Antibody that Kills Prostate Cancer Discovered

While exploring novel markers and therapeutic approaches for prostate cancer, Geng Zhang, from the University of Pennsylvania (USA), and colleagues identified an antibody, named F77, that bonds with cancerous prostate tissues and cells, and even promotes the death of cancerous tissue.  When injected into mice, F77 bonded in 97% of cases where prostate cancer tissue was present, and bonded in 85% of cases where the cancer had metastasized.  Further, F77 recognized androgen-independent cancer cells, present in incurable prostate cancer.  The team concludes that: “[T]he present study indicates that … F77 defines a unique prostate cancer marker and shows promising potential for diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, especially for androgen-independent metastatic prostate cancer.”