The Role of Dendrimers in Improving Antibody and Peptide Biologics for Cancer Treatment

Dendrimer-based platforms, including dendrimer–antibody conjugates (DACs) and dendrimer–peptide conjugates (DPCs), are emerging as promising tools in cancer therapy due to their potential to enhance tumor specificity and therapeutic efficacy. These nanoscale macromolecules leverage multivalency of their conjugated biologics to simultaneously bind to multiple target proteins that are overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells, thereby substantially enhancing their binding kinetics and in turn overall selectivity and therapeutics efficacy. Furthermore, DACs and DPCs can be further engineered through surface modifications, such as PEGylation, which improve biocompatibility and extend systemic circulation times. Notably, dendrimers can be functionalized as multifunctional systems that enable concurrent real-time monitoring and drug delivery. Studies have demonstrated that dendrimers can carry anticancer drugs along with contrast agents for imaging, such as those for MRI, PET, or fluorescence, allowing for simultaneous cancer treatment and noninvasive detection. This review provides an overview of the current literature on dendrimer-based conjugates and discusses the challenges and future directions in the development of DACs and DPCs. These developments offer significant potential for clinical applications, advancing the field of nanomedicine and enhancing therapeutic outcomes in oncology.