Monoclonal antibodies in multiple myeloma: Current and emerging targets and mechanisms of action

Kitsada Wudhikarn1, Beatriz Wills2, Alexander M Lesokhin3

  • 1Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA; Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA; Division of Hematology and Research Unit in Translational Hematology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

The recent development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has revolutionized the treatment armamentarium for multiple myeloma. The success of daratumumab and elotuzumab in relapsed/refractory patients, has generated tremendous enthusiasm for mAbs in this disease. Combination treatment with other anti-myeloma treatment modalities and clinical evaluation in newly diagnosed patients are expected to fundamentally change the natural history of the disease. Advances in biopharmaceutical engineering together with a robust interest in novel mAb-derivatives, including antibody drug conjugates and poly-specific antibodies are the next rapidly approaching treatment frontier in multiple myeloma. In this review, we comprehensively outline the currently available evidence and the future landscape of mAbs and mAb-derivative therapies in multiple myeloma.

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