CLINICAL-TRIALS OF TARGETED TOXINS

Immunotoxins (monoclonal antibodies chemically coupled to peptide toxi ns) and fusion toxins (peptide ligands fused genetically to peptide to xins) have been used to treat a variety of malignancies over the East 20 years. Problems with normal tissue toxicities (vascular leak syndro me, hepatotoxicity, and neurotoxicities), poor penetration to tumor in terstitum, and humoral immune responses have limited clinical efficacy . Higher response rates were observed with systemic therapy of leukemi as and lymphomas and regional therapy of primary brain tumors. Ongoing studies are examining the role of targeted toxins in combination with chemoradiotherapy and in minimal residual disease settings. (C) 1995 Academic Press Ltd