Innovative Immune-Guided Antibody Therapy for Tough Tumors in Breast Cancer

University of Queensland researchers report a novel antibody targeting ROR1 that elicited potent immune‑guided recognition of triple‑negative breast cancer (TNBC) and other ROR1‑expressing tumors in preclinical studies.

The antibody increased immune engagement by promoting antibody‑dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and by enabling NK‑cell activation when combined with engineered super NK cells designed to resist TGF‑β.

Immediate translational priorities include IND‑enabling toxicology, GLP safety assessment and scalable manufacturing for both the antibody and the cell therapy.

Safety considerations include on‑target, off‑tumor expression risk, immune‑related toxicity such as cytokine release, and potential interactions when modulating the TGF‑β pathway. If clinical translation confirms preclinical efficacy with manageable toxicity, an antibody‑plus‑cell platform could expand therapeutic options for hard‑to‑treat ROR1‑expressing malignancies.