blinatumomab + pembrolizumab

Blinatumomab + pembrolizumab is an investigational combination of two immunotherapeutic agents: blinatumomab, a CD19-directed bispecific monoclonal antibody (BiTE, or bispecific T-cell engager), and pembrolizumab, a highly selective anti-PD-1 humanized monoclonal antibody (IgG4/kappa)[1][2][3][4]. Blinatumomab works by redirecting cytotoxic T cells to CD19-expressing B cells (malignant or normal), inducing targeted lysis. Pembrolizumab inhibits PD-1, a checkpoint receptor on T cells, preventing its interaction with PD-L1 and PD-L2 expressed by tumor cells, thereby counteracting immune evasion and reinvigorating exhausted T cells[4]. The combination aims to both enhance T cell tumor targeting (via blinatumomab) and restore T cell function (via pembrolizumab blockade of immune checkpoints), and is primarily developed for relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL)[1][2][3][5], and studied in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)[3]. The therapeutic rationale is that PD-1-mediated immune suppression may be upregulated in response to blinatumomab treatment, and concurrent PD-1 blockade may improve response rates and remission durability[1][2][3][5].

Other names

blinatumomab + pembrolizumabBlinatumomab and Pembrolizumab combination therapy