ADCC in Disease Therapy

Basic Immunobiology of NK Cells

Natural killer (NK) cells express two types of receptors: one is the receptor that stimulates NK cell killing called the killer cell activation receptor, and the other is the receptor that inhibits the killing of NK cells, called the killer cell inhibitory receptor (KIR). NK cells kill target cells in two main ways: natural cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC).

Due to their low specificity, non-specific killing, and no prior immune activation, NK cells have been widely used in the field of immunotherapy. Applications of NK cells:

• Cell therapy: Autologous or allogeneic NK cells are used to expand and activate them and inject them into the patient's body to enhance the patient's anti-tumor immunity.
• ADCC enhancement: NK cells are used to bind to antibodies, and the specific recognition of tumor cells by antibodies promotes the killing effect of NK cells on tumor cells.

Click here to learn more about the relationship between ADCC and immunotherapy.

ADCC in Different Diseases

Immune diseases can affect multiple systems and organs, and may be affected by various factors such as genetics, environment, and diet. Systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammation, viral infections, etc., are all common immune diseases. Treatment requires moderate suppression of the overactivated immune system. In addition, if the monitoring function of the immune system is defective, some aberrant cells in the body cannot be removed, and the aberrant cells will proliferate in large numbers, thus forming tumors. We are here to share the role that ADCC plays in different diseases and the antibody treatment of diseases in published papers.

• Immunotherapy

Monoclonal antibodies targeted therapy has identified immunotherapy as a promising solution against tumors. The indirect mechanism of cell death induced by therapeutic antibodies is associated with the host immune system, which is related to CDC, ADCC, and ADCP effects.

• Cancer

ADCC is a multilayered process involving a network of immune cells, including macrophages, monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and granulocytes. ADCC plays an important role in tumor clearance, and current research focuses on how to enhance ADCC in the cancer environment.

• Virus

Antibodies can be involved in fighting viral infections by binding to complement proteins C1q or FcγR on leukocytes to mediate antibody-effector functions such as ADCC.

• Skin Disease

At present, the targets for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mainly include B cell surface antigens, B cell-related cytokines, and their accessory molecules. And intracellular small molecule targeted drugs are also promising. Studies have shown that a variety of antibodies can induce apoptosis through ADCC enhancement and weaken autoimmune damage to the body through the continuous depletion of B cells.

As a pioneer in the field of ADCC, Creative Biolabs has the expertise and experience to help you solve your project questions and provide customized solutions. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our technicians.