Trifunctional Triomab ® Antibodies for Cancer Therapy

In the 1980s, two groups described in parallel and for the first time T-cell-redirecting bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) for the elimination of tumor cells (Perez et al. 1985; Staerz et al. "CR60">1985). In vitro, this approach was extremely potent, highlighting the superiority of T-cell-induced compared to accessory cell-mediated killing. But two major drawbacks hampered the rapid transition of this new approach from preclinical investigations to successful clinical trials and market approval.