Phage display generation of a novel human anti-CD1A monoclonal antibody with potent cytolytic activity

CD1A is a cell surface protein expressed on Langerhans cells and cortical thymocytes that could potentially be used as an immunotherapeutic target in Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), the cortical subtype of T-cell acute lymphocytic leukaemia (T-ALL) and other CD1A-positive tumours. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) CR2113 was selected from a panel of six fully human mAbs isolated from a semi-synthetic phage display library, based on specificity and avidity against cells expressing CD1 antigen variants. CR2113 recognized CD1A in T-ALL cell lines and patient samples. Confocal microscopy revealed that the CR2113-CD1A complex was internalized at 37°C. Furthermore, while CR2113 induced moderate complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), potent antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity was observed against CD1A expressing cell lines as well as T-ALL cell lines and T-ALL patient samples. In vivo experiments showed that CR2113 as a naked antibody has modest but specific anti-tumour activity against CD1A-expressing tumours. CR2113 is a high-affinity human anti-CD1A mAb with significant ADCC activity. These properties make CR2113 a candidate for clinical diagnostic imaging and therapeutic targeting of LCH as well as potential use in other clinical applications.