Prospects for the therapeutic use of human monoclonal antibodies.

Despite much recent progress, human monoclonal antibodies (HuMAbs) are currently more difficult to generate than conventional rodent monoclonals. Clinical trials using rodent monoclonals suggest that they can be given safely, but that the human antimouse immune response can limit their efficacy. We review the human monoclonals that have been generated to date, and explore the clinical uses that will be made of these reagents in the near future.