Why humanize the antibody rather than create a fully human antibody from scratch?
The strength of binding to the cancer cell is very important and is a function of the shape and electrical charge on the idiotype. Designing and producing the ideal idiotype is beyond present day technology. Achieving a strongly binding idiotype is often a result of luck in addition to special techniques. Humanizing an antibody is achieved by taking a B-cell which produces mouse antibodies and replacing the genes for the entire antibody with the exception of the portion of the genes that produce the idiotype. The result is an antibody that is 95% human protein and the original idiotype is preserved. Alternatively, an entirely human antibody can be achieved by starting with a mouse whose antibody genes have been replaced by human antibody genes. To create an antibody against neuroblastoma researchers may have to start back where they were 20 years ago and create a new antibody and hope for the same good luck in creating such a strongly binding idiotype as 3F8. What is the current state
