Preclinical assessment of phosphatidylserine targeting mAbs in multiple myeloma

Funding or Partner Organisation: Cancer Institute NSW (Cancer Institute NSW - Early Career Fellowships (ECF))

Start year: 2015

Summary: Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable B cell malignancy and novel therapeutic compounds are desperately needed. In this proposal, we show for the first time that phosphatidylserine (PS), a major lipid normally confined to the intracellular side of the cell membrane, is exposed on the extracellular surface of viable MM cells. Furthermore, we present evidence than an anti-PS mAb can be used to recruit effector cells and kill MM cells directly. This is a particularly exciting finding as the therapeutic anti-PS mAb, bavituximab, is currently being assessed in multiple clinical trials for solid tumours (including a Phase III trial for lung cancer). In this application we propose to evaluate anti-PS mAbs in preclinical models of MM in order to provide the rationale for the clinical assessment of these compounds in MM. In particular, the outcome of our research may be directly translatable given the fact that bavituximab is progressing through trials for other types of cancers.

FOR Codes: Cancer Therapy (excl. Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy), Molecular Targets, Haematological Tumours, Human Pharmaceutical Treatments (e.g. Antibiotics), Expanding Knowledge in the Medical and Health Sciences, Human pharmaceutical products, EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE