The future of antibodies as cancer drugs

Janice M. Reichert, Eugen Dhimolea

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

118 Scopus citations

Abstract

Targeted therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have proven successful as cancer drugs. To profile products that could be marketed in the future, we examined the current commercial clinical pipeline of mAb candidates for cancer. Our analysis revealed trends toward development of a variety of noncanonical mAbs, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecific antibodies, engineered antibodies and antibody fragments and/or domains. We found substantial diversity in the antibody sequence source, isotype, carbohydrate residues, targets and mechanisms of action (MOA). Although well-validated targets, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and CD20, continue to provide opportunities for companies, we found notable trends toward targeting less-well-validated antigens and exploration of innovative MOA such as the generation of anticancer immune responses or recruitment of cytotoxic T cells.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)954-963
Number of pages10
JournalDrug Discovery Today
Volume17
Issue number17-18
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2012
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Discovery

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