THERAPEUTIC ANTIBODIES: Engineering human antibody derivatives, which specifically recognise and ablate new blood vessels, for the therapy of angiogenesis-related pathologies.

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 00.0604

Key words (English)

Angiogenesis; therapeutic antibodies; oncofetal fibronectin; tumot targeting;
Biotechnology; Environmental Protection; Innovation; Technology Transfer; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Waste Management

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK3-CT-2001-01495

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.3 The 'cell factory'

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
ETH Zürich
Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften
ETH Hönggerberg, HCI G 396.4

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Università degli Studi di Siena (I)

Abstract (English)

Angiogenesis is a typical process, which underlies cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and the majority of blinding ocular disorders. The ability to selectively target and/or ablate new blood vessels will open diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities. Recently, our network has collaborated for the isolation of antibodies (Ab), which selectively recognise new-forming blood vessels. Two good-quality markers of angiogenesis have been identified. The corresponding high-affinity phage Ab, efficiently target tumoural neovasculature in vivo. We now propose to chemically modify anti- angiogenesis Ab and to test the biomedical potential of their conjugates. In particular, we will use radionuclides and fluorophores to investigate the potential of our labelled Ab for image diagnostics. We will also couple them to drugs, cytokines etc. and evaluate their therapeutic potential in suitable anima l models. We will continue to search for novel markers of angiogenesis.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 00.0604