# Antibody

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/antibody/  
OnCo record `antibody` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A Y-shaped protein the immune system makes to grab onto one specific target. Manufactured antibodies are now a cornerstone of cancer treatment, either blocking a protein or delivering a payload to it.

## Summary

Each antibody's two arm tips bind one specific antigen with great precision, while its stem (the Fc region) can recruit immune cells and complement or extend the antibody's life in the blood. Therapeutic antibodies block growth receptors (trastuzumab on HER2, cetuximab on EGFR), release the brakes on T cells (pembrolizumab on PD-1), flag cancer cells for immune killing (rituximab on CD20), or serve as the targeting vehicle of ADCs and radioimmunotherapy. Bispecific antibodies have two different arm tips and can physically pull a T cell onto a tumour cell.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: antibodies; immunoglobulin; immunoglobulins; IgG; therapeutic antibody; therapeutic antibodies; antibody-based; antibody drug; antibody drugs

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody

## Connected records

- terms: [ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity)](https://onco.cc/terms/adcc/), [Antigen](https://onco.cc/terms/antigen/), [B cell](https://onco.cc/terms/b-cell/), [Cell membrane](https://onco.cc/terms/cell-membrane/), [Epitope](https://onco.cc/terms/epitope/), [Fc engineering / effector function](https://onco.cc/terms/fc-effector/), [Half-life](https://onco.cc/terms/half-life/), [Immune system](https://onco.cc/terms/immune-system/), [Lymphoma (tissue type)](https://onco.cc/terms/lymphoma-type/), [Monoclonal](https://onco.cc/terms/monoclonal/), [NK cell](https://onco.cc/terms/nk-cell/), [Protein](https://onco.cc/terms/protein/), [Small molecule drug](https://onco.cc/terms/small-molecule/)
- technologies: [Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)](https://onco.cc/technologies/adc/), [Bispecific antibodies](https://onco.cc/technologies/bispecific-antibody/), [Immune checkpoint inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/), [Monoclonal antibodies](https://onco.cc/technologies/monoclonal-antibody/), [T-cell engagers (bispecific)](https://onco.cc/technologies/t-cell-engager/)
- drugs: [Pembrolizumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/pembrolizumab/), [Trastuzumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/trastuzumab/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/antibody.json