An estimated 20,160 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 4,410 deaths were expected in 2022. Current therapies for CLL include the administration of a monoclonal antibody, such as rituximab, an anti-CD20 antibody, to promote clearance of malignant B cells.

The Need

Current therapies for CLL are not as effective as they can be due to the suppression of monocytes/macrophages in CLL. What is needed is a therapy that can activate monocytes/macrophages in order to make the current monoclonal antibody therapies more effective.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University have discovered that NOD2 stimulation enhances the antibody-mediated responses in monocytes. The researchers showed that combining NOD2 agonists with an antibody therapy resulted in a decrease in disease burden in a mouse model of CLL. The decrease in disease burden was significant in comparison with responses from either treatment alone, suggesting that NOD2 agonists can be immunostimulatory agents in combination with monoclonal antibody therapies for CLL.

Benefits

• Increased effectiveness of monoclonal antibody therapies;
• Promotion of the tumor-antagonistic phenotype of nurse-like cells (NLCs);
• Applicable to other cancers treated with monoclonal antibodies

Patent application pending