Integrin-Targeting Knottin Peptide-Drug Conjugates Are Potent Inhibitors of Tumor Cell Proliferation.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) offer increased efficacy and reduced toxicity compared to systemic chemotherapy. Less attention has been paid to peptide-drug delivery, which has the potential for increased tumor penetration and facile synthesis. We report a knottin peptide-drug conjugate (KDC) and demonstrate that it can selectively deliver gemcitabine to malignant cells expressing tumor-associated integrins. This KDC binds to tumor cells with low-nanomolar affinity, is internalized by an integrin-mediated process, releases its payload intracellularly, and is a highly potent inhibitor of brain, breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer cell lines. Notably, these features enable this KDC to bypass a gemcitabine-resistance mechanism found in pancreatic cancer cells. This work expands the therapeutic relevance of knottin peptides to include targeted drug delivery, and further motivates efforts to expand the drug-conjugate toolkit to include non-antibody protein scaffolds.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Cox, N; Kintzing, JR; Smith, M; Grant, GA; Cochran, JR
Published Date
- August 16, 2016
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 55 / 34
Start / End Page
- 9894 - 9897
PubMed ID
- 27304709
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC6231717
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1521-3773
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1002/anie.201603488
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- Germany