Long-term delivery of protein and peptide therapeutics for cancer therapies

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Proteins and peptides are prominent therapeutic agents, which are effective in number of ailments. Long-term delivery of protein and peptide therapeutics requires polymeric encapsulation to protect from degradation and for its sustained release. However, results from encapsulation of protein macromolecules in dynamic delivery systems report unreliable clinical outcome, indicating ease of degradation, low permeability, and serious immune responses. A specifically targeted delivery system as tumor or cancer theranostics may surpass these limitations.

Areas covered: This review covers recent advancements in approaches involving conjugated protein nano-formulations as targeting delivery technology for various ailments encompassing mostly cancer treatment options. Progressions in targeted chemotherapeutics, protein nanoparticles, peptide nanoparticles, lipidation, and antibody drug-conjugates are discussed.

Expert opinion: Significant expansions have been made in forming new generation of antitumor-recombinant proteins, which proves a milestone of advancements for more potent and explicit cancer therapies. However, transformation of biologics from laboratory to clinical trials is an immense challenge, because of drop in efficiency of drug-loading, poor reproducibility of nanoparticles, inadequate information regarding long-term toxicity and insufficient pharmacokinetics data. Hence, early stage tumor diagnosis with précised drug delivery to tumor site is crucial for protein- and peptide- based therapeutics for cancer.

KEYWORDS:

• Protein delivery
• peptide delivery
• nano-formulation
• cancer theranostics
• chemotherapeutic agents
• antibody drug conjugates
• protein nanoparticles
• peptide nanoparticles
• lipidation and hydrogels

Article highlights

• In recent years, numerous applications of protein and peptide therapeutics increasingly have solidified in the market and are producing significant effects as one of the potent targeting inhibitors of cancer ailments.

• The article integrates frequent protein- and peptide- delivery systems as well as their benefits and pitfalls.

• The article elaborates the therapeutic effects of targeted ADCs, which emerged to be clinically more relevant. It produces remarkable clinical impact on cancer therapy compared to conventional chemotherapy.

• Peptide NPs might prove to be a more selectivity in targeting delivery compared to protein NPs because of the smaller size of peptides and reduced chance of elimination in systemic circulation.

• The article describes extensive applications of protein- hydrogels and their diverse implementation and shortcomings.

• BSA and HSA nanoformulations may serve as exterminator of tumor recurrence with low toxicity.

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Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The authors were suppoted by funding from the Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Missouri-Kansas City.