About this episode

This episode discusses a novel combination therapy using a bispecific antibody to improve treatment efficacy for solid tumors compared to traditional CD3 T cell engagers.

**Monday Immune Engager** — our weekly pick from the latest immune-engager digest. **Paper:** [Combination therapy with a novel CD2-targeted costimulatory bispecific antibody overcomes limitations of CD3 T cell engager treatment for solid tumors](https://doi.org/10.1080/19420862.2026.2684378) **Authors:** Welbeck Danquah, Mélanie Pichery, Thomas Eden, Aurelien Boyance, et al. **Journal:** mAbs, 2026 **Why it matters:** CD3 T cell engagers have transformed blood cancer treatment but largely failed in solid tumors — this study proposes a modular two-drug strategy that separates T cell activation signals to rescue efficacy while dramatically reducing systemic toxicity. --- **Summary** CD3 T cell engagers (TCEs) work by bridging a T cell directly to a tumor cell, providing what immunologists call Signal 1. In blood cancers this is often sufficient, but solid tumors present an immunosuppressive microenvironment that demands a second costimulatory signal (Signal 2) for a sustained cytotoxic response. Pushing TCE doses higher to compensate triggers severe dose-limiting toxicities before the tumor is controlled — a bottleneck that has left tarlatamab as the only approved classical TCE…

People in this episode

Host: Raymond Ruff

Topics covered

• combination therapy
• bispecific antibodies
• solid tumors
• T cell engagers
• immunotherapy
• cancer treatment

Keywords

• CD2-targeted
• costimulatory
• immunosuppressive microenvironment
• cytotoxic response
• systemic toxicity
• two-drug strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: mAbs

Products: tarlatamab, solitomab, HER2×CD2 bispecific, CD3 T cell engagers

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