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Review
. 2020 Oct;99(10):2215-2229.
doi: 10.1007/s00277-020-04221-0. Epub 2020 Aug 27.

Concepts in immuno-oncology: tackling B cell malignancies with CD19-directed bispecific T cell engager therapies

Andreas Viardot  1 , Franco Locatelli  2 , Julia Stieglmaier  3 , Faraz Zaman  4 , Elias Jabbour  5
Affiliations
Review

Concepts in immuno-oncology: tackling B cell malignancies with CD19-directed bispecific T cell engager therapies

Andreas Viardot et al. Ann Hematol. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

The B cell surface antigen CD19 is a target for treating B cell malignancies, such as B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The BiTE® immuno-oncology platform includes blinatumomab, which is approved for relapsed/refractory B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia with minimal residual disease. Blinatumomab is also being evaluated in combination with other agents (tyrosine kinase inhibitors, checkpoint inhibitors, and chemotherapy) in various treatment settings, including frontline protocols. An extended half-life BiTE molecule is also under investigation. Patients receiving blinatumomab may experience cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity; however, these events may be less frequent and severe than in patients receiving other CD19-targeted immunotherapies, such as chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy. We review BiTE technology for treating malignancies that express CD19, analyzing the benefits and limitations of this bispecific T cell engager platform from clinical experience with blinatumomab.

Keywords: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; B cell malignancies; BiTE molecule; Bispecific T cell engager; Blinatumomab; CD19; Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

AV receives consulting fees from Amgen, Roche, Kite/Gilead, and Novartis and has worked with Janssen. FL received honoraria from Amgen for participating in advisory boards and for a speakers’ bureau. EJ receives research grants and consults for Amgen, AbbVie, Adaptive Biotechnologies, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and Takeda. JS and FZ are employees and stockholders of Amgen Inc.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mechanism of action of BiTE technology. BiTE bispecific T cell engager, CD3 cluster of differentiation 3, mAb monoclonal antibody
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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