Abstract 1871: Discovery and characterization of NXV01c, an EGFR × cMET bispecific nanobody drug conjugate with potent anti-tumor activity

Abstract

Abstract EGFR and cMET are proven cancer targets co-expressed in diverse tumor types. EGFR × cMET bispecific antibody has been approved for the treatment of NSCLC, supporting a simultaneous targeting strategy. In addition to this dual targeting benefit, bispecific antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting EGFR and cMET have also been developed to further improve anti-tumor activity and tissue selectivity. Sufficient target affinity, good cellular internalization and high tumor infiltration are critical for an ADC to mediate therapeutic activity. To this end, we developed the first EGFR × cMET bispecific nanobody conjugated with monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) as payload (NXV01c). Lead nanobodies against EGFR and cMET were respectively selected from immune libraries by phage display, followed by highly efficient humanization and optimization by neoX’s computation platform. The bispecific nanobody with Fc (NXV01) was constructed by “knobs-into-holes” heterodimerization and then homogeneously conjugated with MMAE via a lysosomal cleavable valine-citrulline dipeptide linker. The resulting bispecific nanobody drug conjugate (NDC), NXV01c, was evaluated in multiple tumor cell lines and tumor xenograft models. NXV01, the pre-conjugate bispecific nanobody, bound EGFR and cMET with nanomolar potency (BLI) and inhibited the phosphorylation of cellular EGFR and cMET with nanomolar IC50 (ELISA). Moreover, it did not activate cellular cMET. Importantly, the NDC NXV01c is highly homogeneous: it has an average DAR of 3.87 and >95% of NXV01c has a DAR of 4. To examine stability of conjugation, NXV01C was incubated in human plasma (37°C) for 14 days, the maximum free drug release rate (by LC/MS/MS) is 0.68%, which is much lower than that of DS8201. In vitro, NXV01c was rapidly internalized into H1975 cells which co-expressed EGFR and cMET. It inhibited the growth of H1975 (lung) and SNU5 (gastric) cancer cells with picomolar activity but spared normal keratinocytes. NXV01c also inhibited the proliferation of additional cell lines derived from lung, gastric, esophageal, and liver cancer, and the level of inhibition positively associated with the expression density of both targets. In an H1975 cell line-derived xenograft model, NXV01C exhibited potent and dose-dependent anti-tumor activity. Treatments at 3 and 10 mg/kg once per week for 2 weeks led to shrinkage and complete regression of tumor, respectively. In patient-derived xenograft models of NSCLC and esophageal cancer, NXV01C led to tumor regression and elimination without noticeable toxic effects. EGFR × cMET bispecific nanobody drug conjugate NXV01c has favorable drug-like properties and demonstrated superior anti-tumor effect in vitro and in vivo. The results suggest NXV01C can be an effective solution for EGFR/cMET bearing tumors commonly found in diverse malignancies. Citation Format: Ran Wu, Puwei Yuan, Yang Xie, Jianxiu Guo, Fei Zhang, Fan Liu, Taylor B. Guo. Discovery and characterization of NXV01c, an EGFR × cMET bispecific nanobody drug conjugate with potent anti-tumor activity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1871.