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Bispecific T-Cell Engager (BiTE) Therapy

Bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) therapy represents a revolutionary approach to cancer treatment. By using antibodies engineered in a laboratory, doctors connect a patient's immune system T-cells directly to their cancer cells. This enables the T-cells to attack and kill the cancer cells.

These new therapies are offering renewed hope to patients with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and, more recently, lung cancer and metastatic uveal melanoma, for which treatment options once were limited.

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BiTE therapy is currently available to patients in Central Pa. Contact us to learn more.

What Is Bispecific T-Cell Engager (BiTE) Therapy?

Our immune systems already have the tools to eliminate cancer. The challenge is locating cancer cells among the trillions of healthy cells in our bodies, especially because cancer is skilled at staying hidden. Bispecific T-cell engagers, or BiTEs for short, are designed to solve that problem.

These specialized antibodies have two binding sites. One attaches to a protein on a cancer cell, and the other connects to a T-cell — a key immune fighter. By linking the two, BiTEs help guide immune cells directly to their targets, making it easier to attack and destroy cancer.

How immunity works

To understand how BiTEs work, it helps to understand how antigens and antibodies work in the immune system:

  • Antigens are substances — usually proteins — found on the surface of cells, viruses, bacteria, or even nonliving particles like toxins. They act like ID tags that help the immune system recognize what’s foreign or harmful.
  • Antibodies are special proteins made by B cells, a type of white blood cell. Each antibody is designed to attach to a specific antigen, like a lock and key.

When an antibody binds to an antigen, it flags the invader for destruction, making it easier for immune cells to attack and remove the threat. Together, antigens and antibodies help your immune system detect and fight off infections and other harmful substances.

Regular antibodies look like the letter “Y.” The two arms grab onto the same antigen, and the stem helps send signals to the immune system.

How BiTEs work

BiTEs are different.

Scientists take one arm from an antibody that targets cancer cells and another arm from an antibody that connects to immune cells called T-cells. They join these two arms with a flexible link, creating a new molecule that can bind to two different proteins at once.

In this new molecule:

  • One arm sticks to a protein found on cancer cells.
  • The other arm sticks to a protein called CD3 on T-cells.

This connection enables the immune cell to find and attack the cancer cell directly.

What conditions do you treat?

BiTEs are currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat specific blood cancers, including multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma. BiTEs are also FDA-approved for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Is Bispecific T-cell Engager Therapy Right For Me?

Your doctor might recommend BiTE therapy if you:

  • Are diagnosed with a form of blood cancer or lung cancer that is approved for bispecific T-cell engager treatment.
  • Are experiencing cancer recurrence after initial treatments like chemotherapy.
  • Are in good enough health to undergo therapy and have no serious health conditions, such as heart failure or neurological disorders.
  • Can manage your own care after leaving the hospital or have support from a caregiver.
  • Can reliably travel to and from the clinic for multiple follow-up visits.

What Bispecific T-cell Engager Therapies Do You Offer?

Current FDA-approved bispecific T-cell engager therapies include:

  • Blinatumomab (Blincyto) – Approved for both adults and children with certain B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias.
  • Elranatamab (Elrexfio) – For people with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma.
  • Glofitamab (Columvi) – For select patients with pretreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL).
  • Epcoritamab (Epkinly) – Also approved for pretreated DLBCL or LBCL.
  • Mosunetuzumab (Lunsumio) – For those with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.
  • Talatamab-dlle (Imdelltra) – For those with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) that has progressed after treatment with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.
  • Talquetamab (Talvey) – Also for heavily pretreated multiple myeloma cases.
  • Tebentafusp - For people with metastatic uveal melanoma.
  • Teclistamab (Tecvayli) – For people with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

These BiTE therapies work by targeting proteins commonly found on cancerous blood cells, helping the immune system recognize and destroy them. More BiTE therapies are being developed all the time.

Why Choose UPMC for Bispecific T-cell Engager Therapy?

As one of just 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center provides cutting-edge treatment and access to hundreds of clinical trials.

  • UPMC Hillman provides clinical care to more than 170,000 people each year throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, western New York, Ohio, and in Ireland and Italy.
  • We offer access to the latest advances in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment at locations throughout our extensive network, enabling people with cancer to receive advanced immunotherapies like BiTE therapy close to home.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-10-10.