Development of an anti-KIR3DL1 Antibody to Promote Innate Immunity Against Neuroblastoma
Background
Neuroblastoma is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in infancy and accounts for 15% of all deaths due to childhood cancers. Recent progress has been made in therapies involving antibodies that recognize neuroblastoma cells and target them for destruction. Unfortunately, many children do not respond to the antibody therapy, because the immune cells that are responsible for killing the tumor are suppressed.
Project Goal
We have identified the protein that is largely responsible for suppressing the immune cells and have made novel antibodies that will prevent this suppression. We will study these antibodies for their ability to enhance cancer killing in the laboratory, both in the petri dish and in mouse models, with the express goal of bringing these antibodies to clinical use. We anticipate that they will enhance cancer killing in patients with neuroblastoma and prolong survival in children with this deadly disease.
