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Harnessing Multivalency and FcγRIIB Engagement to Augment Anti-CD27 Immunotherapy

Harnessing Multivalency and FcγRIIB Engagement to Augment Anti-CD27 Immunotherapy
Harnessing Multivalency and FcγRIIB Engagement to Augment Anti-CD27 Immunotherapy
Despite significant clinical progress, checkpoint blockade remains limited by variable response rates, resistance, and toxicity. Activating costimulatory receptors offers a promising alternative to enhance anti-tumor immunity. However, there is insufficient understanding of how to mimic physiological membrane-anchored costimulatory ligands. Here, we describe a strategy for developing effective agonists of the costimulatory receptor CD27 by increasing both antibody valency and FcγRIIB engagement. Engineered anti-CD27 antibodies capable of tetravalent binding to CD27 and selective FcγRIIB association exhibit potent T cell stimulatory activity and anti-tumor efficacy in pre-clinical models, compared to bivalent counterparts. The anti-tumor effects of the tetravalent antibody are mediated through CD8⁺ T cell activation without evidence of regulatory T cell depletion. Mechanistically, whereas the increase in avidity drives more efficient CD27 clustering, FcγRIIB engagement triggers polarization of receptor clusters to the cell-cell interface and reduces receptor internalization. This work provides a framework for developing more effective agonist-based T cell stimulatory therapies.
2041-1723
Widdess, Marcus
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Pakidi, Anastasia
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Metcalfe, Hannah
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Chan, Claude
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Inzhelevskaya, Tatyana
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Penfold, Christine
400d743e-a639-45ea-a027-5b778800f6d3
Mockridge, Christopher I
327aef17-4837-4f2a-a93b-3d17cd1a7f9f
Booth, Steven
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James, Sonya
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Lim, Sean
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Beers, Stephen
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Cragg, Mark
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Al-Shamkhani, Aymen
0a40b3ce-9d71-4d41-9369-7212f0a84504
Widdess, Marcus
04dfbeff-5fb6-4177-9313-ef7521ad8ff9
Pakidi, Anastasia
40a80e7e-727f-42f7-a2f1-5d3afa82518b
Metcalfe, Hannah
a8afea5f-9dca-4cc7-8fbe-734369a06fe3
Chan, Claude
b109c93f-7e9a-44ee-ad12-da757b1b11fc
Inzhelevskaya, Tatyana
2d84ec97-18c9-4406-a96b-206c21eae7d5
Penfold, Christine
400d743e-a639-45ea-a027-5b778800f6d3
Mockridge, Christopher I
327aef17-4837-4f2a-a93b-3d17cd1a7f9f
Booth, Steven
c2026d9d-ed93-4b1b-bce5-6b3efc8b8ca5
James, Sonya
764c80e3-5bea-4b34-a871-b43f87ef97b0
Lim, Sean
1afe5aa1-61a4-4a7b-927f-5e671f885196
Beers, Stephen
a02548be-3ffd-41ab-9db8-d6e8c3b499a2
Cragg, Mark
ec97f80e-f3c8-49b7-a960-20dff648b78c
Al-Shamkhani, Aymen
0a40b3ce-9d71-4d41-9369-7212f0a84504

Widdess, Marcus, Pakidi, Anastasia, Metcalfe, Hannah, Chan, Claude, Inzhelevskaya, Tatyana, Penfold, Christine, Mockridge, Christopher I, Booth, Steven, James, Sonya, Lim, Sean, Beers, Stephen, Cragg, Mark and Al-Shamkhani, Aymen (2025) Harnessing Multivalency and FcγRIIB Engagement to Augment Anti-CD27 Immunotherapy. Nature Communications. (doi:10.1038/s41467-025-67882-3).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Despite significant clinical progress, checkpoint blockade remains limited by variable response rates, resistance, and toxicity. Activating costimulatory receptors offers a promising alternative to enhance anti-tumor immunity. However, there is insufficient understanding of how to mimic physiological membrane-anchored costimulatory ligands. Here, we describe a strategy for developing effective agonists of the costimulatory receptor CD27 by increasing both antibody valency and FcγRIIB engagement. Engineered anti-CD27 antibodies capable of tetravalent binding to CD27 and selective FcγRIIB association exhibit potent T cell stimulatory activity and anti-tumor efficacy in pre-clinical models, compared to bivalent counterparts. The anti-tumor effects of the tetravalent antibody are mediated through CD8⁺ T cell activation without evidence of regulatory T cell depletion. Mechanistically, whereas the increase in avidity drives more efficient CD27 clustering, FcγRIIB engagement triggers polarization of receptor clusters to the cell-cell interface and reduces receptor internalization. This work provides a framework for developing more effective agonist-based T cell stimulatory therapies.

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Accepted/In Press date: 11 December 2025
Published date: 20 December 2025

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 508449
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/508449
ISSN: 2041-1723
PURE UUID: 2390dd8b-15c1-42b6-8771-425aa4d2cfa5
ORCID for Marcus Widdess: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2063-8090
ORCID for Claude Chan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0530-9480
ORCID for Sonya James: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0032-5935
ORCID for Sean Lim: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2768-4858
ORCID for Stephen Beers: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3765-3342
ORCID for Mark Cragg: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2077-089X
ORCID for Aymen Al-Shamkhani: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0727-4189

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Date deposited: 21 Jan 2026 17:56
Last modified: 29 Jan 2026 04:20

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Contributors

Author: Marcus Widdess ORCID iD
Author: Anastasia Pakidi
Author: Hannah Metcalfe
Author: Claude Chan ORCID iD
Author: Tatyana Inzhelevskaya
Author: Christine Penfold
Author: Christopher I Mockridge
Author: Steven Booth
Author: Sonya James ORCID iD
Author: Sean Lim ORCID iD
Author: Stephen Beers ORCID iD
Author: Mark Cragg ORCID iD

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