Optimizing human FcRn mouse models to improve pharmacokinetic evaluation of antibody drug candidates

ABSTRACTThe linear pharmacokinetics (PK) of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can be considered a class property with values that are similar to endogenous IgG. Knowledge of these parameters across species could be used to avoid unnecessary in vivo PK studies and to enable early PK predictions and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) simulations. In this work, population-pharmacokinetic (popPK) modeling was used to determine a single set of ‘typical’ popPK parameters describing the linear PK of mAbs in human, cynomolgus monkey and transgenic mice expressing the human neonatal Fc receptor (hFcRn Tg32), using a rich dataset of 27 mAbs. Non-linear PK was excluded from the datasets and a 2-compartment model was applied to describe mAb disposition. Typical human popPK estimates compared well with data from comparator mAbs with linear PK in the clinic. Outliers with higher than typical clearance were found to have non-specific interactions in an affinity-capture self-interaction nanoparticle spectroscopy assay, offering a potential tool to screen out these mAbs at an early stage. Translational strategies were investigated for prediction of human linear PK of mAbs, including use of typical human popPK parameters and allometric exponents from cynomolgus monkey and Tg32 mouse. Each method gave good prediction of human PK with parameters predicted within 2-fold. These strategies offer alternative options to the use of cynomolgus monkeys for human PK predictions of linear mAbs, based on in silico methods (typical human popPK parameters) or using a rodent species (Tg32 mouse), and call into question the value of completing extensive in vivo preclinical PK to inform linear mAb PK.

Human FcRn transgenic mice (Tg32) have been widely used to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of mAbs and predict human pharmacokinetics. This study aims to establish an approach for predicting the human pharmacokinetics of Fc-engineered mAbs with enhanced FcRn binding mutations using Tg32 mice. MAbs were intravenously administered at 10 mg/kg in the absence or presence of IVIG (1000 mg/kg) in Tg32 mice. Pharmacokinetic parameters (CL, Q, Vc, and Vp) estimated in Tg32 mice were compared with clinical data. Optimal allometric scaling exponents were determined to improve the accuracy of human pharmacokinetic predictions for Fc-engineered mAbs. Moreover, we predicted the plasma concentration-time profile after IV injection in humans using parameters estimated based on an optimized exponent. While normal mAbs exhibited a higher CL in the presence of IVIG compared to its absence, Fc-engineered mAbs showed comparable CL in both conditions. The larger difference in CL between normal and Fc-engineered mAbs observed in the presence of IVIG closely matched clinical study results. A significant positive correlation between Tg32 mice and humans was observed in the CL of Fc-engineered mAbs in both the absence and presence of IVIG. The estimated optimal exponents for CL, Q, Vc, and Vp were 0.73, 0.60, 0.95, and 0.87, respectively. Using these exponents, the plasma mAb concentration-time profile after IV injection in humans was accurately predicted. This study establishes a robust methodology for accurately predicting the human pharmacokinetics of Fc-engineered mAbs using Tg32 mice, achieving prediction accuracy comparable to that of cynomolgus monkeys. This approach, as a viable alternative to cynomolgus monkeys, can accelerate the preclinical development of promising Fc-engineered mAbs with enhanced FcRn binding.

BackgroundNipocalimab (JNJ-80202135, M281) is a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) designed to bind to the human FcRn receptor with high affinity at both neutral and acidic pH, and is...

Optimal pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are essential to achieve the desired pharmacological benefits in patients. To accomplish this, we followed an approach comprising structure-based mAb charge engineering in conjunction with the use of relevant preclinical models to screen and select humanized candidates with PK suitable for clinical development. Murine mAb targeting TDP-43, ACI-5891, was humanized on a framework (VH1–3/VK2–30) selected based on the highest sequence homology. Since the initial humanized mAb (ACI-5891.1) presented a fast clearance in non-human primates (NHPs), reiteration of humanization on a less basic human framework (VH1-69-2/VK2–28) while retaining high sequence homology was performed. The resulting humanized variant, ACI-5891.9, presented a six-fold reduction in clearance in NHPs resulting in a significant increase in half-life. The observed reduced clearance of ACI-5891.9 was attributed not only to the overall reduction in isoelectric point (pI) by 2 units, but importantly to a more even surface potential. These data confirm the importance and contribution of surface charges to mAb disposition in vivo. Consistent low clearance of ACI-5891.9 in Tg32 mice, a human FcRn transgenic mouse model, further confirmed its utility for early assessment and prediction of human PK. These data demonstrate that mAb surface charge is an important parameter for consideration during the selection and screening of humanized candidates in addition to maintaining the other key physiochemical and target binding characteristics.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are among the fastest growing and most effective therapies for myriad diseases. Multispecific antibodies are an emerging class of novel therapeutics that can target more than one tumor- or immune-associated modulators per molecule. The combination of different binding affinities and target classes, such as soluble or membrane-bound antigens, within multispecific antibodies confers unique pharmacokinetic (PK) properties. Numerous factors affect an antibody’s PK, with affinity to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) a key determinant of half-life. Recent work has demonstrated the potential for humanized FcRn transgenic mice to predict the PK of mAbs in humans. However, such work has not been extended to multispecific antibodies. We engineered mAbs and multispecific antibodies with various Fc modifications to enhance antibody performance. PK analyses in humanized FcRn transgenic mouse (homozygous Tg32 and Tg276) and non-human primate (NHP) models showed that FcRn-binding mutations improved the plasma half-lives of the engineered mAbs and multispecific antibodies, while glycan engineering to eliminate effector function did not affect the PK compared with wild-type controls. Furthermore, results suggest that the homozygous Tg32 mouse model can replace NHP models to differentiate PK of variants during lead optimization, not only for wild-type mAbs but also for Fc-engineered mAbs and multispecific antibodies. This Tg32-mouse model would enable prediction of half-life and linear clearance of mAbs and multispecific antibodies in NHPs to guide the design of further pharmacology/safety studies in this species. The allometric exponent for clearance scaling from Tg32 mice to NHPs was estimated to be 0.91 for all antibodies.

Background: NaPi2b is a multi-pass transmembrane sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein encoded by the gene SLC34A2. NaPi2b is involved in normal phosphate homeostasis and its expression is found in the lung, liver, and small intestine. NaPi2b is highly expressed in ovarian carcinomas, lung adenocarcinomas, and colorectal carcinomas. ZW220 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting human NaPi2b, wherein a humanized IgG1 antibody is conjugated to novel camptothecin-based topoisomerase I inhibitor, ZD06519. The drug linker in ZW220 is comprised of a maleimide anchor and a glycyl glycyl phenylalanyl glycine (GGFG)-aminomethyl (AM) cleavable sequence. Materials and Methods: A series of in vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to interrogate the mechanism of action and the therapeutic potential of ZW220. The binding, internalization, potency, and bystander effect of ZW220 were evaluated in vitro using endogenous NaPi2b-expressing ovarian and lung cancer cell lines. In vivo, the anti-tumor activity of ZW220 was evaluated in a panel of cell line derived xenograft (CDX) models and ovarian patient derived xenograft (PDX) models featuring a range of NaPi2b expression. The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of ZW220 was determined in Tg32 mice, a transgenic mouse expressing human neonatal Fc receptor (hFcRn). Results: ZW220 antibody exhibited cross-reactivity to human and cynomolgus monkey NaPi2b, nanomolar binding affinity and rapid internalization in NaPi2b-expressing cell lines in vitro. ZW220 elicited target-specific, sub-nanomolar cytotoxicity in two-dimensional monolayer and three-dimensional tumor spheroid models and demonstrated bystander-mediated cell killing in cancer cell co-culture assays. The treatment of a panel of ovarian PDXs with a single dose of 6 mg/kg of ZW220 resulted in robust tumor growth inhibition. ZW220 demonstrated a favourable PK profile in Tg32 mice, with comparable half-life to its parental unconjugated antibody. These results support the potential of ZW220 as a novel therapeutic agent which may help address unmet medical need in patients with NaPi2b-expressing tumors. Citation Format: Andrea Hernandez Rojas, Jodi Wong, Dunja Urosev, Sam Lawn, Kaylee Wu, Saki Konomura, Manuel Lasalle, Diego A. Alonzo, Luying Yang, Mark Petersen, Lemlem T. Degefie, Araba P. Sagoe-Wagner, Sohyeong Kang, Chi Wing Cheng, Raffaele Colombo, Daya Siddappa, Stuart D. Barnscher, Jamie R. Rich. ZW220, a novel NaPi2b-targeting antibody drug conjugate bearing a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor payload [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1533.

Serum albumin is the major determinant of blood colloidal osmotic pressure acting as a depot and distributor of compounds including drugs. In humans, serum albumin exhibits an unusually long half-life mainly due to protection from catabolism by neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-mediated recycling. These properties make albumin an attractive courier of therapeutically-active compounds. However, pharmaceutical research and development of albumin-based therapeutics has been hampered by the lack of appropriate preclinical animal models. To overcome this, we developed and describe the first mouse with a genetic deficiency in albumin and its incorporation into an existing humanized FcRn mouse model, B6.Cg-Fcgrttm1Dcr Tg(FCGRT)32Dcr/DcrJ (Tg32). Albumin-deficient strains (Alb-/-) were created by TALEN-mediated disruption of the albumin (Alb) gene directly in fertilized oocytes derived from Tg32 mice and its non-transgenic background control, C57BL/6J (B6). The resulting Alb-/- strains are analbuminemic but healthy. Intravenous administration of human albumin to Tg32-Alb-/- mFcRn-/- hFcRnTg/Tg) mice results in a remarkably extended human albumin serum half-life of ∼24 days, comparable to that found in humans, and in contrast to half-lives of 2.6–5.8 d observed in B6, B6-Alb-/- and Tg32 strains. This striking increase can be explained by the absence of competing endogenous mouse albumin and the presence of an active human FcRn. These novel albumin-deficient models provide unique tools for investigating the biology and pathobiology of serum albumin and are a more appropriate rodent surrogates for evaluating human serum albumin pharmacokinetics and albumin-based compounds.

Background: Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a cell-surface oncofetal glycoprotein frequently expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with minimal presence in normal adult tissues. ZW251 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting human GPC3, composed of a humanized IgG1 antibody conjugated to a novel camptothecin-based topoisomerase 1 inhibitor, ZD06519, via a maleimide anchor and a glycyl glycyl phenylalanyl glycine (GGFG)-aminomethyl (AM) cleavable linker. Materials and Methods: Extensive functional characterization was performed to assess the mechanism of action and therapeutic potential of the ZW251 ADC. Antibody binding to human and cynomolgus monkey GPC3 was assessed by surface plasmon resonance and flow cytometry. A screen of off-target binding and target specificity was conducted using a membrane proteome array. ZW251 antibody internalization in GPC3-expressing tumor cell lines was assessed by flow cytometry. In vitro ADC cytotoxicity against tumor monolayers and spheroids was assessed in a panel of HCC cell lines. Tumor cell co-culture assays were also performed to assess bystander-mediated cell killing by ZW251. The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of the ZW251 antibody was assessed in Tg32 mice expressing human FcRn. Anti-tumor activity of ZW251 was investigated in a large panel of cell line-derived xenograft (CDX) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models representing a range of GPC3 expression. Results: The ZW251 antibody backbone demonstrated nanomolar binding affinity to both human and cynomolgus monkey GPC3, and strong binding to target-expressing cancer cell lines. Rapid internalization of ZW251 antibody was observed in GPC3-expressing HCC cell lines. ZW251 exhibited potent and target-specific cytotoxicity in a panel of HCC cells cultured either in monolayer or as 3D spheroids. ZW251 showed effective bystander-mediated killing of GPC3 negative cancer cells when in co-culture with GPC3 positive cancer cells. The ZW251 antibody demonstrated a favorable PK profile in Tg32 mice. A single administration of ZW251 resulted in robust tumor growth inhibition of a large panel of CDX and PDX models representing a range of GPC3-expression. Overall, these results support the potential of ZW251 as a novel therapeutic agent against GPC3-bearing cancers. Citation Format: Laurence Madera, Andrea Hernández Rojas, Raffaele Colombo, Alex Wu, Chayne L. Piscitelli, Dunja Urosev, Allysha Bissessur, Chi Wing Cheng, Renee Duan, Catrina Kim, Kevin Yin, Vincent Fung, Kaylee Wu, Winnie Cheung, Diego A. Alonzo, Mark E. Petersen, Stuart D. Barnscher, Jamie R. Rich. ZW251, a novel glypican-3-targeting antibody drug conjugate bearing a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor payload [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2658.

Preclinical assessment is required for the growing number of immunotherapeutics in development. Clinically relevant pharmacokinetic analysis can be achieved by using transgenic mice that uniquely express the human Fc receptor neonatal (hFcRn). To demonstrate the utility of the human FcRn Tg mouse model platform, three immunotherapeutics (pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, and belatacept) were administered IV to Tg32, Tg276, FcRn null, and B6 wild type mice. The mice were blood sampled (25 µL) at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 19, 22, 26, and 30 days. Immunotherapeutic plasma concentations, assessed by human IgG ELISA, were pharmacokinetically analyzed. Tg32 mice yielded half-life values for these immunotherapeutics with ranges that mimicked patient data. Though reduced in scale, Tg276 mice also produced half-life data that correlated with the established human half-life data for pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, and belatacept. These results confirm that the human FcRn Tg model platform can be broadly applied to preclinical pharmacokinetic screening of mAb and Fc-fusion based immunotherapeutics. Citation Format: Gregory J. Christianson, Emily Lowell, Cat Lutz. Utility of human FcRn transgenic mice for preclinical screening of immunotherapeutics [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4905.

Understanding the pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of a drug, such as clearance, is a crucial step for evaluating efficacy. The PK of therapeutic antibodies can be complex and is influenced by interactions with the target, Fc-receptors, anti-drug antibodies, and antibody intrinsic factors. A growing body of literature has linked biophysical properties of antibodies, particularly nonspecific-binding propensity, hydrophobicity and charged regions to rapid clearance in preclinical species and selected human PK studies. A clear understanding of the connection between biophysical properties and their impact on PK would allow for early selection and optimization of antibodies and reduce costly attrition during clinical trials due to sub-optimal human clearance. Due to the difficulty in obtaining large and unbiased human PK data, previous studies have focused mostly on preclinical PK. For this study, we obtained and curated the most comprehensive clinical PK dataset to date and calculated accurate estimates of linear clearance for 64 monoclonal antibodies ranging from investigational candidates in Phase 2 trials to marketed products. This allows for the first time a deep analysis of the influence of biophysical and sequence-based in silico properties directly on human clearance. We use statistical analysis and a Random Forest classifier to identify properties that have the greatest influence in our dataset. Our findings indicate that in vitro poly-specificity assay and in silico estimated isoelectric point can discriminate fast and slow clearing antibodies, extending previous observations on preclinical clearance. This provides a simple yet powerful approach to select antibodies with desirable PK during early-stage screening.

Preclinical animal models of infection are employed to develop new agents but also to screen among molecules to rank them. There are often major differences between human pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles and those developed by animal models of infection, and these may lead to substantial differences in efficacy relative to that seen in humans. Linezolid is a repurposed agent employed to great effect for therapy of Mycobacterium tuberculosis In this study, we used the hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM) to evaluate the impact of different pharmacokinetic profiles of mice and nonhuman primates (NHP) versus humans on bacterial cell kill as well as resistance suppression. We examined both plasma and epithelial lining fluid (ELF) profiles. We examined simulated exposures equivalent to 600 mg and 900 mg daily of linezolid in humans. For both plasma and ELF exposures, the murine PK profile provided estimates of effect that were biased low relative to human and NHP PK profiles. Mathematical modeling identified a linkage between minimum concentrations (Cmin) and bacterial kill and peak concentrations (Cpeak) and resistance suppression, with the latter being supported by a prospective validation study. Finding new agents with novel mechanisms of action against M. tuberculosis is difficult. It would be a tragedy to discard a new agent because of a biased estimate of effect in a preclinical animal system. The HFIM provides a system to benchmark evaluation of new compounds in preclinical animal model systems against human PK effects (species scale-up estimates of PK), to safeguard against unwarranted rejection of promising new agents.

B-Cell Targeting Anti-CD37 Humanized Antibodies Engineered for Potent Effector Functions and Extended Plasma Half-Life

Intra-tumoral (I-TUMOR) delivery is being widely explored for novel anti-cancer agents. This route is anticipated to result in high tumor concentrations leading to better efficacy and safety. Prediction of human systemic pharmacokinetics (PK) from non-clinical species facilitates understanding of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships, efficient dose selection, and risk assessment of novel drugs. However, there is limited knowledge on predictability of human pharmacokinetics following I-TUMOR delivery. In this publication, we present a case study wherein human systemic PK of a novel agent administered intra-tumorally was prospectively predicted and compared with observed human PK. Simple allometry was used to project the human clearance (10.5 ml/min/kg) and steady-state volume of distribution (1.4 L/kg) after intravenous (IV) dosing. Using these IV PK parameters and assuming rapid absorption and complete I-TUMOR bioavailability, human plasma PK profile was simulated. The projected 30 min concentrations and AUC(0-6h) were within 1.9-2.5 fold and 1-1.4 fold of the observed PK indicating a reasonable concordance between predicted and observed PK. To our knowledge, this is the first article that prospectively projected human pharmacokinetics after I-TUMOR dosing. The results from this study indicate that similar approaches can be used to project the human PK of other I-TUMOR agents.

Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), a class of targeted protein degraders, are advancing in clinical development, necessitating the accurate prediction of human pharmacokinetics (PK). This study developed a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling approach informed by in vitro to in vivo extrapolation to predict the human PK of 2 PROTACs: vepdegestrant (ARV-471) and bavdegalutamide (ARV-110). Bottom-up PBPK models were built in mouse (ARV-471), and in mouse, rat, and dog (ARV-110) using physicochemical and in vitro absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion data, including solubility, permeability from a modified Genentech Madin-Darby canine kidney cells assay with 4% bovine serum albumin, and liver microsomal intrinsic clearance (CL). In vitro to in vivo extrapolation gaps were identified and addressed using empirical scalars, including additional systemic CL and tissue partition coefficient scalars, to capture observed intravenous PK. Oral absorption and exposure in preclinical species were predicted using a mechanistic absorption model, assuming passive diffusion driven by total drug concentration. Based on the preclinical PBPK strategy, predicted human apparent CL after oral administration and apparent volume of distribution after oral dosing values for ARV-110 at 35 mg aligned within 2-fold of clinical observations. For ARV-471 at 30 mg oral dose, apparent volume of distribution after oral dosing predictions were within range, but apparent CL after oral administration was overpredicted. To improve alignment with the observed clinical PK, model refinement was limited to adjusting the additional systemic CL scalar, whereas absorption and distribution parameters remained unchanged. The refined PBPK models successfully simulated human oral PK within 2-fold of observed values across multiple doses (60-360 mg for ARV-471 and 70-140 mg for ARV-110). This PBPK modeling framework may support human PK prediction of PROTACs during late-stage drug discovery and development. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study highlights that a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PK)-in vitro to in vivo extrapolation strategy can reliably predict the human PK of proteolysis targeting chimeras, an emerging therapeutic class with complex absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties. Incorporating mechanistic absorption modeling and permeability data from modified in vitro assays (Genentech Madin-Darby canine kidney cells with 4% bovine serum albumin) improved oral absorption predictions, whereas the integration of multispecies preclinical PK data enhanced the translational accuracy of human PK predictions. Together, these findings establish a translational physiologically based PK framework for estimating oral exposure in first-in-human studies and supporting model-informed development of proteolysis targeting chimeras drug candidates.

The pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of therapeutic antibodies directly affect efficacy, dose and dose intervals, application route and tissue penetration. In indications where health-care providers and patients can choose between several efficacious and safe therapeutic options, convenience (determined by dosing interval or route of application), which is mainly driven by PK properties, can affect drug selection. Therapeutic antibodies can have greatly different PK even if they have identical Fc domains and show no target-mediated drug disposition. Biophysical properties like surface charge or hydrophobicity, and binding to surrogates for high abundant off-targets (e.g., baculovirus particles, Chinese hamster ovary cell membrane proteins) were proposed to be responsible for these differences. Here, we used heparin chromatography to separate a polyclonal mix of endogenous human IgGs (IVIG) into fractions that differ in their PK properties. Heparin was chosen as a surrogate for highly negatively charged glycocalyx components on endothelial cells, which are among the main contributors to nonspecific clearance. By directly correlating heparin retention time with clearance, we identified heparin chromatography as a tool to assess differences in unspecific cell–surface interaction and the likelihood for increased pinocytotic uptake and degradation. Building on these results, we combined predictors for FcRn-mediated recycling and cell–surface interaction. The combination of heparin and FcRn chromatography allow identification of antibodies with abnormal PK by mimicking the major root causes for fast, non-target-mediated, clearance of therapeutic, Fc-containing proteins.