On September 14, 2026 Antengene Corporation Limited ("Antengene", SEHK: 6996.HK) , a leading innovative, commercial-stage global biotech company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class and/or best-in-class medicines for autoimmune diseases, solid tumors and hematological malignancies indications, reported that a preclinical research paper evaluating the combination of ATG-037 (CD73 Small Molecule Inhibitor) and selinexor for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), conducted in collaboration with the Department of Hematology at Peking University Third Hospital, has been published in Cancer Gene Therapy, an international SCI journal under Springer Nature.

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Details of the Paper
Title: CD73 inhibitor enhances the antitumor activity of selinexor in multiple myeloma by restoring the activation of CD8+ T cells
Journal: Cancer Gene Therapy
DOI: 10.1038/s41417-026-01078-9

Study Design:

The research team first analyzed CD73 expression across multiple tumor cell lines following selinexor treatment, then tested the combination in vivo using a J558-inoculated BALB/c mouse model, with mice divided into a vehicle group, an ATG-037 monotherapy group, a selinexor monotherapy group and a combination-therapy group. Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to characterize immune cell subtypes and tumor-immune crosstalk, immunofluorescence staining was performed on tumor tissue, and a co-culture model of CD8+ T cells and multiple myeloma cell lines was established to confirm the mechanism behind the combination’s antitumor effect.

Key Findings:

Selinexor treatment was found to upregulate CD73 expression in the majority of tumors, a resistance-associated mechanism that the combination approach was designed to counter. In the mouse model, the combination therapy suppressed tumor growth with an inhibition rate of 62%, compared with 31% for ATG-037 monotherapy and 43% for selinexor monotherapy. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed that the combination synergistically potentiated CD8+ T cell activation by enhancing the interaction between CD8+ T cells and Enpp1+ cells via the CD80–CD28 signaling pathway, and the resulting increase in CD8+ T cell infiltration into tumor tissue was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining. In co-culture experiments, CD73 inhibition was shown to strengthen selinexor-mediated tumor cell killing by activating CD8+ T cells, with significantly elevated levels of Granzyme B (P=0.0252) and IFN-γ (P=0.0067) observed in the combination group.

Conclusion:

The study highlights the synergistic potential of combining selinexor with a CD73 inhibitor for enhancing CD8+ T cell-mediated tumor cytotoxicity in MM. Selinexor therapy upregulates CD73 in the TME, driving adenosine accumulation and an immunosuppressive state. Combined use of ATG-037 blocks this immunosuppressive feedback loop via suppression of CD73-dependent adenosine synthesis, restoring CD8+ T cell activation and proliferation while enhancing T cell cytotoxicity through activation of the CD80-CD28 costimulatory axis. These findings establish a novel, clinically feasible therapeutic paradigm for addressing drug resistance and refractory MM.

(Press release, Antengene, SEP 14, 2026, View Source [SID1234670836])