |
---|---|---|
Method | Phage-display library is the most commonly used technique for therapeutic antibody generation. | [53] |
The technique allows both genetic and chemical modification of antibody fragments. | [54] | |
| ||
Cost | The production cost of antibody is higher than the synthesis of small-molecule antivirals. The generation of recombinant antibodies results in higher manufacturing cost. | [21] |
| ||
Host immunology | Individuals' immune responses towards therapeutic antibodies may be different | [55] |
| ||
Epidemiology | Geographical distribution affects the resistance mechanism and neutralization escape of viral strains | [56] |
| ||
Delivery | Conjugation with cell-penetrating peptides improves the cellular delivery of antibodies. Smaller antibody formats such as Fabs, sdAbs, and scFvs also facilitate tissue delivery | [57] |
| ||
Stability | Fc region engineering improves the half-life, stability, and the effector function of the antibody | [58] |
| ||
Resistant mutants | Development of antibody-resistant HIV mutants has been reported in VRC01-treated patients, combination therapy will minimize the occurrence of virus mutation | [45] |
| ||
Toxicity | IL-2 and IFN-γ therapy that may be used as adjuvant therapy for bnAbs therapy to stimulate T-cell killing and HIV-1 transcription resulted in high level of cytotoxicity | [59] |