SITC 2021 | Identifying new targets for cell therapy by taking advantage of LOH

Alexander Kamb, PhD, A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, CA, discusses A2 Biotherapeutics’ ongoing work in developing cell therapies using antigenic targets from tumor cells undergoing loss of heterozygosity (LOH), a process by which tumor cells lose genetic material. As such, they recently published a paper examining the potential of MAGE-A3 as a T-cell therapeutic target. Still, Dr Kamb explains that this study was used to investigate the efficacy of antibody-based receptors targeting peptide MHC complexes and that this target will not be investigated further. This interview took place during the 36th Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.