Modern pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
When Greg Winter was a young scientist carrying out laboratory work in the 1970s, he saw the potential of using antibodies to tackle infection but had no idea of the extent to which his research would eventually be commercialised.
His efforts to “humanise” monoclonal antibodies (MABs) derived from mice, to tackle disease without excessive side-effects, paved the way for a modern category of medicines that has helped build the modern biotechnology industry and resuscitate large pharmaceutical companies.
Initially, much of the focus was on applications in cancer, and drugs such as Avastin for breast and colon cancer are among the results.
MABs exist in multiple sclerosis, asthma and beyond, while the most ...
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