lucatumumab

Lucatumumab (as known as CHIR 12.12 or HCD122) is a human monoclonal antibody (mAb) being investigated for the treatment of various types of cancer like multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's or Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is an antagonist to CD40 that was created by scientists at Chiron using Abgenix' XenoMouse transgenic mouse to generate fully human antibodies. It was made part of the collaboration between Chiron and Xoma that the companies commenced in 2004 and Novartis took over the project when it acquired Chiron in 2005. Lucatumumab binds to tumor cells that express CD40 and antagonizes (prevents) CD40 ligand-mediated growth and survival of malignant B cells. Based on preclinical data, lucatumumab also induces antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), killing CD40 expressing tumor cells by immune effector cells. This dual mechanism of action makes HCD122 a drug candidate with potential for the treatment of B-cell malignancies.