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Updated: Jun 26, 2025
In Vivo Immunofluorescence Localization for Assessment of Therapeutic and Diagnostic Antibody Biodistribution in Cancer Research
Published on: September 16, 2019
Cancer therapy with antibodies
Suman Paul1, Maximilian F Konig2, Drew M Pardoll3
1Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. spaul19@jhmi.edu.
Abstract:
The greatest challenge in cancer therapy is to eradicate cancer cells with minimal damage to normal cells. Targeted therapy has been developed to meet that challenge, showing a substantially increased therapeutic index compared with conventional cancer therapies. Antibodies are important members of the family of targeted therapeutic agents because of their extraordinarily high specificity to the target antigens. Therapeutic antibodies use a range of mechanisms that directly or indirectly kill the cancer cells. Early antibodies were developed to directly antagonize targets on cancer cells. This was followed by advancements in linker technologies that allowed the production of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that guide cytotoxic payloads to the cancer cells. Improvement in our understanding of the biology of T cells led to the production of immune checkpoint-inhibiting antibodies that indirectly kill the cancer cells through activation of the T cells. Even more recently, bispecific antibodies were synthetically designed to redirect the T cells of a patient to kill the cancer cells. In this Review, we summarize the different approaches used by therapeutic antibodies to target cancer cells. We discuss their mechanisms of action, the structural basis for target specificity, clinical applications and the ongoing research to improve efficacy and reduce toxicity.
Insights
Therapeutic antibodies offer precise cancer cell targeting with minimal harm to healthy cells. This review details antibody-drug conjugates, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and bispecific antibodies for improved cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Cancer therapy faces challenges in selectively eliminating cancer cells while sparing normal tissues.
- Targeted therapies, particularly antibodies, offer improved specificity and therapeutic index over conventional treatments.
- Antibodies leverage high specificity to target antigens on cancer cells for therapeutic intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review diverse therapeutic antibody strategies for cancer treatment.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of action, structural basis, and clinical applications of therapeutic antibodies.
- To discuss ongoing research aimed at enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity of antibody-based cancer therapies.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on therapeutic antibodies in cancer.
- Analysis of antibody mechanisms including direct antagonism, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), immune checkpoint inhibition, and bispecific antibodies.
- Discussion of structural aspects, clinical outcomes, and future research directions.
Main Results:
- Therapeutic antibodies employ various mechanisms to eradicate cancer cells, including direct targeting, payload delivery via ADCs, T-cell activation through immune checkpoint inhibition, and T-cell redirection by bispecific antibodies.
- Significant advancements have been made in antibody-based cancer therapies, leading to improved clinical outcomes.
- Ongoing research focuses on optimizing antibody design for greater efficacy and reduced side effects.
Conclusions:
- Therapeutic antibodies represent a powerful and evolving class of targeted cancer agents.
- Different antibody formats and mechanisms offer versatile strategies for cancer treatment.
- Continued innovation in antibody engineering and understanding of tumor immunology promises further advancements in oncology.
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