Immunological problems of polymer-bound drugs.

For the application of polymer-bound drugs (especially in combination with the targeting antibodies), it is essential to know more about the immunogenicity and possible hazards from immune reactions induced by their repeated application. The immune reaction depends on many factors (including structure of antigen, dose of antigen, schedule and way of the application, genetic background of the immunized, i.e., receiving organism) and could be weakened or eliminated by a choice of suitable factors. Problems connected with the immune reaction of the humoral and cellular type (B and T cell involvement) against different polymers and polymer-bound drugs and possible consequences for their clinical use will be discussed.