In 2006, researchers at Micromet — a small biotech with US headquarters in Bethesda, Md. — started up a human clinical trial on a novel type of antibody to treat cancer. As their CEO, Christian Itin knew of the compound's potential and had ushered it through many developmental growing pains. After the first round of dosing, patients were experiencing the typical symptoms of an immune response, such as chills and fever, which suggested that the antibody was working.





