A major problem in treating cancer and other serious illnesses is that highly toxic drugs are often administered at suboptimal doses because of their side effects on healthy tissues. By targeting drugs specifically to tumor cells or other diseased cells and avoiding normal healthy cells, it may be possible to treat patients with safer and more effective doses.

Endocyte’s proprietary drug guidance system (DGS) is designed to deliver drugs directly to diseased cells. This DGS is composed of a targeting ligand that attaches to a drug and then binds to receptors over-expressed on the membranes of diseased cells. 

Our lead program uses the vitamin folate to target cancer cells. Folate is required for cell division, and rapidly dividing cancer cells over-express a receptor for folate. By attaching drugs to folate, we are able to target drugs directly at cancer cells with less potential toxicity to surrounding healthy cells.

To see Endocyte’s receptor-targeting technology in action, click here.