BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Hunting down HER2

December 4, 2008 8:00 AM UTC

Two studies suggest new ways to target tumors resistant to Herceptin trastuzumab, an anti-HER2 antibody marketed by Genentech Inc.and Rocheto treat breast cancer. A German group has generated HER2-seeking natural killer cells,1 whereas an Italian team has engineered a strain of herpes simplex virus that hones in on HER2 instead of its natural receptor.2 In both cases, the targeted HER2-overexpressing cells were eliminated.

The HER2 (ERBB2) protein is present at low levels in many normal cells, where it modulates the activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). But in many breast, ovarian and stomach carcinomas, HER2 expression is amplified, leading to excessive growth-promoting signals...