IBI379, a novel B cell maturation antigen/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager, displays high antitumor efficacy in preclinical models of multiple myeloma

A novel bispecific T-cell engager using the ligand-target csGRP78 against acute myeloid leukemia

Current medical therapies for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain unmet, and AML patients may benefit from targeted immunotherapy approaches that focus on specific tumor antigens. GRP78, which is upregulated in various malignant tumors such as AML, is partially expressed as cell surface GRP78 (csGRP78) on the cell membrane, making it an ideal target for redirecting T cells, including T-cell engagers. However, considering the conventional approach of using two scFv segments to construct a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE), we have undertaken the development of a novel BiTE that utilizes a cyclic peptide ligand to specifically target csGRP78, which we refer to as GRP78-CD3/BiTE. We studied the effects of GRP78-CD3/BiTE on treatments for AML in vitro and in vivo and assessed the pharmacokinetics of this engager. Our findings demonstrated that GRP78-CD3/BiTE could not only effectively mediate the cytotoxicity of T cells against csGRP78-expressing AML cells but also specifically eliminate primary AML tumor cells in vitro. Furthermore, GRP78-CD3/BiTE exhibited a longer half-life despite having a lower molecular weight than CD19-CD3/BiTE. In a xenograft mouse model of AML, treatment with GRP78-CD3/BiTE prolonged the survival time of the mice. Our findings demonstrate that GRP78-CD3/BiTE is effective and selective for eliminating csGRP78-expressing AML cells and suggest that this approach to targeted immunotherapy could lead to effective new treatments for AML.

Uncovering lupus nephritis-specific genes and the potential of TNFRSF17-targeted immunotherapy: a high-throughput sequencing study

Introduction

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aimed to identify LN specific-genes and potential therapeutic targets.

Methods

We performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from LN patients. Healthy individuals and SLE patients without LN were used as controls. To validate the sequencing results, qRT-PCR was performed for 5 upregulated and 5 downregulated genes. Furthermore, the effect of the TNFRSF17-targeting drug IBI379 on patient plasma cells and B cells was evaluated by flow cytometry.

Results

Our analysis identified 1493 and 205 differential genes in the LN group compared to the control and SLE without LN groups respectively, with 70 genes common to both sets, marking them as LN-specific. These LN-specific genes were significantly enriched in the 'regulation of biological quality' GO term and the cell cycle pathway. Notably, several genes including TNFRSF17 were significantly overexpressed in the kidneys of both LN patients and NZB/W mice. TNFRSF17 levels correlated positively with urinary protein levels, and negatively with complement C3 and C4 levels in LN patients. The TNFRSF17-targeting drug IBI379 effectively induced apoptosis in patient plasma cells without significantly affecting B cells.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that TNFRSF17 could serve as a potential therapeutic target for LN. Moreover, IBI379 is presented as a promising treatment option for LN.