Dissertation
Click-to-release for immune cell activation
This work describes the use of click-to-release chemistry to get spatiotemporal control over immunocytokine activity. Until now, immunocytokines (cytokines coupled to a tumor-targeting-moiety) remained active throughout the body, being able to bind their respective receptors, causing mild to severe side-effects in cancer patients.
- Author
- A. Barendrecht
- Date
- 13 February 2024
- Links
- Thesis in Leiden Repository
Attempts have been made to improve the specific action of these immunocytokines, but these solutions remained very cytokine-specific and toxicity was not reduced significantly. Click-to-release chemistry allows us to inactivate a cytokine by blocking its free amines, present in lysines. This prevents the cytokine, IL-1β and TNF-α in particular, from binding its receptor. Removal of the blocking agent using a tetrazine restores the native amine and for IL-1β also its activity. By coupling the blocked cytokine to a targeting moiety allows for transport to the target, the tumor(-environment) upon which the unblocking or decaging can take place. This blocking-unblocking or caging-decaging was assessed using various cell-based assay. This technique can provide new opportunities in the immunocytokine field, as it is not cytokine-specific, and thereby opportunities in cancer therapy development.