Onkológia 6/2022

Bispecific antibodies in the lymphoma treatment

Bispecific antibodies combine binding sites for two different epitopes and allow activation of the immune system antitumor effect. In the context of lymphoma therapy, one of the targets are molecules on effector immune cells and the other is the surface tumor antigens. The binding of the antibody to both target epitopes leads to the formation of a cytolytic synapse with subsequent destruction of the tumor cell. The first molecule used in therapy of B-lymphoid malignancies was blinatumomab. Several other molecules are currently in various phases of clinical testing or approval. The occurence of the specific side effects can be reduced by escalating dosage or by prophylactic medication. Various combination strategies using new molecules with other therapeutic approaches, or the transfer of bispecific antibodies to earlier phases of lymphoma treatment can be expected in the future.

Keywords: bispecific antibodies, lymphoms, treatment