CUE-500

CUE-500 is a preclinical, first-in-class bispecific biologic developed by Cue Biopharma. It is designed to enable T cell-mediated depletion of pathogenic B cells for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The drug leverages the Immuno-STAT platform, incorporating two key components: - A peptide-HLA (pHLA) complex presenting a conserved viral epitope (such as from CMV, EBV, or SARS-CoV-2), which is recognized by virus-specific memory CD8+ T cells. - A single-chain variable fragment (scFv) targeting B cell surface proteins such as CD19. This configuration allows CUE-500 to bind selectively to B cells and "paint" them with viral epitopes, making them appear as virally infected cells. Virus-specific memory T cells then recognize and destroy these targeted B cells through cytolysis. This approach aims to restore immune balance in autoimmune conditions by depleting autoreactive or pathogenic B cell populations while harnessing naturally occurring antiviral immunity[2][4][5][9].