Immunostimulatory monoclonal antibodies for melanoma treatment
de Sanmamed MF., Perez-Gracia JL., Martín-Algarra S., Melero I.
The cellular immune response against cancer can be exogenously modulated with biomolecules, mainly monoclonal antibodies. CTLA-4 is a lymphocyte inducible receptor with inhibitory activity on T-cell immune functions, which mainly involves the interference with activatory signals derived by the costimulatory molecule CD28. Anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody has been shown to be efficacious against mouse tumors and in human melanoma patients leading to clinical approval. PD-1:B7-H1 interactions results in an enhanced immunity against transplanted tumors in mice. An anti-PD-1 human monoclonal antibody has been developed and has demonstrated interesting antitumor activity in metastatic melanoma patients. Monoclonal antibodies directed to PD-L1 (B7-H1), CD137, CD40 and OX40 are undergoing clinical trials with promising results.