Clinical Cancer Research published research conducted by authors Calvin Lewis, Abhay Singh, Fong-Fu Hsu, Dinesh Thotala, Dennis Hallahan and Vaishali Kapoor entitled “Targeting a radiosensitizing antibody-drug conjugate to a radiation-inducible antigen”.
Radiation sensitizing chemotherapy has shown promise in the clinic for cancer treatment. However, toxic side effects limit higher doses of systemically administered chemotherapy. In the current study, radiation-sensitizing chemotherapy was delivered specifically to cancer using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). We discovered a new cancer antigen that carries the ADCs specifically into cancer cells. Once the ADC is within the cell, the radiation sensitizing drug is released and enhances the efficacy of therapy. Therefore, this approach delivers radiosensitizing drugs specifically to cancer each day compared to the current once-weekly administration of systemic chemotherapy. This new paradigm of guided delivery of the ADCs to tumors treated with radiation therapy will lead to clinical trials.