Antibody Based Therapy in Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Failure

The function of the immune system is to protect the host against disease. Antibodies are a key part of the adaptive response, recognising specific antigens and invading pathogens and marking them for destruction or blocking their activities. A mechanistic and molecular understanding of this process has allowed researchers to harness their natural function. They are now routinely used as a diagnostic tool in the clinic and in research to investigate pathological signalling. More recently, antibodies have been utilised for another application -therapy. Antibody based therapy is one of the newest and fastest growing with nearly 70 approved drugs to date and over 1000 in clinical trials. Investment from the pharmaceutical sector shows no signs of abating and this technology is now widely accepted for treating cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases. In the context of the cardiovascular system however, antibody therapies are relatively limited. This review summarises the monoclonal antibodies approved for clinical use or currently in clinical trials for treating cardiovascular disorders. Presently, coronary artery disease, heart failure and transplant are the main indications, and monoclonal antibody therapies are discussed in the context of their specific applications.