Multiple, unspecified tumor-associated antigens expressed on malignant hematologic cells

Multiple, unspecified tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) expressed on malignant hematologic cells represent a collective target profile used in advanced immunotherapies, particularly when the therapeutic agent is designed to recognize more than one molecular marker or when the specific targets are patient-specific or proprietary. These antigens include a variety of proteins, such as differentiation antigens (e.g., CD19, CD20), overexpressed proteins (e.g., WT1, PRAME), and cancer-testis antigens (e.g., NY-ESO-1), which are prevalent in leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas [1][3]. By targeting a broad spectrum of antigens, these therapies aim to enhance the depth of the immune response and prevent tumor relapse caused by clonal evolution and antigen loss, a phenomenon known as antigen escape [2][4]. This approach is commonly employed in the development of polyvalent vaccines and multi-specific CAR-T cell therapies [3]. However, the use of unspecified or multiple targets increases the risk of off-target effects on healthy tissues that may share low-level expression of these antigens, as well as systemic inflammatory responses like cytokine release syndrome [5]. Sources: [1] National Cancer Institute (NCI) Dictionary of Cancer Terms; [2] Majzner, R. G., & Mackall, C. L. (2018). Tumor Antigen Escape from CAR T-cell Therapy. Cancer Discovery; [3] Anguille, S., et al. (2012). Dendritic cell vaccination in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood; [4] Frontiers in Immunology (2021). Multi-antigen targeting in hematologic malignancies; [5] Neelapu, S. S., et al. (2018). Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy toxicities. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

Other names

Tumor-associated antigens (TAAs)Hematologic malignancy antigensMulti-antigen targetsLeukemia-associated antigensLymphoma-associated antigens

Induction of a polyclonal immune response against a variety of surface or intracellular proteins expressed by malignant cells, typically via T-cell mediated cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), or enhanced antigen presentation [1][2].