Journal Blood publishes MacroGenics' DART antibody technology preclinical data

Apr 29 2011

MacroGenics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company that develops immunotherapeutics to treat autoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases, today announced the publication in the journal Blood of preclinical data demonstrating potent inhibition of B-cell lymphoma through redirected T lymphocyte-mediated killing, using its bispecific DART™ antibody technology.

Included in the peer-reviewed article titled, "Application of Dual-Affinity Re-Targeting (DART) molecules to achieve optimal redirected T-cell killing of B-cell lymphoma," by Moore, et al., is a side by side comparison of MacroGenics' DART protein to an antibody molecule identical in specificity and structure to that of a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE®), an alternative bispecific platform.  While the previously established potency of the BiTE molecule in various redirected cytotoxicity assays was confirmed in this study, the DART was shown to be consistently more potent in eliminating CD19-positive cells.  Importantly, no activation of T-cells by the DART was observed in the absence of engagement with targeted CD19-positive cells. In addition, a CD19xTCR DART, constructed using a proprietary anti-T cell receptor antibody fragment, revealed virtually identical in vitro activity to that of the CD19xCD3 DART and demonstrated in vivo activity in a xenograft mouse model.

An accompanying Inside Blood commentary titled "DARTs take aim at BiTEs," noted that this article as well as other recently published articles related to MacroGenics' DART molecules "underscore the adaptability of this bispecific antibody platform; it also provides an alternate T-cell recruiting and activation mechanism that may have a different activity and toxicity profile than blinatumomab."  The commentary further noted that MacroGenics' DART "…can be produced in high quantity and quality and reveals exceptional stability in both formulation buffer and human serum."  

"We are very pleased to have our most recent DART data published in this high-impact journal," stated Dr. Scott Koenig, President and CEO of MacroGenics.  "In addition to recognition in this peer-reviewed publication, MacroGenics has already achieved multiple research milestones in our two recently-established DART collaborations with Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer."

SOURCE MacroGenics, Inc.