Redirecting the immune system’s T cells to eliminate cancer

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Engineered to activate an immune response against cancer, T cell engagers have the potential to unlock innovative therapies to attack cancer cells.

T cell engagers are antibodies engineered to redirect the immune system’s T cells to recognise and kill cancer cells. They are designed to bind to a target antigen expressed on a cancer cell and to a trigger molecule on T cells, such as CD3. These therapeutic molecules then engage T cells that are present in tumours but not capable of recognising cancer cells, redirecting their activity toward the tumour.1





Immune cells play an important role in eliminating abnormal cells, however immunity against the tumour is often absent in patients with cancer. In these patients, therapies supporting anti-tumour immunity fail to work. We are expanding our drug discovery toolkit to include emerging modalities, such as T cell engagers, to mobilise a patient’s immune cells to attack cancer.

Mark Cobbold VP, Head of Immuno-Oncology Discovery and Oncology Cell Therapy, AstraZeneca



Learn how T cell engagers harness the immune system to better detect and defeat cancer in the below video:




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Reference:

1. Huehls A M et al. Bispecific T cell engagers for cancer immunotherapy. Immunol Cell Biol. 2015; 93(3): 290-296.


Veeva ID: Z4-49213
Date of preparation: November 2022