Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

natalizumab

A humanized recombinant IgG4 monoclonal antibody directed against the alpha4 subunit of the integrins alpha4beta1 and alpha4beta7 with immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, and potential antineoplastic activities. Natalizumab binds to the apha4-subunit of alpha4beta1 and alpha4beta7 integrins expressed on the surface of all leukocytes except neutrophils, inhibiting the alpha4-mediated adhesion of leukocytes to counter-receptor(s) such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1); natalizumab –mediated disruption of VCAM-1 binding by these integrins may prevent the transmigration of leukocytes across the endothelium into inflamed parenchymal tissue. Integrins are cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) that are upregulated in various types of cancer and some autoimmune diseases; alpha4beta1 integrin (VLA4) has been implicated in the survival of myeloma cells, possibly by mediating their adhesion to stromal cells.
Check for active clinical trials using this agentView this agent in the NCI Thesaurus
US brand name:Tysabri
Search NCI's Drug Dictionary
Please enter up to 30 characters for your search