Therapeutic potential of an anti-HER2 single chain antibody–DM1 conjugates for the treatment of HER2-positive cancer

A therapy designed to deliver a cancer-killing drug to targeted cells has potent antitumor activity in cancer cells and mouse models. A team led by Jinliang Yang from Sichuan University, China, developed the hybrid drug products that combine an antibody directed against the HER2 protein expressed by some cancers with the drug DM-1, which is toxic to cells. These antibody-drug conjugates are designed to kill cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. The therapies efficiently inhibited the growth of HER2-positive cancer cells in a lab dish, while one even produced complete remissions in mice implanted with human HER2-positive ovarian tumor . The antibody-drug conjugates showed greater tumor tissue penetration and distribution than trastuzumab, a FDA approved anti-HER2 antibody that is already used in patients, demonstrating the potential for improved variations on this strategy.