生长因子通过其各自的细胞表面受体的参与和激活来发出信号，以编排一系列细胞功能，包括增殖、生长、修复、迁移、分化和存活。由于生长因子途径在决定细胞命运和维持体内平衡方面发挥着至关重要的作用，因此生长因子途径的失调会导致疾病的发生和/或进展，特别是在癌症的情况下。蛋白质工程技术令人兴奋的进步使得创新策略能够重新设计天然存在的生长因子配体和受体作为靶向治疗。我们回顾了生长因子蛋白质工程工作，包括亲和力调节、分子融合、诱饵受体的设计、双特异性构建体和疫苗。总的来说，这些方法正在开发下一代药物来治疗癌症和许多其他疾病。版权所有 © 2024 Elsevier Inc. 保留所有权利。

Growth factors signal through engagement and activation of their respective cell surface receptors to choreograph an array of cellular functions, including proliferation, growth, repair, migration, differentiation, and survival. Because of their vital role in determining cell fate and maintaining homeostasis, dysregulation of growth factor pathways leads to the development and/or progression of disease, particularly in the context of cancer. Exciting advances in protein engineering technologies have enabled innovative strategies to redesign naturally occurring growth factor ligands and receptors as targeted therapeutics. We review growth factor protein engineering efforts, including affinity modulation, molecular fusion, the design of decoy receptors, dual specificity constructs, and vaccines. Collectively, these approaches are catapulting next-generation drugs to treat cancer and a host of other conditions.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.