Next-IO™ Anti-LLT1 Monoclonal Antibody Program

Monoclonal antibody therapy is emerging as a promising therapeutic approach to treat cancer in recent years. Compared with conventional therapies, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, monoclonal antibody targeted therapy modulates the natural immune system to kill cancer cells. Creative Biolabs has launched a series of Next-IO™ programs to develop the novel therapeutic antibody or protein drugs for cancer treatments. This program aims to develop the therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) specifically against LLT1.

LLT1

Lectin-like transcript 1 (LLT1, also known as CLEC2D, OCIL), is a type II transmembrane inhibitory receptor that belongs to the C-type lectin-like superfamily. It’s expressed by many types of immune cells including T cells, NK cells, B cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. LLT1 was identified as the ligand of NKRP1A (also known as CD161, KLRB1). Here are some functional features of LLT1 that make up the base of our program.

• Studies indicated that the interaction between NKRP1A and LLT1 can inhibit cytotoxic responses mediated by NK cells;
• Cross-linking of LLT1 modulated by monoclonal antibody promotes the cytokine production by NK cells;
• LLT1 is upregulated in glioblastoma and underlines a mechanism of immune evasion.

Published Data

• The expression of LLT1 is upregulated in prostate cancer cells.

Fig.1 The expression of LLT1 is upregulated in prostate cancer cells.¹

• Anti-LLT1 mAb enhances NK cell-mediated lysis of prostate cancer cells.
• LLT1 blockade enhances the immunogenicity of glioma cells.

Based on these data, LLT1 is shown to be a potential target to treat cancers and blocking LLT1 (alone or in combination with other treatments) might be a promising immunotherapeutic strategy to treat cancers. Except for monoclonal antibody, we also research on combination strategies, or other antibody modalities, such as bispecific antibody, etc. to fit your program.

Program Planning and Management

We have extensive experience in performing comprehensive program developments and effective problem-solving. For our Next-IO™ programs, we are committed to delivering the program to the pre-IND stage within about 1.5 years. Accurate timeline will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Here is a draft timeline for your glance.

Fig.2 The timeline of Next-IOᵀᴹ programs.

Collaboration

Creative Biolabs is seeking potential partners to co-develop the cancer immunotherapies targeting LLT1. With advanced facilities and assistance from our experienced teams, we can ensure a smooth Next-IO™ programs discovery and development. Our pipelines are designed to target a full spectrum of molecules involved in tumorigenesis. Please feel free to contact us for more information regarding this.

Reference

• Mathew, Stephen O et al. "Overexpression of LLT1 (OCIL, CLEC2D) on prostate cancer cells inhibits NK cell-mediated killing through LLT1-NKRP1A (CD161) interaction." Oncotarget. 7,42 (2016): 68650-68661.

For Research Use Only | Not For Clinical Use