anti-HER2 Antibody Research Articles

Abstract PO1-04-07: Disitamab vedotin, a clinical stage HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate, shows potent antitumor activity as a monotherapy and in combination with tucatinib in preclinical breast cancer models

Abstract Disitamab vedotin (DV, RC48-ADC) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that targets cancers expressing HER2. DV consists of an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, disitamab, conjugated with the microtubule-disrupting agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) via a cleavable vedotin linker. DV has multimodal antitumor mechanisms of action that include direct cytotoxicity of HER2-expressing cancer cells and bystander effect-based cytotoxicity of neighboring cells, both of which are mediated by the intracellular release of MMAE. Released MMAE can also induce immunogenic cell death, which promotes immune cell recruitment to the tumor. In addition, DV stimulates Fc-gamma receptor mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, which can lead to target cell death. DV also inhibits HER2-activated downstream signaling pathways, further blocking cell growth, survival, and proliferation. Previously, we showed the cytotoxic activity of DV against a panel of breast cancer cell lines with varying levels of HER2 expression, including the HER2-low range. Here, we sought to further characterize the preclinical antitumor activity of DV in patient-derived 3D models and patient-derived xenographs (PDX). In cultured breast cancer cells, DV was more potent and internalized to a greater magnitude than the HER2-directed ADCs trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd). In patient-derived 3D models, DV had superior activity compared to T-DXd. We further explored whether dual HER2 targeting with DV in combination with the HER2-selective oral TKI tucatinib improved the antitumor outcomes. In PDX models with varying HER2 IHC levels and models refractory to T-DXd, DV as a monotherapy and in combination with tucatinib showed significant tumor growth inhibition. This result is consistent with previous in vitro results that showed increased cytotoxicity of the combination of DV and tucatinib in cell lines with a wide range of HER2 expression, which may be mechanistically attributed to elevated HER2 cell surface levels upon treatment with tucatinib. Overall, these findings provide scientific rationale to explore DV in HER2-positive and HER2-low breast cancer patients as a monotherapy or in combination with tucatinib. Citation Format: Kelsi Willis, Renee Hein, Katie Snead, Robert Thurman, Anita Kulukian. Disitamab vedotin, a clinical stage HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate, shows potent antitumor activity as a monotherapy and in combination with tucatinib in preclinical breast cancer models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO1-04-07.

Abstract PO3-04-01: Population Pharmacokinetics of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in HER2-positive breast cancer subjects: analyses across 12 Phase 1-3 studies

Abstract Background: T-DXd, an antibody-drug conjugate composed of a humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody and a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload, is approved for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive (HER2+) BC administered T-DXd 5.4 mg/kg Q3W with a prior anti-HER2–based therapy either in the metastatic setting, or in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting and have developed disease recurrence during or within six months of completing therapy. The objective of this analysis was to present pharmacokinetic (PK) characterization of T-DXd and DXd in patients with advanced/metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer from a pooled data source of 12 phase 1 to 3 clinical trials. Methods: Data from subjects with HER2-positive breast cancer and other solid tumors enrolled in studies DS8201-A-J101, DS8201-A-J102, DS8201-A-A103, DS8201-A-A104, DS8201-A-U201, DS8201-AJ202, DS8201-A-U205, DS8201-A-U204, DS8201-A-U206, DS8201-A-U301, DS8201-A-U302, and DS8201-A-U303 were used for this analysis. A population PK (PopPK) analysis was performed using nonlinear mixed effects modeling approach using NONMEM® (version 7.4.3). The effect of significant covariates was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses on steady-state exposure of T-DXd and DXd. Results: Data across T-DXd doses 0.8 to 8 mg/kg with 2216 subjects were included. The PK of T-DXd and DXd were adequately described by PopPK analysis based on standard model diagnostic techniques. T-DXd elimination clearance and volume of distribution of central and peripheral compartments were estimated at 0.402 L/day, 2.68 L and 5.91 L, respectively. DXd elimination clearance was estimated at 18.4 L/hour. Covariates previously detected to be statistically significant (cancer type, tumor size, albumin, race-country, body weight and sex for T-DXd; age, cancer type, AST, total bilirubin, ritonavir or itraconazole use, race-country, formulation and body weight for DXd) were retained in the PopPK model. No new covariates were identified as statistically significant in the PopPK analysis. All covariates were contained within the 0.8 to 1.25 exposure ratio interval in T-DXd and DXd steady-state area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), indicating no clinically meaningful effect, except for subjects with high body weight (90 kg; 95th percentile) showing a 28% and 26% higher T-DXd and DXd AUC, respectively, relative to a BC subject with median body weight of 60 kg. None of these changes were clinically meaningful based on exposure-response analyses of efficacy and safety endpoints. T-DXd and DXd post hoc exposure estimates in all BC subjects (HER2-positive and HER2-low) as well as BC subjects with HER2- positive were comparable across hepatic function, renal function, region, race-country and line of therapy. Conclusions: Similar T-DXd and DXd exposures were obtained for the recommended dosing of 5.4 mg/kg Q3W T-DXd in BC subjects across categories of hepatic function, renal function, region, race-country, HER2 status, and line of therapy. Citation Format: Claire Li, Stefanie henning, Kashyap Patel, Katrina Hui, Gerly van der Vleuten, malaz Abutarif, Tushar Garimella, Amit Khatri. Population Pharmacokinetics of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in HER2-positive breast cancer subjects: analyses across 12 Phase 1-3 studies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-04-01.

Abstract PO2-06-08: Suppression of GATA2/3-FOXA1-HER3 Axis by Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors shows Antitumor Activity in Basal-like Breast Cancer

Abstract Introduction: Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) represents an aggressive subtype of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that exhibits a high risk of recurrence and resistance to treatment. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACis), including panobinostat and romidepsin, have obtained approval for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies and demonstrated effectiveness in TNBC cells. We recently found that panobinostat and romidepsin potently induced TNBC cell growth inhibition and apoptosis via downregulation of HER3 through suppression of forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1), a pioneering transcription factor. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism through which HDACis suppress FOXA1, thereby inhibiting HER3 expression and its downstream signaling in FOXA1/HER3 co-expressing TNBC remains elusive. Methods: Colony formation, MTS, and LIVE/DEAD cell staining assays were used to detect cell viability. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry assays. QRT-PCR, western blots, and immunohistochemistry were performed to determine the expression and activation of genes and/or proteins. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to assess the interaction between proteins. Lentivirus vectors containing cDNA or shRNAs were used to overexpress or knockdown gene expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR and dual luciferase reporter assays were performed to elucidate the regulatory role of gene transcription. Results: Elevated expression of FOXA1 was observed in BLBC specimens and cell lines tested. FOXA1 was co-expressed with HER3 and transcriptionally activated the HER3 expression in BLBC cells. HER3 formed heterodimers with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), activating downstream signaling pathways in BLBC cells. Treatment with panobinostat and romidepsin resulted in growth inhibition and apoptosis in BLBC cells by downregulating FOXA1 expression and inhibiting HER3 signaling. Notably, the combination of HDACis with an EGFR inhibitor (gefitinib) or an anti-HER3 antibody synergistically enhanced the anti-survival effects on BLBC cells. Additionally, gene expression profiling datasets revealed a significant positive correlation between FOXA1 expression and the transcription factors GATA-Binding Protein 2/3 (GATA2/3). Patients with high GATA2/3-FOXA1 expression exhibited worse Relapse-Free Survival (RFS) compared to those with low expressions in BLBC via Kaplan-Meier analysis. Further investigations showed that GATA2/3 directly activated FOXA1 transcription by binding to its promoter. Moreover, ectopic expression of GATA2/3 not only restored FOXA1 expression downregulated by HDACis but also attenuated the anti-survival effects of HDACis on BLBC cells. Conclusion: HDACis exhibit potent inhibitory effects on BLBC cells via downregulation of GATA2/3-mediated repression of FOXA1 gene transcription, which in turn suppresses HER3 expression and signaling. Our findings indicate that epigenetic targeting of the GATA2/3-FOXA1-HER3 axis may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the eradication of BLBC tumors. Keywords: FOXA1, GATA2/3, HER3, HDAC inhibitors, Basal-like breast cancer Citation Format: Bolin Liu, Congcong Tan, Hui Lyu. Suppression of GATA2/3-FOXA1-HER3 Axis by Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors shows Antitumor Activity in Basal-like Breast Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-06-08.

Abstract PO3-19-10: Phase 1b study of EZH1/2 inhibitor valemetostat in combination with trastuzumab deruxtecan in subjects with HER2 low/ultra-low/null metastatic breast cancer

Abstract Background Low HER2-expressing breast cancers have traditionally been classified as HER2-negative and treated as TNBC or hormone receptor (HR)-positive. Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd), an antibody-drug conjugate, composed of an anti-HER2 antibody conjugated to topoisomerase I payload, is approved for clinical use in HER2-low (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH negative) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In the DAISY study (NCT04132960), meaningful clinical response was observed with T-DXd in HER2 IHC 0 MBC. Valemetostat is an oral, selective dual inhibitor of enhancer of zeste homolog 1 and 2 (EZH1/2, methyltransferases that specifically methylate histone H3 lysine 27. It is currently approved for patients with relapsed or refractory adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in Japan. EZH2-mediated PP2A inactivation has been shown to confer resistance to HER2-targeted therapy. Additionally, valemetostat has been shown to upregulate Schlafen11 (SLFN11), a putative DNA/RNA helicase, that regulates the sensitivity to DNA damaging agents such as topoisomerase I inhibitors. Consequently, this study examines the safety and anti-tumor activity of valemetostat in combination with T-DXd in subjects with HER2 low/ultra-low/null MBC. Trial Design This is a single-arm, phase-1b study to evaluate the safety and clinical activity of T-DXd in combination with valemetostat in patients with HER2 low/ultra-low/null MBC. The dosing for T-DXd is 5.4 mg/kg Q3W administered intravenously as indicated for current clinical use. Valemetostat will be evaluated at three dose levels (100 mg, 150 mg, and 200 mg orally), with starting dose (level 1) at 100 mg QD. The dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) evaluation period will be the first 2 treatment cycles (42 days). Eligibility criteria Specific aims Statistical methods Approximately 12 evaluable patients will be enrolled for the dose-escalation portion based on the Bayesian optimal interval design with a target DLT rate of 25%. Patients enrolled in cohorts of 3. The expansion will be performed at the RDE using the 2-stage Bayesian optimal dose-expansion design. In the first stage, 13 evaluable patients (including those treated at the RDE in the dose-escalation part) will be enrolled. If < 5 patients respond in the first stage, the study will be stopped for futility. If ≥ 5 responses are observed, 13 additional evaluable patients will be enrolled. If 11 or more responses are observed among the total of 26 patients the treatment will be regarded as promising. This two-stage design yields 78% power under the alternative hypothesis of ORR=50% (null ORR = 30%) while controlling the one-sided type I error at 10%. Contact information for people with a specific interest in the trial sdamodaran@mdanderson.org (NCT05633979) Citation Format: Senthil Damodaran, Toshiaki Iwase, Angela Marx, Jie Willey, Funda Meric-Bernstam, Debu Tripathy, Carlos Barcenas, Jangsoon lee, Naoto Ueno. Phase 1b study of EZH1/2 inhibitor valemetostat in combination with trastuzumab deruxtecan in subjects with HER2 low/ultra-low/null metastatic breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO3-19-10.

Abstract PO1-04-01: Phase 1 dose escalation study of ARX788, a next-generation anti-HER2 antibody drug conjugate, in heavily pretreated breast cancer patients

Abstract Introduction: ARX788 is a next-generation anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) conjugated to amberstatin269 (AS269), a potent cytotoxic tubulin inhibitor. ARX788 is highly stable with nearly identical PK profiles for the total ADC and the total antibody due to proprietary site-specific oxime conjugation chemistry. The stability of ARX788 results in limited systemic toxicity and increased targeted delivery of payload to tumor cells. Clinical benefit of ARX788 has been observed in patients (pts) with HER2-positive (HER2-pos) breast cancer (BC) in multiple clinical trials and recently in a randomized, controlled, phase 3 registrational trial conducted in China. Methods: ARX788-1711 (NCT03255070)was a phase 1 dose-escalation study of ARX788 monotherapy in pts with advanced solid tumors with HER2 expression. There was no limit to the number of prior therapies. An objective of the trial was investigating the safety and tolerability of ARX788 in pts with BC. Results: Between August 2020 and June 2023, 42 pts with HER2-pos and HER2-low BC with a median of 6 prior lines of therapy received intravenous ARX788 at either 1.5, 1.6, or 1.7 mg/kg every 21 days (Q3W) or every 28 days (Q4W). Treatment regimens were combined for these analyses. ARX788 was generally well tolerated. Most adverse events (AEs) were grade (Gr) 1 or 2, the most common being ocular, alopecia, nausea, and fatigue. Gr3 treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) occurred in 23.8% of pts and included nausea, ocular, AST and ALP increase (4.8% each); one pt (2.4%) had Gr3 pneumonitis/interstitial lung disease. A Gr3 ocular SAE occurred 48 days after the pt’s last study dose and was resolving 9 days after onset. There were no Gr4 or Gr5 events. Treatment discontinuation due to drug-related AEs occurred in 7.1% of pts. Overall response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.1 was analyzed in groups by HER2-low or HER2-pos tumor status. In pts with HER2-pos BC (n=11) the ORR was 54.5% (4 confirmed, 2 unconfirmed); in pts with HER2-low BC (n=30) the ORR was 23.3% (5 confirmed, 2 unconfirmed). The disease control rate (confirmed complete or partial response + stable disease) was 81.8% and 76.7%, for HER2-pos and HER2-low BC, respectively. Six of 9 pts with confirmed responses had a duration of response greater than 5 months. Six of eight pts with prior trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) exposure also had prior trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). Two pts with prior T-DM1 and T-DXd had significant target lesion reductions of 55% and 32%; these were a HER2-low pt with 6 prior cancer therapy regimens and a HER2-pos pt with 9 prior cancer therapy regimens, respectively. Both pts came off treatment before response confirmation. As of the data cut-off (19 Jun 2023), 4 of 9 confirmed responders remain on treatment and continue to experience clinical benefit including one pt with prior T-DM1 exposure with a durable response of 15.8 months. Importantly, significant target lesion reductions were observed in heavily pretreated pts who also received prior T-DXd and T-DM1. Discussion: Based on the promising safety and antitumor activity of ARX788 in this heavily pretreated pt population, a phase 2 study is open (NCT04829604) and enrolling pts with HER2-pos BC who have been previously treated with T-DXd. Citation Format: Sophia Frentzas, Haesong Park, George Budd, Vinod Ganju, Catherine Shannon, Sara Hurvitz, Katharine Cuff, Peter Lau, Richard Eek, Joyce O'Shaughnessy, Fran Boyle, Sandra Aung, Colin Hessel, Janice Lu. Phase 1 dose escalation study of ARX788, a next-generation anti-HER2 antibody drug conjugate, in heavily pretreated breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO1-04-01.

Abstract PO4-18-04: An exploratory study of Trastuzumab Deruxtecan neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive or HER2-low early or locally advanced breast cancer after a poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Abstract Background The current standard of care for neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer consists of dual HER2-blockade with trastuzumab (H) plus pertuzumab (P) and polychemotherapy with a pathological complete response (pCR) rate of 31%~50%. Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is an antibody-drug conjugate composed of an anti-HER2 antibody, a cleavable tetrapeptide-based linker, and a cytotoxic topoisomerase I inhibitor. T-DXd significantly prolonged progression-free and overall survival vs trastuzumab emtansine in HER2-positive unresectable and/or metastatic breast cancer (mBC) previously treated with H and taxane in DESTINY-Breast03 study. HER2-low breast cancer is currently treated as HER2-negative (HER2-low and HER2-zero) breast cancer, with patients stratified according to hormone-receptor (HR) status. In DESTINY-Breast04 study, T-DXd resulted in significantly longer progression-free and overall survival than the physician’s choice of chemotherapy in HER2-low mBC. Given the efficacy of T-DXd monotherapy in HER2-positive or HER2-low mBC, we conduct an exploratory study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of T-DXd in HER2-positive or HER2-low early or locally advanced breast cancer after a poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and to identify sensitive biomarkers for T-DXd neoadjuvant therapy. Methods Eligible patients were women aged 18 years to 75 years with clinical stage cT2–cT4/cN0–cN3/cM0 (stage II–III) invasive breast cancer (>2 cm in size) confirmed as HER2-positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 3+) or HER2-low (IHC2+ or IHC1+/situ hybridization-negative). Patients are required to have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, and baseline left ventricular ejection fraction of at least 55% (as measured by echocardiogram). Patients are also required to have adequate organ function and bone marrow function. Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer should receive taxane (paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel) or docetaxel, carboplatin, and H plus P for 2 cycles. Patients with HER2-low and HR-positive breast cancer should receive taxane (paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel) or docetaxel, and cisplatin or carboplatin for 2 cycles. Patients with HER2-low and HR-negative breast cancer should receive taxane (paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel) or docetaxel, and anthracycline (epirubicin, pirarubicin or liposomal doxorubicin) for 2 cycles. For patients who have responses of stable disease assessed by magnetic resonance imaging will receive T-DXd neoadjuvant therapy. T-DXd will be administered intravenously every 3 weeks at a dose of 5.4 mg per kilogram of body weight for 4 cycles. Peripheral blood and biopsy tissue will be collected before neoadjuvant chemotherapy and T-DXd neoadjuvant therapy, and peripheral blood and surgical tissue will be collected after the surgery. Lipid metabolites in peripheral blood and mass spectrometry-based protein quantification in tissue will be detected to find sensitive biomarkers for T-DXd neoadjuvant therapy. The primary endpoint is pCR rate (ypT0/Tis ypN0) and identify sensitive biomarkers for T-DXd neoadjuvant therapy. Secondary endpoints include objective response rate, breast-conserving rate and invasive disease-free survival. Citation Format: Jin Zhang, Zhendong Shi, Jingjing Liu. An exploratory study of Trastuzumab Deruxtecan neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive or HER2-low early or locally advanced breast cancer after a poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO4-18-04.

Abstract PO2-07-05: Deep learning model for automated quantification of HER2 expression in invasive breast cancers from immunohistochemical whole slide images

Abstract Introduction Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein overexpression and/or HER2 gene amplification is found in about 20% of invasive breast cancers. Considering the results of the DESTINY-Breast trials confirming the remarkable efficacy of anti-HER2 antibody drug-conjugate (T-Dxd) in both HER2-overexpressed and HER2-low tumors, it is necessary to identify not only HER2 (immunohistochemistry (IHC) score 3+) overexpressing tumors, but also HER2-low tumors. The latter category, defined as IHC1+ or IHC2+ but non-amplified, has proven to be challenging even for experienced pathologists, with high inter-observer variability. Here, we validate the performance of a deep learning (DL) model at: 1) predicting the IHC score from IHC histological features and 2) identifying HER2-low tumors with high sensitivity. Methods 675 HER2 stained IHC slides from primary breast cancer patients were selected based on pathology reports across three different cohorts (KCL_GSTT_1 n=369; Cypath_Breast n=214; KCL_GSTT_2 n=92). The slides were digitized and reviewed by expert breast pathologists. Specifically, Cypath_Breast and KCL_GSTT_2 were each annotated by one expert pathologist, while KCL_GSTT_1 was annotated by 5 expert pathologists with the ground truth defined as a majority vote between the 5 annotators. Cypath_Breast was assigned as the “discovery” set; while KCL_GSTT_1 and KCL_GSTT_2 were used as two independent validation cohorts. The model was specifically trained to extract features from IHC tiles to ensure they would capture both the staining intensity and the staining location on the cells (membrane, cytoplasmic or nuclei). The one-vs-one (OVO) and one-vs-rest (OVR) AUC as well as sensitivity and specificity to HER2-low and positive tumors were used as metrics to assess the performance of our model. An expert pathologist reviewed the most predictive regions of HER2 expression. Results After review by expert pathologists, 59 slides from KCL_GSTT_1 were removed either because of folded tissue, blurriness or because there was too little tissue. The IHC scores (0/1+/2+/3+) for the 3 cohorts were distributed as follows; Cypath_Breast: 42/120/36/16; KCL_GSTT_1: 120/90/52/48; KCL_GSTT_2: 54/22/15/1. For KCL_GSTT_1, the average agreement between the 5 expert pathologists amounted to a Cohen’s Kappa score of 0.63. Following training on Cypath_Breast, the performance of the model are presented in An ablation study proved that a feature extractor trained on IHC tiles outperformed an in-house extractor solely trained on H&E tiles (OVO AUC 0.95 vs 0.93 on KCL_GSTT_1; DeLong p< 0.001). Specifically, the model performed best at distinguishing HER2-negative (HER2 IHC 0) from HER2-low and HER2-positive tumors with a sensitivity (0 vs 1+/2+/3+) of 0.95 [0.93 - 0.98] and a specificity (0 vs 1+/2+/3+) of 0.78 [0.72 - 0.84] on KCL_GSTT_1. We observed the same tendency on KCL_GSTT_2 with a sensitivity (0 vs 1+/2+/3+) of 0.97 [0.91 - 1.00] and a specificity of 0.91 [0.83 - 0.98]. More importantly, the DL model reached a Cohen’s Kappa score of 0.72 [0.67 - 0.77] with the ground truth on KCL_GSTT_1, surpassing the average agreement Kappa score between expert pathologists (0.63). The most predictive regions showed cytoplasmic staining in tumor regions. Conclusion Our model provides a path towards a fully automated workflow for identifying up to 95% of breast cancer patients who could potentially benefit from anti-HER2 targeted therapies. Additionally, we show the utility of AI-based tools to minimize discrepancies among pathologists and assist in the diagnostic patient pathway. Table 1: Results of external validation on KCL_GSTT_1 and KCL_GSTT_2 <grpahic> Cohorts OVO AUC OVR AUC IHC 0 OVR AUC IHC 1+ OVR AUC IHC 2+ OVR AUC IHC 3+ KCL_GSTT_1 0.95 0.95 0.80 0.91 0.99 [0.93 - 0.96] [0.94 - 0.95] [0.79 - 0.82] [0.90 - 0.92] [0.99 - 1.00] KCL_GSTT_2 0.92 0.97 0.78 0.84 N/A [0.90 - 0.93] [0.96 - 0.98] [0.76 - 0.81] [0.80 - 0.88] Citation Format: Pierre-Antoine Bannier, Loïc Herpin, Rémy Dubois, Lydwine Van Praet, Charles Maussion, Ellen Amonoo, Anca Mera, Jasmine Timbres, Cheryl Gillett, Elinor Sawyer, Patrycja Gazinska, Piotr Ziolkowski, Roberto Salgado, Sheeba Irshad. Deep learning model for automated quantification of HER2 expression in invasive breast cancers from immunohistochemical whole slide images [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-07-05.

Abstract PO1-18-06: Phase 1/2a Open-label Clinical Trial of BI-1607, an Fc Engineered Monoclonal Antibody to CD32b (FcγRIIB), in Combination with Trastuzumab in Subjects with HER2-positive Advanced Solid Tumors – CONTRAST

Abstract Background The introduction of trastuzumab has dramatically changed outcomes in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) cancer. However, primary or acquired resistance to trastuzumab has been increasingly recognized as a major obstacle in the clinical management of this disease. Combination of anti-HER2 antibodies with other immunotherapies is likely to improve the quantity and quality of responses. BI-1607 is a human monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting FcRIIB (CD32b) with antagonistic function capable of blocking the inhibitory function of FcRIIB on immune effector cells. BI-1607 has been engineered to lack a glycan in position N297Q in the constant domain (Fc), and thus cannot interact with FcγRs through its Fc. Given its high specificity and affinity for FcγRIIB, BI-1607 blocks other antibodies’ binding to FcγRIIB. As a result, BI-1607 is expected to shift tumor cells coated antibodies (here anti-HER2) to selectively engage activating FcγRs, thus augmenting FcγR-dependent therapeutic activity (ADDC, ADCP). Tumor-associated macrophages express high levels of FcγRIIB and are a major target of BI-1607 in the tumor microenvironment. This concept was demonstrated in preclinical in vivo models showing increased efficacy of the combination therapy with the murine surrogate of BI-1607 and an anti-HER2, an anti–cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), and an anti-CD20 (rituximab) as compared to monotherapy. It important to note that BI-1607 will have no single-agent activity. Instead, its clinical use will be in combination with other immunotherapies and tumor-targeting antibodies such as trastuzumab. The choice of trastuzumab as the combination agent in this trial was based on promising preclinical studies, a recognized need for additional options for those patients who fail to respond or stop responding to trastuzumab, and promising results from the newly approved Fc-engineered anti-HER2 mAb margetuximab. Ultimately, if shown to be safe and effective in combination with trastuzumab, BI-1607 can also be used in combination with other cytotoxic or immunomodulatory antibodies for cancer treatment. Methods This is a Phase 1/2a, first-in-human, open-label, multicenter, dose-escalation, consecutive-cohort study of BI-1607 in combination with trastuzumab in subjects with HER2+ advanced solid tumors. Phase 1 aims to assess safety and tolerability and to determine the RP2D of BI-1607 in combination with trastuzumab. Phase 2a will explore efficacy at RP2D of BI-1607 in combination with trastuzumab in two separate expansion cohorts, a) in subjects with locally advanced or metastatic HER2+ breast cancer and b) in subjects with HER2+ metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Eligible patents must have a HER2+ locally advanced unresectable or metastatic solid tumors and have received standard of care or be intolerant to standard of care antineoplastic therapy, with progressive disease after the last line of treatment. Accrual/Planned Accrual As of June 222d, 2023 10 patients have been treated into trial and dosed with BI-1607 and trastuzumab at doses from 75-900 mg every 3 weeks (Q3W) in Phase 1. Phase 2a will enroll 15 subjects each in two cohorts of HER2+ advanced/metastatic breast cancer or HER2+ gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma respectively. For information regarding the study, please contact: anna.ropenga@bioinvent.com Citation Format: Javier Cortés, Araceli Priego, Elena Garralda Cabanas, Katerin Rojas Lamito, Simon Lord, Thorsten Goetze, Sherko Küemmel, Simon Crabb, Marie Borggren, Ingrid Karlsson, Linda Mårtensson, Anna Ropenga, Ingrid Teige, Johan Wallin, Björn Frendeus, Andres McAllister. Phase 1/2a Open-label Clinical Trial of BI-1607, an Fc Engineered Monoclonal Antibody to CD32b (FcγRIIB), in Combination with Trastuzumab in Subjects with HER2-positive Advanced Solid Tumors – CONTRAST [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO1-18-06.

Abstract RF02-05: Report on Cohort Expansion of Phase I Study to Investigate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Antitumor Activity of BB-1701 in Patients with Locally Advanced/Metastatic HER2 Low Breast Cancer

Abstract Background: BB-1701 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) consisting of a humanized IgG1κ monoclonal anti-HER2 antibody with the same sequence as trastuzumab and eribulin linked together by a cathepsin-cleavable valine-citrulline linker. Eribulin is an inhibitor of microtubule approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and advanced liposarcoma, following prior therapies. When BB-1701 targets HER2 expressing cancer cells and it is internalized, free eribulin is cleaved from the ADC by cathepsin b and causes cytotoxicity to cancer cells. The neighboring cells were affected with bystander effects, like cytotoxicity on tumor cells and non-cytotoxic effects on microenvironment, by free eribulin released from dying cancer cells. Here, we report preliminary results from the ongoing cohort expansion of a phase I study of BB-1701 in patients with HER2 low breast cancer (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT 04257110). Methods: Patients ≥ 18 years of age with confirmed locally advanced/metastatic HER2 low breast cancer (IHC 2+ and FISH negative or IHC 1+), that had progressed on at least two lines of prior standard therapies, with ECOG PS ≤ 2 and measurable disease (RECIST 1.1) were enrolled. HER2 expressions was determined by IHC and FISH before enrollment. Total of four dose levels of BB-1701 (1.0 mg/kg Q3W, 1.2 mg/kg Q3W, 1.4 mg/kg Q3W and 1.6 mg/kg Q3W) were administered during the cohort expansion. The safety, tolerability and preliminary anti-tumor activity of BB-1701 were assessed during study. Radiographic assessment was conducted every 6 weeks. Results: As of 30 June 2023, 40 patients with HER2 low breast cancer were enrolled in the four dose levels, 5 patients at 1.0 mg/kg Q3W, 20 patients at 1.2 mg/kg Q3W, 5 patients at 1.4 mg/kg Q3W and 10 patients at 1.6 mg/kg Q3W. Median age was 55 years (range 30-74), 97.5% were female, and 30.0%/70.0% patients were ECOG PS 0/1. The median prior lines of systemic therapy were 3 (range 2 – 9). All subjects experienced at least one treatment emergent adverse events and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 30 subjects. The most common all grade TRAEs (≥20%) were peripheral neuropathy, aspartate aminotransferase increased, alanine aminotransferase increased, anemia, white blood cell count decreased. Grade 3 TRAEs were peripheral neuropathy (3 subjects), peripheral sensory neuropathy (2 subjects), neutrophil count decreased (2 subjects), platelet count decreased (1 subject), white blood cell count decreased (1 subject). There were no grade 4 or grade 5 events. The treatment related serious adverse events (SAEs) were peripheral sensory neuropathy (1 subject) and infusion related reaction (1 subject). There was no interstitial lung disease reported. No patients discontinued the study treatment due to AE. Of the 40 patients enrolled, 38 patients were evaluable for antitumor activity. At 1.0 mg/kg dose level, of 5 patients treated, 2 achieved partial response (PR), 2 had stable disease (SD), best overall response rate (BOR) was 40.0% (2/5) and disease control rate (DCR) was 80.0% (4/5). At 1.2 mg/kg dose level, of 18 patients treated, 5 achieved PR, 11 had SD with BOR of 27.8% (5/18) and DCR of 88.9% (16/18). At 1.4 mg/kg dose level, of 5 patients treated, 2 achieved PR, 2 had SD with BOR of 40.0% (2/5), and DCR was 80.0% (4/5). One patient who achieved PR was previously progressed on sacituzumab govitecan. At 1.6 mg/kg dose level, of 10 patients treated, 1 achieved CR, 3 achieved PR, 2 had SD with BOR of 40.0% (4/10), and DCR of 60.0% (6/10). Among these patients, the patient who achieved CR was previously treated by disitamab vedotin, and one patient who achieved PR was previously treated by trastuzumab deruxtecan. Conclusions: BB-1701 has demonstrated promising preliminary antitumor activity in HER2 low breast cancer including patients who received prior anti-HER2 ADCs, and a manageable safety profile. Citation Format: Fei Ma, Pamela Munster, Xiaoxiang Guan, Jingfen Wang, Herui Yao, Erika Hamilton, Xian Wang, Yehui Shi, Xinjun Liang, Nong Xu, Huoling Tang, Yuhong Zhou, Ziping Wei. Report on Cohort Expansion of Phase I Study to Investigate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Antitumor Activity of BB-1701 in Patients with Locally Advanced/Metastatic HER2 Low Breast Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr RF02-05.

Abstract PO2-13-03: Spatial HER2 heterogeneity on HER2-PET in HER2-low and negative disease: potential biomarker for antibody-drug conjugate effect

Abstract Background: Anti-HER2 antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) can assert an effect in part of patients with HER2-low breast cancer. In light of patient burden and financial sustainability, biomarkers to select responding patients are urgently needed, but so far, none have been identified. In the IMPACT trial (NCT01957332), patients with newly diagnosed and non-rapidly progressive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) of all subtypes (including HER2-negative, -low, and –positive disease) were included. We assessed the performance of Zirconium-89 (89Zr)-trastuzumab positron emission tomography (HER2-PET) in HER2-low and negative MBC. Methods: All patients received extensive workup, including a metastasis biopsy and HER2-PET at baseline. HER2 status was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization. ⁸⁹Zr-trastuzumab uptake was quantified as maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVmean) in metastases and healthy background tissue. Quantitative ⁸⁹Zr-trastuzumab uptake of all metastases and corresponding biopsied metastasis, was related to HER2 IHC status. Results: In 200 patients, ⁸⁹Zr-trastuzumab uptake was quantified in 5,163 metastases. With increasing HER2 IHC status, uptake was higher (geometric mean SUVmax 7.0, 7.6, 7.3, and 17.4 with HER2 IHC 0, 1, 2, or 3+, in respectively 71, 71, 20, and 24 biopsied metastases (P  0.001 between IHC 0 and 3+). SUVmax in lesions was heterogeneous within and between patients for all HER2 IHC groups. All HER2 IHC groups, also HER2-negative and -low, had uptake exceeding that of the healthy background (geometric mean tumor-to-background ratio SUVmax >1 in all groups, increasing with higher HER2 IHC). Of patients with a HER2 IHC 0 biopsy, 27.8% had at least one metastasis elsewhere in the body, with uptake exceeding the overall 90th SUVmax percentile of 14.6; in HER2 low IHC1+ and 2+, this was 31.9% and 30%. Conclusions: In this largest series with HER2-PET in patients with MBC, we show that ±30% of patients with HER2-low or -negative IHC in the biopsy, in fact, have metastases with high HER2 uptake elsewhere in the body. This spatial heterogeneity provides novel insights into HER2-negative and -low disease compared to standard HER2 IHC of a single biopsy. As HER2-PET uptake is related to ADC response in HER2 positive MBC1, HER2-PET is a potential biomarker for anti-HER2 ADC effect in HER2-low and -negative MBC as well. Reference: 1. Gebhart G, et al. Ann Oncol 2016;27(4): 619-624. Supported by the Dutch Cancer Society grant 2012-5565 Citation Format: Carolien Schroder, Jasper van Geel, Bertha Eisses, Adrienne Brouwers, Sjoerd Elias, Frederike Bensch, Evelien Kuip, Agnes Jager, Andor Glaudemans, Bert van der Vegt, Willemien Menke-van der Houven van Oordt, Elisabeth de Vries. Spatial HER2 heterogeneity on HER2-PET in HER2-low and negative disease: potential biomarker for antibody-drug conjugate effect [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-13-03.

Abstract PO2-04-03: BL-M07D1, an antibody-drug conjugate directed to HER2 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic Breast Cancer with HER2-positive/low-expression and other solid tumors: Results from a first-in-human phase 1 study

Abstract Background: BL-M07D1 is an anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) comprised of a humanized anti-HER2 antibody, a cathepsin B cleavable linker, and a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor (Ed-04). Methods: This study included subjects with locally advanced or metastatic HER2 expressing (positive/low) breast cancer (BC) and other solid tumors. BL-M07D1 would be administered at doses of 1.0mg/kg Day 1 & Day 8 every 3 weeks (D1D8 Q3W) or 2.6, 3.2, 3.8, 4.4, 5.0, 5.6, 6.2, 6.8 and 7.4 mg/kg Day 1 every 3 weeks (D1Q3W) during dose escalation (D-ESC). A subset of patients (pts) will be enrolled in the dose-expansion phase (D-EXP) at D1 Q3W regimens. Results: As of June 25, a total of 75 pts have been treated with at least one dose of BL-M07D1, with 22 pts in the D-ESC phase and 53 in the D-EXP phase. Among the 75 pts, 1 received 1.0 mg/kg D1D8Q3W and 74 were treated on the D1Q3W schedule. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed at 6.2mg/kg (febrile neutropenia and G3 thrombocytopenia lasting >7 days in one patient). The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) has not been reached yet. D-EXP dose levels included 3.8, 4.4, 5.0 and 5.6mg/kg D1 Q3W. This study enrolled 62 patients with BC, 6 with gastric cancer, 4 with colorectal cancer and 3 with non-small cell lung cancer. The most common TEAEs ( >10%, all grade/≥G3) were leukopenia (79%/24%), neutropenia (69%/39%), anemia (63%/11%), nausea (47%/0%), thrombocytopenia (37%/9%), vomiting (37%/1%), decreased appetite (27%/0%), lymphopenia (24%/8%), alopecia (23%/0%), asthenia (19%/0), gamma-glutamyl transferase increased (17%/0%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (17%/0%), constipation (13%/0%), diarrhea (12%/0%), hypertriglyceridemia (12%/0%), urinary tract infection (11%/1%), COVID-19 (11%/0%), occult blood positive (11%/0%), pyrexia (11%/0%). No ILD was observed. Forty-five pts with BC were evaluated for efficacy (i.e., had at least one post-baseline tumor assessment). Updated efficacy and pharmacokinetic (PK) results will be presented at the meeting. Conclusions: BL-M07D1 demonstrated encouraging efficacy in heavily pretreated HER2 expressing cancers, especially in HER2+ BC. The safety profile showed adequate safety and tolerability. Clinical trial identification: NCT05461768. Efficacy in Patients with Breast Cancer a. 8/9 pts received prior HER2-ADC with microtubule inhibitor. 1/9 pts received prior HER2-ADC with TOPI inhibitor. b. 6 pts with tumor shrinkage are still on-going. c. All pts with tumor shrinkage are still on-going. Citation Format: Erwei Song, Herui Yao, Meili Sun, Hong Zong, Rongbo Lin, Wen Zou, Muran Ding, Jing Yu, Sa Xiao, Hongwei Wang, Hai Zhu, Martin Olivo, Yi Zhu. BL-M07D1, an antibody-drug conjugate directed to HER2 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic Breast Cancer with HER2-positive/low-expression and other solid tumors: Results from a first-in-human phase 1 study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO2-04-03.

The Efficacy and Safety of Inetetamab and Pyrotinib in Combination with Vinorelbine for Second-line Therapy and Beyond in HER2-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Single-institution Clinical Experience.

This study aimed to observe the efficacy and safety of inetetamab and pyrotinib in combination with vinorelbine in second-line therapy and beyond in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Patients with HER2-positive MBC admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to December 2021 were selected. For patients who could not receive antibody‒drug conjugates (ADCs) during second-line (2nd-line) or third-line and beyond (≥ 3rd-line) anti-HER2 therapy, inetetamab + pyrotinib + vinorelbine was used for treatment until unacceptable adverse events occurred or the disease progressed, as evaluated by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 every 2 cycles. The progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), and adverse reactions were recorded. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to explore the prognostic factors influencing the curative effect. Overall, 52 patients were included; 13 patients received 2nd-line treatment, and 39 patients received ≥ 3rd-line treatment. The median PFS (mPFS) for all patients treated with inetetamab + pyrotinib + vinorelbine was 7 months. The mPFS of the 2nd-line subgroup was significantly better than that of the ≥ 3rd-line subgroup (17 vs. 5 months, P = 0.001). The mPFS of the subgroups that received trastuzumab (H) or trastuzumab and pertuzumab (HP) only was significantly better than that of the H or HP and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) subgroups (8 vs. 5 months, P = 0.030). The mPFS of the HER2 resistance subgroup was better than that of the HER2 refractoriness subgroup (14 vs. 7 months, P = 0.025). Cox regression analysis showed that the treatment line (2nd-line more so than ≥ 3rd-line) was an independent prognostic factor for PFS. In addition, the ORR and CBR of 2nd-line patients were significantly higher than those of ≥ 3rd-line patients (69.2% vs. 30.8% and 92.3% vs. 64.1%, respectively). The most common hematological toxicities were leukopenia and neutropenia, and the most common nonhematological toxicity was diarrhea. Inetetamab and pyrotinib in combination with vinorelbine have good efficacy in ≥ 2nd-line treatment of HER2-positive MBC with controllable toxicity, and the combination is a new treatment option, especially for patients who cannot use ADCs in 2nd-line treatment.

HER3-targeted therapy: the mechanism of drug resistance and the development of anticancer drugs.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3), which is part of the HER family, is aberrantly expressed in various human cancers. Since HER3 only has weak tyrosine kinase activity, when HER3 ligand neuregulin 1 (NRG1) or neuregulin 2 (NRG2) appears, activated HER3 contributes to cancer development and drug resistance by forming heterodimers with other receptors, mainly including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Inhibition of HER3 and its downstream signaling, including PI3K/AKT, MEK/MAPK, JAK/STAT, and Src kinase, is believed to be necessary to conquer drug resistance and improve treatment efficiency. Until now, despite multiple anti-HER3 antibodies undergoing preclinical and clinical studies, none of the HER3-targeted therapies are licensed for utilization in clinical cancer treatment because of their safety and efficacy. Therefore, the development of HER3-targeted drugs possessing safety, tolerability, and sensitivity is crucial for clinical cancer treatment. This review summarizes the progress of the mechanism of HER3 in drug resistance, the HER3-targeted therapies that are conducted in preclinical and clinical trials, and some emerging molecules that could be used as future designed drugs for HER3, aiming to provide insights for future research and development of anticancer drugs targeting HER3.

Phase 1b trial of anti-HER2 antibody inetetamab and pan-HER inhibitor pyrotinib in HER2-positive advanced lung cancer.

There remains an unmet need for targeted therapies against advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with HER2 mutations. To improve the antitumor activity of single anti-HER2 agent, this prospective, single-arm clinical trial (NCT05016544) examined the safety profile and efficacy of anti-HER2 antibody inetetamab and pan-HER TKI pyrotinib in HER2-posivite advanced NSCLC patients. Enrolled patients received inetetamab every 3weeks and pyrotinib once per day (pyrotinib, dose-escalation part, 240mg, 320mg; dose-expansion part, 320mg). Primary endpoints were dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) dosage and safety. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR). A total of 48 patients were enrolled. During the dose-escalation period, no DLT occurred. Diarrhea was the most commonly reported treatment-related adverse event (TRAE). Grade 3 TRAEs occurred in seven patients. The median PFS (mPFS) was 5.5months [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.4-8.6months]. The confirmed ORR and DCR reached 25% (11/44) and 84.1% (37/44), respectively. Responses were shown in patients with distinct HER2 aberrations. In summary, inetetamab in combination with pyrotinib demonstrated acceptable safety and antitumor activity among patients with advanced HER2-mutant NSCLC.

Augmented antitumor immune responses of HER2-targeted pyroptotic induction by long-lasting recombinant immunopyroptotins

Pyroptosis is a well-documented form of programmed cell death caused by the gasdermin-driven perforation of cell membranes. Selective induction of pyroptosis in tumor cells represents a promising antitumor strategy to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. In this study, we established a recombinant protein-based immunopyroptotin strategy that led to the intratumoral induction of pyroptosis for HER2-directed therapy. Long-lasting immunopyroptotins were constructed by sequentially fusing the humanized anti-HER2 single-chain antibody P1h3, albumin-binding peptide (ABD035 or dAb7h8), cathepsin B-cleavable peptide B2, endosome-disruptive peptide E5C3, and active pyroptotic effector gasdermin D-N fragment (GN). After purification, we evaluated the cytotoxicity and antitumor immune responses primarily induced by the immunopyroptotins in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. The resulting ABD035-immunoGN and dAb7h8-immunoGN showed improved in vitro cytotoxicity in HER2-overexpressing cancer cells compared with that in the immunotBid that we previously generated to induce tumor cell apoptosis. The binding of long-lasting immunopyroptotins to albumin increased the half-life by approximately 7-fold in nude mice. The enhanced antitumor efficacy of long-lasting immunopyroptotins was confirmed in both N87 tumor-bearing T cell-deficient mice and 4T1-hHER2 bilateral tumor-bearing immunocompetent mice. Immunopyroptotin treatment elicited systemic antitumor immune responses involving CD8+ T cells and mature dendritic cells and upregulated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, leading to sustained remission of non-injected distant tumors. This study extends the repertoire of antibody-based therapeutics through the tumor-targeted delivery of a constitutively active pore-forming gasdermin-N fragment, which shows great potential for pyroptosis-based antitumor therapy.

Development of a reliable cell-based reporter gene assay to measure the bioactivity of anti-HER2 therapeutic antibodies

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a key player in the pathogenesis and progression of breast cancer and is currently a primary target for breast cancer immunotherapy. Bioactivity determination is necessary to guarantee the safety and efficacy of therapeutic antibodies targeting HER2. Nevertheless, currently available bioassays for measuring the bioactivity of anti-HER2 mAbs are either not representative or have high variability. Here, we established a reliable reporter gene assay (RGA) based on T47D-SRE-Luc cell line that expresses endogenous HER2 and luciferase controlled by serum response element (SRE) to measure the bioactivity of anti-HER2 antibodies. Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) can lead to the heterodimerization of HER2 on the cell membrane and induce the expression of downstream SRE-controlled luciferase, while pertuzumab can dose-dependently reverse the reaction, resulting in a good dose-response curve reflecting the activity of the antibody. After optimizing the relevant assay parameters, the established RGA was fully validated based on ICH-Q2 (R1), which demonstrated that the method had excellent specificity, accuracy, precision, linearity, and stability. In summary, this robust and innovative bioactivity determination assay can be applied in the development and screening, release control, biosimilar assessment and stability studies of anti-HER2 mAbs.

A nanowell platform to identify, sort and expand high antibody-producing cells

Increased use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and the relatively high manufacturing costs fuel the need for more efficient production methods. Here we introduce a novel, fast, robust, and safe isolation platform for screening and isolating antibody-producing cell lines using a nanowell chip and an innovative single-cell isolation method. An anti-Her2 antibody producing CHO cell pool was used as a model. The platform; (1) Assures the single-cell origin of the production clone, (2) Detects the antibody production of individual cells and (3) Isolates and expands the individual cells based on their antibody production. Using the nanowell platform we demonstrated an 1.8–4.5 increase in anti-Her2 production by CHO cells that were screened and isolated with the nanowell platform compared to CHO cells that were not screened. This increase was also shown in Fed-Batch cultures where selected high production clones showed titers of 19–100 mg/L on harvest day, while the low producer cells did not show any detectable anti-Her2 IgG production. The screening of thousands of single cells is performed under sterile conditions and the individual cells were cultured in buffers and reagents without animal components. The time required from seeding a single cell and measuring the antibody production to fully expanded clones with increased Her-2 production was 4–6 weeks.

DB-1310, an ADC comprised of a novel anti-HER3 antibody conjugated to a DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor, is highly effective for the treatment of HER3-positive solid tumors

BackgroundHER3 (ErbB3), a member of the human epidermal growth factor receptor family, is frequently overexpressed in various cancers. Multiple HER3-targeting antibodies and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) were developed for the solid tumor treatment, however none of HER3-targeting agent has been approved for tumor therapy yet. We developed DB-1310, a HER3 ADC composed of a novel humanized anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody covalently linked to a proprietary DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor payload (P1021), and evaluate the efficacy and safety of DB-1310 in preclinical models.MethodsThe binding of DB-1310 to Her3 and other HER families were measured by ELISA and SPR. The competition of binding epitope for DB-1310 and patritumab was tested by FACS. The sensitivity of breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer cell lines to DB-1310 was evaluated by in vitro cell killing assay. In vivo growth inhibition study evaluated the sensitivity of DB-1310 to Her3 + breast, lung, colon and prostate cancer xenograft models. The safety profile was also measured in cynomolgus monkey.ResultsDB-1310 binds HER3 via a novel epitope with high affinity and internalization capacity. In vitro, DB-1310 exhibited cytotoxicity in numerous HER3 + breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer cell lines. In vivo studies in HER3 + HCC1569 breast cancer, NCI-H441 lung cancer and Colo205 colon cancer xenograft models showed DB-1310 to have dose-dependent tumoricidal activity. Tumor suppression was also observed in HER3 + non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and prostate cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Moreover, DB-1310 showed stronger tumor growth-inhibitory activity than patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd), which is another HER3 ADC in clinical development at the same dose. The tumor-suppressive activity of DB-1310 synergized with that of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, osimertinib, and exerted efficacy also in osimertinib-resistant PDX model. The preclinical assessment of safety in cynomolgus monkeys further revealed DB-1310 to have a good safety profile with a highest non severely toxic dose (HNSTD) of 45 mg/kg.ConclusionsThese finding demonstrated that DB-1310 exerted potent antitumor activities against HER3 + tumors in in vitro and in vivo models, and showed acceptable safety profiles in nonclinical species. Therefore, DB-1310 may be effective for the clinical treatment of HER3 + solid tumors.

Maitake Beta-Glucan Enhances the Therapeutic Effect of Trastuzumab via Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity and Complement-Dependent Cytotoxicity.

Trastuzumab, an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, is the mainstay treatment for of HER2-positive breast cancer. However, trastuzumab resistance is often observed during treatment. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are needed to enhance the clinical benefits of trastuzumab. Maitake β-glucan MD-Fraction, isolated from Grifola frondosa, inhibits tumor growth by enhancing immune responses. In this study, we examined the effect of MD-Fraction on trastuzumab treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. MD-Fraction did not directly inhibit the survival of HER2-positive breast cancer cells, alone or in the presence of trastuzumab in vitro. In HER2-positive xenograft models, the combination of MD-Fraction and trastuzumab was more effective than trastuzumab alone. Peripheral blood lymphocytes and splenic natural killer cells isolated from BALB/c nu/nu mice treated with MD-Fraction showed enhanced trastuzumab-induced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) ex vivo. MD-Fraction-treated macrophages and neutrophils did not show enhanced trastuzumab cytotoxicity in the presence of heat-inactivated serum, but they showed enhanced cytotoxicity in the presence of native serum. These results suggest that MD-Fraction-treated macrophages and neutrophils enhance trastuzumab-induced complement-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (CDCC). Treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer cells with MD-Fraction in the presence of trastuzumab and native serum increased C3a release and tumor cell lysis in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that MD-Fraction enhanced trastuzumab-induced complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) by activating the complement system. This study demonstrates that the combination of trastuzumab and MD-Fraction exerts a greater antitumor effect than trastuzumab alone by enhancing ADCC, CDCC, and CDC in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Combined therapy of dabrafenib and an anti-HER2 antibody–drug conjugate for advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma

BackgroundMelanoma is the most lethal skin cancer characterized by its high metastatic potential. In the past decade, targeted and immunotherapy have brought revolutionary survival benefits to patients with advanced and metastatic melanoma, but these treatment responses are also heterogeneous and/or do not achieve durable responses. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies for improving outcomes remain an unmet clinical need. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential and underlying molecular mechanisms of RC48, a novel HER2-target antibody drug conjugate, either alone or in combination with dabrafenib, a V600-mutant BRAF inhibitor, for the treatment of advanced BRAF-mutant cutaneous melanoma.MethodsWe evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of RC48, alone or in combination with dabrafenib, in BRAF-mutant cutaneous melanoma cell lines and cell-derived xenograft (CDX) models. We also conducted signaling pathways analysis and global mRNA sequencing to explore mechanisms underlying the synergistic effect of the combination therapy.ResultsOur results revealed the expression of membrane-localized HER2 in melanoma cells. RC48 effectively targeted and inhibited the growth of HER2-positive human melanoma cell lines and corresponding CDX models. When used RC48 and dabrafenib synergically induced tumor regression together in human BRAF-mutant melanoma cell lines and CDX models. Mechanically, our results demonstrated that the combination therapy induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest while suppressing cell motility in vitro. Furthermore, global RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated that the combination treatment led to the downregulation of several key signaling pathways, including the PI3K-AKT pathway, MAPK pathway, AMPK pathway, and FOXO pathway.ConclusionThese findings establish a preclinical foundation for the combined use of an anti-HER2 drug conjugate and a BRAF inhibitor in the treatment of BRAF-mutant cutaneous melanoma.