Ieramilimab (development code LAG525) is a

monoclonal antibody A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a cell lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell. Monoclonal antibodie ...

being developed by

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company, pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the eighth largest by re ...

for the treatment of cancer. The antibody targets the

immune checkpoint Immune checkpoints are regulators of the immune system. These pathways are crucial for self-tolerance, which prevents the immune system from attacking cells indiscriminately. However, some cancers can protect themselves from attack by stimulat ...

LAG-3, which is expressed on T cells and tends to down-regulate an immune response. In a June 2015 presentation Novartis management indicated that 'dosing is imminent' for the first clinical trials of LAG525. Ieramilimab's first clinical trial is a Phase I in patients with various solid tumors, in combination with spartalizumab (PDR001), an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody has been completed. Recruiting for a phase 2 study in combination with spartalizumab for the treatment of metastatic melanoma is underway.

References

{{Reflist Experimental cancer drugs Monoclonal antibodies