Abstract 3640: Novel humanized anti-Sialyl-Tn, anti-CD3 bispecific antibodies demonstrate tumor and T-cell specificity for immune activation at the tumor site

Tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) historically have been challenging targets for antibody therapeutics. Sialyl-Tn (STn) is a cancer specific antigen that is expressed on the surface of carcinomas including ovarian, colon, prostate, and pancreatic tumors but is rarely present in normal tissue. STn expression has been linked to innate immune suppression, a chemoresistant phenotype, metastasis, and poor prognosis. Previous attempts to target this antigen in the clinic with synthetic glycan vaccines proved safe but lacked efficacy. We have developed humanized bispecific antibodies targeting STn and CD3 for T-cell recruitment and activation at the tumor site. These bispecific antibodies were selected for optimal tumor targeting using our glycan microarray that enriches for candidates whose binding is protein-independent and glycan specific. STn-selective binding was demonstrated. Current lead candidates exhibited low nanomolar EC50 binding in flow cytometric assays against both STn expressing tumor cells and T cells. Quantification of T-cell activation and T-cell induced tumor killing in vitro provides a basis for the further clinical development of these bispecific antibody candidates. Citation Format: David A. Eavarone, Jillian Prendergast, Patricia E. Rao, Jenna Stein, Jeff Behrens, Daniel T. Dransfield. Novel humanized anti-Sialyl-Tn, anti-CD3 bispecific antibodies demonstrate tumor and T-cell specificity for immune activation at the tumor site [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3640. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3640