Daan A Sluijter, Rianne van Garderen, Ilse van Haveren, Jan Meeldijk, Sandra Crnko, Thijs Koorman, Toine ten Broeke, Michael Y. Schakelaar, Niels Bovenschen
Here, we review current advances on multi-specific immune cell engagers for brain tumor treatment and provide novel insights into overcoming existing challenges.
Improving outcomes for patients with brain tumors remains a formidable challenge. Patient survival is often considered very poor even though standard first line treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. These therapies often have detrimental side effects on brain functions and do not suffice when tumors advance and metastasize, prompting the need for new treatment modalities. Recent innovations in antibody-based immunotherapies may complement brain cancer treatment. Biotechnical engineering platforms yield new antibody-inspired biomolecules for optimal engagement of specific and tumor-associated antigens, which also recruit and elicit immune effector cell functions. Here, we review current advances on multi-specific immune cell engagers for brain tumor treatment and provide novel insights into overcoming existing challenges.