Cizeau J, Torres MGP, Cowling SG, Stibbard S, Premsukh A, Entwistle J, MacDonald GC. Fusogenics: a recombinant immunotoxin-based screening platform to select internalizing tumor-specific antibody fragments.
J Biomol Screen 2011;
16:90-100. [PMID:
21131595 DOI:
10.1177/1087057110387425]
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Abstract
Antibody-based therapeutics play a vital role in the treatment of certain cancers; however, despite commercial success, various strategies are being pursued to increase their potency and hence improve patient outcomes. The use of antibodies to deliver a cytotoxic payload offers a promising alternative for more efficacious therapies. Immunotoxins are composed of an internalizing antibody fragment linked to a bacterial or plant toxin. Once internalized, the payload, such as Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE), blocks protein synthesis and induces apoptosis. Typically, immunotoxins are developed by first isolating a tumor-specific antibody, which is then either chemically linked to a toxin or reengineered as a fusion protein. Here, the authors describe the development of Fusogenics, an immunotoxin-based screening method that selects internalizing tumor-specific antibodies using a functional assay. Selected immune library clones were characterized and shown to be selective against normal tissues and specific to tumor tissues. In summary, the Fusogenics immunotoxin platform represents a unique, single-step selection approach combining specificity and functionality to isolate novel internalizing tumor-specific antibody fragments with potential for direct clinical application in the treatment of cancer.
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