Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40326388›Full record

ArticleCancer medicine2025

SNAP-Tag-Based Recombinant Photoimmunotherapeutic Agents for the Selective Detection and Killing of Light-Accessible Melanotransferrin-Expressing Melanoma and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Suzanne Hippolite Magagoum, Fleury Augustin Nsole Biteghe, Gael Tchokomeni Siwe, Dirk Lang, Nkhasi Lekena, Stefan Barth

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03769506 (A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Arm, Open-Label, Controlled Trial of ASP-1929 Photoimmunotherapy Versus Physician's Choice Standard of Care for the Treatment of Locoregional, Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients Who Have Failed or Progressed On or After at Least Two Lines of Therapy, of Which at Least One Line Must Be Systemic Therapy), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03769506 phase3active not recruitingnot on this map

A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Arm, Open-Label, Controlled Trial of ASP-1929 Photoimmunotherapy Versus Physician's Choice Standard of Care for the Treatment of Locoregional, Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients Who Have Failed or Progressed On or After at Least Two Lines of Therapy, of Which at Least One Line Must Be Systemic Therapy

TypeinterventionalSponsorRakuten Medical, Inc.Ran2019 to 2025Enrolled135ConditionsHead and Neck CancerArmsASP-1929 Photoimmunotherapy, Physician's Choice SOC
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Suzanne Hippolite MagagoumMedical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8293-1688
Fleury Augustin Nsole BitegheDepartment of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4934-1431
Gael Tchokomeni SiweMedical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1771-1939
Dirk LangDivision of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3901-2079
Nkhasi LekenaMedical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0307-5476
Stefan BarthMedical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9589-653X

Funding

Faculty of Health SciencesNational Research Foundation 47904South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST)University of Cape Town
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMelanoma and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represent the most aggressive skin and breast cancer subtypes and are associated with poor diagnostic and limited therapeutic options leading to poor prognosis. Melanotransferrin/p97 (MTf), initially identified as a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) in melanoma, is overexpressed in various solid tumors, including TNBC. Beyond its high differential expression and dreadful tumorigenic impact, MTf is also associated with chemoresistance development, and its inhibition significantly hampers tumor progression, making MTf a promising target for effective targeted therapies. Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is an approach that combines the precision of antibodies directed against specific TAA with the phototoxic effects of a light-sensitive photosensitizer (IR700), activated by near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. This study aimed to generate a novel photoimmunoconjugate to specifically destroy MTf-positive melanoma and TNBC cells in vitro following NIR light irradiation.

methodsA single-chain variable fragment (scFv) assembled from anti-MTf antibody L49 was recombinantly fused with the SNAP-tag protein (L49(scFv)-SNAP), capable of irreversible and autocatalytic conjugation to any O(6)-benzylguanine (BG) substrate in a 1:1 stoichiometry. Purified full-length SNAP-tag-based fusion protein (L49(scFv)-SNAP-tag) was either conjugated to a BG-modified fluorescent imaging agent (Alexa 488) to specifically assess its selective binding to MTf-expressing cell lines via confocal imaging and flow cytometry or to a BG-modified light-sensitive photosensitizer (IR700) to evaluate its phototoxic properties using an XTT cell viability assay.

resultsThe selective binding and internalization of L49(scFv)-SNAP-Alexa 488 towards MTf-positive melanoma and TNBC cell lines were successfully demonstrated with MTF expression percentages ranging from 52.8 to 83.1. Once confirmed, dose-dependent phototoxicity of L49(scFv)-SNAP-IR700 was achieved on illuminated MTf-positive cell lines showing IC

conclusionThis study highlights the therapeutic potential of MTf as a promising target for the diagnosis as well as selective and efficient elimination of NIR-light-accessible melanoma and TNBC by NIR-PIT.

trial registrationNCT03769506.

Indexed as

ImmunotherapyMelanomaPhotosensitizing AgentsTriple Negative Breast NeoplasmsCell Line, TumorFemaleHEK293 CellsHumansImmunoconjugatesMART-1 AntigenSingle-Chain AntibodiesImmunoconjugatesMART-1 AntigenMLANA protein, humanPhotosensitizing AgentsSingle-Chain AntibodiesmelanomamelanotransferrinNIR‐PITsingle‐chain antibody fragment (scFv)SNAP‐tag–based antibody fusion proteintriple negative breast cancer

Identifiers

PMID40326388
PMCPMC12053452

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.