Antibody Nanocarriers for Cancer Management

Curr Opin Biomed Eng. 2021 Sep:19:100295. doi: 10.1016/j.cobme.2021.100295. Epub 2021 May 26.

Abstract

Antibodies are extremely valuable tools in modern medicine due to their ability to target diseased cells through selective antigen binding and thereby regulate cellular signaling or inhibit cell-cell interactions with high specificity. However, the therapeutic utility of freely delivered antibodies is limited by high production costs, low efficacy, dose-limiting toxicities, and inability to cross the cellular membrane (which hinders antibodies against intracellular targets). To overcome these limitations, researchers have begun to develop nanocarriers that can improve antibodies' delivery efficiency, safety profile, and clinical potential. This review summarizes recent advances in the design and implementation of nanocarriers for extracellular or intracellular antibody delivery, emphasizing important design considerations, and points to future directions for the field.

Keywords: binding affinity; multivalency; nanoparticles; signal cascade interference; targeted antibodies.