Preclinical Safety Evaluation of Immunotoxins

Immunotoxins continue to be actively investigated as viable alternatives to conventional therapies for a variety of diseases. An array of different recombinant, antibody formats have improved the overall in vitro and preclinical in vivo efficacy of immunotoxins. This article describes the development of immunotoxins and the preclinical development required for advancing VB4-845, an anti–EpCAM targeting scFv linked to a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin A(252-608), into the clinic. Keywords: immunotoxins; antibody affinity; immunogenicity; cytotoxicity; safety assessment