26 February 2025

Inhibitory Antibody: Precision Targeting and Therapeutic Innovation

Discover how inhibitory antibodies advance targeted therapies. Learn about monoclonal antibodies, their classifications, functions, and applications in biomedical research and drug development.


Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a group of antibodies produced by identical clones of B lymphocytes against a particular antigen. Monoclonal antibodies are identical in several properties such as protein sequence, antigen-binding site region, binding affinity for their targets, and identical downstream functional effects. Most existing inhibitory antibodies belong to this category. In recent years, monoclonal antibody drugs have rapidly developed and have gradually become the main focus in the field of biomedicine. 

TargetMol offers over 1,000 inhibitory antibodies to meet different experimental needs.  

What are inhibitory antibodies 

Inhibitory antibodies are antibodies for research use that share the same active components as therapeutic antibody drugs and exhibit biological activity in vivo. By blocking or neutralizing the function of specific target proteins, they can elicit certain physiological effects. These antibodies are commonly used as positive controls to assess drug efficacy or to validate the functional activity of target proteins, providing crucial support for drug development and biological research.  

Classification of Inhibitory Antibodies 

  1. Classified by Origin:   
  • Mouse derived (-omab): The earliest generation of therapeutic antibodies, with a high risk of triggering immune rejection.   
  • Chimeric (-ximab): Partially humanized antibodies, combining murine and human components to reduce immunogenicity.   
  • Humanized (-zumab): Mostly composed of human sequences, further minimizing immune-related side effects.   
  • Fully Human (-umab): Derived entirely from human sequences, with the lowest immunogenicity.   
  1. Classified by Function: 
  • Blocking Antibodies: These antibodies inhibit abnormal signaling pathways by blocking interactions between target molecules. For example, the PD-1 inhibitor Pembrolizumab (Cat# T9908) blocks the binding of PD-1 to PD-L1, thereby activating T-cell functions. 
  • Neutralizing Antibodies: These antibodies directly neutralize target proteins or molecules to prevent their pathological functions. For example, the anti-TNF-α antibody Adalimumab (Cat# T9901) neutralizes TNF-α to alleviate inflammatory responses. 
  • Signal Pathway Inhibitory Antibodies: These antibodies target key signaling molecules inside or outside the cell to inhibit abnormal signal transduction. For example, the anti-EGFR antibody Cetuximab (Cat# T9905) blocks the EGFR signaling pathway to suppress tumor cell growth. 
  • Immunomodulatory Antibodies: These antibodies regulate immune system functions to either enhance or suppress immune responses. For example, the CTLA-4 inhibitor Ipilimumab (Cat# T9906) enhances immune responses and is used for anti-cancer therapy. 

In addition, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are prominent research topics:   

  • Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs): These are designed to enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce toxicity to normal cells by conjugating antibodies with cytotoxic drugs for precise delivery to target cells. For example, Trastuzumab deruxtecan (Cat#T36646) employs an anti-HER2 antibody to deliver the chemotherapeutic agent DXd to HER2-positive tumor cells, enabling targeted cytotoxicity.   
  • Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs): These antibodies bind to two distinct targets simultaneously. For example, Epcoritamab (Cat#T78331) targets both CD3 (a receptor on T cells) and CD20 (an antigen on B cells) and is used for treating B cell-associated hematologic malignancies.   

Applications 

  1. Research on Target Function: Used to validate the role of specific targets in cellular signaling pathways and disease pathology, providing experimental evidence for exploring disease mechanisms. 
  2. Drug Development and Screening: Serves as a positive control to evaluate new drugs (e.g., antibody drugs or small molecule inhibitors), which aids in the identification of more effective drug candidates. 
  3. Research on Signaling Pathway Regulation: By blocking signaling molecules, this approach helps investigate key nodes and regulatory mechanisms in cellular signaling pathways. 
  4. Research on Immunological Mechanism: Facilitates the study of immune system regulation processes, elucidating mechanisms of immune activation, suppression, and immune evasion. 
  5. Research on Disease Model: Used to simulate disease processes or intervene in disease mechanisms. 

Experimental Notes 

  1. TargetMol offers inhibitory antibodies in sterile solution packaging, which can be diluted with sterile PBS or saline for use. 
  2. TargetMol offers inhibitory antibodies which are also suitable for use in animal experiments. 
  3. When selecting inhibitory antibodies, consider the species of the target cells. For cross-species applications, it is advisable to consult relevant literature. 
  4. For literature searches, the recommended keyword for cell-based experiments is: antibody name + (ng/μg/mg)/mL + cell. For animal studies, the keyword is: antibody name + mg/kg. 

Product List (Part) 

TargetMol offers over 970+ inhibitory antibodies, which cover antibodies with identical active components as antibody drugs and target-specific antibodies that are under research. Additionally, corresponding isotype control antibodies are available to meet diverse experimental needs. 

Catalog No.  Product NameTarget Type Research Field 
T9908 Pembrolizumab PD-1 Humanized Cancer & Immune-related Disease 
T9907 Nivolumab PD-1 Humanized Cancer & Immune-related Disease 
T78269 Anti-Mouse PD-1 Antibody (RMP1-14) PD-1 Mouse derived  Cancer & Immune-related Disease 
T9910Rituximab CD20 Chimeric Cancer & Immune-related Disease 
T77482Ocrelizumab CD20 Humanized Autoimmune diseases & Cancer 
T9901A-012Ibritumomab CD20 Mouse derived  Cancer & Immune-related Disease 
T9921Infliximab TNF-α Chimeric Autoimmune diseases & Inflammation 
T9901Adalimumab TNF-α Humanized Autoimmune diseases & Inflammation 
T78272Anti-Mouse TNF alpha Antibody (TN3-19.12) TNF-α Mouse derived  Autoimmune diseases & Inflammation 
T9905Cetuximab EGFR Humanized Cancer 
T9927Panitumumab EGFR Humanized Cancer 
T9912Trastuzumab HER2 Humanized Cancer 
T36646Trastuzumab deruxtecan HER2 Humanized ADC Cancer & Targeted Drugs 
T39595Disitamab vedotin HER2 Humanized ADC Cancer & Targeted Drugs 
T9911Tocilizumab IL-6R Humanized Autoimmune diseases & Inflammation 
T76722Sarilumab IL-6R Humanized Autoimmune diseases & Inflammation 
T78242Human IgG1 kappa, Isotype Control IgG1 Humanized Homologous control 
T78337Mouse IgG2a kappa, Isotype Control IgG2a Mouse derived  Homologous control 

References 

  • Arias-Pinilla GA, et al. Therapeutic Application of Monoclonal Antibodies in Pancreatic Cancer: Advances, Challenges and Future Opportunities. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Apr 8;13(8):1781. 
  • Kaur, N., & Chaudhary. V. (2021). Biotherapeutics and its applications in Microbiology. Environment Conservation Journal, 22(SE), 63–78. 
  • Lu LL, et al. Beyond binding: antibody effector functions in infectious diseases. Nat Rev Immunol. 2018 Jan;18(1):46-61. 
  • Mark JKK, et al. Expression of mammalian proteins for diagnostics and therapeutics: a review. Mol Biol Rep. 2022 Nov;49(11):10593-10608. 
  • Suzuki M, et al. Therapeutic antibodies: their mechanisms of action and the pathological findings they induce in toxicity studies. J Toxicol Pathol. 2015 Jul;28(3):133-9. 

Inhibitory Antibody: Precision Targeting and Therapeutic Innovation

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