Challenges and opportunities for monoclonal antibody therapy in veterinary oncology

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have come to dominate the biologics market in human cancer therapy. Nevertheless, in veterinary medicine very few clinical trials have been initiated using this form of therapy. Some of the advantages of monoclonal antibody therapeutics over conventional drugs are high specificity, precise mode of action and long half-life which favours infrequent dosing of the antibody. Further advancement in the field of biomedical sciences has led to the production of different forms of the antibody such as single chain antibody fragment (scFv), Fab, bi-specific and drug conjugates for use in diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In this review we describe the potential for monoclonal antibodies in veterinary oncology patients in supporting both diagnosis and therapy of cancer. We explore the technical and financial hurdles to facilitate clinical acceptance of mAbs and offer insights into novel technologies and targets that could support more rapid clinical development.