High Affinity Bispecific Killer Cell Engager for Cancer Immunotherapy
Inventor(s): Arash Hatefi, Shahryar K. Nikkhoi
Awarded: April 2022
Summary:
We have engineered a bispecific killer cell engager (BiKE) that binds to CD16a receptors on the surface of natural killer (NK) cells with high affinity and specificity. Our in vitro data demonstrates that the developed BiKE has affinity, specificity, and anticancer activity superior to existing therapies. Therefore, in this application we pursue the next logical step and evaluate the anticancer activity of the developed BiKE in vivo (mice).
Significance: If successful, the developed BiKE could be used in targeted immunotherapy of HER2-positive cancers.
Impact: The knowledge acquired through the development of the proposed BiKE would help establish an antibody-directed natural killer cell-based platform for active tumor targeting and therapy of patients with not only metastatic ovarian cancer, but also other tumors such as the lung, breast, liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, and colon.
Market Applications:
- Imaging and phenotyping of HER2+ cancers
- Therapy of HER2+ cancers
