What Are Trispecific Antibodies in Multiple Myeloma? | Myeloma in a Minute (https://www.myeloma.org/videos/are-trispecific-antibodies-multiple-myeloma-myeloma-minute)
What Are Trispecific Antibodies in Multiple Myeloma? | Myeloma in a Minute
What are trispecific antibodies, and how could they affect multiple myeloma treatment? In this quick explainer video, Dr. Joseph Mikhael breaks down the difference between bispecific antibodies and emerging trispecific antibodies in clear, patient-friendly language.
Learn how bispecific antibodies help T-cells find and attack myeloma cells, why trispecific antibodies use an extra targeting arm, and how this newer immunotherapy approach may improve precision while potentially reducing off-target effects and side effects.
Whether you're newly diagnosed, living with multiple myeloma, researching treatment advances, or supporting a loved one, this short video explains an important emerging therapy concept in simple terms.
Dr. Joseph Mikhael:
If you know myeloma, you've probably heard of bispecific antibodies, but have you heard of trispecific antibodies? Hi everyone. Dr. Joseph Mikhael here from the International Myeloma Foundation, and I'm going to explain the difference in a minute or less.
Bispecific antibodies are an amazing new therapy that we have for multiple myeloma that are called bispecifics because they have two arms. One arm hooks onto something on the surface of myeloma we call an antigen, and the other hooks onto a T-cell to activate that T-cell to destroy the multiple myeloma. They have really revolutionized the way we treat myeloma, but now we're introducing trispecifics that have three arms, two arms that typically hook onto the myeloma and a third arm that engages that T-cell. The rationale for this is amazing really because it's allowing us to be even more precise in hooking onto the multiple myeloma so that we don't have off-target effects, and allows us to use actually less of the drug so there are fewer side effects. Stay tuned for what is coming with new trispecific antibodies in multiple myeloma.
For more information about multiple myeloma or if you have questions, please come and visit us at myeloma.org.
Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO
International Myeloma Foundation Medical Advisor
TGen, City of Hope Cancer Center—Phoenix, AZ, USA
Dr Mikhael is a Professor in the Clinical Genomics and Therapeutics Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Director of Myeloma research at the HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr Mikhael specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. He is the PI of many clinical trials, primarily in relapsed multiple myeloma, and his other clinical research interests include pharmaco-economics, communication skills, and media relations.
Dr. Mikhael recently served as the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) from 2018 to 2026 – he now serves as Medical Advisor to the IMF to provide guidance and strategic input in areas such as patient education, health disparities, collaboration with partners, international research, and publications.
Dr Mikhael has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in these fields and lectures internationally on a regular basis. Dr. Mikhael is deeply committed to health disparities in myeloma and is the chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council at TGen. Dr. Mikhael is heavily involved in training future researchers and mentors junior faculty worldwide. Dr. Mikhael is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) and recently led the ASCO guidelines in myeloma. Dr. Mikhael also serves as the Treasurer on the executive of the American Society of Hematology.
Dr. Mikhael did his medical training in Canada, including a fellowship in Multiple Myeloma at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He also obtained his master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto. He then worked at the Mayo Clinic Arizona as a Hematologist from 2008-2018.
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