Year: 2023
Type: editorial
Abstract: Therapeutic antibodies represent the largest class of biotherapeutics and have proven successful in treating various human diseases. Recent advances in antibody engineering have enabled the production of different antibody fragments with retained antigen specificity, allowing for rapid tissue accumulation and potential targeting of otherwise inaccessible epitopes (1).Antibody domains have garnered significant attention and offer multiple advantages over traditional antibodies, such as smaller size, reduced immunogenicity, cost-effectiveness, stability, flexible administration, and enhanced penetration into solid tumors (2,3). These versatile antibody domains find applications in CARs, domain drug conjugates (DDCs), and bi-specific T cell or NK cell engagers (biTE/biKE). They can be isolated from large synthetic antibody domain libraries or through single B cell sorting and cloning from immunized camelids( 4). An extensive array of antibody domains has been developed for both tumor and viral targets, significantly impacting patients with diverse diseases. pHLA complexes, the largest class of cell surface markers on cancer cells, have emerged as attractive targets for targeted cancer therapies. TCR mimics (TCRm), which are protein binding domains specific to pHLAs, have been developed as high-potency therapeutic modalities for tumor targeting. Gerber et al. present advanced approaches to achieve high affinity and specificity in TCRs, antibodies, and alternative protein scaffolds, while also discussing the current status of TCRm-based therapeutics in clinical development (5).Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), recombinant molecules with two different antigen-binding domains, offer promising potential in tumor immunotherapy. Wei et al. review relevant approaches to address existing challenges in the clinical application of BsAbs (6). In another research article, Xiao et al. describe two IgG-like bispecific antibodies, BiTe (BCMA×CD3) and BiKe (BCMA×CD16), targeting T cells and tumor cells and NK cells and tumor cells, respectively (7).Their study reveals that NK-cell engagers were more effective with reduced proinflammatory cytokine production compared to T-cell engagers targeting BCMA. Additionally, the high expression of uPAR has been considered a potential target for immunotherapies against cancers. studies involving 11,739 patients, drawing evidence for the rational use of RAASIs and ICI combination therapy in clinical practice (10).Collectively, we have gained a goal for discussing therapeutic antibody domains' advancements and applications in both clinical and research fields.
Source: Frontiers in Oncology
Authors: Qi Zhao, Wei Li, Dimiter S. Dimitrov
Institutions: University of Macau, University of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,295
OpenAlex ID: W4386213096