Engineering therapeutic antibodies targeting G-protein-coupled receptors.

Antibody therapy that targets frequently occuring cellular receptors has become a possibility for the treatment of diverse diseases. Treatment with therapeutic antibodies has proven highly effective in several clinical settings. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are prime targets of such therapy, as there are over 800 different GPCRs, all crucial to cell signalling pathways. However, difficulty in isolating GPCRs from cells has prevented development of antibodies that target them. Migyeong Jo and San Taek Jung from Kookmin University, Korea, have reviewed new approaches to isolating GPCRs and synthesizing GPCR mimics that induce antibody production. Such advances have led to approval of one therapeutic antibody in Japan and to several clinical trials in the US and Europe. The authors predict that GPCR antibody therapy could be used to treat cancer, infection and inflammation in the near future.