New paper out in Cancer Cell ! This collaboration with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), led by David Knorr and colleagues, shows that an Fc-optimized CD40 agonist (2141-V11), delivered intratumorally, can induce tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) and drive systemic antitumor immunity—with complete responses reported in melanoma and breast cancer.
Beyond the headline result, these findings reinforce a key idea: TLS can be pursued as a therapeutic objective—with the right engineering and delivery, CD40 agonism can reprogram the tumor microenvironment into a self-sustaining immune ecosystem.
Explicyte supported this work with multiplex IHF staining, enabling direct visualization of TLS formation in tumor tissue. This study highlights how our translational research platform helps partners measure and interpret the impact of new immunomodulatory agents—from TLS induction and maturation to dendritic-cell activation, HEV density, and chemokine programs—leveraging spatial biology + multiplex IHF with integrated analytics.