# Development of a novel antibody-drug conjugate for treating T-cell lymphoma.

> **NIH NIH R41** · ABCON THERAPEUTICS, INC. · 2022 · $402,680

## Abstract

Abstract
 T-cell lymphomas comprise up to 15% of all Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. These complex
clusters of blood cancers are very aggressive with poor (<50%) five-year survival. The inherent
molecular heterogeneity of these cancers impedes therapeutics development and as a result,
targeted therapeutics with durable responses against these blood cancers are alarmingly few. In
pilot studies, we identified a cell surface protein that is present on all T-cell lymphoma patient
specimens examined, suggesting that it could be a novel therapeutic target. We thus developed
an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) specific for this new target and found that this ADC is highly
effective in selectively killing T lymphoma cells in vitro and shrinking already developed tumors
in vivo in a preclinical model of T-cell lymphoma. We have also sequenced and humanized the
monoclonal antibody (mAb) used in our pilot studies to generate the mouse version of the ADC.
Even though both the parent mAb and the humanized mAbs showed picomolar affinities against
the target, we noticed a ~2 –fold drop of humanized mAb affinity. In this Phase I application,
Shennong Biotech and Cleveland Clinic will collaborate to develop both the humanized and
chimeric ADCs, test their treatment efficacies, and explore their safety profiles in two preclinical
models of T-cell lymphoma. These studies will identify the ADC for future development and
provide the required proof-of-concept to advance it into Phase II studies with the ultimate goal of
producing a much-needed new drug for patients with T cell lymphoma.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10545523
- **Project number:** 1R41CA275639-01
- **Recipient organization:** ABCON THERAPEUTICS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** FENG C LIN
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $402,680
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-19 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10545523

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10545523, Development of a novel antibody-drug conjugate for treating T-cell lymphoma. (1R41CA275639-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10545523. Licensed CC0.

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