Global Impact of Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) in Children: A Focus on Anti-GD2 - Review

Sep 24, 2026

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are clonal antibodies that can bind a defined antigen and serve as diagnostic or therapeutic tools across neoplasms, autoimmune disease, allergic conditions, and infections. While many mAbs are approved for adult cancers, childhood malignancies have far fewer options, with solid tumors largely limited to anti-GD2 therapy for neuroblastoma. This review analyzes biological, clinical, economic, and social barriers that restrict global implementation, emphasizing drug-access inequities and the difficult path from basic science to clinic and from marketing to regulation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Immune therapies and the origins of antibody-based approaches

Monoclonal antibodies in pediatric oncology

Targets and indications with emphasis on anti-GD2

cancers Review Global Impact of Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) in Children: A Focus on Anti-GD2 Cristina Larrosa 1, Jaume Mora 1 and Nai-Kong Cheung 2, * Citation: Larrosa, C.; Mora, J.; Cheung, N.-K. Global Impact of Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs) in Children: A Focus on Anti-GD2 . Cancers 2023, 15, 3729. [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[doi.org/10.3390/cancers15143729](doi.org/10.3390/cancers15143729) Academic Editor: Helmout Modjtahedi Received: 23 June 2023 Revised: 16 July 2023 Accepted: 17 July 2023 Published: 22 July 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, 08950 Barcelona, Spain; [cristina.larrosa@sjd.es](cristina.larrosa@sjd.es) (C.L.); [jaume.mora@sjd.es](jaume.mora@sjd.es) (J.M.) 2 Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA * Correspondence: [cheungn@mskcc.org](cheungn@mskcc.org) Simple Summary: Despite being in use for almost 50 years, monoclonal antibodies face limitations in their implementation in clinical practice, particularly in pediatrics and pediatric cancer. Although technological advancements and research into new therapeutic targets have led to the development of sophisticated and effective molecules, translational barriers still exist. Integrating monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) into current treatment protocols and ensuring accessibility for all children with cancer globally remains a challenge. This review examines the biological, clinical, economic, and social limitations hindering the global implementation of mAbs in pediatric cancer, with a particular focus on anti-GD2 mAbs. Abstract: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), as the name implies, are clonal antibodies that bind to the same antigen. mAbs are broadly used as diagnostic or therapeutic tools for neoplasms, autoimmune diseases, allergic conditions, and infections. Although most mAbs are approved for treating adult cancers, few are applicable to childhood malignancies, limited mostly to hematological cancers. As for solid tumors, only anti-disialoganglioside (GD2) mAbs are approved speciﬁcally for neuroblastoma. Inequities of drug access have continued, affecting most therapeutic mAbs globally. To understand these challenges, a deeper dive into the complex transition from basic research to the clinic, or between marketing and regulatory agencies, is timely. This review focuses on current mAbs approved or under investigation in pediatric cancer, with special attention on solid tumors and anti-GD2 mAbs, and the hurdles that limit their broad global access. Beyond understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance, the continual discovery of next generation drugs safer for children and easier to administer, the discovery of predictive biomarkers to avoid futility should ease the acceptance by patient, healthcare professionals and regulatory agencies, in order to expand clinical utility. With a better integration into the multimodal treatment for each disease, protocols that align with the regional clinical practice should also improve acceptance and cost-effectiveness. Communication and collaboration between academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory agencies should help to ensure accessible, affordable, and sustainable health care for all. Keywords: monoclonal antibody; disialoganglioside; anti-GD2; immunotherapy; childhood cancer; high-risk neuroblastoma 1. Introduction Immune therapies have exploited antibodies, cytotherapy, viruses, and vaccines designed to promote an active or passive anti-tumoral immune response. The ﬁrst observation of the immune system having an anti-tumor effect was in 1866 when Wilhelm Busch in Germany d

FAQs

What are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and what roles do they play in medicine?

mAbs are clonal antibodies that bind the same antigen. They are used as diagnostic or therapeutic tools for neoplasms, autoimmune diseases, allergic conditions, and infections.

Why are mAbs more limited in pediatric cancer than in adult cancers?

Most mAbs are approved for adult cancers, while few are applicable to childhood malignancies, which limits availability. Drug-access inequities further affect therapeutic mAbs globally.

Which mAbs are highlighted for solid tumors in children?

For solid tumors, the review highlights that only anti-disialoganglioside (GD2) mAbs are specifically approved for neuroblastoma.

Sep 24, 2026

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