Balancing safety and efficacy: tuning the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of cytokine immunotherapies

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2023 Oct 6;84:102994. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2023.102994. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTModulating the immune system shows promise in treating various conditions such as autoimmune, malignant, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. While immunotherapies can provide significant clinical benefits, they can also trigger debilitating immune-related toxicities. Achieving a balance between safety and efficacy of immunotherapy remains a significant engineering challenge. Recent research has simplified the complex immune response into a sequence of coordinated signals with precise spatial and temporal arrangements. Mimicking or inhibiting these signals with protein immunotherapies relies on engineering them with specific biodistribution and pharmacokinetic properties. This review summarizes principles governing the movement of therapeutic proteins (i.e. biologics), focusing on cytokines injected intravenously or locally, and highlights approaches and considerations to balance their efficacy and safety.PMID:37806081 | DOI:10.1016/j.copbio.2023.102994
Source: Current Opinion in Biotechnology - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Source Type: research