CATCH ALL Members Contribute to Novel Antibody Design to Target Cancer and Infectious Diseases
Researchers from the CATCH ALL clinical research unit at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) in Kiel, Germany, have collaborated on a study that introduces an engineered antibody variant with improved therapeutic properties. The findings were recently published in Nature Communications.
The study, titled “Human IgG Fc-engineering for enhanced plasma half-life, mucosal distribution and killing of cancer cells and bacteria,” was led by Prof Jan Terje Andersen of the Precision Immunotherapy Alliance (PRIMA) at the University of Oslo, Norway. It investigated novel antibody formats designed for enhanced therapeutic applications.
The researchers developed a Fc-engineered antibody with three specific amino acid substitutions (Q311R/M428E/N434W; ‘REW’). This variant exhibits an extended plasma half-life, improved mucosal distribution, and increased efficacy in complement-mediated killing of cancer cells and bacteria.
“A noteworthy aspect is the Fc-engineered variant’s ability to extend the half-life of antibodies,” explained Prof. Thomas Valerius from CATCH ALL, who contributed to the study. Marta Lustig, PhD student of Thomas Valerius, highlighted the potential implications: “This engineered antibody format opens up possibilities for non-invasive administration routes and for developing long-acting therapeutic interventions targeting various diseases, such as cancer and infectious diseases.”
Currently, Marie Leangen Herigstad, a principal engineer from Oslo, is visiting Thomas Valerius’s lab at the UKSH. She is collaborating with Marta Lustig and Maja Kowol to test the newly developed antibodies in the context of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoma, assessing the therapeutic potential of the Fc-engineered variant against these malignancies.
More details on the study and its findings can be found in the published article in Nature Communications.
Text: Dr. rer. nat. Claudia Taubenheim
