Microencapsulation of therapeutic bispecific antibodies producing cells: immunotherapeutic organoids for cancer management

Regardless of the important therapeutic advances developed over the last years for the management of cancer, the fact is that many patients still suffer from a tremendous reduction on their quality of life due to lack of complete selectivity of conventionally administered chemotherapeutic drugs. In the search of more efficacious tumor-targeted therapies, the use of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) capable of simultaneous binding to tumor-associated antigens and to an activating receptor, such as CD3, has emerged as a promising approach. With the intention to complementing and improving this cancer immunotherapy, human HEK-293 cells have been genetically modified ex vivo to secrete a recombinant anti-CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen)?×?anti-CD3 bsAb. After encapsulation in alginate-poly-l-lysine microcapsules, bsAb-secreting HEK-293 cells were monitorized for several weeks. This system has proved to be feasible for the maintenance of cell growth and recombinant antibody production giving proof-of-concept of its use as immunotherapeutic organoids in cancer treatment.