Hammer Stock Blog

BiTE Antibodies 

A BiTE (Bispecific T Cell Engager) antibody is a bi-specific antibody (bsAb) which directs T-cells to attack  cancer cells, by simultaneously binding the two cells. Upon binding, a physical link is created between  the two cells, which in turn triggers the T cell to attack the target cell. Every BiTE antibody has two binding arms, the first binds the CD3 receptor present on T-cells and the second binds a specific element on a cancer cell. The T-cell binding arm provides  the activity while the cancer binding arm provides the specificity. By changing the cancer binding arm, the BiTE antibody can be adapted not only from one type of cancer to another, but also from one target to another in the same type of cancer. Therefore, BiTE represents a universal and modular platform for producing bsAbs for an unlimited number of targets.

 As previously stated, bi-specific antibodies are aimed at recruiting immune cells against cancer. Therefore, one of the first decisions to be made concerns the type of immune cells to be recruited. The first attempts to develop bi-specific antibodies, mainly included recruiting T-cells, which are considered the most potent cells of the immune system. T cells play a critical role in the body’s efforts to eliminate malfunctioning cells such as cancer or virally infected cells, making them even more obvious candidates. (more…)