Novaferon, a novel recombinant protein produced by DNA-shuffling of IFN-α, shows antitumor effect in vitro and in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
A recombinant antitumor/antiviral protein (Novaferon, Nova) is a new type of interferon, which is produced by artificial design technology combining DNA-shuffling and High Throughput Screening (HTS).


METHODS
The in vitro biological activities, such as anti-tumor activity and antiviral activity of Nova and recombinant human interferon alpha-2b (rhIFN-α2b) was performed; in vivo anti-tumor activity in nude mice was also tested. Flow cytometry, histo-pathological analysis including HE staining and immunohistochemistry, and surface plasmon resonance assay were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms analysis.


RESULTS
Nova exhibited stronger anti-cancer effects compared to rhIFN-α2b in vitro and in vivo. The antitumor mechanisms of Nova may be related to S phase arrest, pro-apoptosis, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Moreover, Nova exhibited a higher binding affinity for IFN receptor 2 (IFNR2) than rhIFN-α2b, which is one of the possible reasons accounting for its stronger actions against tumor cells compared with rhIFN-α2b.


CONCLUSIONS
Nova has strong antitumor activity and could be a potentially effective therapeutic drug for cancer.
National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of China, No. 2 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China.
Meng
M
Li
National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of China, No. 2 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China.
Chunming
C
Rao
National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of China, No. 2 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China.
Dening
D
Pei
National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of China, No. 2 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China.
Lan
L
Wang
National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of China, No. 2 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China.
Yonghong
Y
Li
National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of China, No. 2 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China.
Kai
K
Gao
Beijing Genova Biotech Company, Beijing 100050, China.
Minrong
M
Wang
National Institutes for Food and Drug Control of China, No. 2 Tiantan Xili, Beijing 100050, China.
Junzhi
J
Wang