Methods for enhancing anti-tumor antibody therapy

摘要

Methods of enhancing the efficacy of antibody-directed cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) for therapy directed to killing of tumor cells are disclosed. Cancer specific cell surface antigens are bound by monoclonal antibodies, thereby stimulating a cytotoxic T cell response characterized by an upregulation of cell surface expression of costimulatory molecules on the T cell. The ADCC response is augmented by the subsequent administration of a second antibody that is an agonist of the costimulatory molecule.

主权项

1. A method of treating cancer, the method comprising:
administering to a patient a composition comprising an agonistic antibody to a molecule; whose expression increases on surfaces of natural killer (NK) cells that mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) when such cells are exposed to tumor cells bound by an anti-tumor antibody (an “inducible costimulatory molecule”), which agonistic antibody is characterized as agonistic in that, when the NK cells with the inducible costimulatory molecule on their surface are contacted with the agonistic antibody, their ADCC is increased as compared with that observed absent such contact; the patient having received anti-tumor antibody therapy a period of time prior to the administering, such that the increase in expression of the inducible costimulatory molecule has occurred.