Targeting IL-2 to inflamed tissues via oxidation-specific epitopes enables third-generation bispecific IL-2 therapeutics

Abstract

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is essential for the survival and activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Low-dose native IL-2 (IL-2LD) therapy restores immune regulation in vivo and has shown reproducible clinical benefit across multiple autoimmune, inflammatory, and neuroimmune diseases. Attempts to improve IL-2 through engineered variants (muteins) have mainly focused on enhancing Treg selectivity by reducing IL-2 receptor {beta}-chain binding, but this strategy profoundly diminishes biological potency, likely contributing to the limited clinical efficacy of IL-2 muteins. Here, we develop a ''third-generation IL-2'' that combines site-specific targeting and bifunctionality. We generated a bivalent fusion protein linking IL-2 to a single-chain antibody recognizing oxidation-specific epitopes (OSEs), which are abundantly expressed at inflamed sites. Targeting OSEs provides not only site-specific localization, but also true bifunctionality as both anti-OSE antibodies and IL-2LD independently show therapeutic benefit in limiting inflammation. We first show that IL-2IT has bifunctional biological activities in vitro. In vivo, IL-2IT had increased specificity for Treg over Teff activation, which we attribute to a conformation-dependent modulation of IL-2 receptor engagement. Importantly, IL-2IT provided precise delivery to inflamed tissues in models of psoriasis and colitis. Altogether, this resulted in superior therapeutic benefit in multiple clinical settings, including in atherosclerosis models. Thus, our strategy illustrates a generalizable approach to cytokine engineering that preserves native signaling while achieving spatial control. Specifically, our findings validate OSE targeting as an efficient strategy to guide therapeutics to sites of inflammation and establish OSE-IL-2 as a promising bispecific Treg engager for treating inflammation.