Bispecific antibodies in hematological malignancies

Abstract

Introduction: Immunotherapy is the new frontier in cancer treatment, challenging traditional views regarding the treatment of malignancy. It includes treatment with checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), and bispecific monoclonal antibodies (BsAbs). BsAbs are drugs composed of a single monoclonal antibody, which has two binding domains that can bind to two different antigens simultaneously, which is the great advantage of this therapy over others. Therefore, BsAbs have revolutionized clinical outcomes for different types of cancer, especially hematological ones, bringing good results and hope to patients with lymphomas, leukemias and multiple myeloma. Objective: The present research aims to provide an updated overview of BsAbs treatment applied to the main hematological neoplasms, as well as describe its classification and mechanism of action. Material and Methods: This is a literature review based on articles published in the last 9 years (2015-2023) in the PubMed database (Medline), relating hematological malignancies and BsAbs, using the keyword: “Bispecific antibody”. Results: A total of 1,530 articles were found, of which 48 were included in the development of this review article. Conclusions: BsAbs redirect the immune system cells action, generating a new therapeutic response, proving to be an innovative alternative in immunotherapy, being a vanguard option that combines molecular biology engineering and the immune system biological activity.