RESUMEN

Integrins are transmembrane receptors that have been implicated in the biology of various human physiological and pathological processes. These molecules facilitate cell-extracellular matrix and cell-cell interactions, and they have been implicated in fibrosis, inflammation, thrombosis, and tumor metastasis. The role of integrins in tumor progression makes them promising targets for cancer treatment, and certain integrin antagonists, such as antibodies and synthetic peptides, have been effectively utilized in the clinic for cancer therapy. Here, we discuss the evidence and knowledge on the contribution of integrins to cancer biology. Furthermore, we summarize the clinical attempts targeting this family in anti-cancer therapy development.

RESUMEN

Monovalent bispecific IgGs cater to a distinct set of mechanisms of action but are difficult to engineer and manufacture because of complexities associated with correct heavy and light chain pairing. We have created a novel design, "DuetMab," for efficient production of these molecules. The platform uses knobs-into-holes (KIH) technology for heterodimerization of 2 distinct heavy chains and increases the efficiency of cognate heavy and light chain pairing by replacing the native disulfide bond in one of the CH1-CL interfaces with an engineered disulfide bond. Using two pairs of antibodies, cetuximab (anti-EGFR) and trastuzumab (anti-HER2), and anti-CD40 and anti-CD70 antibodies, we demonstrate that DuetMab antibodies can be produced in a highly purified and active form, and show for the first time that monovalent bispecific IgGs can concurrently bind both antigens on the same cell. This last property compensates for the loss of avidity brought about by monovalency and improves selectivity toward the target cell.

Asunto(s)

Anticuerpos Biespecíficos , Afinidad de Anticuerpos/genética , Cetuximab , Inmunoglobulina G , Trastuzumab , Anticuerpos Biespecíficos/biosíntesis , Anticuerpos Biespecíficos/química , Anticuerpos Biespecíficos/genética , Cetuximab/biosíntesis , Cetuximab/química , Cetuximab/genética , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina G/biosíntesis , Inmunoglobulina G/química , Inmunoglobulina G/genética , Trastuzumab/biosíntesis , Trastuzumab/química , Trastuzumab/genética

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Technological advances including high-throughput sequencing have identified numerous tumor-specific genetic changes in pediatric and adolescent cancers that can be exploited as targets for novel therapies. SCOPE OF REVIEW: This review provides a detailed overview of recent advances in the application of target-specific therapies for childhood cancers, either as single agents or in combination with other therapies. The review summarizes preclinical evidence on which clinical trials are based, early phase clinical trial results, and the incorporation of predictive biomarkers into clinical practice, according to cancer type. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: There is growing evidence that molecularly targeted therapies can valuably add to the arsenal available for treating childhood cancers, particularly when used in combination with other therapies. Nonetheless the introduction of molecularly targeted agents into practice remains challenging, due to the use of unselected populations in some clinical trials, inadequate methods to evaluate efficacy, and the need for improved preclinical models to both evaluate dosing and safety of combination therapies. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The increasing recognition of the heterogeneity of molecular causes of cancer favors the continued development of molecularly targeted agents, and their transfer to pediatric and adolescent populations.