Abstract C171: Human anti-Nucleolin recombinant immunoagents as new potential tools for melanoma treatment

Immunotherapy and immune-based anti-cancer molecules represent a valid strategy to fight cancer. However, the choice of tumor-specific surface molecules for the selective targeting of cancer cells still represents a critical step in the study design for the development of new therapeutic approaches. Notably, the development of phage-display technology for the selection of fully human single chain antibody fragments (scFvs) and complete antibodies directed toward tumor-associated antigens has represented a significant advancement for immunotherapy.Nucleolin (NCL) is one of the most abundant non-ribosomal proteins in the nucleolus. NCL is frequently up-regulated in cancer and in cancer-associated endothelial cells compared to normal tissues, where it is also present on the cell surface. Altered NCL expression and localization results in oncogenic effects such as stabilization of oncogenic mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs). Particularly, we demonstrated that NCL enhances the maturation of specific miRNAs (including miR-21, miR-221 and miR-222) causally involved in cancer pathogenesis, aggressiveness, metastatic potential and resistance to several anti-neoplastic treatments.Because of its oncogenic role and specific expression on cancer cell surface, NCL represents an attractive target for anti-neoplastic therapies. To produce a new anti-NCL molecule with significant potential for clinical applications, we took advantage of phage-display technology to isolate a fully human single chai...
Source: Molecular Cancer Therapeutics - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Therapeutic Agents: Biological: Poster Presentations - Proffered Abstracts Source Type: research