The Lock and Key of Medicine : Monoclonal Antibodies and the Transformation of Healthcare / Lara V. Marks.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marks, Lara V., Author.

Series:

Margellos world republic of letters book The roar of morning =

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Monoclonal antibodies--Therapeutic use.

Monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies--Therapeutic use--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (345 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2015]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The untold story of monoclonal antibodies-the molecular heroes of biotechnology that revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of more than fifty major diseases This book is the first to tell the extraordinary yet unheralded history of monoclonal antibodies. Often referred to as Mabs, they are unfamiliar to most nonscientists, yet these microscopic protein molecules are everywhere, quietly shaping our lives and healthcare. Discovered in the mid-1970s in the laboratory where Watson and Crick had earlier unveiled the structure of DNA, Mabs have radically changed understandings of the pathways of disease. They have enabled faster, cheaper, and more accurate clinical diagnostic testing on a vast scale. And they have played a fundamental role in pharmaceutical innovation, leading to such developments as recombinant interferon and insulin, and personalized drug therapies such as Herceptin. Today Mabs constitute six of the world's top ten blockbuster drugs and make up a third of new introduced treatments. Lara V. Marks recounts the risks and opposition that a daring handful of individuals faced while discovering and developing Mabs, and she addresses the related scientific, medical, technological, business, and social challenges that arose. She offers a saga of entrepreneurs whose persistence and creativity ultimately changed the healthcare landscape and brought untold relief to millions of patients. Even so, as Marks shows, controversies over Mabs remain, and she examines current debates over the costs and effectiveness of these innovative drugs.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Abbreviations

1. Hunting for the Elusive "Magic Bullet"

2. A Hesitant Start: Patents, Politics, and Process

3. Breakthroughs at the Bench

4. The First Medical Applications

5. Joy, Disappointment, Determination: Early Clinical Tests

6. The Wild West of Antibody Commercialization

7. The Challenge of Monoclonal Antibody Drugs

8. Antibody Engineering: A Renaissance for Mab Therapeutics

9. Blockbuster Mab Drugs

10. A Quiet Revolution: The Legacy of Monoclonal Antibodies

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Feb 2020)

ISBN:

9780300213522

OCLC:

910553652