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Masanori Onda, M.D., Ph.D.

Masanori Onda, M.D., Ph.D.

  • Center for Cancer Research
  • National Cancer Institute

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Dr. Onda is focusing on the pre-clinical development of recombinant immunotoxins (RITs) as new immunotherapy reagents. RITs are genetically modified forms of Pseudomonas exotoxin A that are targeted to cancer cells by the Fv portion of antibodies. These RITs are now in clinical trials and have produced many complete remissions in cancer. As a staff scientist, Dr. Onda uses protein engineering to make these proteins more useful in patients by decreasing their immunogenicity so more treatment cycles can be given before antibodies develop in the patients. New RITs were designed by identifying and silencing the major B cell epitopes. These new RITs are being developed for clinical trials.

Areas of Expertise

Immunotherapy
Recombinant Immunotoxin
Antibody Engineering
Immunogenicity
B Cell Epitope

Publications

Selected Publications

Recombinant immunotoxin against B-cell malignancies with no immunogenicity in mice by removal of B-cell epitopes

Onda M, Beers R, Xiang L, Lee B, Weldon JE, Kreitman RJ, Pastan I.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.. 108: 5742-7, 2011. [ Journal Article ]

Characterization of the B cell epitopes associated with a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE38) used to make immunotoxins for the treatment of cancer patients

Onda M, Nagata S, FitzGerald DJ, Beers R, Fisher RJ, Vincent JJ, Lee B, Nakamura M, Hwang J, Kreitman RJ, Hassan R, Pastan I.
J. Immunol.. 177: 8822-34, 2006. [ Journal Article ]

Megakaryocyte potentiation factor cleaved from mesothelin precursor is a useful tumor marker in the serum of patients with mesothelioma

Onda M, Nagata S, Ho M, Bera TK, Hassan R, Alexander RH, Pastan I.
Clin. Cancer Res.. 12: 4225-31, 2006. [ Journal Article ]

Tofacitinib suppresses antibody responses to protein therapeutics in murine hosts

Onda M, Ghoreschi K, Steward-Tharp S, Thomas C, O'Shea JJ, Pastan IH, FitzGerald DJ.
J. Immunol.. 193: 48-55, 2014. [ Journal Article ]

Recombinant immunotoxin engineered for low immunogenicity and antigenicity by identifying and silencing human B-cell epitopes

Liu W, Onda M, Lee B, Kreitman RJ, Hassan R, Xiang L, Pastan I.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.. 109: 11782-7, 2012. [ Journal Article ]