Antibodies targeting cancer stem cells: A new paradigm in immunotherapy?

Antibody targeting of cancer is showing clinical and commercial success after much intense research and development over the last 30 years. They still have the potential to delivery long-term cures but a shift in thinking towards a cancer stem cell (CSC) model for tumour development is certain to impact on how antibodies are selected and developed, the targets they bind to and the drugs used in combination with them. CSCs have been identified from many human tumours and share many of the characteristics of normal stem cells. The ability to renew, metabolically or physically protect themselves from xenobiotics and DNA damage and the range of locomotory-related receptors expressed could explain the observations of drug resistance and radiation insensitivity leading to metastasis and patient relapse.

Targeting CSCs could be a strategy to improve the outcome of cancer therapy but this is not as simple as it seems. Targets such as CD133 and EpCAM/ESA could mark out CSCs from normal cells enabling specific intervention but indirect strategies such as interfering with the establishment of a supportive niche through anti-angiogenic or anti-stroma therapy could be more effective.

This review will outline the recent discoveries for CSCs across the major tumour types highlighting the possible molecules for intervention. Examples of antibody-directed CSC therapies will be given and the outlook for the future development of this emerging area will be given.