High – Grade Diffuse Gliomas (HGGs) represents between 15 to 20 % of all central nervous system (CNS) tumor in children and have a 2 year survival rate of only 10 to 30 % (1). The impact of current treatments is unfortunately small, highlighting the need for new and novel therapies. Membranes glycosphingolipids (GSL), including gangliosides, represent an unexplored source of tumor-associated antigens. In our laboratory, we have generated a mouse monoclonal antibody that is specific for the O-acetylated derivative of the neuroblastoma-associated tumor antigen ganglioside GD2 (OAcGD2). Although prior reports suggest that OAcGD2 is expressed by glioma cells, the expression of OAcGD2 on the cell surface of malignant gliomas has not been fully evaluated. Thus, we explored the usefulness of OAcGD2 as a candidate target antigen for antibody-mediated therapy in patients with malignant glioma.
We first demonstrated that OAcGD2 is expressed on surgically resected human glioma tissues and glioma cell lines. Next, we studied the anti-HGGs properties of mAb and showed that mAb 8B6 inhibits HGGs cell proliferation. Our findings suggest that HGGs are suitable for specific targeting by mAbs specific for O-AcGD2. In addition, they provided the preclinical support for the use of anti-O-acetylated GD2 mAbs as a valuable addition to current therapeutics.