Optimizing engagement of the immune system by anti-tumor antibodies: an engineer's perspective

A unique property of monoclonal antibodies, and a principal reason for their success as cancer therapeutics, is their ability to engage the immune system. A growing set of data supporting the relevance of Fc-mediated effector functions to anti-tumor efficacy has motivated efforts to enhance the interactions between antibodies and Fc receptors expressed on immune cells. Although current approaches have considerable promise for improved clinical performance, the immunobiology of tumors, antibodies, and Fc receptors continues to evolve. In this review we discuss what is known and what is not known about the interactions between therapeutic antibodies and the immune system, with the goal being progress toward clear target profiles for effector engineering efforts. Engineering antibodies to enhance their interactions with the immune system holds great promise for treating cancer. Here we review various factors involved in defining the ideal profile for such drugs.