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Tumor Antigen Project


 Paul Polakis

Paul Polakis,
Director, Staff Scientist in Cancer Targets & Pathways, leads the Tumor Antigen Project.
Genentech's Tumor Antigen Project has become a major focus of the company's Molecular Oncology Department. Initially inspired by the success of Genentech's two flagship oncology products, Herceptin® (Trastuzumab), which targets the HER2 gene, and Rituxan® (Rituxumab), which targets the CD20 gene, today the project includes many different molecules that are being evaluated in a number of cancers.

Genentech scientists found that when anti-HER2 and anti-CD20 antibodies bind to the molecules on the surface of tumor cells, they could effectively and selectively kill these tumor cells. Arming the antibodies with drugs may further enhance their potency against tumor cells expressing the targeted antigen.

By taking advantage of the general principles of immunotherapy basic to the Tumor Antigen Project, Genentech scientists are currently working to discover therapeutic antibodies for other cancers, including colon, prostate, and liver cancer, as well as breast cancers that do not respond to HER2. The search involves isolating genes that are abundantly expressed on certain tumor cells and either are not expressed or expressed in lower levels on normal cells.