CD19xCD3 DART protein mediates human B-cell depletion in vivo in humanized BLT mice.
Novel therapeutic strategies are needed for the treatment of hematologic malignancies; and bispecific antibody-derived molecules, such as dual-affinity re-targeting (DART) proteins, are being developed to redirect T cells to kill target cells expressing tumor or viral antigens. Here we present our findings of specific and systemic human B-cell depletion by a CD19xCD3 DART protein in humanized BLT mice. Administration of the CD19xCD3 DART protein resulted in a dramatic sustained depletion of human CD19(+) B cells from the peripheral blood, as well as a dramatic systemic reduction of human CD19(+) B-cell levels in all tissues (bone marrow, spleen, liver, lung) analyzed. When human CD8(+) T cells were depleted from the mice, no significant B-cell depletion was observed in response to CD19xCD3 DART protein treatment, confirming that human CD8(+) T cells are the primary effector cells in this in vivo model. These studies validate the use of BLT humanized mice for the in vivo evaluation and preclinical development of bispecific molecules that redirect human T cells to selectively deplete target cells.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for AIDS Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine , Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Perry
P
Tsai
Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for AIDS Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine , Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
William O
WO
Thayer
MacroGenics, Inc. , Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Liqin
L
Liu
Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Guido
G
Silvestri
MacroGenics, Inc. , Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Jeffrey L
JL
Nordstrom
Division of Infectious Diseases, Center for AIDS Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine , Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
J Victor
JV
Garcia