[cv]

Targeting tumors with antibodies

Antibodies have great potential in their use as drugs due to their ability to specifically bind molecules of interest.  Applications include targeting certain cells for gene delivery, imaging diseased tissue in the body, or killing foreign or cancerous cells.  Using antibodies for tumor targeting allows recruitment of the immune system or specific delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs or radiation to the cancer without disturbing healthy tissue, thereby minimizing side effects.  One of the major problems with this class of drug is poor uptake and distribution in tumors.  The antibodies are often cleared from the blood before being taken up in the tumor (common with fragments) or the cells internalize and degrade the antibody before it can reach all the cells (common with more rapidly internalizing targets, such as receptors).  This research uses a combination of mathematical and experimental approaches in order to develop and test models of antibody transport in both solid tumors and prevascular metastases to gain a better understanding of the rate limiting steps.  This will identify the processes which are most amenable for improvement by protein engineering techniques and other methods to improve and optimize therapies.