The Nation - News from June 27, 1985

New tailor-made antibodies, the hoped-for “magic bullet” of modern medicine, may not be as effective against some cancers as thought because the cancers can change to avoid detection, two groups of scientists reported. Researchers found certain cancers changed their biologic makeup to escape detection by the specially designed proteins, called monoclonal antibodies. The research was conducted by the National Cancer Institute and the Stanford University School of Medicine. The findings were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.