Immunobiological preparations

Main areas of use

Immunobiological preparations are used in two key areas that constitute components of immunology:

• Immunoprophylaxis. Aimed at disease prevention. The core idea is to induce pathogen unresponsiveness in the organism. This is achieved by generating active immunity of one's own (via antigen administration) or creating passive immunity (via administration of ready-made protective antibodies).
• Immunotherapy. Used to treat already developed pathology. It is essential for diseases associated with immune system dysfunction or in cases where the immune response plays a primary role in recovery.

Strategically, these methods implement three scenarios: activation (immune stimulation), suppression (inhibition of hyperactivity), and correction (normalization in case of imbalance).

Drug classification

According to A.A. Vorobyov's classification, there are five main groups:

1. Preparations of microbial origin. Include live or killed bacteria, viruses, fungi, and their metabolic products (toxoids). This group includes vaccines, bacteriophages, and probiotics.
2. Antibody-based preparations. Specific antibodies serve as the source. These include immunoglobulins, immune sera, immunotoxins, abzymes (catalytic antibodies), as well as receptor- and mini-antibodies.
3. Immunomodulators. Used for immune correction in infections and immunodeficiencies. Divided into exogenous (adjuvants, hormones, antimetabolites, interferon inducers) and endogenous (cytokines, thymus peptides, myelopeptides).
4. Adaptogens. Substances of natural origin (e.g., ginseng and eleutherococcus extracts) possessing broad biological activity.
5. Diagnostic preparations. Agents for detecting antigens, antibodies, enzymes, and foreign cells.

Production of monoclonal antibodies

Under natural conditions (in vivo), upon antigen entry, multiple B-lymphocyte clones are activated, leading to the production of a heterogeneous mixture — polyclonal antibodies.

For laboratory and medical purposes, monoclonal antibodies are required — identical molecules synthesized by a single cell clone. However, conventional B-lymphocytes are incapable of long-term replication outside the organism (in vitro). This problem is solved using the hybridoma technology developed by Köhler and Milstein.

The essence of the method lies in the fusion of an immune B-lymphocyte (providing specificity) and a tumor myeloma cell (providing the capacity for infinite division). The resulting hybridoma actively proliferates and produces the required antibodies. To avoid rejection of murine antibodies by the human body, humanized (chimeric) antibodies are created, where the constant region is human and the variable region is murine.

Clinical significance

Immunobiological preparations often become the primary or sole method of combating severe diseases.

• Vaccination has made it possible to completely eradicate smallpox, eliminate poliomyelitis in many regions, and drastically reduce the incidence of measles, mumps, and rubella.
• Serotherapy (administration of sera and immunoglobulins) is the cornerstone of saving patients with toxin-mediated infections such as botulism and tetanus.
• Monoclonal antibodies and cytokines play an increasingly important role in treating non-infectious diseases: allergic, autoimmune, and oncological conditions.

Class and exam questions

What else to study on this topic

• Types of vaccines: live, inactivated particulate, sub-cellular
• Mechanism of action of endogenous immunomodulators (cytokines and thymus peptides)
• Use of immune sera in toxin-mediated infections
• Role of adjuvants in vaccine composition
• Specific diagnostics: methods for detecting antigens and antibodies

Other topics in the «Immunoprophylaxis Agents» section

Prepared by WhiteCoat Pro faculty in accordance with the medical school curriculum. For educational purposes only.