Immunomedics' milatuzumab a possible breakthrough for graft-versus-host disease

US biotech firm Immunomedics (Nasdaq: IMMU), company primarily focused on the development of monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases, has announced the publication of a preclinical study that shows milatuzumab, the company's proprietary humanized anti-CD74 antibody, effectively prevents the onset and manifestations of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in a humanized-mouse model.

Acute GVHD is a medical complication following bone marrow or stem cell transplant. It occurs when white blood cells transplanted from a donor start attacking the recipient's body after recognizing the recipient's body as foreign. According to published reports, the number of stem cell transplantations continues to increase, with more than 20,000 transplantations from donors performed annually worldwide. In 2006, the estimated number of stem cell transplantations reported in the USA to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research was 6,100 (3,800 related donors and 2,300 unrelated donors).

Major challenges for prevention and treatment of GVHD