Ikorituzumab drug target and its mechanism of action

Epcoritumab (Epcoritamab) is an innovative bispecific antibody whose main mechanism of action is to enhance the anti-tumor response of the immune system by simultaneously targeting CD3 and CD20. CD20 is an important antigen on the surface of B cells and is widely expressed on a variety of B cell-related tumor cells, such as diffuse large B cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, etc. CD3 is a molecule on the surface of T cells. As a component of the T cell receptor complex, it plays a key role in initiating T cell immune responses.

Icrelatumumab can recognize and bind to both CD20 and CD3 molecules through its dual-specific structure. Specifically, one end of icorelatumumab binds to the CD3 molecule on the surface of T cells, activating the T cells and inducing their proliferation and activation; while the other end binds to the CD20 molecule on the surface of B cell tumor cells to accurately guide T cells to contact tumor cells. In this way, icorelatumumab can enhance the recognition and killing effect of T cells on tumor cells, thereby significantly improving the therapeutic effect.

The design of this bispecific antibody offers multiple advantages. First of all, it can effectively mobilize the immune system, especially T cells, to directly attack tumor cells without relying on traditional chemotherapy drugs. Secondly, through precise targeting, icarelatumumab can reduce damage to normal cells and reduce common systemic side effects of traditional chemotherapy drugs, such as bone marrow suppression, immunosuppression, etc.

In addition, the effects of icarelatumumab are not limited to a single anti-tumor mechanism. By activatingT cells, it can stimulate the body's broad immune response and activate other immune system components such as natural killer cells (NK cells) and dendritic cells, thereby enhancing the overall anti-tumor effect. This multiple immune effect makes icorituzumab unique in the treatment of refractory and relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Reference materials:https://www.drugs.com/epcoritamab.html