Summary
Background
This non-therapeutic biosimilar antibody uses the same variable regions as the therapeutic antibody Amatuximab, making it ideal for research use. Amatuximab is a high-affinity chimeric monoclonal antibody that reacts with mesothelin (MSLN). Human MSLN is synthesized as a 71-kDa precursor that translocates to the cell surface, where it is cleaved into 31-kDa megakaryocyte potentiating factor (MPF) and 40-kDa mature MSLN protein. MSLN is a glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI)-anchored membrane glycoprotein whose expression in adult humans is restricted to mesothelium. Notably, MSLN is found over-expressed in many epithelial cancers, such as epithelial mesotheliomas, ovarian cancers, lung adenocarcinomas, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. MSLN interacts with cancer antigen 125 (CA125), a specific epitope expressed on MUC16, and it is suggested to play a role in tumorigenesis and metastasis. The tumor-specific expression of MSLN makes it an attractive target antigen for cancer immunotherapy. Amatuximab has been shown to elicit antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against MSLN+ cancer cell lines in vitro , and a greater efficacy in mouse tumor xenografts when combined with chemotherapy.
