Abstract SY35-04: Arming tumor-targeting antibodies with cytokine payloads: Emerging clinical results

Abstract

Abstract Antibodies can be used to deliver bioactive molecules (drugs, cytokines, photosensitizers, radionuclides, etc.) to the tumor environment, thus sparing normal tissues. Pharmacodelivery strategies targeting certain modified extracellular matrix components, associated with the tumor neo-vasculature, is particularly attractive, because of: (i) the abundance and stability of these antigens (e.g., splice isoforms of fibronectin and tenascin-C); (ii) the dependence of cancer on new blood vessels; (iii) the accessibility of neo-vascular structures for therapeutic agents coming from the blood-stream; (iv) the fact that some extracellular matrix components are very abundant in many different cancer types, while being virtually undetectable in most normal adult tissues [Refs. 1-8]. In this lecture, I will present our experience (at a preclinical and clinical level) in the development and clinical applications of antibody-cytokine fusion proteins (“immunocytokines”) for cancer therapy applications. In particular, I will focus on pro-inflammatory immunocytokines specific to the alternatively-spliced EDA and EDB domains of fibronectin, or A1 domain of tenascin-C, used either as single agents or in combination. Immunocytokines based on IL2 or TNF as payloads are able to dramatically increase the density of certain leukocytes (e.g., T cells and NK cells) at the neoplastic site in various types of malignancies.