Immunotherapeutic targeting of surfaceome heterogeneity in AML

Immunotherapy remains underexploited in AML compared to other hematological malignancies. Currently, gemtuzumab ozogamicin is the only therapeutic antibody approved for this disease. To identify potential targets for immunotherapeutic intervention, we analyzed the surface proteome of 100 genetically diverse primary human AML specimens for the identification of cell surface proteins and conducted single-cell transcriptome analysis on a subset of these specimens to assess antigen expression at the sub-population level. Through this comprehensive effort, we successfully identified numerous antigens and markers preferentially expressed by primitive AML cells. Many identified antigens are targeted by therapeutic antibodies currently under clinical evaluation for various cancer types, highlighting the potential therapeutic value of the approach. Importantly, this initiative led to the uncovering of AML heterogeneity at the surfaceome level, identifying several antigens and potential LSC markers characterising AML subgroups and positioning immunotherapy as a promising approach to target AML subgroup specificities.