Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41107402›Full record

ArticleActa pharmacologica Sinica2026

An engineered IL-21 variant is a potent antitumor candidate for antitumor immunotherapy.

Hui Wu, Ya-Ping Cheng, Yu-Long Liu, Ruo-Han Zhu, Li-Wen Ji, Ming-Kai Wang, Quan-Xiao Li, Zhao-Ling Shen, Tian-Lei Ying, Yan-Ling Wu

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Acta pharmacologica Sinica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Hui WuKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Ya-Ping ChengKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Yu-Long LiuKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Ruo-Han ZhuInnovation Center, Forlong Biotech Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 201210, China.
Li-Wen JiInnovation Center, Forlong Biotech Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 201210, China.
Ming-Kai WangKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Quan-Xiao LiKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Zhao-Ling ShenKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Tian-Lei YingKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China. tlying@fudan.edu.cn.
Yan-Ling WuKey Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS) and Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China. yanlingwu@fudan.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

IL-21, as an immune agonist, has demonstrated limited therapeutic efficacy in cancer immunotherapy. To overcome this inherent limitation, we constructed a yeast surface-displayed IL-21 mutant library guided by the structure of the IL-21/IL-21 receptor (IL-21R). Following one round of magnetic bead sorting and three rounds of fluorescence-activated cell sorting, several variants were isolated and evaluated for receptor-binding affinity at the protein level. We identified an IL-21 Variant (IL-21V) featuring four critical mutations (Q19L, Y23N, V69T and K73Q) at the interaction interface with IL-21R. Compared with wild-type IL-21, IL-21V exhibited an approximately 7-fold increase in IL-21R binding affinity and a ~50-fold increase in STAT3 signalling pathway activation. In preclinical in vivo models, IL-21V exhibited broad-spectrum antitumor activity against B16F10 melanoma, MC38, and CT26 colorectal cancer. Notably, IL-21V exhibited significantly stronger antitumor effects compared to wild-type IL-21, even at a low dose of 0.15 mg/kg, highlighting its potential as a promising and effective immunotherapeutic candidate for cancer treatment.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsImmunotherapyInterleukinsAnimalsCell Line, TumorFemaleHumansInterleukin-21Melanoma, ExperimentalMiceMice, Inbred BALB CMice, Inbred C57BLMutationProtein EngineeringReceptors, Interleukin-21STAT3 Transcription FactorAntineoplastic AgentsInterleukin-21InterleukinsReceptors, Interleukin-21STAT3 Transcription Factorcancer immunotherapycolorectal cancerengineered cytokineIL-21 variantmelanoma

Identifiers

PMID41107402
PMCPMC12932829

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.