TREATMENT OF B CELL MALIGNANCIES USING ANTI-CD40L ANTIBODIES IN COMBINATION WITH ANTI-CD20 ANTIBODIES AND/OR CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS AND RADIOTHERAPY.

摘要

The invention discloses use of an anti-CD40L antibody or antibody fragment in the manufacture of a medicament for inducing apoptosis in CD40+ malignant cells in vitro or in vivo. The antibody or its fragment binds to CD40L thereby inhibiting CD40/CD40L interaction or CD40 signalling. Preferred antibodies are IDEC-131, 3E4, 2H5, 2H8, 4D9-8, 4D9-9, 24-31, 24-43, 89-76 or 89-79. The fragment could be Fab, Fab', scfv or F(ab')2.The medicament could be used to treat B-cell lymphoma (e.g. Hodgkin's Disease (HD) or low, intermediate or high grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL)) or a B-cell leukemia (e.g. a chronic B-cell leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia of a B-cell lineage, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia of a B-cell lineage). The anti- CD40L antibody could be used in compositions with a second antibody (e.g. an anti-CD20 antibody), a chemotherapeutic agent or a combination thereof, and radiotherapy.