Elucidation of B-cell specific drug immunogenicity liabilities via a novel ex vivo assay

The advent of large molecule therapeutics has revolutionized treatment options for previously unmet medical needs. This advent has also led to an increased impact of immunogenicity on drug efficacy and safety. In order to maximize the potential of large molecule therapeutics, immunogenicity-related...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cary M. Looney, Axel Ducret, Guido Steiner, Karen Dernick, Katharina Hartman, Michel Siegel, Timothy Hickling, Alex Odermatt, Céline Marban-Doran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Immunology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1589483/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The advent of large molecule therapeutics has revolutionized treatment options for previously unmet medical needs. This advent has also led to an increased impact of immunogenicity on drug efficacy and safety. In order to maximize the potential of large molecule therapeutics, immunogenicity-related liabilities must be identified as early in development as possible, using an integrated risk assessment that takes into account the various cell types and processes involved. Here, we describe the development of an ex vivo B-cell immunogenicity assay, to capture a key component of the immune response that has been missing from previously published ex vivo immunogenicity assays. Plasmablasts/plasma cells were preferentially expanded in this assay, a subset of which were drug-specific and presented drug-specific peptides on MHC Class II. This assay represents an important tool in the immunogenicity risk assessment toolkit, to allow liabilities to be identified and mitigated early in the drug development process.
ISSN:1664-3224