Monoclonal Antibodies and Immunoconjugates Directed to the Non-ShedPortion (“Stalk”) of Mesothelin are Excellent Candidates for Developing Therapeutic Agents
Human mesothelin is overexpressed by various cancers such as synovial sarcoma, mesothelioma, and ovarian, lung, esophageal, and gastric cancers. This selective expression on certain cancers suggests that mesothelin is an excellent target for anticancer therapeutics. However, a large fragment (“the shed portion”) of mesothelin is constantly shed from cells, and all current anti-mesothelin antibodies bind to the shed portion.