New product/treatment opportunities

The availability of genetic engineering techniques has opened the way to design new product concepts, overcoming limitations posed by traditional techniques. One important class are monoclonal antibodies, produced by fusing a cell line with the potential for continuous propagation with a specific antibody producing cell. Such antibodies are highly specific and can be used in diagnosis, purification processes and for therapy, i.e. as a vehicle to bring a drug close to its target. Other products that are gradually emerging are novel proteins used in diagnostic tests or therapy, and new types of vaccines to treat well established or newly discovered diseases.