Unleashing the clinical power of T cells: CD19/CD3 bi-specific T cell engager (BiTE®) antibody construct blinatumomab as a potential therapy

• Published in: International immunology Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 31 - 37
• Main Authors: Zimmerman, Zachary, Maniar, Tapan, Nagorsen, Dirk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-01-2015
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Bispecific - therapeutic use; Antigens, CD19 - immunology; Antigens, Neoplasm - immunology; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; CD3 Complex - immunology; Clinical Trials as Topic; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic - drug effects; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Humans; Immunotherapy - methods; Lymphocyte Activation - drug effects; Lymphoma, B-Cell - immunology; Lymphoma, B-Cell - therapy; Molecular Targeted Therapy; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic - immunology; leukemia; bi-specific antibody; BiTE; immunotherapy; lymphoma
• ISSN: 0953-8178; 1460-2377
• DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxu089

Multi-agent chemotherapy is the standard treatment for most B cell malignancies. Since chemotherapy can be associated with significant toxicity and since relapses resistant to chemotherapy often develop, new therapies are needed. Blinatumomab (AMG 103 or MT103) is a late-stage candidate in clinical development, which belongs to a novel class of antibody constructs termed bi-specific T cell engager antibodies. This antibody construct has dual specificity for CD19 and CD3 and can re-direct polyclonal cytotoxic T lymphocytes toward the tumor. This review focuses on the pre-clinical and clinical development of blinatumomab as a powerful new tool in the treatment of B cell malignancies.