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Updated: Oct 12, 2025
In Vitro Methods for Comparing Target Binding and CDC Induction Between Therapeutic Antibodies: Applications in Biosimilarity Analysis
Published on: May 4, 2017
Biological activity validation of a computationally designed Rituximab/CD3 T cell engager targeting CD20+ cancers
Wenyan Cai1, Jianbo Dong1, Sachith Gallolu Kankanamalage1
1Ab Studio Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA.
Background:
Bispecific T cell engaging antibodies (TEAs) with one arm targeting a cancer antigen and another arm binding to CD3 have demonstrated impressive efficacy in multiple clinical studies. However, establishing a safety/efficacy balance remains challenging. For instance, some TEAs have severe safety issues. Additionally, not all patients or all cancer cells of one patient respond equally to TEAs.
Methods:
Here, we developed a next-generation bispecific TEA with better safety/efficacy balance and expanded mechanisms of action. Using the computer-aided antibody design strategy, we replaced heavy chain complementarity-determining regions (HCDRs) in one Rituximab arm with HCDRs from a CD3 antibody and generated a novel CD20/CD3 bispecific antibody.
Results:
After series of computer-aided sequence optimization, the lead molecule, GB261, showed great safety/efficacy balance both in vitro and in animal studies. GB261 exhibited high affinity to CD20 and ultra-low affinity to CD3. It showed comparable T cell activation and reduced cytokine secretion compared with a benchmark antibody (BM). ADCC and CDC caused by GB261 only killed CD20+ cells but not CD3+ cells. It exhibited better RRCL cell killing than the BM in a PBMC-engrafted, therapeutic treatment mouse model and good safety in cynomolgus monkeys.
Conclusions:
Thus, GB261 is a promising novel TEA against CD20+ cancers.
