Bispecific Antibodies for Diagnostic Applications

Bispecific monoclonal antibodies (BsMAb) are unique engineered macromolecules that have two different pre-determined binding specificities. Their ability to simultaneously bind to a specific antigen and a given detection moiety enables them to function as excellent bifunctional immunoprobes in diagnostic assays. BsMAb are being exploited for the development of simple, rapid, and highly sensitive immunoassays for diagnosis of bacterial and viral infectious diseases. This chapter describes the use of BsMAb for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Bordetella pertussis, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, and Dengue virus. Further, BsMAb have been utilized for diagnosis of various types of cancers. The use of BsMAb in detection of prostate cancer and in cancer diagnostic imaging is also discussed.