A useful feature of therapeutic antibodies is the ability to kill the cells to which they bind. Antibodies are capable of mediating cell killing in a variety of ways. Apoptosis, complement-mediated mechanisms, and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity are all effects that can be assayed to characterize lead antibody candidates. Extensive, multidose characterizations of a series of candidates can be performed in a short amount of time using assays developed for high-throughput flow cytometry systems. Antibodies that contain the Fc portion of the human IgG1 can activate complement-mediated cell death. One way in which they do this is via direct complement killing of tumor cells by the membrane attack complex, a process usually called complement-dependent cytotoxicity.
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