CELLULAR RECEPTORS UTILIZED AS CARRIER AGENTS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOUNDS USED IN TUMOR IMAGING AND CANCER TREATMENT

摘要

A method whereby non-immunogenic intraspecies proteins are used as carrier compounds to deliver imaging agents and pharmaceutical drugs to tumors in the human patient. This invention describes the propensity of certain solubilized cellular receptor proteins to localize in necrotic or inflamed areas of tumors but not in healthy normal tissues. Two examples of these receptors are tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R) and the interleukin receptors (IL-R). By combining various pharmaceutical agents with these receptor proteins it is possible to localize these agents within the necrotic or damaged areas of the tumor where they will have the greatest therapeutic effect.