At Genentech, our scientists are continuously exploring the research and development of humanized antibodies as medicines to treat many diseases, including different types of blood cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as well as hemophilia, ocular disease and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Antibodies are proteins produced by cells of the immune system that identify and neutralize foreign invaders, including bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. These Y-shaped molecules have two arms, each of which typically binds to one specific target on the foreign substance.
Bispecific antibodies, on the other hand, are designed with two halves that bind to two different targets on a single cell – or even to targets on two different cells.
At Genentech, our scientists are continuing to research bispecific antibodies, including T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies that are designed to treat certain types of blood cancer.
When a T-cell engaging bispecific antibody is used in cancer treatment, one arm latches onto a T cell, a type of immune cell, and the other arm latches onto another target cell, such as a B cell, which can be healthy or malignant.1
The bispecific antibody brings the T cell in close proximity to the target cell, activating the release of cancer cell-killing proteins from the T cell.
At Genentech, we strive to bring bispecific antibodies to patients that:
Provide much-needed therapeutic options for diseases like blood cancers that may be difficult-to-treat or may have a high likelihood of relapse
Provide a fixed-course of treatment rather than treating until disease progression
Offer patients the potential to receive treatment outside of a hospital in an outpatient setting
With bispecific antibodies, there are many possibilities to create new therapeutic options for cancer – and beyond.
REFERENCES
1. Frankel, et al. (2013). Targeting T cells to tumor cells using bispecific antibodies. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology; 3: 385-392 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23623807/ ).