An EGFR-CD3ε bispecific antibody can mediate bystander killing of EGFR-negative tumor cells (and potentially normal stromal cells) proximal to EGFR-expressing tumor cells via secreted cytokine induction of ICAM-1 and FAS on target cells, allowing activated T cells, expressing LFA-1 and FAS-ligand, to engage and target EGFR-negative cells in vitro and in a reconstructed xenograft model.

For targets that are homogenously expressed, such as CD19 on cells of the B lymphocyte lineage, immunotherapies can be highly effective. Targeting CD19 with blinatumomab, a CD19/CD3 bispecific antibody construct (BiTE(R)), or with chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) has shown great promise for treating certain CD19-positive hematological malignancies. In contrast, solid tumors with heterogeneous expression of the tumor-associated antigen (TAA) may present a challenge for targeted therapies. To prevent escape of TAA-negative cancer cells, immunotherapies with a local bystander effect would be beneficial. As a model to investigate BiTE(R)-mediated bystander killing in the solid tumor setting, we used epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as a target. We measured lysis of EGFR-negative populations in vitro and in vivo when co-cultured with EGFR-positive cells, human T cells and an EGFR/CD3 BiTE(R) antibody construct. Bystander EGFR-negative cells were efficiently lysed by BiTE(R)-activated T cells only when proximal to EGFR-positive cells. Our mechanistic analysis suggests that cytokines released by BiTE(R)-activated T-cells induced upregulation of ICAM-1 and FAS on EGFR-negative bystander cells, contributing to T cell-induced bystander cell lysis.

Author Info: (1) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America. (2) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, Un

Author Info: (1) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America. (2) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America. (3) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America. (4) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America. (5) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America. (6) Department of Amgen Research Munich, Amgen Inc., Munich, Germany. (7) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America. (8) Department of Oncology Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California, United States of America.