Induction of Human Anti-Human Antibody Responses (ab2) after Application of a Humanized Lewis Y Carbohydrate Specific Antibody (ab1): Connection of Prolonged Disease Stabilization with Ab3 Induction?

Purpose: Detailed analysis of a patient with epithelial Lewis Y (LeY) positive cancer who received twice 50 mg of the humanized Lewis Y carbohydrate specific mAb IGN311 and developed a clinically significant human anti-human antibody (HAHA) response (Ab2). Results: Clinical stabilization of the disease was assigned to in this patient. The HAHA response consisted mainly of IgG1 and was found to be directed against the IGN311 binding site. Consistent with the induction of the HAHA response, CDC activity against Lewis Y positive target cells was completely abolished at day 8 and could not be restored by the second 50 mg infusion indicating complete neutralization of applied IGN311. The ADCC reactivity was also significantly reduced and anti-anti idiotype-specific antibodies (Ab3) were detectable at day 65. Conclusions: Induction of Ab3 antibodies should be considered as an additional factor influencing the efficacy of humanized antibodies. In this context, the potential threat of induced HAHA responses against therapeutic mAbs might have to be reconsidered because they might actually have also beneficial immunological long-term effects leading to an active immunization component induced by therapeutic antibodies.