A New Hope in the Fight Against Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a serious disease that takes many lives. Scientists have found that a protein called B7-H4 is more active in colon cancer cells than in healthy cells. This protein helps cancer cells grow. So far, no medicines have been made to target B7-H4 in colon cancer treatment. Researchers set out to create a special kind of antibody, called a trispecific antibody (TsAb), that can target B7-H4. They started by using a mouse antibody library to find a specific part of the B7-H4 protein. They named this part scFv-Fc 4. Tests showed that scFv-Fc 4 is very good at recognizing B7-H4. Next, they used a special technology called SpyCatcher-SpyTag to combine scFv-Fc 4 with other antibodies that target CD3 and CD28. These are important parts of the immune system. The new combination was named TsAb-B7-H4. Tests in the lab showed that TsAb-B7-H4 can stick to colon cancer cells and kill them. It also stopped the growth of cancer tumors in tests with animals. Importantly, TsAb-B7-H4 did not cause inflammation in immune cells. This means it could be a safe and effective treatment for colon cancer.