Potent Anti-Cancer Activity of Anti-NTB-a Monoclonal Antibodies in Preclinical Leukemia and Lymphoma Models

NTB-A is a CD2-related cell surface protein expressed on lymphoid cells including B-lymphocytes from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and lymphoma patients. We have generated a series of mAbs against NTB-A and assessed their therapeutic potential in preclinical models. Selected mAbs to NTB-A were further tested in functional Complement Dependent Cytotoxicity (CDC) and Antibody Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicty (ADCC) assays in cell lines and B lymphocytes freshly isolated from CLL and lymphoma patients. Potent cytotoxic activity was demonstrated against B cells isolated from CLL patients and B lymphoma cell lines. Chimeric anti-NTB-A mAbs demonstrated anti-tumor activity equal to rituximab against CA46 human lymphoma xenografts in nude mice at a low dose. In a chimpanzee safety study, a single dose of lead anti-NTB-A mAb 994.1 resulted in near-complete depletion of peripheral lymphocytes while having a minimal effect on T cell activation. Taken together, these results demonstrate NTB-A as a promising target with an acceptable safety profile for immunotherapy of leukemia and lymphomas.