Bispecific T-cell engaging antibodies in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias: focus on blinatumomab

Bispecific T-cell engaging antibodies are constructs engineered to bind to two different antigens, one to a tumor-specific target and the other to CD3-positive T cells or natural killer (NK) cells. Blinatumomab engages CD19 and CD3, performing effective serial lysis. The clinical development program in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) includes clinical trials in relapsed or refractory (R/R) patients and in B-cell precursor (BCP) ALL patients with measurable residual disease. Several trials are currently being conducted in de novo BCP-ALL, either in induction, consolidation, or before or after hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Combination with other targeted therapies or with other immunotherapeutic approaches are also underway. Several strategies are aimed to optimize the use of blinatumomab either by overcoming the mechanisms of resistance (e.g. inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1) or by improvements in the route of application, among others.