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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

A High Yield and Cost-efficient Expression System of Human Granzymes in Mammalian Cells
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Human Granzyme B Based Targeted Cytolytic Fusion Proteins

Precious Hlongwane1, Neelakshi Mungra2, Suresh Madheswaran3

  • 1Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Unit, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa. hlnpre001@myuct.ac.za.

Biomedicines
|June 22, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Cancer immunotherapy utilizes human granzymes, which are enzymes that induce apoptosis, as targeted effectors. These granzymes are fused to antibody fragments for precise delivery to cancer cells, minimizing damage to healthy tissues.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Cancer immunotherapy seeks targeted tumor cell destruction with minimal healthy tissue damage.
  • Controlled delivery of toxins and enzymes can induce apoptosis in cancer cells.
  • Existing immunotherapies face immunogenicity issues, driving the development of humanized effectors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review research on using granzymes as cytolytic effectors in cancer therapeutics.
  • To explore the fusion of granzymes with antibody fragments for targeted cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on granzyme-based cancer immunotherapy.
  • Analysis of granzyme mechanisms (caspase-dependent/independent pathways).
  • Examination of antibody fragment-granzyme fusion protein strategies.

Main Results:

  • Granzymes are potent serine proteases naturally involved in programmed cell death.
  • Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells secrete granzymes.
  • Fusion proteins combine granzyme's killing ability with antibody fragment's targeting specificity.

Conclusions:

  • Granzymes are promising human enzymes for targeted cancer therapy development.
  • Antibody fragment-granzyme fusions offer a strategy to overcome immunogenicity and enhance selectivity.
  • This approach holds potential for novel therapeutic strategies against various cancers.
Keywords:
cancer immunotherapygranzyme B (GrB)human cytolytic fusion proteins (hCFPs)immunotoxins (ITs)

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