Suppression of MUC1-Overexpressing Tumors by a Novel MUC1/CD3 Bispecific Antibody

Abstract

Mucin1 (MUC1) is abnormally glycosylated and overexpressed in a variety of epithelial cancers and plays a critical role in tumor progression. MUC1 has received remark attention as an oncogenic molecule and is considered a valuable tumor target for immunotherapy, while many monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting MUC1-positive cancers in clinical studies lack satisfactory results. It would be highly desirable to develop an effective therapy against MUC1-expressing cancers. In this study, we constructed a novel T cell-engaging bispecific antibody (BsAb) targeting MUC1 and CD3 with the Fab-ScFv-IgG format. A high quality of MUC1-CD3 BsAb can be acquired through a standard method. Our study suggested that this BsAb could specifically bind to MUC1- and CD3-positive cells and efficiently enhance T cell activation, cytokine release, and cytotoxicity. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that this BsAb could potently redirect T cells to eliminate MUC1-expressing tumor cells in vitro and significantly suppress MUC1-positive tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. Thus, T cell-engaging MUC1/CD3 BsAb could be an effective therapeutic approach to combat MUC1-positive tumors and our MUC1/CD3 BsAb could be a promising candidate in clinical applications for the treatment of MUC1-positive cancer patients.