Recombinant Immunotoxins

Dear Colleagues,

Immunotoxins comprise a field in targeted cancer therapeutics. These chimeric proteins are a form of biological guided missiles that combine a disease-specific targeting moiety with a potent effector molecule. The targeting moiety is mostly a monoclonal antibody or a recombinant antibody based fragment that confers target specificity to the immunotoxin. The effector domain is in most cases a potent protein toxin of bacterial or plant origin. Notwithstanding, immunotoxins targeted by non-antibody molecules do exist as well as immunotoxins where the effector domain is derived from a human enzyme including RNAses, proteases or kinases. Following binding to the target cells, the immunotoxin undergoes internalization, intracellular processing and trafficking and eventually causes cell death by either catalytically inhibiting a vital process and/or by activating a cell-death cascade. Over the 25 some years of their evolution, immunotoxins have been engineered to better fit to their purpose, improving on specificity and reducing undesirable properties such as untoward toxicities and immunogenicity. Many immunotoxins have undergone clinical evaluation, some showing promise and progressing to advanced clinical trials. This special issue of “Antibodies” will review recent developments as reported by experts in this exciting field. Covered topics will include target selection, toxin selection, targeting moiety selection and engineering, disease models and preclinical studies, clinical studies as well as adverse effects.

Prof. Dr. Itai Benhar
Prof. Dr. Dr. Stefan Barth
Guest Editors