bempegaldesleukin   Click here for help

GtoPdb Ligand ID: 10659

Synonyms: NKTR-214 | NKTR214
Immunopharmacology Ligand
Comment: Bempegaldesleukin (NKTR-214) is an engineered variant of human interleukin-2 [4] in which Ala1 has been removed and Cys125 is substituted by Ser. The peptide is produced in E. coli and an average of 6 lysine residues are N6 substituted with [(2,7-bis{[methylpoly(oxyethylene)]carbamoyl}-9H-fluoren-9-yl)methoxy]carbonyl (PEG-Lys). In the PEG-bound form the IL-2 is inactive, but In vivo the PEG chains are released slowly which provides a more controlled release of active IL-2 peptide [4] (the IL-2 conjugates with 1 or 2 PEG chains are the most biologically active conjugates [3]). This prodrug strategy mitigates against the severe side effects which limit maximal dosing of parental aldesleukin.
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Immunopharmacology Comments
Bempegaldesleukin is an investigational immuno-oncology agent [1,5]. It acts as a CD122 (IL-2 receptor β)-preferential IL-2 pathway agonist and is proposed to stimulate the growth of CD8+ effector T cells and natural killer (NK) cells [2,6] which are then mobilised to the tumour micro-environment where they enable an anti-tumour immune response [4]. This mechanism is applicable across a wide range of solid tumour types. As the PEG residues are located within the IL-2Rα binding site of the ligand, the affinity for IL-2Rαβγ (on Tregs) is reduced by a greater extent than the affinity for heterodimeric IL-2Rβγ complexes. This affinity switch favours activation of the IL-2Rβγ receptors on tumour-resident CD8+ T cells and NK cells. Bempegaldesleukin exhibits powerful synergistic anti-tumour efficacy when combined with checkpoint blockade.