# CD40 agonist antibodies

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/cd40-agonists/  
OnCo record `cd40-agonists` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Antibodies that switch on CD40 on dendritic cells and macrophages to kick-start an immune response against tumours that checkpoint drugs alone cannot reach.

## Summary

CD40 is a co-stimulatory receptor on antigen-presenting cells; its activation licenses dendritic cells to prime T cells and can reprogramme tumour macrophages. Agonist antibodies such as sotigalimab and mitazalimab have been tested with chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer and with checkpoint inhibitors, with encouraging response rates but no randomised win yet. Dose-limiting cytokine release and liver toxicity have constrained systemic dosing, prompting tumour-conditional and intratumoural designs.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: phase-2
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Principle: Antibodies cluster CD40 on antigen-presenting cells, mimicking CD40 ligand from helper T cells and driving dendritic cell maturation and macrophage activation.
- Strengths: Acts upstream of T-cell priming; Can remodel the stroma of poorly immunogenic tumours
- Limitations: Cytokine release and hepatotoxicity; Randomised evidence lacking

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD40_(protein)
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD40_(protein)

## Connected records

- cancers: [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- fronts: [Immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/immunotherapy/)

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