Patients with advanced liver cirrhosis may develop a clinical syndrome characterized by a blunted contractile responsiveness to stress and/or altered diastolic relaxation, called "cirrhotic cardiomyopathy." This syndrome, which is initially asymptomatic, is often misdiagnosed due to the presence of symptoms that characterize other disorders present in patients with advanced liver cirrhosis, such as exercise intolerance, fatigue, and dyspnea. Stress and other conditions such as liver transplantation and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) may unmask this syndrome. Liver transplantation in this group of patients results in a clinical improvement and can be a cure for the cardiomyopathy. However, post-transplant prognosis depends on the identification of cirrhotics with cardiomyopathy in the pre-transplant phase; an early diagnosis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy in the pre-transplant phase may avoid an acute onset or worsening of cardiac failure after liver transplantation. Since a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction may mask the presence of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, the use of newer noninvasive diagnostic techniques (i.e. tissue Doppler, myocardial strain) is necessary to identify cirrhotics with this syndrome, in the pre-transplant phase. A pre-transplant treatment of heart failure in cirrhotics with cardiomyopathy improves the quality of life in this phase and reduces the complications during and immediately after liver transplantation. Since specific therapies for cirrhotic cardiomyopathy are lacking, due to the absence of a clear understanding of the pathophysiology of the cardiomyopathy, further research in this field is required.

CD47, a broadly expressed cell surface protein, inhibits cell phagocytosis via interaction with phagocyte-expressed SIRPα. A variety of hematological malignancies demonstrate elevated CD47 expression, suggesting that CD47 may mediate immune escape. We discovered three unique CD47-SIRPα blocking anti-CD47 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with low nano-molar affinity to human and cynomolgus monkey CD47, and no hemagglutination and platelet aggregation activity. To characterize the anti-cancer activity elicited by blocking CD47, the mAbs were cloned into effector function silent and competent Fc backbones. Effector function competent mAbs demonstrated potent activity in vitro and in vivo, while effector function silent mAbs demonstrated minimal activity, indicating that blocking CD47 only leads to a therapeutic effect in the presence of Fc effector function. A non-human primate study revealed that the effector function competent mAb IgG1 C47B222-(CHO) decreased red blood cells (RBC), hematocrit and hemoglobin by >40% at 1 mg/kg, whereas the effector function silent mAb IgG2σ C47B222-(CHO) had minimal impact on RBC indices at 1 and 10 mg/kg. Taken together, our findings suggest that targeting CD47 is an attractive therapeutic anti-cancer approach. However, the anti-cancer activity observed with anti-CD47 mAbs is Fc effector dependent as are the side effects observed on RBC indices.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction represents a frequent clinical condition and is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Diastolic dysfunction is the most common cause of HF-PSF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction). Therefore it becomes important to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying diastolic dysfunction, as well as the effective therapeutic strategies able to antagonize its development and progression. Among the complex pathophysiological factors that may contribute to the development of diastolic dysfunction, the RAAS (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system) has been shown to play a significant role. Paracrine and autocrine signals of the RAAS promote structural and functional changes in the heart largely linked to increased myocardial fibrosis. Enhanced and dysregulated activity of the RAAS also contributes to the development of volume overload and vasoconstriction with subsequent increases in left ventricular diastolic filling pressures and a higher susceptibility of developing CHF (congestive heart failure). More recently, it has also been suggested that the RAAS may play a role in triggering myocardial and vascular inflammation through the activation of different cell types and the secretion of cytokines and chemokines. RAAS-induced myocardial inflammation leads to perivascular myocardial fibrosis and to the development or progression of diastolic dysfunction. For these reasons pharmacological blockade of the RAAS has been proposed as a rational approach for the treatment of diastolic dysfunction. In fact, ACEIs (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), ARBs (angiotensin II receptor blockers) and AAs (aldosterone antagonists) have been demonstrated to delay the development and progression from pre-clinical diastolic dysfunction towards CHF, as well as to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.

T-cell–mediated approaches have shown promise in myeloma treatment. However, there are currently a limited number of specific myeloma antigens that can be targeted, and multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease. G-protein–coupled receptor class 5 member D (GPRC5D) is expressed in MM and smoldering MM patient plasma cells. Here, we demonstrate that GPRC5D protein is present on the surface of MM cells and describe JNJ-64407564, a GPRC5DxCD3 bispecific antibody that recruits CD3+ T cells to GPRC5D+ MM cells and induces killing of GPRC5D+ cells. In vitro, JNJ-64407564 induced specific cytotoxicity of GPRC5D+ cells with concomitant T-cell activation and also killed plasma cells in MM patient samples ex vivo. JNJ-64407564 can recruit T cells and induce tumor regression in GPRC5D+ MM murine models, which coincide with T-cell infiltration at the tumor site. This antibody is also able to induce cytotoxicity of patient primary MM cells from bone marrow, which is the natural site of this disease. GPRC5D is a promising surface antigen for MM immunotherapy, and JNJ-64407564 is currently being evaluated in a phase 1 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory MM (NCT03399799).

B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a member of the tumor necrosis factor family of receptors, is predominantly expressed on the surface of terminally differentiated B cells. BCMA is highly expressed on plasmablasts and plasma cells from multiple myeloma (MM) patient samples. We developed a BCMAxCD3 bispecific antibody (teclistamab [JNJ-64007957]) to recruit and activate T cells to kill BCMA-expressing MM cells. Teclistamab induced cytotoxicity of BCMA+ MM cell lines in vitro (H929 cells, 50% effective concentration [EC50] = 0.15 nM; MM.1R cells, EC50 = 0.06 nM; RPMI 8226 cells, EC50 = 0.45 nM) with concomitant T-cell activation (H929 cells, EC50 = 0.21 nM; MM.1R cells, EC50 = 0.1 nM; RPMI 8226 cells, EC50 = 0.28 nM) and cytokine release. This activity was further increased in the presence of a γ-secretase inhibitor (LY-411575). Teclistamab also depleted BCMA+ cells in bone marrow samples from MM patients in an ex vivo assay with an average EC50 value of 1.7 nM. Under more physiological conditions using healthy human whole blood, teclistamab mediated dose-dependent lysis of H929 cells and activation of T cells. Antitumor activity of teclistamab was also observed in 2 BCMA+ MM murine xenograft models inoculated with human T cells (tumor inhibition with H929 model and tumor regression with the RPMI 8226 model) compared with vehicle and antibody controls. The specific and potent activity of teclistamab against BCMA-expressing cells from MM cell lines, patient samples, and MM xenograft models warrant further evaluation of this bispecific antibody for the treatment of MM. Phase 1 clinical trials (monotherapy, #NCT03145181; combination therapy, #NCT04108195) are ongoing for patients with relapsed/refractory MM.