USE OF AN ANTI-CCR7 ANTIBODY IN COMBINATION THERAPIES WITH A BTK INHIBITOR AND/OR BCL2- INHIBITOR FOR TREATING HEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES

摘要

The present invention provides a novel use and methods comprising antibodies, or antigenbinding fragments thereof, which bind to a CCR7 receptor for use as a novel combination therapy with a BTK inhibitor and/or a Bcl-2 inhibitor in treatment of hyperproliferative blood malignancies, preferably in B-cell lymphomas, such as CLL. The combination can be used as first line, or in naïve patients not treated before with a BTK inhibitor and/or Bcl-2 inhibitor, or in patients with a BTK- inhibitor and/or Bcl-2-inhibior refractory/relapsed disease. The antibodies and antigen-binding fragments are capable of selectively depleting ex vivo or in vitro malignant cells expressing CCR7 and are capable of impairing/blocking migration of said tumor cells towards CCR7 ligands. These effects are not related to previous or contemporary treatments with a BTK inhibitor and/or a Bcl-2 inhibitor. Similarly, the efficacy of the antibodies is not affected in patients that have relapsed/refractory disease. The use of said antibodies as a monotherapy or as a combination with a BTK inhibitor and/or a Bcl-2 inhibitor for depleting, killing and impairing/blocking migration and activation of tumor cells expressing CCR7 cells is disclosed, thus providing an alternative therapy treating hyperproliferative blood cancers.