Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and atherosclerosis the principal factor underlying cardiovascular events. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction, intimal lipid deposition, smooth muscle cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and necrosis, and local and systemic inflammation, involving key contributions to from innate and adaptive immunity. The balance between proatherogenic inflammatory and atheroprotective anti-inflammatory responses is modulated by a complex network of interactions among vascular components and immune cells, including monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, and T, B, and foam cells; these interactions modulate the further progression and stability of the atherosclerotic lesion. In this review, we take a global perspective on existing knowledge about the pathogenesis of immune responses in the atherosclerotic microenvironment and the interplay between the major innate and adaptive immune factors in atherosclerosis. Studies such as this are the basis for the development of new therapies against atherosclerosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 5293 2 of 48 cytotoxic T lymphocytes at the interface between innate and adaptive immunity. Abundant evidence indicates that innate and adaptive immunity both play important roles in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis [1][2][3]. For example, Csf1 −/− mice, which lack macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF, also known as CSF1) are less prone to developing atherosclerosis [4]. Moreover, mice lacking B and T cells (Rag1 −/− or Rag2 −/− mice lacking recombination-activating genes 1 or 2 or mice carrying the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mutation) are resistant to atherosclerosis in the presence of mild hypercholesterolemia [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 5293 2 of 46 cells are cytotoxic T lymphocytes at the interface between innate and adaptive immunity. Abundant evidence indicates that innate and adaptive immunity both play important roles in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis [1][2][3]. For example, Csf1 −/− mice, which lack macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF, also known as CSF1) are less prone to developing atherosclerosis [4]. Moreover, mice lacking B and T cells (Rag1 −/− or Rag2 −/− mice lacking recombination-activating genes 1 or 2 or mice carrying the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mutation) are resistant to atherosclerosis in the presence of mild hypercholesterolemia [5-10]. Atherosclerosis's PathophysiologyAtherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of large and medium-sized arteries [20], characterized by endothelial dysfunction and the accumulation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), immune cells, and necrotic debris in the subendothelial space, resulting in the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque [21][22][23][24]. LDL deposition is more likely in regions with turbulent flow and low shear stress [25] sensed by the vascular endothelium [26]. Turbulent flow modulates endothelial transcrip...

Antibodies have proven their high value in antitumor therapy over the last two decades. They are currently being used as the first-choice to treat some of the most frequent metastatic cancers, like HER2+ breast cancers or colorectal cancers, currently treated with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and bevacizumab (Avastin), respectively. The impressive therapeutic success of antibodies inhibiting immune checkpoints has extended the use of therapeutic antibodies to previously unanticipated tumor types. These anti-immune checkpoint antibodies allowed the cure of patients devoid of other therapeutic options, through the recovery of the patient’s own immune response against the tumor. In this review, we describe how the antibody-based therapies will evolve, including the use of antibodies in combinations, their main characteristics, advantages, and how they could contribute to significantly increase the chances of success in cancer therapy. Indeed, novel combinations will consist of mixtures of antibodies against either different epitopes of the same molecule or different targets on the same tumor cell; bispecific or multispecific antibodies able of simultaneously binding tumor cells, immune cells or extracellular molecules; immunomodulatory antibodies; antibody-based molecules, including fusion proteins between a ligand or a receptor domain and the IgG Fab or Fc fragments; autologous or heterologous cells; and different formats of vaccines. Through complementary mechanisms of action, these combinations could contribute to elude the current limitations of a single antibody which recognizes only one particular epitope. These combinations may allow the simultaneous attack of the cancer cells by using the help of the own immune cells and exerting wider therapeutic effects, based on a more specific, fast, and robust response, trying to mimic the action of the immune system.

BackgroundThe chemokine receptor CCR7 mediates lymphoid dissemination of many cancers, including lymphomas and epithelial carcinomas, thus representing an attractive therapeutic target. Previous results have highlighted the potential of the anti-CCR7 monoclonal antibodies to inhibit migration in transwell assays. The present study aimed to evaluate the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of an anti-CCR7 antibody in a xenografted human mantle cell lymphoma model.MethodsNOD/SCID mice were either subcutaneously or intravenously inoculated with Granta-519 cells, a human cell line derived from a leukemic mantle cell lymphoma. The anti-CCR7 mAb treatment (3 × 200 μg) was started on day 2 or 7 to target lymphoma cells in either a peri-implantation or a post-implantation stage, respectively.ResultsThe anti-CCR7 therapy significantly delayed the tumor appearance and also reduced the volumes of tumors in the subcutaneous model. Moreover, an increased number of apoptotic tumor cells was detected in mice treated with the anti-CCR7 mAb compared to the untreated animals. In addition, significantly reduced number of Granta-519 cells migrated from subcutaneous tumors to distant lymphoid organs, such as bone marrow and spleen in the anti-CCR7 treated mice. In the intravenous models, the anti-CCR7 mAb drastically increased survival of the mice. Accordingly, dissemination and infiltration of tumor cells in lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs, including lungs and central nervous system, was almost abrogated.ConclusionsThe anti-CCR7 mAb exerts a potent anti-tumor activity and might represent an interesting therapeutic alternative to conventional therapies.

Today, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a widespread and necessary tool for biomedical science. In the hematological cancer field, since rituximab became the first mAb approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of B-cell malignancies, a number of effective mAbs targeting lineage-specific antigens (LSAs) have been successfully developed. Non-LSAs (NLSAs) are molecules that are not restricted to specific leukocyte subsets or tissues but play relevant pathogenic roles in blood cancers including the development, proliferation, survival, and refractoriness to therapy of tumor cells. In consequence, efforts to target NLSAs have resulted in a plethora of mAbs—marketed or in development—to achieve different goals like neutralizing oncogenic pathways, blocking tumor-related chemotactic pathways, mobilizing malignant cells from tumor microenvironment to peripheral blood, modulating immune-checkpoints, or delivering cytotoxic drugs into tumor cells. Here, we extensively review several novel mAbs directed against NLSAs undergoing clinical evaluation for treating hematological malignancies. The review focuses on the structure of these antibodies, proposed mechanisms of action, efficacy and safety profile in clinical studies, and their potential applications in the treatment of hematological malignancies.