Anti-NKG2A mAb Is a Checkpoint Inhibitor that Promotes Anti-tumor Immunity by Unleashing Both T and NK Cells
Pascale André, Caroline Denis, Caroline Soulas, Clarisse Bourbon-Caillet, Julie Lopez, Thomas Arnoux, Mathieu Bléry, Cécile Bonnafous, Laurent Gauthier, Ariane Morel, Benjamín Rossi, Romain Remark, Violette Breso, Elodie Bonnet, Guillaume Habif, Sophie Guia, Ana I. Lalanne, Caroline Hoffmann, Olivier Lantz, Jérôme Fayette, Agnès Boyer-Chammard, Robert Zerbib, P. Dodion, Hormas Ghadially, Maria Jure‐Kunkel, Yannis Morel, Ronald Herbst, Émilie Narni-Mancinelli, Roger B. Cohen, Éric Vivier
Abstract
T cell function in combination with PD-x axis blockade. Monalizumab also stimulated NK cell activity against antibody-coated target cells. Interim results of a phase II trial of monalizumab plus cetuximab in previously treated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck showed a 31% objective response rate. Most common adverse events were fatigue (17%), pyrexia (13%), and headache (10%). NKG2A targeting with monalizumab is thus a novel checkpoint inhibitory mechanism promoting anti-tumor immunity by enhancing the activity of both T and NK cells, which may complement first-generation immunotherapies against cancer.