Antibodies to Growth Factors

Growth and differentiation factors are soluble that induce cells to divide and/or differentiate, usually through receptor-mediated mechanisms. Growth and differentiation factors control fundamental processes in physiology and pathology, incl. embryonal development, hematopoiesis, angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. Erythropoietin is an important factor for proliferation of red blood cell precursors, and recombinant forms of this factor have become immensely successful drugs for treatment of anemia resulting from chemotherapy. Other growth factors and/or their receptors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and EGF receptor are centrally involved in cancerogenesis, and these and their receptors have been targeted extensively for novel cancer therapies. Iressa is a recently marketed cancer drug that inhibits the tyrosine kinase function of the EGF receptor.

When developing antibodies against growth and differentiation factors, neutralizing activity (i.e. inhibition of the factor's activity) is usually desired. Therefore, monoclonal antibodies against these factors are made using standard immunization and fusion methodology, then neutralizing antibodies are selected for in an applicable functional bioassay.

Antibody Solutions
Tel: 888-843-1069 Fax: 650-938-4390 E-mail: