Bispecific antibody treatment of murine B cell lymphoma.

This report summarizes our experimental data concerning the use of bispecific antibodies (bsAb) for the treatment of the murine BCL1 B cell lymphoma model. Initially we used a hybrid-hybridoma-derived bsAb with specificity for the TcR/CD3 complex on T cells and the idiotype of the membrane-bound IgM on the tumor cells. The bsAb used as a single agent could cure animals with a low tumor load (resembling minimal residual disease). However, in experiments aimed at increasing the therapeutic effect in animals with a higher tumor burden, we could demonstrate the importance of additional T-cell-costimulatory signals and the careful timing of the bsAb administration. Recently we have generated a bispecific single-chain Fv (bsscFv) fusion protein with the same dual specificity as the hybrid-hybridoma-derived bsAb. Immunotherapy with this smaller molecule also resulted in tumor elimination in BCL1-bearing mice. A second bsscFv (alpha-CD19 x alpha-CD3) with a broader applicability is now being characterized and tested in vivo.