Single antibody (CD47 ) shrinks variety of human tumors transplanted into mice, Stanford study shows | e! Science News

Single antibody shrinks variety of human tumors transplanted into mice, Stanford study shows | e! Science News

Human tumors transplanted into laboratory mice disappeared or shrank when scientists treated the animals with a single antibody, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The antibody works by masking a protein flag on cancer cells that protects them from macrophages and other cells in the immune system. The scientists achieved the findings with human breast, ovarian, colon, bladder, brain, liver and prostate cancer samples. It is the first antibody treatment shown to be broadly effective against a variety of human solid tumors, and the dramatic response -- including some overt cures in the laboratory animals -- has the investigators eager to begin phase-1 and -2 human clinical trials within the next two years.........

Antibodies Against Abnormal Glycoproteins Identified as Possible Biomarkers for Cancer Detection press release - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

"The team used this approach to screen blood specimens from breast, ovarian and prostate cancer patients....They found distinct abnormal mucin-type O-glycopeptide epitopes (parts of molecules that antibodies will recognize and bind to) that were targeted by autoantibodies in cancer patients — but such antibodies were absent in healthy controls.....Although larger sets of specimens will have to be analyzed to fully appreciate the clinical value of this technology, the preliminary results are very promising.The study was an international collaboration that was funded in part by NCI through the trans-NIH Alliance of Glycobiologists for Detection of Cancer and Cancer Risk."