The Investigation of the Effect of Antibody Recruiting Molecules on Various Antigenic Markers (Cancer, Bacteria, Viruses): A Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Antibody recruiting molecules (ARMs) are small molecules with low molecular weight that guide endogenous antibodies towards both cancer and infectious cells, they facilitate the process of immune-mediated clearance. ARMs have two specific regions; a Target Binding Terminus interacts with disease biomarkers and the Antibody Binding Terminus, associated with endogenous antibodies. These modules are linked together by a tunable linker region bridging the endogenous antibody and the infected cell. ARMS can be used for a broad range of therapeutic applications, especially for its use against cancer, bacterial, and viral infections. ARMs serve a new potential treatment option over traditional therapies.

Methods: To conduct our research, specific search terms were created, and relevant articles were screened on Covidence using an inclusion/exclusion criteria. The CASP and CRAAP checklist will be used for the quality assessment of the utilized sources.

Results: ARMs treatment is a novel pathway which can treat a wide range of diseases from cancer, bacteria, to viruses. ARMs clearly represent promising alternatives in antitumor immunotherapy over traditional methods.  

Discussion: One hurdle of using ARMs is that its effect on individuals might differ based on antibody concentrations, their affinities, isotypes etc. Due to the non-specific nature of ARMs, there’s a selectivity issue regarding binding to specific biomarkers or antigens. The use of non-covalent ARMs to target the highly expressed receptors on the tumor can sometimes lead to endocytosis during the binding process before the recruitment of antibodies. This can be potentially solved by adding covalent linkages in the ARMs molecular construct. This paper analyzes the limitations of utilizing ARMs as an effective means for immunotherapy and proposes potential avenues of improvement for greater efficacy.  

Conclusion: This paper will potentially advance pharmaceutical and immunotherapeutic interventions available for numerous cancers and infectious diseases.