A hexamerization-enhanced, Fc-silenced agonistic CD27 antibody amplifies T-cell effector functions as single agent and in combination with PD-1 blockade

HexaBody-CD27 (GEN1053/BNT313) is an investigational novel agonistic CD27 antibody engineered to enhance T-cell costimulation and promote antitumor immunity. Through the introduction of a hexamerization-enhancing mutation in the IgG Fc domain, HexaBody-CD27 was designed to drive clustering and activation of CD27 via intermolecular Fc:Fc interactions between membrane-bound antibodies, independent of crosslinking by FcγR-bearing cells. HexaBody-CD27 carries an Fc-silencing mutation to prevent T-cell depletion through Fc-mediated effector functions. In vitro, HexaBody-CD27 induced CD27 receptor signaling independent of FcγR-mediated crosslinking in a reporter assay. It also enhanced T-cell proliferation, cytotoxic activity and proinflammatory cytokine secretion in primary human lymphocytes. In contrast to benchmark IgG1 CD27 antibodies, HexaBody-CD27 did not induce phagocytosis of T cells in vitro. HexaBody-CD27 promoted ex vivo tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) expansion in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) specimens, in particular of CD8(+) TILs. The combination of HexaBody-CD27 with an anti-PD-1 antibody enhanced T-cell proliferation, cytokine secretion, and cytotoxic activity in vitro compared to either compound alone. In conclusion, HexaBody-CD27 enhanced T-cell activation and effector functions in an FcγR-crosslinking-independent manner, without inducing T-cell depletion. The immune agonist activity of HexaBody-CD27 was potentiated in combination with PD-1 blockade.