Trastuzumab
Definition
Trastuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody produced by recombinant DNA technology that binds specifically to the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein (also known as HER2 or neu or c-erb-2) that is found on the cell surface of some cancer tumors, most notably breast cancer. The drug is marketed in the United States under the Herceptin brand name.
Purpose
Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody used to treat breast cancers that overexpress the HER2 protein, which occurs in about 25-30% of breast malignancies. By binding the HER2 protein on the tumor cell, the antibody targets it for destruction by the immune system. Based on data gathered in the laboratory, developers believe that...
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