Exploration of novel strategies to enhance monoclonal antibodies targeting

This paper highlights the major obstacles and prospects of antibody targeting for the radio imaging and therapy of human malignant lymphomas and more challenging solid tumors. To improve the therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibodies, the authors have focused their attention on the development of new and successful methods to augment antibody uptake in the tumor. These approaches include the use of radiolabeled streptavidin to target biotinylated monoclonal antibodies already bound to tumor, pretreatment with vasoactive immunoconjugates, and the use of chemically modified antibodies. Because of the promising preclinical data obtained with these three newer approaches, plans are underway to test them in the clinic. More generally, these approaches are applicable to the use of other monoclonal antibody/tumor systems for the diagnosis and therapy of human cancers and related diseases