Targeting integrin αvβ3—a surface molecule that drives cancer stemness, metastasis, and drug resistance—has long been an enticing yet elusive goal in oncology. Despite its absence in most normal tissues and its established role in promoting aggressive tumor behavior, every effort to inhibit αvβ3 has run into the same obstacle: the standard antibody strategies simply don’t work.

In a new study published this week in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics , Hiromi Wettersten, MD, PhD, and her team from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine report a significant step forward. By re-engineering an existing antibody to engage macrophages rather than natural killer (NK) cells, they restored potent anti-tumor activity against αvβ3-positive cancers—both in human tumor samples and in

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