Cancer therapy’s new ‘gold rush’: bispecific antibodies that hit key combination of targets Summit and BioNTech results raise hope of new ‘broad, pan-tumor platform’ like Keytruda

https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/22/cancer-therapy-gold-rush-bispecific-antibodies-summit-biontech/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_KXq8kbiOOayjhAtsiX4N_KMREuIwQXueTXM-PpkSru5thuf4x_P2WR_XLpDfjT1KRH_Gg4mEju9mBU736SNfj0Niasw&_hsmi=343569311&utm_content=343569311&utm_source=hs_email Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been the MVP of cancer drugs in recent years. Merck’s Keytruda, for example, has been used against dozens of different cancers in millions of patients, making it the top-selling drug in the world. But experts say there’s a new player in town that could eventually challenge the dominance of these first generation treatments. Drugs like Keytruda help the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer more aggressively. But a certain type of bispecific antibody — engineered to grab two different antigens at the same time — seems to have hit upon a crucial combination of cancer targets, PD-1 and VEGF. The exact biology isn’t clear yet, but scientists say the approach is promising. Read more from STAT’s Angus Chen, who lays out the science behind this new approach.