Targeting of IL-2 to cytotoxic lymphocytes as an improved method of cytokine-driven immunotherapy

Abstract

The use of high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) has fallen out of favor due to severe life-threatening side effects. We have recently described a unique way of directly targeting IL-2 to cytotoxic lymphocytes using a virally encoded immune evasion protein and an IL-2 mutant that avoids off-target side effects such as activation of regulatory T cells and vascular endothelium.

Keywords

• cytokine
• cytotoxic lymphocytes
• immunotargeting
• immunotherapy
• interleukin-2 (il-2)
• natural killer cell (nk)
• nkg2d