Antibody-Cytokine Fusion Proteins for the Therapy of Cancer

In recent years the development of tumor-specific recombinant antibodies fused to immunostimulatory cytokines such as interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and granulocyte/mac rophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has provided a promising novel approach to cancer immunotherapy. The combined properties of specific targeting of antibodies and the immune stimulation of cytokines results in high cytokine concentration in the tumor microenvironment, and as a consequence, in an improved tumoricidal activity of the antibody and/or in a secondary effective immune response against the tumor. In the present chapter we describe strategies for the construction, expression, and in vitro characterization of antibody-cytokine fusion proteins, with particular emphasis on antibody/IL-2 fusion proteins.