Defining the optimal biological dose of NGR-hTNF, a selective vascular targeting agent, in advanced solid tumours.

Background: NGR-hTNF consists of human tumour necrosis factor-alpha (hTNF-alpha) fused to the tumour-homing peptide NGR, a ligand of an aminopeptidase N/CD13 isoform, which is overexpressed on endothelial cells of newly formed tumour blood vessels. NGR-TNF showed a biphasic dose-response curve in preclinical models. This study exploring the low-dose range aimed to define safety and optimal biological dose of NGR-hTNF.