Antibodies: At The Nexus of Antigens and Cancer Vaccines

CD38 a biomarker and therapeutic target in non-hematopoietic tumors

The type II transmembrane glycoprotein CD38 has recently been implicated in regulating metabolism and the pathogenesis of multiple conditions, including aging, inflammation and cancer. CD38 is overexpressed in several tumor cells and microenvironment tumoral cells, associated to migration, angiogenesis, cell invasion and progression of the disease. Thus, CD38 has been used as a progression marker for different cancer types as well as in immunotherapy. This review focuses on describing the involvement of CD38 in various non-hematopoietic cancers.

Tumor-Associated Glycans as Targets for Immunotherapy: The Wistar Institute Experience/Legacy

Tumor cells are characterized by the expression of tumor-specific carbohydrate structures that differ from their normal counterparts. Carbohydrates on tumor cells have phenotypical as well as functional implications, impacting the tumor progression process, from malignant transformation to metastasis formation. Importantly, carbohydrates are structures that play a role in receptor-ligand interaction and elicit the activity of growth factor receptors, integrins, lectins, and other type 1 transmembrane proteins. They have been recognized as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, and evidence demonstrating their relevance as targets for anticancer therapeutic strategies, including immunotherapy, continues to accumulate. Different approaches targeting carbohydrates include monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), antibody (Ab)-drug conjugates, vaccines, and adhesion antagonists. Development of bispecific antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells against tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) as promising cancer immunotherapeutic agents is rapidly evolving. As reviewed here, there are several cancer-associated glycan features that can be leveraged to design rational drug or immune system targets, applying multiple TACA structural and functional features to be targeted as the standard treatment paradigm. Many of the underlying targets were defined by researchers at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which provide basis for different immunotherapy approaches.

Antibody Engineering for Pursuing a Healthier Future

Since the development of antibody-production techniques, a number of immunoglobulins have been developed on a large scale using conventional methods. Hybridoma technology opened a new horizon in the production of antibodies against target antigens of infectious pathogens, malignant diseases including autoimmune disorders, and numerous potent toxins. However, these clinical humanized or chimeric murine antibodies have several limitations and complexities. Therefore, to overcome these difficulties, recent advances in genetic engineering techniques and phage display technique have allowed the production of highly specific recombinant antibodies. These engineered antibodies have been constructed in the hunt for novel therapeutic drugs equipped with enhanced immunoprotective abilities, such as engaging immune effector functions, effective development of fusion proteins, efficient tumor and tissue penetration, and high-affinity antibodies directed against conserved targets. Advanced antibody engineering techniques have extensive applications in the fields of immunology, biotechnology, diagnostics, and therapeutic medicines. However, there is limited knowledge regarding dynamic antibody development approaches. Therefore, this review extends beyond our understanding of conventional polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. Furthermore, recent advances in antibody engineering techniques together with antibody fragments, display technologies, immunomodulation, and broad applications of antibodies are discussed to enhance innovative antibody production in pursuit of a healthier future for humans.

Antibody recognition of aberrant glycosylation on the surface of cancer cells

Carbohydrate-binding antibodies and carbohydrate-based vaccines are being actively pursued as targeted immunotherapies for a broad range of cancers. Recognition of tumor-associated carbohydrates (glycans) by antibodies is predominantly towards terminal epitopes on glycoproteins and glycolipids on the surface of cancer cells. Crystallography along with complementary experimental and computational methods have been extensively used to dissect antibody recognition of glycan epitopes commonly found in cancer. We provide an overview of the structural biology of antibody recognition of tumor-associated glycans and propose potential rearrangements of these targets in the membrane that could dictate the complex biological activities of these antibodies against cancer cells.