Rituximab: A “Magic Bullet” for Treating Some Blood Cancers

Robert Busch

doi:10.3389/frym.2021.594532

Rituximab: A “Magic Bullet” for Treating Some Blood Cancers

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

B cells are small white blood cells that contribute to our immune defenses. They produce antibodies, which help us to recover from infections. B cells may cause diseases when they misbehave. If they mutate and then divide out of control, B cells can produce blood cancers called leukemias or tissue cancers called lymphomas. This article traces the development of Rituximab, a drug that kills cancerous B cells. Paradoxically, the drug is itself an antibody—the product of a B cell! Developing such an antibody into a drug required deep knowledge of the immune system, clever genetic engineering, and great effort by scientists and medical doctors. This is a story of several great scientists building on each other’s work to create a drug that has saved many lives.

Original language	English
Article number	594532
Journal	Frontiers for young minds
Volume	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2021.594532
Publication status	Published - 9 Jul 2021

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Cite this

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title = "Rituximab: A “Magic Bullet” for Treating Some Blood Cancers",

abstract = "B cells are small white blood cells that contribute to our immune defenses. They produce antibodies, which help us to recover from infections. B cells may cause diseases when they misbehave. If they mutate and then divide out of control, B cells can produce blood cancers called leukemias or tissue cancers called lymphomas. This article traces the development of Rituximab, a drug that kills cancerous B cells. Paradoxically, the drug is itself an antibody—the product of a B cell! Developing such an antibody into a drug required deep knowledge of the immune system, clever genetic engineering, and great effort by scientists and medical doctors. This is a story of several great scientists building on each other{\textquoteright}s work to create a drug that has saved many lives.",

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AB - B cells are small white blood cells that contribute to our immune defenses. They produce antibodies, which help us to recover from infections. B cells may cause diseases when they misbehave. If they mutate and then divide out of control, B cells can produce blood cancers called leukemias or tissue cancers called lymphomas. This article traces the development of Rituximab, a drug that kills cancerous B cells. Paradoxically, the drug is itself an antibody—the product of a B cell! Developing such an antibody into a drug required deep knowledge of the immune system, clever genetic engineering, and great effort by scientists and medical doctors. This is a story of several great scientists building on each other’s work to create a drug that has saved many lives.

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