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Arming "old guards" with "new dual-targeting weapons"

Lawrence G Lum1, Jogender Tushir-Singh2

  • 1Stem Cell Transplantation Program and Cellular Therapy Program, Division of Oncology/Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

Cancer Cell
|May 11, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Researchers challenge the idea that tumor suppressors are untargetable in cancer. A new study introduces a novel antibody strategy to eliminate tumors expressing specific neoantigens, offering new hope for cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • The concept of tumor suppressors being untargetable in cancer therapy has been a long-standing paradigm.
  • Targeting tumor suppressor proteins presents significant challenges in developing effective cancer treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To challenge the paradigm of untargetable tumor suppressors.
  • To characterize a novel p53 mutant peptide-selective TCR-mimic antibody.
  • To develop a co-targeting T cell-activating bispecific antibody for tumor elimination.

Main Methods:

  • Development and characterization of a T cell receptor (TCR)-mimic antibody targeting a specific p53 mutant peptide.
  • Design of a bispecific antibody for co-targeting tumor neoantigens and T cells.
  • In vitro and in vivo studies to assess the efficacy of the antibody combination in eliminating neoantigen-expressing tumors.

Main Results:

  • The study successfully describes and characterizes a p53 mutant peptide-selective TCR-mimic antibody.
  • A co-targeting T cell-activating bispecific antibody was developed and shown to be effective.
  • The antibody strategy demonstrated the ability to eliminate neoantigen-expressing tumors, challenging the untargetable tumor suppressor paradigm.

Conclusions:

  • The findings challenge the long-held belief that tumor suppressors are untargetable in cancer therapy.
  • The developed TCR-mimic and bispecific antibodies offer a promising new therapeutic strategy for cancers expressing specific neoantigens.
  • This approach provides a potential avenue for targeting previously undruggable cancer targets.

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