Modulation of the Biophysical Properties of Bifunctional Antibodies as a Strategy for Mitigating Poor Pharmacokinetics.

Abstract

Interest in the development of bi- or multispecific antibody (BsAbs)-based biotherapeutics is growing rapidly due to their inherent ability to interact with many targets simultaneously, thereby potentially protracting their functionality relative to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Biophysical property assays have been used to improve the probability of clinical success for various mAb therapeutics; however, there is a paucity of such data for BsAbs. This work evaluates a fusion of an IgG with an isolated protein domain (deemed ECD) and serves to understand how molecular architecture influences biophysical and biochemical properties and, in turn, how these relate to drug disposition. The biophysical characteristics of the molecules (charge, nonspecific binding, FcRn and Fcγ receptor interactions, thermal stability, structure-dynamics, and hydrophobic properties) indicated preferred orientations of ECD and IgG, which supported better pharmacokinetic outcomes. In certain instances, in which ECD-IgG configurations led to suboptimal biophysical behavior in the form of increased hydrophobicity and global ECD instability, drug clearance was found to be increased by ≥2-fold, driven by endothelial cell-based association/clearance mechanisms in the liver, kidneys, and spleen. Improvements in the pharmacokinetic properties were afforded by positional modulation of ECD that was able to bring the disposition characteristics in line with those of the parental mAb. The findings provide some pragmatic, broadly applicable strategies and guidance for the design considerations and evaluation of ECD-BsAb constructs. Additional studies, delineating the precise interactions involved in the clearance of the ECD-BsAb constructs, remain an opportunistic area for improving their in vivo kinetic properties.