Targeting cancer vasculature via endoglin/CD105: a novel antibody-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategy in solid tumours.
Endoglin/CD105 is well acknowledged as being the most reliable marker of proliferation of endothelial cells, and it is overexpressed on tumour neovasculature. Our current knowledge of its structure, physiological role, and tissue distribution suggests that targeting of endoglin/CD105 is a novel and powerful diagnostic and therapeutic strategy in human malignancies, through the imaging of tumour-associated angiogenesis and the inhibition of endothelial cell functions related to tumour angiogenesis. Among biotherapeutic agents, monoclonal antibodies have shown a major impact on the clinical course of human malignancies of different histotypes. Along this line, the potential efficacy of anti-endoglin/CD105 antibodies and their derivatives for clinical purposes in cancer is supported by a large body of available pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo data. In this review, the main findings supporting the translation of antibody-based endoglin/CD105 targeting from pre-clinical studies to clinical applications in human cancer are summarized and discussed.
Fonsatti
Ester
E
Division of Medical Oncology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncology, Istituto Toscano Tumori, University Hospital of Siena, Strada delle Scotte 14, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Nicolay
Hugues J M
HJ
Altomonte
Maresa
M
Covre
Alessia
A
Maio
Michele
M
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D000071063:Endoglin; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015415:Biomarkers; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface