Table 6 Recent examples of plant-based antibodies against tumour malignancies and infectious
diseases
Antibody
Host/expression
strategy
Functionality evaluation
Reference
Trastuzumab
(humanized)
N. benthamiana
(transient)
Anti-proliferative effects, similarly to the current drug
Herceptin
Komarova
et al. (2011);
Grohs et al.
(2010)
Rituximab (BLX-300
mouse/human chimeric
anti-CD20 antibody
C2B, with human-like
glycosylation)
Aquatic plant
Lemna minor
(LEX System)
In preclinical studies showed the
same target cell-binding activity,
improved antibody-dependent
cellular cytotoxicity against B
cells and superior B-cell depletion, induction of apoptosis but
attenuated complementdependent cytotoxicity
Cox et al.
(2006);
Gasdaska et al.
(2012)
Rituximab
immunocytokine
(scFv-Fc fused to
human IL-2 with
homogeneous glycosylation devoid of
xylose/fucose Nglycosylation)
N. benthamiana
(transient)
In vitro CD20 binding activity
comparable to Rituximab and
efficient elicitation of antibodydependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)
hIL-2 in the context of 2B8-FchIL-2 maintained the biological
activity and subsequent triggering of T-cell proliferation
Marusic et al.
(2016)
Obinutuzumab
(humanized from
mouse monoclonal
antibody against a
CD20 epitope partially
overlapping that of
rituximab and
glycoengineered)
N. benthamiana
(transient)
Substantially equivalent to that
derived from conventional Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells
in binding to CD20 and
expanding the immune-mediated
target cell death
Lee et al.
(2018)
2G12 (human mAb
against a neutralizing
epitope on HIV-1
GP120 protein)
Tobacco, maize
and Arabidopsis
(transgenic)
Potent and broad HIV-1-neutralizing activity in vitro and in vivo
Hessell et al.
(2009)
Double-blind, placebocontrolled, randomized, doseescalation, phase I clinical trial
was performed
Ma et al. (2015)
Tobacco
(transient)
Binding and neutralization
properties with the “humanized”
N-glycans equivalent to that of
the original mAb derived from
CHO cells. More effective in
virus neutralization
Sainsbury et al.
(2010)
N. tabacum and
N. benthamiana
(transgenic,
sIgA version of
2G12)
Effective aggregation of HIV
virions and enhanced stability in
mucosal secretions when compared to the cognate IgG format
Paul et al.
(2014)
(continued)
82
S. Massa et al.
diseases
Antibody
Host/expression
strategy
Functionality evaluation
Reference
Trastuzumab
(humanized)
N. benthamiana
(transient)
Anti-proliferative effects, similarly to the current drug
Herceptin
Komarova
et al. (2011);
Grohs et al.
(2010)
Rituximab (BLX-300
mouse/human chimeric
anti-CD20 antibody
C2B, with human-like
glycosylation)
Aquatic plant
Lemna minor
(LEX System)
In preclinical studies showed the
same target cell-binding activity,
improved antibody-dependent
cellular cytotoxicity against B
cells and superior B-cell depletion, induction of apoptosis but
attenuated complementdependent cytotoxicity
Cox et al.
(2006);
Gasdaska et al.
(2012)
Rituximab
immunocytokine
(scFv-Fc fused to
human IL-2 with
homogeneous glycosylation devoid of
xylose/fucose Nglycosylation)
N. benthamiana
(transient)
In vitro CD20 binding activity
comparable to Rituximab and
efficient elicitation of antibodydependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)
hIL-2 in the context of 2B8-FchIL-2 maintained the biological
activity and subsequent triggering of T-cell proliferation
Marusic et al.
(2016)
Obinutuzumab
(humanized from
mouse monoclonal
antibody against a
CD20 epitope partially
overlapping that of
rituximab and
glycoengineered)
N. benthamiana
(transient)
Substantially equivalent to that
derived from conventional Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells
in binding to CD20 and
expanding the immune-mediated
target cell death
Lee et al.
(2018)
2G12 (human mAb
against a neutralizing
epitope on HIV-1
GP120 protein)
Tobacco, maize
and Arabidopsis
(transgenic)
Potent and broad HIV-1-neutralizing activity in vitro and in vivo
Hessell et al.
(2009)
Double-blind, placebocontrolled, randomized, doseescalation, phase I clinical trial
was performed
Ma et al. (2015)
Tobacco
(transient)
Binding and neutralization
properties with the “humanized”
N-glycans equivalent to that of
the original mAb derived from
CHO cells. More effective in
virus neutralization
Sainsbury et al.
(2010)
N. tabacum and
N. benthamiana
(transgenic,
sIgA version of
2G12)
Effective aggregation of HIV
virions and enhanced stability in
mucosal secretions when compared to the cognate IgG format
Paul et al.
(2014)
(continued)
82
S. Massa et al.