The fight against cancer is entering a promising new phase, with fewer targeted therapies aimed at attacking cancer cells more accurately than ever before. Although drugs such as trastuzumab have become key players in the treatment of cancer by blocking harmful receptors or enhancing the body’s immune defense, their success is limited. This leads to the innovative creation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), a therapy that combines antibodies with powerful anti-cancer drugs. An excellent example of a therapy targeting HER2-positive breast cancer has been approved by the FDA in recent years. Despite these advances, the balance between effectiveness and safety in these therapies remains a complex challenge.
In a pioneering study published in the Cell Report, a team from the National Cancer Institute (NIH) revealed a novel therapy targeting CD276/B7-H3 that showed great hope in eliminating cancer. The study, led by Dr. Brad St. Croix and his colleagues, introduced a novel ADC called M276-SL-PBD. This therapy is particularly effective in targeting sclerotomas, including those found in triple-negative breast cancer, by combining advanced genetic and chemical engineering techniques to reduce side effects while increasing the ability of therapeutic therapies to destroy cancer cells.
Innovation lies in overcoming challenges from previous ADC therapies, including those targeting CD276, which require high doses and have narrow safety windows. Through careful drug modification and attachment and ADC purification, the team expanded this window to make it possible to eliminate large tumors with smaller doses. This represents a huge leap in ADC development and provides a powerful and selective approach to targeting solid tumors.
“Our therapy marks a significant advance in targeted cancer therapy, combining CD276 specificity with powerful drugs, has achieved significant tumor damage,” explains Dr. Brad St. Croix. Results. He further details their approach, “By fine-tuning of ADC therapy using advanced genetic and chemical engineering methods, we managed to reduce the necessary doses, expanding the safety window and demonstrating efficiency against solid tumors outstanding.”
Dr. St. Croix detailed: “We focus on perfecting the design of the treatment to ensure it effectively delivers the drug to cancer cells while minimizing the impact on healthy cells. Careful balance of localization and drug delivery is for the safety of ADCs Sex and effectiveness set new standards. “This breakthrough provides new hope for the treatment of a variety of solid tumors, including triple-bearing breast cancer that does not respond to HER2-targeted therapy and urgently needs more effective therapies. As the study moves towards clinical trials, it brings hope for more effective and safer cancer treatments. “What really excites me is that its potential helps cancer patients, especially those with advanced breast cancer,” said St. Croix.
Journal Reference
Yang Feng, Jaewon Lee, Liping Yang et al., “Engineering CD276/B7-H3 Targeting Antibody-Drug Conjugate with Enhanced Cancer Chemical Capabilities,” Cell Rellest, December 26, 2023, DOI: DOI:
