Oncolym (131I Lym-1) is an Iodine 131 radiolabled monoclonal antibody manufactured by Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (formerly Techniclone). It's use is targeted at B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. It is currently in Phase III clinical trials.

How it works:

Oncolym is an antibody with a radioactive substance attached. The drug attaches to a protein found only on the surface of B lymphocytes such as cancerous B-cells found in many forms of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The radioactivity targets the B-cell, destroying it.

The specific B-cell surface marker the antibody attaches to is the HLA-Dr10 protein, a cell surface marker present on over 80% of lymphoma cells. Only about 2% of the normal blood cell population have B-cells that express the HLA-Dr10 marker. This means that Oncolym may selectively target lymphoma cancer cells and may spare healthy B-cells that are responsible for making antibodies that fight infection.

Effectiveness:

In phase I and II trials, researchers found that 56% of patients that had failed conventional chemotherapy achieved partial or complete remission.

Treatment and Side Effects:

According to the manufacturer, the primary side effect is a decrease in blood cell counts believed to be reversible after treatment ends.

In a small percentage of patients, as with many monoclonal antibodies, the mouse antibodies used are "seen" by the human immune system as foreign, and the human patient mounts an immune response against them, producing HAMA ("human anti-mouse antibodies").

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Resources

Manufacturer:

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
http://www.peregrineinc.com/ or http://www.techniclone.com/
E-mail Form
14282 Franklin Ave., Tustin, CA 92780
Phone: (714) 508-6000 Fax: (714) 838-9433

Links for more information on Oncolym:

Oncolym^® information from Peregrine.
New URL: Oncolym information from the NHL Cyber Family

Experiences

A good account of the Monoclonal Antibody Conference from Judy Gibson

Related Articles

For more information on Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, please see the following pages:

Lymphoma Information Network: Monoclonal Antibodies
Lymphoma Information Network: Immunotherapy
Adult Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma: Chemotherapy
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Treatment
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Resources
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
Lymphoma Classification and Types
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Aggressive NHLs
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Indolent NHLs
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Introduction

Other pages you may want to visit:

Lymphoma Information Network
Childhood Non-Hodgkin's Information Pages