Premium
In vivo activation and expansion of T cells by a bi‐specific antibody abolishes metastasis formation of human melanoma cells in SCID mice
Author(s) -
Riedle Sandra,
Rösel Marc,
Zöller Margot
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19980316)75:6<908::aid-ijc14>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - melanoma , in vivo , monoclonal antibody , cytotoxicity , antibody , cancer research , in vitro , biology , antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity , cell culture , effector , lymphokine , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , biochemistry , genetics
Abstract Bi‐specific antibody fragments (bAB) are used in tumour therapy as a means to redirect and to strengthen effector cell function. It would be of great therapeutic advantage if, in addition, recruitment, expansion and the state of activity of effector cells are influenced by targeting through a bAB. This question was explored in the melanoma‐bearing SCID mouse. The chemically coupled Fab′ fragments of an anti‐CD3 and an anti‐p97 monoclonal antibody (MAB) were characterized in vitro for dual binding specificity and support of lymphokine‐activated‐killer‐cell (LAKC) cytotoxicity towards a highly aggressive human melanoma line, which was significantly increased and exceeded levels of antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity observed in the presence of the anti‐p97 MAB. The in vivo efficacy was tested in the SCID mouse: 5, 10 and 15 days after i.p. application of tumour cells, mice received LAKC (2 × 10 7 ) together with bAB (150–100 μg). The application of bAB was repeated at days 20 and 25. Application of LAKC to melanoma‐bearing SCID mice prolonged the mean survival time from 22 days of the untreated control group to 41 days. Anti‐p97 did not exert any additive effect. In the presence of bAB, melanoma cells did not grow in 3 out of 8 mice. The mean survival time of the 5 mice developing tumours was 45 days. Importantly, none of the mice receiving bAB developed metastases, which were seen in 100% of animals receiving tumour cells or tumour cells plus LAKC or tumour cells plus LAKC plus anti‐p97. As revealed by LAKC recovered from the SCID mice, the efficacy of the bAB was based on prolonged persistence of CD8‐positive cells as well as on expansion and activation of CD4‐positive cells, which was observed only in bAB‐treated tumour‐bearing mice. The efficiency in recruiting cytotoxic and, in particular, helper T cells suggests bAB as a valuable additive in immunotherapeutic treatment of melanoma patients. Int. J. Cancer 75:908–918, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.