Efficacy Of Antibody-drug Conjugates Research Articles

Antibody Co-Administration Can Improve Systemic and Local Distribution of Antibody-Drug Conjugates to Increase In Vivo Efficacy.

Several antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) showing strong clinical responses in solid tumors target high expression antigens (HER2, TROP2, Nectin-4, and folate receptor alpha/FRα). Highly expressed tumor antigens often have significant low-level expression in normal tissues, resulting in the potential for target-mediated drug disposition (TMDD) and increased clearance. However, ADCs often do not cross-react with normal tissue in animal models used to test efficacy (typically mice), and the impact of ADC binding to normal tissue antigens on tumor response remains unclear. An antibody that cross-reacts with human and murine FRα was generated and tested in an animal model where the antibody/ADC bind both human tumor FRα and mouse FRα in normal tissue. Previous work has demonstrated that a "carrier" dose of unconjugated antibody can improve the tumor penetration of ADCs with high expression target-antigens. A carrier dose was employed to study the impact on cross-reactive ADC clearance, distribution, and efficacy. Co-administration of unconjugated anti-FRα antibody with the ADC-improved efficacy, even in low expression models where co-administration normally lowers efficacy. By reducing target-antigen-mediated clearance in normal tissue, the co-administered antibody increased systemic exposure, improved tumor tissue penetration, reduced target-antigen-mediated uptake in normal tissue, and increased ADC efficacy. However, payload potency and tumor antigen saturation are also critical to efficacy, as shown with reduced efficacy using too high of a carrier dose. The judicious use of higher antibody doses, either through lower DAR or carrier doses, can improve the therapeutic window by increasing efficacy while lowering target-mediated toxicity in normal tissue.

Novel Therapies for the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: A Review of Clinical Trials

Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a neoplastic proliferation of plasma cells. It is the second most common hematological malignancy in the US. Although it is associated with poor prognosis, newer therapies have improved outcomes in MM patients. This review aims to describe novel therapies used for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Methods: A literature search was performed on Embase and clinicaltrials.gov using the keyword "Multiple Myeloma" from 1/1/2016 to 6/25/2020 for identifying ongoing clinical trials in the treatment of RRMM. After detailed scrutiny, we included 23 ongoing clinical trials (N=4362). We excluded case reports, case series, review articles, meta-analysis, and observational studies. Results: We summarized the interim results from ongoing clinical trials evaluating treatment of RRMM under following newer categories of drugs: Immunomodulatory drugs In a phase 1b/IIa trial (NCT02773030, N=51) evaluating the efficacy of a novel immunomodulators, iberdomide CC-220 + dexamethasone (Dex) yielded an overall response rate (ORR) of 31%, clinical benefit (CB) was seen in 51% of the patients, and disease control (DC) in 88% of the patients and it was well tolerated by RRMM patients. There are other ongoing clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of Avadomide (CC-122), CC-92480 in RRMM. Alkylating agents In a phase I/II trial (NCT01897714, N=45), melphalan-flufenamide (melflufan) + Dex yielded an ORR of 31%, it was well tolerated with 49% CB. Phase III OCEAN trial (NCT03151811, N=450) is currently ongoing to compare melflufen + Dex vs. pomalidomide (Pom) + Dex. Apoptotic agents A phase 3 trial BELLINI (NCT02755597, N=291) evaluated the efficacy of veneteclox (Ven, Bcl-2 inhibitor) by randomizing patients to either Ven or Placebo arm. With a median follow up of 28.6 months (m), progression free survival (PFS) was 23.2m in the Ven arm vs. 11.4m in placebo. The interim results from a phase I/II trial (NCT03314181, N=104) of Ven + daratumumab (Dara) + Dex showed ORR of 96% with ≥ very good partial response (VGPR) of 96%. The addition of Bortezomib (Bor) to VenDaraDex had a slightly low ORR of 92%, with ≥VGPR of 79%. Another phase I/II trial (NCT01794520, N=117) is in progress to assess the efficacy and safety of Ven as monotherapy. Monoclonal Antibodies (MoAb) A phase I/II trial (NCT01421186, N=91) evaluated the efficacy of MOR202, which is a novel MoAb. MOR202 was evaluated in three arms; MOR202 + Dex, MOR202 + Lenalidomide (Len) + Dex and MOR202 + Pom + Dex. The interim analysis showed the ORR of 65% with MOR202 + Len + Dex which was better than ORR of 48% with MOR202 + Pom + Dex, while the use of MOR202 + Dex yielded only 28% ORR. Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Four ongoing trials are evaluating the efficacy of ADC (belantamab mafodotin), and the interim results are available for two trials. In phase II DREAMM-2 trial (NCT03525678, N=221) evaluating 2 doses of GSK2857916, 2.5mg/kg dose yielded ORR of 31% while 3.4mg/kg showed ORR of 34%. Another phase I trial (NCT02064387, N=79) evaluated belantamab mafodotin in RRMM and other hematologic malignancies expressing B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). The results were promising with ORR of 60%. Bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTE) Phase I trial of BiTE AMG 420 (NCT02514239, N=43) showed favorable results with ORR 70%, and CR 12%. The interim results from another phase I trial (NCT03486067, N=115) which evaluated the efficacy of BiTE CC-93269 showed 43% ORR and CR 17%. CAR-T Cell therapy CAR-T cell therapy is also being studied in RRMM with JNJ-68284528 directed against BCMA in a phase Ib trial (NCT03548207, N=118). The interim analysis of 29 response evaluable patients out of 118 reported 100% ORR with stringent CR 76%. PK13 Inhibitors In a phase I/II study (NCT00401011, N=84) evaluating perifosine + Bor +/- Dex, ORR of 41% was observed in Bor RR patients, and therapy was well tolerated with PFS of 6.4m and mOS of 25m. Conclusion: This review demonstrates novel and promising therapies which are currently in early phase clinical trials for the treatment of RRMM. Based on interim results, Iberdomide, melflufan, Ven, MoAb MOR202, ADC belantamab mafodotin, BiTE Molecule AMG 420, BCMA CAR-T cell therapy and perifosine have shown promising early activity and safety data in RRMM patients. Additional exploratory clinical trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of these agents. Disclosures Anwer: Incyte, Seattle Genetics, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals, AbbVie Pharma, Astellas Pharma, Celegene, Millennium Pharmaceuticals.: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

Rapid Analysis of Reduced Antibody Drug Conjugate by Online LC-MS/MS with Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry.

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), which harness the high targeting specificity of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) with the potency of small molecule therapeutics, are one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical classes. Nevertheless, ADC conjugation techniques and processes may introduce intrinsic heterogeneity including primary sequence variants, varied drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) species, and drug positional isomers, which must be monitored to ensure the safety and efficacy of ADCs. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a powerful tool for characterization of ADCs. However, the conventional bottom-up MS analysis workflows require an enzymatic digestion step which can be time consuming and may introduce artifactual modifications. Herein, we develop an online LC-MS/MS method for rapid analysis of reduced ADCs without digestion, enabling determination of DAR, characterization of the primary sequence, and localization of the drug conjugation site of the ADC using high-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) MS. Specifically, a model cysteine-linked ADC was reduced to generate six unique subunits: light chain (Lc) without drug (Lc0), Lc with 1 drug (Lc1), heavy chain (Hc) without drug (Hc0), and Hc with 1-3 drugs (Hc1-3, respectively). A concurrent reduction strategy is applied to assess ADC subunits in both the partially reduced (intrachain disulfide bonds remain intact) and fully reduced (all disulfide bonds are cleaved) forms. The entire procedure including the sample preparation and LC-MS/MS takes less than 55 min, enabling rapid multiattribute analysis of ADCs.

Mechanistic Modeling of Intra-Tumor Spatial Distribution of Antibody-Drug Conjugates: Insights into Dosing Strategies in Oncology.

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) provide targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents directly inside tumor cells. However, many ADCs targeting solid tumors have exhibited limited clinical efficacy, in part, due to insufficient penetration within tumors. To better understand the relationship between ADC tumor penetration and efficacy, previously applied Krogh cylinder models that explore tumor growth dynamics following ADC administration in preclinical species were expanded to a clinical framework by integrating clinical pharmacokinetics, tumor penetration, and tumor growth inhibition. The objective of this framework is to link ADC tumor penetration and distribution to clinical efficacy. The model was validated by comparing virtual patient population simulations to observed overall response rates from trastuzumab‐DM1 treated patients with metastatic breast cancer. To capture clinical outcomes, we expanded upon previous Krogh cylinder models to include the additional mechanism of heterogeneous tumor growth inhibition spatially across the tumor. This expansion mechanistically captures clinical response rates by describing heterogeneous ADC binding and tumor cell killing; high binding and tumor cell death close to capillaries vs. low binding, and high tumor cell proliferation far from capillaries. Sensitivity analyses suggest that clinical efficacy could be optimized through dose fractionation, and that clinical efficacy is primarily dependent on the ADC‐target affinity, payload potency, and tumor growth rate. This work offers a mechanistic basis to predict and optimize ADC clinical efficacy for solid tumors, allowing dosing strategy optimization to improve patient outcomes.

LRRC15 antibody-drug conjugates show promise as osteosarcoma therapeutics in preclinical studies.

Osteosarcoma (OS), the most common bone tumor in children and adolescents, has high rates of metastasis leading to poor survival. Leucine-rich repeat containing 15 (LRRC15), a transmembrane protein whose expression is modulated by TGFβ, was recently shown to be highly expressed on the surface of OS tumor cells. Here, we evaluate a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting LRRC15 in OS human cell lines and murine xenografts. We compare this new ADC, which is conjugated to the anthracycline derivative PNU-159682 (PNU), to a previously studied LRRC15 ADC that is conjugated to the tubulin inhibitor monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), since anthracyclines are standard of care in OS. We evaluated LRRC15 expression in OS cells using Western blots and flow cytometry, and analyzed the epigenetic landscape of the LRRC15 locus using chromatin immunoprecipitation. Efficacy of ADCs on cell growth was analyzed by IncuCyte live cell imaging. Intramuscular xenograft tumor growth was assessed by bioluminescence imaging and hematoxylin and eosin staining. LRRC15-PNU is more effective at inhibiting growth in vitro and in vivo than an isotype antibody control or the LRRC15-MMAE ADC in two high LRRC15 expressing OS cell lines. Low expressing cell lines are not sensitive to either ADC. Importantly, cells with low LRRC15 expression are amenable to re-expression after TGFβ treatment, suggesting a potential to sensitize insensitive OS cells to LRRC15 ADC treatment. In vivo, LRRC15-PNU had cure rates of 40-100% in OS xenograft models. Overall, LRRC15-directed ADCs are a promising new avenue for OS treatment.

PF-06804103, A Site-specific Anti-HER2 Antibody-Drug Conjugate for the Treatment of HER2-expressing Breast, Gastric, and Lung Cancers.

The approval of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in HER2+ metastatic breast cancer validated HER2 as a target for HER2-specific antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). Despite its demonstrated clinical efficacy, certain inherent properties within T-DM1 hamper this compound from achieving the full potential of targeting HER2-expressing solid tumors with ADCs. Here, we detail the discovery of PF-06804103, an anti-HER2 ADC designed to have a widened therapeutic window compared with T-DM1. We utilized an empirical conjugation site screening campaign to identify the engineered ĸkK183C and K290C residues as those that maximized in vivo ADC stability, efficacy, and safety for a four drug-antibody ratio (DAR) ADC with this linker-payload combination. PF-06804103 incorporates the following novel design elements: (i) a new auristatin payload with optimized pharmacodynamic properties, (ii) a cleavable linker for optimized payload release and enhanced antitumor efficacy, and (iii) an engineered cysteine site-specific conjugation approach that overcomes the traditional safety liabilities of conventional conjugates and generates a homogenous drug product with a DAR of 4. PF-06804103 shows (i) an enhanced efficacy against low HER2-expressing breast, gastric, and lung tumor models, (ii) overcomes in vitro- and in vivo-acquired T-DM1 resistance, and (iii) an improved safety profile by enhancing ADC stability, pharmacokinetic parameters, and reducing off-target toxicities. Herein, we showcase our platform approach in optimizing ADC design, resulting in the generation of the anti-HER2 ADC, PF-06804103. The design elements of identifying novel sites of conjugation employed in this study serve as a platform for developing optimized ADCs against other tumor-specific targets.

Tumour-associated macrophages process drug and radio-conjugates of the dead tumour cell-targeting APOMAB® antibody

APOMAB (chDAB4) is a dead tumour cell-targeting antibody which has been used preclinically as a diagnostic agent and therapeutically as a radioimmunotherapy and antibody drug conjugate (ADC). However, little is known of the intra-tumour processing of chDAB4 when bound to dead tumour cells. In this study we examine the role of macrophages in the in vitro and in vivo processing of radiolabelled chDAB4 and a chDAB4 ADC.We found that chDAB4 binds to macrophages in vitro, resulting in the killing of macrophages when using the ADC, chDAB4-SG3249. Free drug released by the macrophage processing of chDAB4-SG3249 could result in killing of ‘bystander’ Lewis lung (LL2) carcinoma cells. Furthermore, macrophages phagocytosed chDAB4-bound dead LL2 cells and were killed when they phagocytosed chDAB4-SG3249-bound dead LL2 cells in vitro. In vivo, we found markedly different tumour retention of chDAB4 in the LL2 tumour model depending on whether it was radiolabelled with a residualising radionuclide (89Zr), which is retained intracellularly, or a non-residualising radionuclide (124I), which can diffuse out of the cell. This prolonged retention of 89Zr vs124I indicated intra-tumoral processing of chDAB4 in vivo. The tumour uptake of 89Zr-chDAB4 was reduced after macrophage depletion, which also reduced the efficacy of the chDAB4 ADC in vivo. This study shows that macrophages can process chDAB4 and chDAB4 ADC in vitro and shows the importance of tumour-associated macrophages in the tumour retention of chDAB4 and the efficacy of chDAB4 ADC in vivo.

A novel semi-mechanistic tumor growth fraction model for translation of preclinical efficacy of anti-glypican 3 antibody drug conjugate to human.

The growing fraction (GF) of tumor has been reported as one of the predictive markers of the efficacy of chemotherapeutics. Therefore, a semi-mechanistic model has been developed that describes tumor growth on the basis of cell cycle, allowing the incorporation of the GF of a tumor in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling. Efficacy data of anti-glypican 3 (GPC3) antibody drug conjugate (ADC) in a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient derived xenograft (PDX) model was used for evaluation of this proposed model. Our model was able to describe the kinetics of growth inhibition of HCC PDX models following treatment with anti-GPC3 ADC remarkably well. The estimated tumurostatic concentrations were used in tandem with human PKs translated from cynomolgus monkey for prediction of the efficacious dose. The projected efficacious human dose of anti-GPC3 ADC was in the range 0.20-0.63 mg/kg for the Q3W dosing regimen, with a median dose of 0.50 mg/kg. This publication is the first step in evaluating the applicability of GF in PK/PD modeling of ADCs. The authors are hopeful that incorporation of GF will result in an improved translation of the preclinical efficacy of ADCs to clinical settings and thereby better prediction of the efficacious human dose.

Development of 5D3-DM1: A Novel Anti-Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Antibody-Drug Conjugate for PSMA-Positive Prostate Cancer Therapy.

Prostate cancer (PC) is a potentially high-risk disease and the most common cancer in American men. It is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the US, second only to lung and bronchus cancer. Advanced and metastatic PC is initially treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), but nearly all cases eventually progress to castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). CRPC is incurable in the metastatic stage but can be slowed by some conventional chemotherapeutics and second-generation ADT, such as enzalutamide and abiraterone. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is overexpressed in almost all aggressive PCs. PSMA is widely used as a target for PC imaging and drug delivery. Anti-PSMA monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been developed as bioligands for diagnostic imaging and targeted PC therapy. However, these mAbs are successfully used in PC imaging and only a few have gone beyond phase-I for targeted therapy. The 5D3 mAb is a novel, high-affinity, and fast-internalizing anti-PSMA antibody. Importantly, 5D3 mAb demonstrates a unique pattern of cellular localization to the centrosome after internalization in PSMA(+) PC3-PIP cells. These characteristics make 5D3 mAb an ideal bioligand to deliver tubulin inhibitors, such as mertansine, to the cell centrosome, leading to mitotic arrest and elimination of dividing PC cells. We have successfully developed a 5D3 mAb- and mertansine (DM1)-based antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and evaluated it in vitro for binding affinity, internalization, and cytotoxicity. The in vivo therapeutic efficacy of 5D3-DM1 ADC was evaluated in PSMA(+) PC3-PIP and PSMA(-) PC3-Flu mouse models of human PC. This therapeutic study has revealed that this new anti-PSMA ADC can successfully control the growth of PSMA(+) tumors without inducing systemic toxicity.

Abstract LB-217: Preclinical evaluation of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd; DS-8201a), a HER2 antibody-drug conjugate, in pediatric solid tumors by the Pediatric Preclinical Testing Consortium (PPTC)

Abstract Introduction: HER2 is expressed in a subset of pediatric solid tumors and is a target of interest for innovative immune therapies including CAR-T cells and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). We evaluated preclinical efficacy of T-DXd, a humanized monoclonal HER2 antibody conjugated to a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor payload, DXd, in solid tumor patient derived xenograft (PDX) models. Methods: 7 osteosarcoma (OS), 2 rhabdoid tumor (RT) and 3 Wilms tumor (WT) PDX models with varying HER2 expression were tested using 10 mice per group. ERBB2 mRNA expression was determined using RNA seq. T-DXd or vehicle control was administered IV to mice harboring flank tumors at a dose of 5mg/kg on Day 1. Standard PPTC statistical methods were employed for EFS for treatment (T) and control (C) groups, minimum relative tumor volume (minRTV) and objective response measure. Results: Among PPTC solid tumor models ERBB2 mRNA expression was observed across multiple histologies, with highest expression observed for WT (median = 22 FPKM), followed by RT, OS, and Ewing sarcoma. The relationship between HER2 expression by IHC and by RNAseq was inconsistent. Mice tolerated T-DXd with minimal toxicity. T-DXd significantly prolonged EFS in 5/7 OS, 2/2 RT and 3/3 WT PDX models (see table). Complete response (CR) or maintained CR were observed for 4 of 5 WT and RT models, while stable disease was the best response among OS models. Conclusions: T-DXd exhibits single agent anti-tumor activity in models of pediatric solid tumors. Single mouse testing experiments will be used to extend knowledge of the range of activity of T-DXd for pediatric solid tumors. Correlations between ERBB2 gene expression, HER2 expression by IHC, and genetic changes associated with camptothecin sensitivity are ongoing and will be presented. Clinical trials assessing efficacy of a HER2-directed ADC in pediatric patients with HER2-expressing tumors should be considered. EFS T - C(days)EFS T/C Ratiop-value Gehan-WilcoxonminRTVmean±SDminRTVp-valueObjective Response MeasureOS-120.31.85p < 0.0011.152±0.090p = 0.023PD1OS-230.12.76p < 0.0010.815±0.183p < 0.001PD2OS-94.11.14p = 0.1031.334±0.203p = 1.000PD1OS-1734.01.97p = 0.0091.172±0.179p = 0.017PD1OS-3111.91.84p < 0.0011.676±0.395p = 0.015PD1OS-3361.34.87p < 0.0010.486±0.220p < 0.001SDOS-603.81.11p = 0.0161.084±0.103p = 0.007PD1BT29 (RT)> 58.4> 3.28p < 0.0010.019±0.041p < 0.001MCRRBD2 (RT)> 97.3> 13.57p < 0.0010.021±0.066p < 0.001CRKT-10 (WT)> 85.1> 7.57p < 0.0010.000±0.000p < 0.001MCRKT-11 (WT)18.32.62p < 0.0010.954±0.486p < 0.001PD2KT-13 (WT)> 71.5> 3.69p < 0.0010.019±0.060p < 0.001MCR Citation Format: Pooja Hingorani, Wendong Zhang, Raushan Kurmasheva, Zhongting Zhang, Yifei Wang, Zhaohui Xu, Michael Roth, Jonathan Gill, Douglas Harrison, Stephen Erickson, Edward A. Kolb, Malcolm Smith, Peter Houghton, Richard Gorlick. Preclinical evaluation of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd; DS-8201a), a HER2 antibody-drug conjugate, in pediatric solid tumors by the Pediatric Preclinical Testing Consortium (PPTC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-217.

Antibody-drug conjugates in breast cancer: the chemotherapy of the future?

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent an interesting new class of anticancer agents, capable of exploiting the specificity of monoclonal antibodies toward cellular-antigens for a targeted release of potent cytotoxic drugs, with a potential increased activity and reduced toxicity compared with traditional chemotherapies. The aim of this article is to review the efficacy and safety of ADCs in breast cancer. Following the approval of T-DM1 both in early and advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, novel anti-HER2 ADCs have been investigated. Some of these compounds, such as the recently FDA-approved trastuzumab deruxtecan, have shown relevant activity in T-DM1-pretreated patients, possibly thanks to the so-called bystander effect, namely the ability to exert cytotoxic activity also against antigen-negative cells. Such feature allows to overcome the HER2 intratumoral heterogeneity in breast cancer and could explain in the preliminary activity demonstrated also in HER2-low breast cancers. However, several ADCs targeting other cancer-associated antigens than HER2 are under development, representing a promising strategy for the treatment of triple-negative tumors, exemplified by the encouraging results of sacituzumab govitecan. ADCs are innovative and effective therapeutic drugs in breast cancer. Research efforts are ongoing to identify novel targets and combination with other treatment modalities, particularly with immunotherapy, to further improve patients' outcomes.

Efficacy and safety of the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) SAR408701 in patients (pts) with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSQ NSCLC) expressing carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5).

9505 Background: We report updated safety and efficacy of DM4-conjugated anti-CEACAM5 ADC from the expansion part of the first-in-human study (NCT02187848; Gazzah A et al. J Clin Oncol. 2019;37:15, 9072) in 92 NSQ NSCLC pts. Methods: CEACAM5 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry on archived tumor samples. Two cohorts of pts have been analyzed: moderate and high expressors, with CEACAM5 expression at ≥2+ intensity between ≥1% to < 50% and ≥50% of the tumor cell population, respectively. SAR408701 was administered at 100 mg/m2 IV every 2 weeks. Tumor assessments were done every 4 cycles (8 weeks). Primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). Results: As of January 2020, 92 pts were treated: 28 moderate and 64 high expressors, with median age 62.5 years (31–91; 42.4% of pts ≥65), 51.1% male, 71.7% ECOG PS ≥1; median of 3 prior treatments (1–10 lines) for advanced disease, including anti-tubulin agents (60.9%) and anti-PD1/PD-L1 (75%). In the moderate expressor cohort, 2 confirmed partial responses (PR) were observed (ORR 7.1%). In the high expressor cohort, 13 pts had confirmed PRs (ORR 20.3% [95% confidence interval 12.27%–31.71%]); 27 (42.2%) had stable disease; ORR of 17.8% was observed in 45 pts who had prior anti-PD1/PD-L1. Pts had a median of 7 (1–49) cycles; median relative dose intensity was 0.98. Six pts discontinued due to treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Most frequent TEAEs (all grades) were asthenia (38.0%), keratopathy/keratitis (38.0%), peripheral neuropathy (26.1%), dyspnea (23.9%), and diarrhea (22.8%). 31 pts had dose modification due to a TEAE, including dose reduction for keratopathy/keratitis in 10 pts. Hematological toxicity included leukopenia (14.4%), neutropenia (4.4%), and thrombocytopenia (13.3%). Grade ≥3 TEAEs occurred in 47.8% of pts and were assessed as drug-related in 15.2%. Conclusions: SAR408701 shows promising antitumor activity in heavily pretreated advanced NSQ NSCLC pts with high CEACAM5 expression. SAR408701 was well tolerated, with minimal hematological toxicity compared to conventional chemotherapy; keratopathy was reversible and manageable with dose modification. These data support the activity of SAR408701 in NSQ NSCLC CEACAM5 high expressors. A phase 3 trial evaluating the activity of CEACAM5-DM4 ADC monotherapy in comparison with docetaxel in NSQ NSCLC CEACAM5 high expressors after failure of standard first line chemotherapy and anti-PD1/PD-L1 is underway. Clinical trial information: NCT02187848 .

Heterogeneous Drug Efficacy of an Antibody-Drug Conjugate Visualized Using Simultaneous Imaging of Its Delivery and Intracellular Damage in Living Tumor Tissues

Anticancer drug efficacy varies because the delivery of drugs within tumors and tumor responses are heterogeneous; however, these features are often more homogenous in vitro. This difference makes it difficult to accurately determine drug efficacy. Therefore, it is important to use living tumor tissues in preclinical trials to observe the heterogeneity in drug distribution and cell characteristics in tumors. In the present study, to accurately evaluate the efficacy of an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) containing a microtubule inhibitor, we established a cell line that expresses a fusion of end-binding protein 1 and enhanced green fluorescent protein that serves as a microtubule plus-end-tracking protein allowing the visualization of microtubule dynamics. This cell line was xenografted into mice to create a model of living tumor tissue. The tumor cells possessed a greater number of microtubules with plus-ends, a greater number of meandering microtubules, and a slower rate of microtubule polymerization than the in vitro cells. In tumor tissues treated with fluorescent dye-labeled ADCs, heterogeneity was observed in the delivery of the drug to tumor cells, and microtubule dynamics were inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, a difference in drug sensitivity was observed between in vitro cells and tumor cells; compared with in vitro cells, tumor cells were more sensitive to changes in the concentration of the ADC. This study is the first to simultaneously evaluate the delivery and intracellular efficacy of ADCs in living tumor tissue. Accurate evaluation of the efficacy of ADCs is important for the development of effective anticancer drugs.

Evolution of the Systems Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics Model for Antibody-Drug Conjugates to Characterize Tumor Heterogeneity and In Vivo Bystander Effect.

The objective of this work was to develop a systems pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) model that can characterize in vivo bystander effect of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in a heterogeneous tumor. To accomplish this goal, a coculture xenograft tumor with 50% GFP-MCF7 (HER2-low) and 50% N87 (HER2-high) cells was developed. The relative composition of a heterogeneous tumor for each cell type was experimentally determined by immunohistochemistry analysis. Trastuzumab-vc-MMAE (T-vc-MMAE) was used as a tool ADC. Plasma and tumor PK of T-vc-MMAE was analyzed in N87, GFP-MCF7, and coculture tumor-bearing mice. In addition, tumor growth inhibition (TGI) studies were conducted in all three xenografts at different T-vc-MMAE dose levels. To characterize the PK of ADC in coculture tumors, our previously published tumor distribution model was evolved to account for different cell populations. The evolved tumor PK model was able to a priori predict the PK of all ADC analytes in the coculture tumors reasonably well. The tumor PK model was subsequently integrated with a PD model that used intracellular tubulin occupancy to drive ADC efficacy in each cell type. The final systems PK-PD model was able to simultaneously characterize all the TGI data reasonably well, with a common set of parameters for MMAE-induced cytotoxicity. The model was later used to simulate the effect of different dosing regimens and tumor compositions on the bystander effect of ADC. The model simulations suggested that dose-fractionation regimen may further improve overall efficacy and bystander effect of ADCs by prolonging the tubulin occupancy in each cell type. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: A PK-PD analysis is presented to understand bystander effect of Trastuzumab-vc-MMAE ADC in antigen (Ag)-low, Ag-high, and coculture (i.e., Ag-high + Ag-low) xenograft mice. This study also describes a novel single cell-level systems PK-PD model to characterize in vivo bystander effect of ADCs. The proposed model can serve as a platform to mathematically characterize multiple cell populations and their interactions in tumor tissues. Our analysis also suggests that fractionated dosing regimen may help improve the bystander effect of ADCs.

Rapid and Simultaneous Characterization of Drug Conjugation in Heavy and Light Chains of a Monoclonal Antibody Revealed by High-Resolution Ion Mobility Separations in SLIM.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have recently gained traction in the biomedical community due to their promise for human therapeutics and an alternative to chemotherapy for cancer. Crucial metrics for ADC efficacy, safety, and selectivity are their drug-antibody ratios (DARs). However, DAR characterization (i.e., determining the average number of conjugated drugs on the antibody) through analytical methods remains challenging due to the heterogeneity of drug conjugation as well as the numerous post-translational modifications possible in the monoclonal antibody. Herein, we report on the use of high-resolution ion mobility spectrometry separations in structures for lossless ion manipulations coupled to mass spectrometry (SLIM IMS-MS) for the rapid and simultaneous characterization of the drug load profile (i.e., stoichiometric distribution of the number of conjugated drugs present on the mAb), determination of the weighted average DAR in both the heavy and light chains of a model antibody-drug conjugate, and calculation of the overall DAR of the ADC. After chemical reduction of the ADC and a subsequent 31.5 m SLIM IMS separation, the various drug-bound antibody species could be well resolved for both chains. We also show significantly higher resolution separations were possible for these large ions with SLIM IMS as compared to ones performed on a commercially available (1 m) drift tube IMS-MS platform. We expect high-resolution SLIM IMS separations will augment the existing toolbox for ADC characterization, particularly to enable the rapid optimization of DAR for a given ADC and thus better understand its potential toxicity and potency.

Evaluation of Quantitative Relationship Between Target Expression and Antibody-Drug Conjugate Exposure Inside Cancer Cells.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) employ overexpressed cell surface antigens to deliver cytotoxic payloads inside cancer cells. However, the relationship between target expression and ADC efficacy remains ambiguous. In this manuscript, we have addressed a part of this ambiguity by quantitatively investigating the effect of antigen expression levels on ADC exposure within cancer cells. Trastuzumab-valine-citrulline-monomethyl auristatin E was used as a model ADC, and four different cell lines with diverse levels of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression were used as model cells. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of total trastuzumab, released monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), and total MMAE were measured inside the cells and in the cell culture media following incubation with two different concentrations of ADC. In addition, target expression levels, target internalization rate, and cathepsin B and MDR1 protein concentrations were determined for each cell line. All the PK data were mathematically characterized using a cell-level systems PK model for ADC. It was found that SKBR-3, MDA-MB-453, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-468 cells had ∼800,000, ∼250,000, ∼50,000, and ∼10,000 HER2 receptors per cell, respectively. A strong linear relationship (R 2 > 0.9) was observed between HER2 receptor count and released MMAE exposure inside the cancer cells. There was an inverse relationship found between HER2 expression level and internalization rate, and cathepsin B and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) expression level varied slightly among the cell lines. The PK model was able to simultaneously capture all the PK profiles reasonably well while estimating only two parameters. Our results demonstrate a strong quantitative relationship between antigen expression level and intracellular exposure of ADCs in cancer cells. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: In this manuscript, we have demonstrated a strong linear relationship between target expression level and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) exposure inside cancer cells. We have also shown that this relationship can be accurately captured using the cell-level systems pharmacokinetics model developed for ADCs. Our results indirectly suggest that the lack of relationship between target expression and efficacy of ADC may stem from differences in the pharmacodynamic properties of cancer cells.

ADCs, as Novel Revolutionary Weapons for Providing a Step Forward in Targeted Therapy of Malignancies.

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), as potent pharmaceutical trojan horses for cancer treatment, provide superior efficacy and specific targeting along with low risk of adverse reactions compared to traditional chemotherapeutics. In fact, the development of these agents combines the selective targeting capability of monoclonal antibody (mAb) with high cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutics for controlling the neoplastic mass growth. Different ADCs (more than 60 ADCs) in preclinical and clinical trials were introduced in this novel pharmaceutical field. Various design-based factors must be taken into account for improving the functionality of ADC technology, including selection of appropriate target antigen and high binding affinity of fragment (miniaturized ADCs) or full mAbs (preferentially use of humanized or fully human antibodies compared to murine and chimeric ones), use of bispecific antibodies for dual targeting effect, linker engineering and conjugation method efficacy to obtain more controlled drug to antibody ratio (DAR). Challenging issues affecting therapeutic efficacy and safety of ADCs, including bystander effect, on- and off-target toxicities, multi drug resistance (MDR) are also addressed. 4 FDA-approved ADCs in the market, including ADCETRIS ®, MYLOTARG®, BESPONSA ®, KADCYLA®. The goal of the current review is to evaluate the key parameters affecting ADCs development.

An Agent-Based Systems Pharmacology Model of the Antibody-Drug Conjugate Kadcyla to Predict Efficacy of Different Dosing Regimens.

The pharmaceutical industry has invested significantly in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with five FDA-approved therapies and several more showing promise in late-stage clinical trials. The FDA-approved therapeutic Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine or T-DM1) can extend the survival of patients with tumors overexpressing HER2. However, tumor histology shows that most T-DM1 localizes perivascularly, but coadministration with its unconjugated form (trastuzumab) improves penetration of the ADC into the tumor and subsequent treatment efficacy. ADC dosing schedule, e.g., dose fractionation, has also been shown to improve tolerability. However, it is still not clear how coadministration with carrier doses impacts efficacy in terms of receptor expression, dosing regimens, and payload potency. Here, we develop a hybrid agent-based model (ABM) to capture ADC and/or antibody delivery and to predict tumor killing and growth kinetics. The results indicate that a carrier dose improves efficacy when the increased number of cells targeted by the ADC outweighs the reduced fractional killing of the targeted cells. The threshold number of payloads per cell required for killing plays a pivotal role in defining this cutoff. Likewise, fractionated dosing lowers ADC efficacy due to lower tissue penetration from a reduced maximum plasma concentration. It is only beneficial when an increase in tolerability from fractionation allows a higher ADC/payload dose that more than compensates for the loss in efficacy from fractionation. Overall, the multiscale model enables detailed depictions of heterogeneous ADC delivery, cancer cell death, and tumor growth to show how carrier dosing impacts efficacy to design the most efficacious regimen.

Antibody Coadministration as a Strategy to Overcome Binding-Site Barrier for ADCs: a Quantitative Investigation

It has been proposed that the binding-site barrier (BSB) for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can be overcome with the help of antibody coadministration. However, broad utility of this strategy remains in question. Consequently, here, we have conducted in vivo experiments and pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) modeling and simulation (M&S) to further evaluate the antibody coadministration hypothesis in a quantitative manner. Two different Trastuzumab-based ADCs, T-DM1 (no bystander effect) and T-vc-MMAE (with a bystander effect), were evaluated in high-HER2 (N87) and low-HER2 (MDA-MB-453) expressing tumors, with or without the coadministration of 1, 3, or 8-fold higher Trastuzumab. The tumor growth inhibition (TGI) data was quantitatively characterized using a semi-mechanistic PK-PD model to determine the nature of drug interaction for each coadministration regimen, by estimating the interaction parameter ψ. It was found that the coadministration strategy improved ADC efficacy under certain conditions and had no impact on ADC efficacy in others. The benefit was more pronounced for N87 tumors with very high antigen expression levels where the effect on treatment was synergistic (a synergistic drug interaction, ψ = 2.86 [2.6-3.12]). The benefit was diminished in tumor with lower antigen expression (MDA-MB-453) and payload with bystander effect. Under these conditions, the coadministration regimens resulted in an additive or even less than additive benefit (ψ ≤ 1). As such, our results suggest that while antibody coadministration may be helpful for ADCs in certain circumstances, one should not broadly apply this strategy to all the scenarios without first identifying the costs and benefits of this approach.

Protein labeling approach to improve lysosomal targeting and efficacy of antibody-drug conjugates.

An anti-EGFR nanobody was labeled at the C-terminus with a lysosome-sorting NPGY (Asn-Pro-Gly-Tyr) motif via sortase-mediated ligation to enhance the engagement of the clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The synergistic effects of NPGY motif and nona-arginine peptide were found to induce robust internalization and lysosomal trafficking, which in turn improved anti-tumor activity of an antibody-drug conjugate.