Cancer therapy has been characterized throughout history by ups and downs, not only due to the ineffectiveness of treatments and side effects, but also by hope and the reality of complete remission and cure in many cases. Within the therapeutic arsenal, alongside surgery in the case of solid tumors, are the antitumor drugs and radiation that have been the treatment of choice in some instances. In recent years, immunotherapy has become an important therapeutic alternative, and is now the first choice in many cases. Nanotechnology has recently arrived on the scene, offering nanostructures as new therapeutic alternatives for controlled drug delivery, for combining imaging and treatment, applying hyperthermia, and providing directed target therapy, among others. These therapies can be applied either alone or in combination with other components (antibodies, peptides, folic acid, etc.). In addition, gene therapy is also offering promising new methods for treatment. Here, we present a review of the evolution of cancer treatments, starting with chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and immunotherapy, and moving on to the most promising cutting-edge therapies (gene therapy and nanomedicine). We offer an historical point of view that covers the arrival of these therapies to clinical practice and the market, and the promises and challenges they present.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have found their way into the fields of Biotechnology and Medicine. Nanoparticles by themselves offer specific physicochemical properties that they do not exhibit in bulk form, where materials show constant physical properties regardless of size. Antibodies are nanosize biological products that are part of the specific immune system. In addition to their own properties as pathogens or toxin neutralizers, as well as in the recruitment of immune elements (complement, improving phagocytosis, cytotoxicity antibody dependent by natural killer cells, etc.), they could carry several elements (toxins, drugs, fluorochroms, or even nanoparticles, etc.) and be used in several diagnostic procedures, or even in therapy to destroy a specific target. The conjugation of antibodies to nanoparticles can generate a product that combines the properties of both. For example, they can combine the small size of nanoparticles and their special thermal, imaging, drug carrier, or magnetic characteristics with the abilities of antibodies, such as specific and selective recognition. The hybrid product will show versatility and specificity. In this review, we analyse both antibodies and nanoparticles, focusing especially on the recent developments for antibody-conjugated nanoparticles, offering the researcher an overview of the different applications and possibilities of these hybrid carriers.

Here we compare human monoclonal antibody (MAb) production from mouse strains that carry disruptions of their endogenous mouse IgH/Ig loci and harbor human IgM + Ig (BAB) or human IgM + Ig + Ig transloci (BAB,). We found that whereas both strains proved effective for the isolation of antigen-specific IgM antibodies, many of the IgM MAbs elicited from BAB comprise human chains that are associated with mouse chains. In contrast, BAB, mice gave rise to fully functional, polymeric human IgM antibodies comprising both human IgH and human IgL chains. Therefore, the inclusion of a human Ig translocus (in addition to the human IgH + Ig transloci) not only diminishes problems of endogenous mouse Ig expression but also provides a strain of mice that yields fully human MAbs to a wide range of antigens, as witnessed by the isolation of MAbs to human blood cells, tumor cell lines, and an immunoglobulin idiotype.

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Here we compare human monoclonal antibody (MAb) production from mouse strains that carry disruptions of their endogenous mouse IgH/Igκ loci and harbor human IgM + Igκ (BABκ) or human IgM + Igκ + Igλ transloci (BABκ,λ). We found that whereas both strains proved effective for the isolation of antigen-specific IgM antibodies, many of the IgM MAbs elicited from BABκ comprise human µ chains that are associated with mouse λ chains. In contrast, BABκ,λ mice gave rise to fully functional, polymeric human IgM antibodies comprising both human IgH and human IgL chains. Therefore, the inclusion of a human Igλ translocus (in addition to the human IgH + Igκ transloci) not only diminishes problems of endogenous mouse Igλ expression but also provides a strain of mice that yields fully human MAbs to a wide range of antigens, as witnessed by the isolation of MAbs to human blood cells, tumor cell lines, and an immunoglobulin idiotype.