mAb
Medical abbreviation · Drug Class
| Stands for | Monoclonal antibody |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
mAb stands for Monoclonal antibody, a drug class abbreviation also used in science.
Laboratory-made antibodies designed to bind a single target, used as drugs for cancer, autoimmune disease, migraine, asthma, high cholesterol and infections. Their generic names have traditionally ended in "-mab", as in rituximab, adalimumab and pembrolizumab.
Example: Started anti-CD20 mAb (rituximab) for refractory ANCA vasculitis.
Usage notes
Georges Kohler and Cesar Milstein developed the hybridoma technique for making monoclonal antibodies in 1975 and shared the 1984 Nobel Prize. The first therapeutic mAb, muromonab-CD3, was approved in 1986. Because so many "-mab" names existed, the WHO in 2021 introduced new stems such as -tug, -bart, -mig and -ment for antibodies named from 2022.
Related abbreviations
More drug class abbreviations
- LABA – Long-acting beta2-agonist
- LABA/LAMA – Long-acting beta-agonist and long-acting muscarinic antagonist…
- LAI – Long-acting injectable
- LAMA – Long-acting muscarinic antagonist
- LMWH – Low-molecular-weight heparin
- LTRA – Leukotriene receptor antagonist
- MAOI – Monoamine oxidase inhibitor
- MHT – Menopausal hormone therapy
- MRA – Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist
- mTORi – Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor
- NAI – Neuraminidase inhibitor
- NaSSA – Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant
See all 113 drug class abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.