The Future of Cancer Treatment: Cutting-Edge Advances in Immuno-Oncology

Imagine a future where cancer treatment is as precise and personalized as it is powerful, where the body’s own defenses are guided to hunt down and destroy tumors. This vision is becoming reality through immuno-oncology (IO), a transformative field empowering the immune system to selectively attack cancer cells. Unlike traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, which can damage healthy cells, IO offers effective, less toxic therapies—setting a new standard in cancer care.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

A major breakthrough in immuno-oncology is the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Tumors can manipulate immune checkpoints, like PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4, to evade the immune system’s attack. By “releasing the brakes” on T cell activity, ICIs enable a stronger immune response against tumors and have become standard therapies for cancers such as melanoma, NSCLC, bladder, and breast cancer. (Ma et al., 2023, National Cancer Institute, 2022).

To advance this field, Biocytogen’s RenMice™ platform has developed fully human monoclonal antibodies targeting immune checkpoints, with potential for development into ICI drugs. Additionally, Biocytogen’s drug-targeted humanized mouse models of immune checkpoints allow researchers to conduct in vivo evaluations of drug efficacy, toxicity, and PK/PD of checkpoint inhibitors against human targets, accelerating the discovery and delivery of innovative therapies to patients.

Targeted Antibody Immunotherapy

Another promising area in IO is targeted antibody immunotherapy, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and T cell engagers (TCEs) (Cancer Research Institute). ADCs combine antibodies with potent drugs to deliver targeted treatment directly to cancer cells, while TCEs are bispecific or multispecific antibodies engineered to bind both immune cells and cancer cells, facilitating a direct immune attack on tumors. 

Biocytogen’s RenLite® mice address key challenges in developing these antibodies, such as chain mispairing during assembly. Combined with knobs-into-holes (KIH) technology, RenLite® achieves over 95% assembly success, supporting the development of fully human bispecific and multispecific antibody therapies. Our portfolio also includes BLD1102, a proprietary linker-payload system featuring the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor BCPT02 and a highly hydrophilic, protease-cleavable linker, optimized for efficient ADC assembly.

An example of Biocytogen’s innovative approach is the WT1xCD3x4-1BB trispecific TCE. Developed collaboratively through Biocytogen’s RenTCR-mimic™ platform—focused on discovering high-affinity antibodies for intracellular antigens—and CtM Bio’s TCE platform, this TCE has demonstrated impressive preclinical anti-tumor activity in both hematological malignancies and solid tumors.

Biocytogen’s humanized mouse models further accelerate these therapies by enabling efficient preclinical testing against human targets in vivo. With models featuring single human targets, like ICIs and tumor microenvironment (TME) molecules, or multiple targets, such as CD3E/CD3EDG on T cells and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) for evaluating TCEs, researchers can effectively assess IO-targeted antibodies.

Adoptive Cell Therapy

Another exciting advance in IO is adoptive cell therapy, especially CAR-T cell therapy. This approach involves extracting a patient’s own T cells, engineering them to express receptors that recognize cancer cells, and reintroducing them into the body (American Cancer Society). These CAR-T cells become “cancer hunters,” equipped to seek out and kill cancer cells with enhanced precision. Several CAR-T therapies have already received FDA approval for treating blood cancers (National Cancer Institute, 2022).  Biocytogen has extensive experience evaluating CAR-T cell efficacy across multiple tumor models, with reliable assessments conducted in our highly immunodeficient B-NDG mice.

Towards a Brighter Future 

Immuno-oncology aims not only to treat cancer but also to improve patients’ quality of life during and after therapy. With ongoing research, it promises more options, fewer side effects, and renewed hope. At Biocytogen, we’re committed to advancing this field with cutting-edge models and resources, envisioning a future where each innovation brings more effective, manageable treatments and improved outcomes for patients.

Reference

Ma, Weijie, et al. “Increasing cure rates of solid tumors by immune checkpoint inhibitors.” Experimental Hematology & Oncology 12.1 (2023): 10.

National Cancer Institute. “Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Their Role in Cancer Treatment.” (2022)

Cancer Research Institute. “Targeted Antibodies and Immunotherapy.” 

American Cancer Society. “CAR T-Cell Therapy.”

National Cancer Institute. “CAR T Cells: Engineering Patients’ Immune Cells to Treat Their Cancers.” (2022)