Person:
Cuesta Martínez, Ángel

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First Name
Ángel
Last Name
Cuesta Martínez
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/77488
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Farmacia
Department
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
Area
Bioquímica y Biología Molecular
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2009 - 200912010 - 20112
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Author: Álvarez-Vallina, Luis × Has files: true ×

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Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    In Vivo Tumor Targeting and Imaging with Engineered Trivalent Antibody Fragments Containing Collagen-Derived Sequences
    (Plos One, 2009) Cuesta Martínez, Ángel; Sánchez-Martín, David; Sanz, Laura; Bonet, Jaume; Compte, Marta; Kremer, Leonor; Blanco, Francisco J.; Oliva, Baldomero; Álvarez-Vallina, Luis; Christophe Egles
    There is an urgent need to develop new and effective agents for cancer targeting. In this work, a multivalent antibody is characterized in vivo in living animals. The antibody, termed “trimerbody”, comprises a single-chain antibody (scFv) fragment connected to the N-terminal trimerization subdomain of collagen XVIII NC1 by a flexible linker. As indicated by computer graphic modeling, the trimerbody has a tripod-shaped structure with three highly flexible scFv heads radially outward oriented. Trimerbodies are trimeric in solution and exhibited multivalent binding, which provides them with at least a 100-fold increase in functional affinity than the monovalent scFv. Our results also demonstrate the feasibility of producing functional bispecific trimerbodies, which concurrently bind two different ligands. A trimerbody specific for the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a classic tumor-associated antigen, showed efficient tumor targeting after systemic administration in mice bearing CEA-positive tumors. Importantly, a trimerbody that recognizes an angiogenesis-associated laminin epitope, showed excellent tumor localization in several cancer types, including fibrosarcomas and carcinomas. These results illustrate the potential of this new antibody format for imaging and therapeutic applications, and suggest that some laminin epitopes might be universal targets for cancer targeting.
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    Multivalent antibodies: when design surpasses evolution
    (Trends in Biotechnology, 2010) Cuesta Martínez, Ángel; Sainz-Pastor, Noelia; Bonet, Jaume; Oliva, Baldomero; Álvarez-Vallina, Luis
    Evolutionary pressure has selected antibodies as key immune molecules acting against foreign pathogens. The development of monoclonal antibody technology has allowed their widespread use in research, real-time diagnosis and treatment of multiple diseases, including cancer. However, compared with hematologic malignancies, solid tumors have often proven to be relatively resistant to antibody-based therapies. In an attempt to improve the tumor-targeting efficacy of antibodies, new formats with modified, multivalent properties have been generated. Initially, these formats imitated the structure of native IgG, creating mostly monospecific, bivalent antibodies. Recently, novel trivalent antibodies have been developed to maximize tumor targeting capabilities through enhanced biodistribution and functional affinity. We review recent advances in the engineering of multivalent antibodies and further discuss their promise as agents for invivo diagnostics and therapy.
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    The Multicompartmental p32/gClqR as a New Target for Antibody-based Tumor Targeting Strategies
    (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2011) Sánchez-Martín, David; Fogal, Valentina; Ruoslahti, Erkki; Álvarez-Vallina, Luis; Cuesta Martínez, Ángel
    Tumor-associated cell surface antigens and tumor-associated vascular markers have been used as a target for cancer intervention strategies. However, both types of targets have limitations due to accessibility, low and/or heterogeneous expression, and presence of tumor-associated serum antigen. It has been previously reported that a mitochondrial/cell surface protein, p32/gC1qR, is the receptor for a tumor-homing peptide, LyP-1, which specifically recognizes an epitope in tumor cells, tumor lymphatics, and tumor-associated macrophages/myeloid cells. Using antibody phage technology, we have generated an anti-p32 human monoclonal antibody (2.15). The 2.15 antibody, expressed in single-chain fragment variable and in trimerbody format, was then characterized in vivo using mice grafted subcutaneously with MDA-MB-231 human breast cancers cells, revealing a highly selective tumor uptake. The intratumoral distribution of the antibody was consistent with the expression pattern of p32 in the surface of some clusters of cells. These results demonstrate the potential of p32 for antibody-based tumor targeting strategies and the utility of the 2.15 antibody as targeting moiety for the selective delivery of imaging and therapeutic agents to tumors.