High Affinity Monoclonal Antibodies Targeting Glypican-2 for Treating Childhood Cancers

Neuroblastoma is a rare pediatric cancer with approximately 1,000 new cases arising annually. Current therapies have a less than forty-five percent (45%), three-year survival rate which demonstrate a need for a more effective treatment against this disease. Glypican-2 (GPC2) is a cell surface protein that is preferentially expressed in pediatric cancers including neuroblastoma, which makes GPC2 an attractive candidate for targeted therapy. 
 

: Single Domain Antibodies targeting HPV E6/E7 Oncogenic Peptide/MHC complexes

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been linked to many cancers including cervix, uterine, anus, vulva, vagina, and penis. Although HPV vaccines exist to prevent HPV-associated cancers, there are still more than 5,000 deaths caused by HPV-associated cancers each year in the US and cervical cancer continues to be the second leading cause of cancer death in women ages 20 to 39.

Combination of recombinant IL-7 with Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells Targeting Glypican-3 (GPC3) for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. standard treatment for HCC is not suitable for a large proportion of liver cancer patients. As a result, alternative treatments are needed. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a promising alternative approach selectively targets targeting tumors via tumor-specific antigens. However, to date, no effective CAR T cell therapy exists for HCC. 

High Affinity Nanobodies Targeting B7-H3 (CD276) for Treating Solid Tumors

CD276 (also called B7-H3) is a pan-cancer antigen expressed in multiple solid tumors and an emerging cancer target. CD276 protein is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and brain tumors (such as neuroblastoma) – making it an ideal target for cancer therapy. 

Investigators at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have isolated a panel of anti-CD276 single domain antibodies (also known as nanobodies) from novel camel and rabbit single domain (VHH) libraries by phage display. 

Single Domain Antibodies Targeting the S2 Subunit of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide public health crisis with over 100 million confirmed cases and 2.4 million deaths as of February 2021. COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Almost all the neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 that are in development recognize the receptor binding domain (RBD) on the spike (S) protein. Blocking the interaction of RBD and the ACE2 receptor on human cells is the first of the two critical steps for neutralization of the virus.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-feeder Cell Line

This technology includes irradiated Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (EBV-LCL) as feeder cells for the ex vivo expansion of natural killer (NK) cells. EBV-LCL feeder cells, altered by radiation to prevent uncontrolled growth, provide a supportive environment for NK cells to multiply effectively. This method addresses the challenge of obtaining sufficient quantities of functionally active NK cells, which are crucial components of the immune system known for their ability to target and destroy tumor cells and virally infected cells.

Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) for Treating Lymphoma and Other Cancers

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are hybrid proteins that consist of two major components: a targeting domain and a signaling domain.  The targeting domain allows T cells which express the CAR to selectively recognize and bind to diseased cells that express a particular protein.  Once the diseased cell is bound by the targeting domain of the CAR, the signaling domain of the CAR activates the T cell, thereby allowing it to kill the diseased cell.  This is a promising new therapeutic approach known as adoptive cell therapy (ACT).

Fully-human Heavy-chain-only Anti-B-cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs)

Immortalization of plasma cells leads to plasma cell malignancy diseases such as multiple myeloma (MM). B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a protein that is preferentially expressed by malignant and normal B cells and plasma cells, butnot on other cells in the body. This limited expression profile suggests that BCMA is a promising target for anticancer therapeutics for cancers in which there is excess production of plasma cells and B cells.