pretargeted
Pretargeted refers to strategies that separate the targeting step from the delivery of the therapeutic or diagnostic payload. In medicine, pretargeting is used to improve the localization of radiolabeled, fluorescent, or cytotoxic agents to tumors while reducing exposure to normal tissues. The typical scheme involves first administering a targeting agent that binds a tumor-associated antigen and presents a docking handle. After the targeting agent has localized and cleared from the bloodstream, a second, smaller effector molecule carrying the radioactive label, drug, or imaging probe is given. The effector binds to the docking handle with high affinity, generating selective accumulation at the tumor site.
Common platforms include bispecific antibodies that recognize both the tumor antigen and a small molecule hapten
Benefits of pretargeting include improved contrast for imaging and potentially lower systemic toxicity in therapy, due