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PSMA Monoclonal Antibodies
PSMA ADC Clinical Program
We are developing PSMA ADC, an antibody-drug conjugate ("ADC") therapy for prostate cancer that binds to PSMA, a protein that is abundantly expressed on the surface of prostate cancer cells, as well as cells in the newly formed blood vessels of major solid tumors. The conjugated therapy comprises the following:
- A fully human monoclonal antibody developed by Progenics using a proprietary technology in-licensed from Abgenix (now Amgen) that binds to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA).
- The highly potent cancer drug, monomethyl-auristatin-E (MMAE), a derivative of auristatin, a chemotherapeutic agent that inhibits cell proliferation by disrupting the cellular "backbone" (i.e., microtubules) required for replication.
- Technology in-licensed from Seattle Genetics, Inc. that links the fully human monoclonal antibody and MMAE.
How PSMA ADC works
The monoclonal antibody portion of PSMA ADC selectively targets and binds to the PSMA protein on the surface of prostate cancer cells and is designed to:
- internalize the antibody-drug conjugate into the cancer cell;
- release and thereby activate the cancer drug inside the cell; and
- destroy the cancer cell.
The conjugated portion of PSMA ADC is designed to maintain the chemical link until after the antibody recognizes a cancer cell. Progenics believes that a PSMA-directed therapy may have application not only for prostate cancer, but also for solid tumors of other types of cancers.