PEGylated dendritic polyglycerol conjugate targeting NCAM-expressing neuroblastoma: Limitations and challenges

Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is a stem-cell marker overexpressed in several tumor types. Amongst them is neuroblastoma, the deadliest tumor of childhood malignancies. A PEGylated dendritic polyglycerol conjugate bearing the mitotic inhibitor paclitaxel and an NCAM-targeting peptide was developed to target and eradicate neuroblastoma. Despite an improvement of the targeting conjugate in cell culture, the targeting peptide showed no advantage in vivo.167