Novel genetic immunotoxins and intracellular antibodies for cancer therapy.
In our recent studies we have developed two novel approaches with potential application for cancer therapy. One approach, termed genetic immunotoxins, is selectively targeted to the molecules on the cell surface to kill malignant cells. The genetic immunotoxin consists of an antibody-DNA-binding protein linked to a toxin expression plasmid DNA, and the selective cell killing of the genetic immunotoxin is accomplished by transferring toxin expression DNAs into a target cell. The genetic immunotoxin with decreased immunogenicity and increased cytotoxicity may have significant advantages over currently described recombinant protein immunotoxins for cancer therapy. Another approach, termed intracellular antibodies, is targeted to inactivate an oncoprotein molecule inside cells to block the malignant growth by intracellular expression of engineered antibodies. We briefly illustrate the design of the two approaches and their potential for clinical applications.
Chen
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SY
Department of Cancer Biology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Marasco
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WA
D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000906:Antibodies; D000922:Immunotoxins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004247:DNA