Here is my mAb Drug Assignment
Omalizumab
Omalizumab is an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody used to primarily treat severe asthma linked with allergic asthma. However, the drug is also approved to treat other autoimmune and inflammatory conditions including chronic spontaneous urticaria, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and food allergies in United States (2). The FDA first approved the usage of the monoclonal antibody to treat severe asthma in 2003 in the US, and it is primarily manufactured by company referred to as Genentech (Roche Group) and sold under the name Xolair (2).
Subcutaneous injections are the primary delivery method of the drug to patients, and dosages are determined by using serum IgE levels and body weight of patients. A dose can range from 75 to 600 mg and can be administered every two weeks or every month, depending on the condition treated (1). Since the drug is a monoclonal antibody, it functions by binding to the IgE antibody that causes immune responses leading to asthma, urticaria, and other disorders. More specifically, it binds to IgE molecules that are not already bound to other molecules (free IgE) (3). On the IgE molecule itself, omalizumab binds to the C Cɛ3 receptor so that IgE cannot bind to FcɛRI receptors on mast cells that help initiate an allergic immune response (3).
The most significant side effect associated with usage of omalizumab is anaphylaxis, which has led to the issuance of the boxed warning by the FDA (1). The boxed warning the FDA is the most severe warning that can be issued for a drug. However, other moderate side effects include upper respiratory infection and sinusitis, while severe side effects include blood and circulation problems, parasitic worm infections, and cancer (1). Omalizumab is generally considered to be a safe drug for use as decades of research have been conducted to prove that benefits are much more common than side effects.
References
1. Jaromin, A., & Wardzynska, A. (2025, December). Omalizumab Safety Concerns. World Allergy Organization Journal. https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)01183-7/fulltext
2. Kumar, C. (2023, August 17). Omalizumab. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545183/
3. Pongdee, T., & Li, J. T. (2025, January). Omalizumab safety concerns – journal of allergy and clinical immunology. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)01183-7/fulltext
COVID Vax Paper Summary
In recent years, vaccination for illnesses have decreased for various reasons. Unfortunately, in the United States, this has led to re-emergence of diseases that have once been thought to be eradicated like measles and whooping cough. For example, in 2025, there have been 1,319 cases of measles in the United States in July 2025 compared to just only 285 cases in 2024, and this is the single largest rise in measles cases since 1992 (1). Another study from California displays the rise of whooping cough since the 1980s. Vaccinations programs for whooping cough began in the 1940s and whooping cough decreased to near eradication in the 1980s, after which point it began to increase to 120 cases out of 100,000 in 2015 (2).
This evidence points to the fact that lack of vaccination places the lives of those unvaccinated at risk. People who are not vaccinated to the disease do not have immunity to prevent serious infections of measles or whooping cough that led to outbreaks. Even though it is unreasonable to say to Americans to be vaccinated or face legal consequences, it is most certainly important for policymakers to encourage vaccinations among the population to keep the rates of vaccination high enough to prevent major outbreaks of disease by achieving herd immunity, which stands at at about 95% for measles and 92-94% for measles.
If the rates of disease are so high (like in COVID) that people are dying by the thousands or more, then vaccine mandates are reasonable as unvaccinated individual pose a risk to even the vaccinated. However, if it mainly affects people who are unvaccinated, then being unvaccinated is their choice and their discretion since they mainly put themselves at risk rather than others who are vaccinated. People who are vaccine-hesitant take on the risk that the disease they are refusing to get vaccinated for need to understand that they are taking on the risk of facing severe symptoms like (pneumonia, encephalitis, and death for measles) and (apnea, seizure, and death for infants with pertussis).
1. Johnson, A., Penmetsa, S., & Nazir, A. (2025). Measles resurgence in the United States: Epidemiological and clinical observations from 2025. International Journal of Surgery, 112(1), 2110–2111. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12825560/
2. Decker, M. D., & Edwards, K. M. (2021). Pertussis (whooping cough). The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 224(Suppl_4), S310–S320. https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/224/Supplement_4/S310/6389641
End of Term Reflection
One thing I learned in immunology other than the RAS/MAPK pathway for metabolism are cytokines called interleukins. Interleukins are important to my study of medicine because they help the immune system to communicate, respond to threats, and control inflammation. Interleukins are crucial for future research as they are major messengers (signaling proteins) for our immune system. They can be utilized to educate our body to regulate autoimmune diseases and recognize/neutralize cancer. They can even help strengthen our defenses against future attacks by strengthening and educating T-cells found in vaccines. They also support tissue repair and regeneration that help heal our wounds. Given what I have just learned about Interleukins, I see a brighter future ahead in the world of medicine because of all of the endless possibilities.
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