Targeting cancer stem cells with monoclonal antibodies: a new perspective in cancer therapy and diagnosis

摘要

This review discusses some of the impacts that biotechnology, genomics and nanotechnologynconvergence should have on future cancer management, in particular, the development ofninnovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches based on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)nand cancer stem cells. Emergent therapeutic strategies in cancer have been focusing on thenuse of mAbs to stimulate an immune response against tumors, to block signaling pathways, ornto refine delivery of cytotoxic agents. Now that cancer stem cells are being identified andncharacterized in different tumor types, their relevance to cancer physiopathology is becomingnevident, making them natural targets for mAb development. Cancer stem cells are postulatednto be responsible for tumor development, metastasis and relapse after conventional therapies.nTherefore, mAbs targeting specific antigens and related pathways altered in cancer stem cellsnshould facilitate earlier diagnosis through molecular imaging techniques and more efficientndestruction of tumor initiating cells, thus improving clinical outcome.