Glossary
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
Acute myeloid leukemia is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. AML results in uncontrolled, exaggerated growth and accumulation
of malignant cells called "blasts" which fail to function as normal blood cells
and block the production of normal marrow cells, leading to a deficiency of red
cells (anemia), platelets (thrombocytopenia) and normal white cells (neutropenia)
in the blood.
Affinity
Measurement of binding strength between two biological molecules.
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a type of T-cell non-Hodgkin
lymphoma. Most ALCL cases fall into one of two distinct forms: systemic ALCL,
involving lymph nodes or extranodal sites; or primary cutaneous ALCL, involving
skin nodules. Antibody
A component of the body’s immune system. An antibody is a Y-shaped protein that binds specifically to a foreign substance (antigen) and marks it for destruction and/or removal.
Antibodies can work in several ways, depending on the nature of the antigen.
Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
An antibody linked to a cytotoxic drug for the purpose of specific delivery to target cells.
Antigen
A protein or carbohydrate that the body regards as foreign and thus is capable of stimulating an immune response.
Apoptosis
Also known as programmed cell death or cell suicide, it is the natural process by which cells die in order to prevent the spread of disease. In diseases such as cancer, this cell death mechanism does not function properly and cancer cells are allowed to proliferate. Apoptosis can be brought about by some drugs used to treat cancer.
Auristatin
A highly potent, cell-killing drug derived from the natural product Dolabella
auricularia. A synthetic derivative of Auristatin is the cytotoxic drug component utilized in our next-generation antibody-drug conjugate technology.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign and directs an immune response against them.
B-cells
B-cells (B-lymphocytes) are part of the immune system. They originate in the bone marrow and mature into plasma cells that secrete antibodies, the proteins that recognize and attach to foreign substances known as antigens. B-cells play a key role in the development of certain forms of cancer and autoimmune disease.
Cancer
A group of diseases characterized by abnormal cells that grow and spread uncontrollably. A mass, or collection, of cancer cells called a malignant tumor frequently grows rapidly, invading and destroying nearby tissue. Cancer cells often travel to other body parts where they grow and replace normal tissue. This process, called metastasis, occurs as the cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels.
Carcinoma
Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. At least 80% of all cancers are carcinomas.
Chemotherapeutic
A drug administered to stop the growth of or to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy
Treatment with anti-cancer drugs. Numerous drugs have been developed
for this purpose and most act to injure the DNA of the cells. When the DNA
is injured, the cells cannot grow or survive. Successful chemotherapy
depends on the fact that malignant cells are somewhat more sensitive to the
drugs than normal cells.
Chimeric antibody
An antibody comprised of both mouse and human antibody components, usually a 30/70 percent split, respectively.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a form of slowly-progressing leukemia,
a disease characterized by an accumulation of abnormal lymphocytes, typically
B-cells, in the blood and bone marrow. The malignant cells grow both in the bone
marrow, where they can crowd out normal blood-producing cells, and the lymph
nodes, where they can result in bulky and/or uncomfortable tumors. Clinical trials
Drug testing in humans to assess safety, side effects and efficacy.
Cytotoxic
A drug or toxin that causes cell death or cell suicide (apoptosis).
Enzyme
A protein functioning as a catalyst, speeding up the rate of biochemical reactions.
Fully human antibody
An antibody comprised of 100 percent human sequences.
Half-life
The time required for half the quantity of a drug to be metabolized or eliminated from an organism.
Hematologic malignancy
Cancer of the blood or bone marrow, including leukemia and lymphoma.
Hodgkin lymphoma (Hodgkin disease)
A type of B-cell lymphoma that usually begins in the lymph nodes of the
neck, axillae and chest. Diagnosis is often aided by the identification of
characteristic tumor cells referred to as Reed-Sternberg cells. These are
an unusual type of malignant B-cell. Hodgkin’s lymphoma may be treated
with radiation therapy if localized or with a four or more combination of
chemotherapeutic drugs if widespread.
Humanized antibody
An antibody that contains over 90 percent human material.
Immunologic disease
A disease characterized by a dysfunctional immune system. See autoimmune disease.
In vitro
Laboratory experiments performed in the laboratory (outside the body), such as in a test tube.
In vivo
Laboratory experiments performed in a living organism. An example is the injection of a substance into a rat to determine the substance's effect on the animal.
Linker / Linkage system
The chemical structure connecting an antibody with a cell-killing payload.
Leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood, characterized by the
uncontrolled proliferation of immature blood cells. The four main types of
leukemia are acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic
myelogenous leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a general term for a group of cancers that originate in the
lymphatic system. Lymphoma results when a lymphocyte (a type of blood
cell) undergoes a malignant change and accumulates because of exaggerated
multiplication and/or a failure to die. This excess of lymphocytes
interferes with the growth of normal blood cells and creates masses of tumors in
lymph nodes. The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin lymphoma and
non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Metastasis
Cancer cells that have spread and established themselves at sites distance from the primary tumor tissue.
Monoclonal antibody (“mAb”)
Genetically engineered antibodies of identical molecular structure that recognize and bind to a single, specific cell-surface structure. Monoclonal antibodies are capable of selectively targeting specific cells, such as cancer cells, while bypassing most normal tissue. In therapeutic applications, they can be used alone, in combination with other therapies, or they can be used to deliver drugs, toxins or other payloads.
Multiple myeloma
Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell found
primarily in the bone marrow. In myeloma, a plasma cell becomes malignant and
grows continuously, destroying normal bone tissue and crowding out normal blood
cell production.
Murine (mouse) antibody
An antibody derived solely from mouse proteins.
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are a collection of disorders in which blood
cells remain at an immature stage within the bone marrow and never fully develop
into cells capable of performing their necessary functions. MDS patients do not
meet criteria for leukemia based on the percentage of blasts in the bone marrow.
However, many MDS patients will eventually develop AML over time, leading to use
of the terms “smoldering leukemia” and “preleukemia” to describe this condition. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(NHL)
A cancer of the lymphatic system. What distinguishes non-Hodgkin lymphoma
from Hodgkin lymphoma is the absence of a type of cell called the Reed-Sternberg
cell. This cell is present only in Hodgkin lymphoma. The treatment methods for
Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas are very different.
Pharmacokinetics
The movement of a compound, usually a drug, in the body. A drug’s pharmacokinetics are often determined by its uptake, distribution, solubility, metabolism and clearance rate.
Phase I trial
Initial testing in a small group of humans to determine safety, dosing and identify side effects associated with an investigational drug.
Phase II trial
A human trial, often involving more patients than a phase I trial, to determine drug efficacy and safety.
Phase III trial
A human trial, often involving more patients than a phase II trial, to confirm a drug’s efficacy, compare it to commonly-used therapies and generate long-term safety data.
Preclinical
Drug testing in non-human models to assess safety, toxicity and efficacy.
Receptor
A molecule inside or on the surface of a cell that binds to a specific substance and causes a specific physiologic effect in the cell.
Refractory
A disease that does not respond to a certain form of therapy.
Relapsed / Recurrent
A patient or disease that has fallen back into its previous condition after experiencing a partial recovery.
Local recurrence means that the cancer has come back at the same place as
the original cancer. Regional recurrence means that the cancer has come
back in the lymph nodes near the first site. Distant recurrence is when
cancer metastasizes after treatment to organs or tissues (such as the lungs,
liver, bone marrow, or brain) farther from the original site than the regional
lymph nodes.
Specificity
The affinity of an antibody for diseased tissue relative to normal tissue. Specificity is a function of both the abundance of the target in the diseased tissue compared with normal tissue and the cross-reactivity of the antibody with non-target epitopes.
Synergy
Occurs when the combination of two or more drugs results in greater efficacy than their sum effect. T-cell
T-cells received their name from the “t” in thymus, a gland in the chest
that shrinks and disappears as people grow into adulthood. These cells are
critical to a variety of immune functions. Uncontrolled proliferation after the
malignant transformation of this type of cell gives rise to T-cell lymphoma.
Tumor
An abnormal lump or mass of tissue. Tumors can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
Tumor-associated antigen
A cell surface receptor that is either exclusive to a specific cancer cell type or over-expressed on the surface, compared to normal cells.
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