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Efficacy of Local versus Systemic Application of Antibody-Cytokine Fusion Proteins in Tumor Therapy¹

Departments of Tumor Progression and Immune Defense, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg [O. C., M. Z.]; Department of Dermatology, University of Saarland, 66421 Homburg/Saar [S. S.]; Department of Immunology and Oncology, Preclinical Pharma Research, Merck KGa, 64271 Darmstadt [S. M., C. B.]; and Department of Applied Genetics, University of Karlsruhe, 76128 Karlsruhe [S. M., M. Z.], Germany

Application of immunocytokines [fusion proteins (FuPs)] where the cytokine has been coupled to an antibody may not produce the severe side effects frequently observed during systemic application of cytokines in cancer therapy. However, it has not been explored whether FuPs are sufficient for intratumoral activation of leukocytes or whether intratumoral versus systemic application may be of greater efficacy. Interleukin 2 (IL2) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) coupled to an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody (IL2-FuP or TNF-FuP) were tested in SCID mice bearing a human epidermal growth factor receptor-positive melanoma transplant and being reconstituted with human HLA-matched peripheral blood leukocytes. Whole-body autoradiography revealed larger accumulation and prolonged retention of i.v. or intratumorally applied IL2-FuP or TNF-FuP compared with the antibody. Even with low doses of FuP, tumor growth was significantly retarded, with the survival time being further prolonged by the intratumoral application. Furthermore, outgrowth of the tumor was prevented in 50% of mice as long as they received weekly injections of peripheral blood leukocytes concomitantly with the FuPs, which confirmed that it was the donor leukocytes activated in vivo that retarded tumor growth. An in vitro analysis revealed that the IL2-FuP supported mainly proliferation and lymphokine-activated killer cell activity, whereas TNF-FuP stimulated cytokine production and cytotoxic activity of monocytes and, to a low degree, of T cells. Both TNF-FuP and IL2-FuP significantly accumulated in the tumor, which led to retardation of tumor growth. The therapeutic effect was improved by intratumoral application. Importantly, the efficacy of both IL2-FuP and TNF-FuP depended on the induction of an immune response in vivo.

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