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Antibody-enzyme fusion proteins for cancer therapy

Carima Andrady1, Surinder K Sharma, Kerry A Chester

  • 1Cancer Research UK Targeting & Imaging Group, Department of Oncology, UCL Cancer Institute, Paul O'Gorman Building, University College London, 72 Huntley Street, London WC1E6BT, UK. c.andrady@ucl.ac.uk

Immunotherapy
|February 17, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Genetically engineered antibody-enzyme fusion proteins offer novel cancer therapy strategies. These proteins target tumors either by activating prodrugs or by directly delivering toxic enzymes to cancer cells.

Area of Science:

  • Biomolecular technology
  • Cancer therapy
  • Immunotherapy

Background:

  • Genetically fused antibody-enzymes represent a significant advancement in biomolecular technology.
  • These fusion proteins have emerged as promising tools for targeted cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review two distinct strategies employing antibody-enzyme fusion proteins for cancer therapy.
  • To discuss the progression of these strategies from conceptualization to clinical trials.

Main Methods:

  • Antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT): Pretargeting tumors with antibody-enzymes, followed by administration of an inactive prodrug.
  • Direct enzyme-based therapy: Utilizing antibody-enzyme fusions to deliver cytotoxic enzymes directly into tumor cells for internalization and cell death induction.

Main Results:

  • ADEPT system converts inactive prodrugs into active therapeutic agents at the tumor site.
  • Direct enzyme delivery system leverages antibody internalization to trigger tumor cell death, notably with ribonucleases.

Conclusions:

  • Antibody-enzyme fusion proteins offer versatile platforms for targeted cancer treatment.
  • Both prodrug activation and direct enzyme delivery strategies show potential in preclinical and clinical settings.

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