MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES - CLINICAL TRIALS DATA BANK

THE TECHNOLOGY OF PRODUCING HYBRIDOMAS AND OTHER CLONED CELL LINES WHICH SECRETE IMMUNOREACTIVE SUBSTANCES, SUCH AS MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES (MABS), IS NOW COMMANDING ATTENTION INALL FIELDS OF BIOLOGY. A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT APPLICATIONFOR MABS IS THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF HUMAN TUMORS. THIS APPLICATION NECESSITATES A CENTRAL INFORMATION REPOSITORY TO TRACK THE RESULTS OF CLINICAL TRIALS OF THESE IMMUNOREAGENTS. AN AUTOMATED TRACKING SYSTEM IS MANDATORY TO AVOID DUPLICATION OF EFFORT AND TO FACILITATE IDENTIFICATION OF REAGENTS DEMONSTRATING POSITIVE RESULTS INCLINICAL TRIALS. OPTICAL CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL THERAPEUTIC REGIMENS CAN BE MORE EASILY IDENTIFIED THROUGH COMPARISON OF METHODS AND RESULTS ON A LARGE SCALE MADE POSSIBLE BY A COMPUTERIZED STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM. THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO CREATE A DATA BANK CONTAINING INFORMATION ON MABS USED IN DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC CLINICAL TRIALS. A THREE TIERED SYSTEM IS PROPOSED: A BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE FILE OF LITERATURE CITATIONS AND ABSTRACTS FOR MABS WITH CLINICAL APPLICATIONS; A BACKGROUND FILE ON DEVELOPERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AVAILABILITY, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HYBRIDOMAS AND OTHER CLONED CELL LINES PRODUCING IMMUNOREAGENTS OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE; AND A RELATIONAL FILE OF DATA OF MATERIALS, METHODS AND RESULTS OF CLINICAL TRIALS WITH MABS. THE DATA BANK WILL BEDESIGNED FOR USE ON MICROCOMPUTERS AND COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SOFTWARE. IT WILL BE DESIGNED FOR EASE-OF-USE BY NON COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS AND IT WILL BE WIDELY DISSEMINATED TO THE BIOMEDICAL COMMUNITY.