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Recombinant toxins for the treatment of cancer

Robert J Kreitman1

  • 1Division of Cancer Biology, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. kreitmar@mail.nih.gov

Current Opinion in Molecular Therapeutics
|April 3, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Recombinant toxins, engineered proteins targeting cancer cells, are showing promise in treating various cancers. Approved therapies and ongoing trials suggest a growing role for these targeted treatments in oncology.

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Oncology
  • Immunotherapy

Background:

  • Recombinant toxins are engineered proteins combining a toxin with a targeting ligand for selective cell destruction.
  • They are crucial in cancer therapy, often incorporating growth factors or antibody fragments with bacterial toxins like Pseudomonas exotoxin or diphtheria toxin.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the development and application of recombinant toxins in cancer treatment.
  • To highlight their efficacy in hematological malignancies and potential for future cancer therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Genetic engineering to fuse toxic components with targeting ligands (growth factors or monoclonal antibody fragments).
  • Clinical evaluation of recombinant toxins in patients with advanced cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and hematological malignancies.

Main Results:

  • Denileukin diftitox (Ontak), a recombinant toxin with IL-2 and diphtheria toxin, is approved for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
  • Recombinant toxins targeting CD22 and CD25 have shown efficacy in chemotherapy-resistant hematological cancers, including hairy cell leukemia.

Conclusions:

  • Recombinant toxins represent a significant advancement in targeted cancer therapy.
  • Their clinical application is expanding, with expectations for increased approvals in treating various cancers.

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