T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia surface antigens (T-ALL surface antigens)

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) surface antigens are a group of proteins expressed on the plasma membrane of malignant T-cell precursors (Frontiers in Immunology, 2024). These antigens, including CD7, CD5, CD1a, CD3, and CD38, are essential for the immunophenotypic diagnosis and classification of T-ALL (Haematologica, 2023). In therapeutic contexts, they serve as targets for monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies (NIH, 2024). A significant challenge in targeting these antigens is their shared expression on healthy T cells, which can lead to "fratricide"—where therapeutic T cells attack each other—and profound T-cell aplasia (Frontiers in Immunology, 2024). Clinical management relies on flow cytometry to detect these antigens as biomarkers for monitoring minimal residual disease and guiding treatment selection (Blood, 2022). Ongoing research focuses on developing strategies to mitigate off-target effects, such as gene editing to remove target antigens from effector cells (Frontiers in Immunology, 2024).

Other names

T-ALL antigensT-lineage surface markersT-cell leukemia-associated surface proteinsT-lymphoblastic leukemia surface markers

Targeted cell depletion via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), or direct T-cell mediated lysis using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology.