title: Engineered Peptides for Applications in Cancer-Targeted Drug Delivery and Tumor Detection.
abstract: Cancer-targeting peptides as ligands for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs or drug carriers have the potential to significantly enhance the selectivity and the therapeutic benefit of current chemotherapeutic agents. Identification of tumor-specific biomarkers like integrins, aminopeptidase N, and epidermal growth factor receptor as well as the popularity of phage display techniques along with synthetic combinatorial methods used for peptide design and structure optimization have fueled the advancement and application of peptide ligands for targeted drug delivery and tumor detection in cancer treatment, detection and guided therapy. Although considerable preclinical data have shown remarkable success in the use of tumor targeting peptides, peptides generally suffer from poor pharmacokinetics, enzymatic instability, and weak receptor affinity, and they need further structural modification before successful translation to clinics is possible. The current review gives an overview of the different engineering strategies that have been developed for peptide structure optimization to confer selectivity and stability. We also provide an update on the methods used for peptide ligand identification, and peptide- receptor interactions. Additionally, some applications for the use of peptides in targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics and diagnostics over the past 5 years are summarized.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1. Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soudy
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1. Canada.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Byeon
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1. Canada.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Raghuwanshi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1. Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1. Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavasanifar
authors.affiliation: Chapman University School of Pharmacy (CUSP), Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Chapman University, Irvine, CA, 92618-1908. United States.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D015202:Protein Engineering
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008024:Ligands; D010455:Peptides
keywords: Aminopeptidase N; cancer targeting peptides; integrins; phage display; spot synthesis; targeted drug delivery; tumor
  imaging