Abstract
Importance of the field: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from a gynecologic malignancy. Recurrence is both common and lethal, necessitating the development of novel targeted therapies. Farletuzumab (MORAb-003) is a humanized mAb with high affinity for folate receptor α (FRα), a 38 kDa GPI-anchored protein that is overexpressed in 90% of epithelial ovarian cancers. Areas covered in this review: Preclinical and clinical trials, published or presented at national meetings from 2006 to the present, are presented in this review. What the reader will gain: Preclinical studies have demonstrated robust antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity in vitro, inhibition of tumor growth in ovarian tumor xenografts and a safe toxicology profile in non-human primates. Phase I and II studies have demonstrated single agent and combination therapy efficacy with minimal drug-specific toxicity. The Phase III development plan in ovarian cancer patients includes combination chemotherapy studies in both platinum-sensitive (recently launched) and platinum-resistant (planned) recurrent disease. Take home message: FRα is overexpressed in ovarian cancers but largely absent from normal tissue, making it an attractive therapeutic target. Farletuzumab is a novel inhibitor of FRα and has shown clinical efficacy in early phase trials.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 431-437 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2010 |
Keywords
- Farletuzumab
- Folate receptor α
- MAb
- Ovarian carcinoma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology
- Drug Discovery
- Clinical Biochemistry