An anti-EGFR × cotinine bispecific antibody complexed with cotinine-conjugated duocarmycin inhibits growth of EGFR-positive cancer cells with KRAS mutations

Cancer: Improving targeted therapy A new method for producing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), pairing anti-cancer drugs with antibodies that deliver them specifically to cancer cells, may help to develop therapies for hard-to-treat cancers. ADCs show promise for treating several cancers, but are di...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Junyeong Jin, Gunwoo Park, Jong Bae Park, Soohyun Kim, Hyori Kim, Junho Chung
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2018-05-01
Series:Experimental and Molecular Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-018-0096-z
Description
Summary:Cancer: Improving targeted therapy A new method for producing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), pairing anti-cancer drugs with antibodies that deliver them specifically to cancer cells, may help to develop therapies for hard-to-treat cancers. ADCs show promise for treating several cancers, but are difficult to produce. Junho Chung at the Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea and co-workers tested a new way of forming the conjugates, using cotinine, a non-toxic molecule related to nicotine, as a link. They bound cotinine to the anti-cancer drug duocarmycin, then formulated an antibody with two binding sites, one for cotinine, one for tumor cells. Combining the drug−cotinine complex with the antibody resulted in a drug–cotinine-antibody ADC that delivered duocarmycin exclusively to cancer cells and inhibited tumor growth in mice. This simplified method may help develop treatments for other drug-resistant cancers.
ISSN:1226-3613
2092-6413