2. Academic Validation
  3. Monalizumab: inhibiting the novel immune checkpoint NKG2A

Monalizumab: inhibiting the novel immune checkpoint NKG2A

  • J Immunother Cancer. 2019 Oct 17;7(1):263. doi: 10.1186/s40425-019-0761-3.
Thorbald van Hall 1,  Pascale André 2,  Amir Horowitz 3,  Dan Fu Ruan 3,  Linda Borst 4,  Robert Zerbib 2,  Emilie Narni-Mancinelli 5,  Sjoerd H van der Burg 4,  Eric Vivier 6 7 8
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333, ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands. T.van_Hall@lumc.nl.
  • 2 Innate Pharma Research Labs, Innate Pharma, Marseille, France.
  • 3 Department of Oncological Sciences, Precision Immunology Institute, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
  • 4 Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333, ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands.
  • 5 Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France.
  • 6 Innate Pharma Research Labs, Innate Pharma, Marseille, France. Vivier@ciml.univ-mrs.fr.
  • 7 Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France. Vivier@ciml.univ-mrs.fr.
  • 8 Service d'Immunologie, Marseille Immunopole, Hôpital de la Timone, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France. Vivier@ciml.univ-mrs.fr.
PMID: 31623687 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0761-3
Abstract

The implementation of immune checkpoint inhibitors to the oncology clinic signified a new era in Cancer treatment. After the first indication of melanoma, an increasing list of additional Cancer types are now treated with immune system targeting Antibodies to PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4, alleviating inhibition signals on T cells. Recently, we published proof-of-concept results on a novel checkpoint inhibitor, NKG2A. This receptor is expressed on cytotoxic lymphocytes, including NK cells and subsets of activated CD8+ T cells. Blocking Antibodies to NKG2A unleashed the reactivity of these effector cells resulting in tumor control in multiple mouse models and an early clinical trial. Monalizumab is inhibiting this checkpoint in human beings and future clinical trials will have to reveal its potency in combination with other Cancer treatment options.

Keywords

CD8 T cells; Cancer immunotherapy; HLA-E/Qa-1; Inhibitory immune receptor; NK cells; NKG2A.

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