Simple Allometric Scaling Research Articles

Predicting the Intravenous Pharmacokinetics of Covalent Drugs in Animals and Humans.

30 covalent drugs were used to assess clearance (CL) prediction reliability in animals and humans. In animals, marked CL underprediction was observed using cryopreserved hepatocytes or liver microsomes (LMs) supplemented for cytochrome P450 activity. Improved quantitative performance was observed by combining metabolic stability data from LMs and liver S9 fractions, the latter supplemented with reduced glutathione for glutathione transferase activity. While human LMs provided reliable human CL predictions, prediction statistics were improved further by incorporating S9 stability data. CL predictions with allometric scaling were less robust compared to in vitro drug metabolism methods; the best results were obtained using the fu-corrected intercept model. Human volume of distribution (Vd) was well predicted using allometric scaling of animal pharmacokinetic data; the most reliable results were achieved using simple allometric scaling of unbound Vd values. These results provide a quantitative framework to guide appropriate method selection for human PK prediction with covalent drugs.

Sex, age, and species differences of perfluorooctanoic acid modeled by flow- versus permeability-limited physiologically-based pharmacokinetic models

This study aimed to investigate sex, age, and species differences of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models in rats and humans. PBPK models were generally developed as either flow- or permeability-limited models. The flow-limited model is cost-effective and allows for human PK prediction through simple allometric scaling, while the permeability-limited model can incorporate detailed information on the disposition process through in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE). PFOA was administered via oral or intravenous administration with 5 mg/kg in male and female rats of different ages and the data was used to develop the PBPK models. Our results showed that both models successfully captured sex differences in rats, while only the flow-limited model with male rats and the permeability-limited model with both male and female rats provided comparable predictions in the human clinical study. More than the flow-limited model, the permeability-limited model effectively explained sex differences in rats and species differences through IVIVE. Additionally, the ontogeny-based mechanistic description of PFOA disposition enabled the interpretation of age- and sex-dependent pharmacokinetics. Although the flow-limited PBPK model lacked mechanistic interpretability compared to the permeability-limited model, it demonstrated reliable human prediction through simple allometric scaling. In conclusion, the permeability PBPK model could interpret age, sex, and species differences and it could improve the accuracy of human prediction.

Marine mammal consumption and fisheries removals in the Nordic and Barents Seas

AbstractIn this study, we assess prey consumption by the marine mammal community in the northeast Atlantic [including 21 taxa, across three regions: (I) the Icelandic shelf, Denmark Strait, and Iceland Sea (ICE); (II) the Greenland and Norwegian Seas (GN); and (III) the Barents Sea (BS)], and compare mammal requirements with removals by fisheries. To determine prey needs, estimates of energetic requirements were combined with diet and abundance information for parameterizing simple allometric scaling models, taking uncertainties into account through bootstrapping procedures. In total, marine mammals in the ICE, GN, and BS consumed 13.4 [Confidence Interval (CI): 5.6–25.0], 4.6 (CI: 1.9–8.6), and 7.1 (CI: 2.8–13.8) million tonnes of prey year–1. Fisheries removed 1.55, 1.45, and 1.16 million tonnes year–1 from these three areas, respectively. While fisheries generally operate at significantly higher trophic levels than marine mammals, we find that the potential for direct competition between marine mammals and fisheries is strongest in the GN and weakest in the BS. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate significant changes in mammal consumption compared to previous and more focused studies over the last decades. These changes likely reflect both ongoing population recoveries from historic whaling and the current rapid physical and biological changes of these high-latitude systems. We argue that changing distributions and abundances of mammals should be considered when establishing fisheries harvesting strategies, to ensure effective fisheries management and good conservation practices of top predators in such rapidly changing systems.

Meta-Assessment of Metformin Absorption and Disposition Pharmacokinetics in Nine Species.

The objective of this study was to systematically assess literature datasets and quantitatively analyze metformin PK in plasma and some tissues of nine species. The pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters and profiles of metformin in nine species were collected from the literature. Based on a simple allometric scaling, the systemic clearances () of metformin in these species highly correlate with body weight () (R2 = 0.85) and are comparable to renal plasma flow in most species except for rabbit and cat. Reported volumes of distribution () varied appreciably (0.32 to 10.1 L/kg) among species. Using the physiological and anatomical variables for each species, a minimal physiologically based pharmacokinetic (mPBPK) model consisting of blood and two tissue compartments (Tissues 1 and 2) was used for modeling metformin PK in the nine species. Permeability-limited distribution (low and ) and a single tissue-to-plasma partition coefficient () value for Tissues 1 and 2 were applied in the joint mPBPK fitting. Nonlinear regression analysis for common tissue distribution parameters along with species-specific values reasonably captured the plasma PK profiles of metformin across most species, except for rat and horse with later time deviations. In separate fittings of the mPBPK model to each species, Tissue 2 was considered as slowly-equilibrating compartment consisting of muscle and skin based on in silico calculations of the mean transit times through tissues. The well-fitted mPBPK model parameters for absorption and disposition PK of metformin for each species were compared with in vitro/in vivo results found in the literature with regard to the physiological details and physicochemical properties of metformin. Bioavailability and absorption rates decreased with the increased among the species. Tissues such as muscle dominate metformin distribution with low permeability and partitioning while actual tissue concentrations found in rats and mice show likely transporter-mediated uptake in liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tissues. Metformin has diverse pharmacologic actions, and this assessment revealed allometric relationships in its absorption and renal clearance but considerable variability in actual and modeled tissue distribution probably caused by transporter differences.

Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Allometric Scaling in Pediatric Drug Development: Where Do We Draw the Line?

Developing medicines for children is now established in legislation in both the United States and Europe; new drugs require pediatric study or investigation plans as part of their development. Particularly in early age groups, many developmental processes are not reflected by simple scalars such as body weight or body surface area, and even projecting doses based on simple allometric scaling can lead to significant overdoses in certain age groups. Modeling and simulation methodology, including physiologically based modeling, has evolved as part of the drug development toolkit and is being increasingly applied to various aspects of pediatric drug development. Pediatric physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models account for the development of organs and the ontogeny of specific enzymes and transporters that determine the age-related pharmacokinetic profiles. However, when should this approach be used, and when will simpler methods such as allometric scaling suffice in answering specific problems? The aim of this review article is to illustrate the application of allometric scaling and PBPK in pediatric drug development and explore the optimal application of the latter approach with reference to case examples. In reality, allometric scaling included as part of population pharmacokinetic and PBPK approaches are all part of a model-informed drug development toolkit helping with decision making during the process of drug discovery and development; to that end, they should be viewed as complementary.

Power law dynamics on graphs and chemical reaction networks

Dynamics on a graph that are governed by power law rate equations are discussed by means of a prototypical polynomial network protocol, which is derived from a simple allometric scaling relation as it arises e.g. in biology or chemical processes. We prove exponential convergence and stability results for the proposed nonlinear system class by transforming the nonlinear equation system into linear time-varying consensus form. Necessary and sufficient conditions for fixed points to be consensus points are provided and they are equivalent to the Wegscheider equilibrium relation known in chemistry. We illustrate our results in numerical simulations. The methods we introduce to transform the nonlinear problem to linear Laplacian form result in a novel conductance formulation for chemical reaction networks. This conductance model has the functional form of a heat exchanger. It allows to write chemical network dynamics as Gibbs free energy gradient system, with dissipation metric given by heat exchanger conductances and chemical potentials, resp. complex thermodynamic affinities, acting as driving forces.

Preclinical in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic properties of danicamtiv, a new targeted myosin activator for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the myocardium defined by left ventricular enlargement and systolic dysfunction leading to heart failure. Danicamtiv, a new targeted myosin activator designed for the treatment of DCM, was characterised in in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies. Danicamtiv human hepatic clearance was predicted to be 0.5 mL/min/kg from in vitro metabolic stability studies in human hepatocytes. For human, plasma protein binding was moderate with a fraction unbound of 0.16, whole blood-to-plasma partitioning ratio was 0.8, and danicamtiv showed high permeability and no efflux in a Caco-2 cell line. Danicamtiv metabolism pathways in vitro included CYP-mediated amide-cleavage, N-demethylation, as well as isoxazole- and piperidine-ring-opening. Danicamtiv clearance in vivo was low across species with 15.5, 15.3, 1.6, and 5.7 mL/min/kg in mouse, rat, dog, and monkey, respectively. Volume of distribution ranged from 0.24 L/kg in mouse to 1.7 L/kg in rat. Oral bioavailability ranged from 26% in mouse to 108% in dog. Simple allometric scaling prediction of human plasma clearance, volume of distribution, and half-life was 0.64 mL/min/kg, 0.98 L/kg, and 17.7 h, respectively. Danicamtiv preclinical attributes and predicted human pharmacokinetics supported advancement toward clinical development.

Allometric models for above and below-ground biomass of wild Musa stands in tropical semi evergreen forests

Wild Musa species constitute an important component of tropical rain forests, wet evergreen forests and deciduous forests. Unlike forest trees, biomass estimation models are virtually lacking for wild Musa species. The present study aimed to determine whether growth and biomass accumulation in Musa species follow simple allometric scaling rules; and to develop allometric models for estimation of biomass storage in wild Musa balbisiana stands. A total of 156, M. balbisiana plants were harvested for above and below ground biomass for developing the biomass estimation models. The commonly used height-diameter (H-D) models: Chapman-Richard, exponential, Gompertz, hyperbolic, Michaelis-Menten (saturation growth), power-law, Weibull and Von Bertalanffy functions were used to predict missing heights from field measurement of plant diameter. The performance of the power-law model involving D alone, pseudo-stem height (Hp) alone or a combination of D and Hp was used to develop the best biomass estimation model. Nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (NSUR) was used to model total biomass stocks. The stand density and basal area of the wild Musa stand was 14900 pseudo-stem ha−1, and 14.94 m2 ha−1, respectively. Based on the goodness of fit criteria, Hp, and D at 130 cm, the Exponential and Gompertz functions were observed to be the two best models for describing H-D relationship. A model containing D and Hp was found to be the best model for total biomass estimation in M. balbisiana. The total biomass stock predicted by our best NSUR model was 90.7 Mg ha−1, of which 55.4 Mg ha−1 was found in above-ground and 34.7 Mg ha−1 in below-ground plant parts. The present study suggests wild M. balbisiana hold significant potential to contribute to stand level biomass stock in forest ecosystems where they occur mixed with trees.

Metabolism and pharmacokinetics characterization of metarrestin in multiple species.

Metarrestin is a first-in-class pyrrolo-pyrimidine-derived small molecule targeting a marker of genome organization associated with metastasis and is currently in preclinical development as an anti-cancer agent. Here, we report the in vitro ADME characteristics and in vivo pharmacokinetic behavior of metarrestin. Solubility, permeability, and efflux ratio as well as in vitro metabolism of metarrestin in hepatocytes, liver microsomes and S9 fractions, recombinant cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, and potential for CYP inhibition were evaluated. Single dose pharmacokinetic profiles after intravenous and oral administration in mice, rat, dog, monkey, and mini-pig were obtained. Simple allometric scaling was applied to predict human pharmacokinetics. Metarrestin had an aqueous solubility of 150µM at pH 7.4, high permeability in PAMPA and moderate efflux ratio in Caco-2 assays. The compound was metabolically stable in liver microsomes, S9 fractions, and hepatocytes from six species, including human. Metarrestin is a CYP3A4 substrate and, in mini-pigs, is also directly glucuronidated. Metarrestin did not show cytochrome P450 inhibitory activity. Plasma concentration-time profiles showed low to moderate clearance, ranging from 0.6mL/min/kg in monkeys to 48mL/min/kg in mice and moderate to high volume of distribution, ranging from 1.5 L/kg in monkeys to 17 L/kg in mice. Metarrestin has greater than 80% oral bioavailability in all species tested. The excretion of unchanged parent drug in urine was < 5% in dogs and < 1% in monkeys over collection periods of ≥ 144h; in bile-duct cannulated rats, the excretion of unchanged drug was < 1% in urine and < 2% in bile over a collection period of 48h. Metarrestin is a low clearance compound which has good bioavailability and large biodistribution after oral administration. Biotransformation appearsto be the major elimination process for the parent drug. In vitro data suggest a low drug-drug interaction potential on CYP-mediated metabolism. Overall favorable ADME and PK properties support metarrestin's progression to clinical investigation.

Predictive Pediatric Modeling and Simulation Using Ontogeny Information.

Food and Drug Administration submissions of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling and simulation of small-molecule drugs document the relevance of pediatric drug development and, in particular, information on dosing strategies in children. The most relevant prerequisite for reliable PBPK-based translation of adult pharmacokinetics of a small molecule to children is knowledge of the drug-specific absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (ADME) processes in adults together with existing information about ontogeny of ADME processes relevant for the drug. All mechanisms driving a drug's clearance are of specific importance. For other drug modalities, our knowledge of ADME processes and ontogeny is still limited. More research is required, for example, to understand why some therapeutic proteins show complex differences in pharmacokinetics between adults and children, whereas other proteins seem to follow simple allometric scaling rules. Ontogeny information originates from various sources, such as (semi)quantitative mRNA expression, in vitro activity data, and deconvolution of in vivo pharmacokinetic data. The workflow for pediatric predictions is well described in several articles documenting successful translation from adults to children. The technical hurdles for PBPK modeling are low. State-of-the-art PBPK modeling software tools provide integrated pediatric translation workflows. For example, PK-Sim and MoBi are freely available as fully transparent open-source software via Open Systems Pharmacology (OSP). With the latest 2019 software release, version 8.0, OSP even provides a fully integrated technical framework for the qualification (and requalification) of any specific intended PBPK use in line with Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency PBPK guidance. Qualification packages for pediatric translation are available on the OSP platform.

TNF-α level affects etanercept clearance: TNF-α concentration as a new correction factor of allometric scaling to predict individual etanercept clearances in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Etanercept (ETN) is a widely used anti-tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) agent, which relieves the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) by binding to TNF-α to inhibit its inflammation effects. In this study, the effect of TNF-α level on ETN clearance (CL) was investigated, and the TNF-α concentration was initially set as a correction factor for allometric scaling to improve the predictions of individual ETN CLs. Individual ETN CLs and TNF-α concentrations in healthy volunteers and patients with AS were determined by performing ETN pharmacokinetic studies in the two cohorts. Accordingly, individual ETN CLs in both healthy volunteers and patients with AS were predicted from data of two animal species using different methods, including simple allometric scaling, scaling with a correction factor of maximum life span potential or brain weight, and scaling with a correction factor of the TNF-α concentration. The accuracies of such predictions were evaluated by the percentage errors. Consequently, increased TNF-α concentration was shown to improve ETN CL, by comparing both ETN CLs and TNF-α concentrations between healthy volunteers and patients with AS. More importantly, better predictions of individual ETN CLs were achieved in patients with AS using allometric scaling with TNF-α concentration as the correction factor. In conclusion, in vivo levels of TNF-α can affect ETN CL, and allometric scaling corrected with the TNF-α concentration can be used to estimate the individual CLs of anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibodies based on preclinical data.

Mathematical consideration of the age-related decline in leaf biomass in forest stands under the self-thinning law

In addition to the hypothetical trends proposed by Kira and Shidei (1967), Odum (1969) and Ryan et al. (1997, 2004), Oshima et al. (1958) observed a complicated age-related change in stand leaf biomass in Abies forests. To explain this change in stand leaf biomass theoretically, the age-related change in leaf biomass was modeled based on the following three assumptions after canopy closure: (i) the self-thinning law; (ii) expanded allometric scaling between the mean individual leaf mass and mean individual total mass; and (iii) the formulation of a logistic function for stand density change. The model successfully explained these three trends in forest stand leaf biomass and introduced expanded allometric scaling including the properties of the model based on simple allometric scaling proposed by Ogawa (2017). Therefore, the model developed here can generalize age-related changes in forest stand biomass better than the model proposed by Ogawa (2017).

The evolution of floral ontogenetic allometry in the Andean genus Caiophora (Loasaceae, subfam. Loasoideae).

The astounding variety of angiosperm flower morphologies has evolved in response to many selective forces. Flower development is highly coordinated and involves developmental associations between size and shape, ontogenetic allometry, which in turn affect the morphology of mature flowers. Although ontogenetic allometries can act as a developmental constraint and may influence adaptive evolution, allometries can evolve themselves and may change rapidly in response to selection. We explored the evolution of ontogenetic allometry in the flowers of 11 species of Loasoideae. Seven species belong to Caiophora, which radiated recently in the central Andes, and contains species that are pollinated by bees, hummingbirds, and small rodents. According to a previous study, the diversification of Caiophora involved departures from simple allometric scaling, but the changes to allometry that enabled flower diversification have not been explored yet. We characterized the ontogenetic allometry of each species with the methods of geometric morphometrics. We studied the evolution of allometries by constructing allometric spaces, in which the allometry of each species is represented by a point and the arrangement of points indicates the relations among allometric trajectories. To examine the history of changes of ontogenetic allometries, we projected the phylogeny into the allometric spaces. Inspection of allometric spaces suggests that ontogenetic variation is limited to a few dominant features. The allometries of the two main functional flower parts under study differ in their evolutionary labilities, and patterns of variation reflect pollination systems, differences in structural organization, and abiotic environmental factors.

GBT440 Demonstrates High Specificity for Red Blood Cells in Nonclinical Species

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by a point mutation in the β-globin gene leading to production of hemoglobin S (HbS) that polymerizes upon deoxygenation with subsequent formation of sickled red blood cells (RBCs). GBT440 modulates O2 affinity of hemoglobin (Hb) by binding to the N-terminal α chain of Hb via a reversible Schiff base. We previously demonstrated that GBT440 preventedsickling of RBCs from sickle cell patients, in vitro. Also, in a murine model of sickle cell disease (Townes SS mice), GBT440 prevented ex vivo sickling of RBCs and prolonged RBC half-life.Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of GBT440 were conducted in mouse, rat, dog and monkey following IV and oral administration. Both blood and plasma samples were collected and assayed for GBT440 concentration using LCMS. Following IV and oral administrations, GBT440 quickly partitions into the RBC with a high blood/plasma ratio of ~70:1 which corresponded to a RBC/plasma ratio of ~150:1. Volume of distribution (Vss) was small in whole blood (0.041-0.171 L/kg) but much larger in plasma (1.44-8.45 L/kg) indicating that RBCs are a reservoir of GBT440. Systemic clearance (CLs) was low in both blood (0.016-0.113 mL/min/kg) and plasma (0.943-3.16 mL/min/kg) indicating that GBT440 was mostly bound to hemoglobin and only a small fraction of unbound GBT440 re-distributed into the plasma and was available for clearance. Terminal elimination half-life (t1/2) was similar between whole blood and plasma for each species and was long, ranging from 6.4 hours in mouse plasma to 93.5 hours in dog plasma. GBT440 was well absorbed and absolute oral bioavailability ranged from 33% to 70% in four species.A quantitative whole body autoradiography study to determine tissue distribution of GBT440 was conducted in male rats following an oral dose of 14C-GBT440 (10 mg/kg; 150 µCi/kg PO). The data showed that GBT440 is co-located in hematopoietic tissues as expected for a molecule whose target is hemoglobin, including blood, spleen, liver and bone marrow.A mass balance study of 14C-GBT440 (10 mg/kg; 150 µCi/kg PO) was conducted in rats to determine route of elimination of GBT440. The 14C-GBT440-derived radioactivity was well absorbed and rapidly excreted after oral administration. By 240 hours postdose, mean values of 79.0 ± 3.86 and 9.74 ± 3.02% of the administered radioactivity were excreted in feces and urine, respectively. The mean overall recovery of radioactivity was 92.4 ± 0.875%. Metabolism via both Phase I and Phase II pathways was the major route of elimination of GBT440. These data indicate that despite its high affinity binding toward Hb, GBT440 could be released from the hemoglobin complex and completely eliminated from the body.To further correlate PK to pharmacological activity (hemoglobin modification based on changes in the oxygen equilibrium curve), mice were given an oral dose of 30, 50 and 100 mg/kg and blood were collected at 4 and 6 hr postdose for hemoximetry analysis. Data showed good correlation between blood concentrations and changes in p50. Blood concentrations following 30, 50 and 100 mg/kg at 4 hr were 243, 446, and 806 µM, which resulted in changes in p50 of 11%, 25% and 55%, respectively, indicating that GBT440 elicits an ex vivo dose dependent increase in Hb-O2 affinity following increasing dosage to mice.Based on PK data from 4 animal species, PK profile of GBT440 in human was predicted using a simple allometric scaling technique. The predicted PK profile following an oral administration was highly concordant with actual data from healthy subjects for Cmax, AUC and T½, which suggested that the disposition kinetics of GBT440 in humans were consistent to that in animals.In summary, nonclinical PK studies support previous findings that GBT440 partitions to RBCs, binds specifically to Hb with a slow off rate, modulates Hb-O2 affinity, and is completely eliminated from the body. GBT440 is in clinical trials for the treatment of SCD. DisclosuresHutchaleelaha:Global Blood Therapeutics: Employment, Equity Ownership. Patel:Global Blood Therapeutics: Employment, Equity Ownership. Silva:Global Blood Therapeutics: Employment, Equity Ownership. Oksenberg:Global Blood Therapeutics: Employment, Equity Ownership. Metcalf:Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Equity Ownership.

An Allometric Relationship between the Genome Length and Virion Volume of Viruses

Virions vary in size by at least 4 orders of magnitude, yet the evolutionary forces responsible for this enormous diversity are unknown. We document a significant allometric relationship, with an exponent of approximately 1.5, between the genome length and virion volume of viruses and find that this relationship is not due to geometric constraints. Notably, this allometric relationship holds regardless of genomic nucleic acid, genome structure, or type of virion architecture and therefore represents a powerful scaling law. In contrast, no such relationship is observed at the scale of individual genes. Similarly, after adjusting for genome length, no association is observed between virion volume and the number of proteins, ruling out protein number as the explanation for the relationship between genome and virion sizes. Such a fundamental allometric relationship not only sheds light on the constraints to virus evolution, in that increases in virion size but not necessarily structure are associated with concomitant increases in genome size, but also implies that virion sizes in nature can be broadly predicted from genome sequence data alone. Viruses vary dramatically in both genome and virion sizes, but the factors responsible for this diversity are uncertain. Through a comparative and quantitative investigation of these two fundamental biological parameters across diverse viral taxa, we show that genome length and virion volume conform to a simple allometric scaling law. Notably, this allometric relationship holds regardless of the type of virus, including those with both RNA and DNA genomes, and encompasses viruses that exhibit more than 3 logs of genome size variation. Accordingly, this study helps to reveal the basic rules of virus design.

Using non-human biological entities to understand pedestrian crowd behaviour under emergency conditions

Models of collective movement have been developed for both human crowds and animal herds and other aggregations but these models have not been used to test whether panicked crowds display generic features of dynamical behaviour regardless of species, and in particular whether a single model can explain panic behaviour in organisms of vastly different body size. We use a single modelling framework to examine crowd behaviour in ants and humans, which differ by 8 orders of magnitude in body mass. We assess whether simple allometric scaling of model parameter values, based only on the body mass difference, allows the model to describe the collective behaviour of the two species under panic conditions. We verified the model against experimental data from panicking Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) and then rescaled the parameter values to human body size. The predictions of rescaled model correspond to the quantitative data available for crowd panics, suggesting that the same kinds of interactions among individuals and with the physical environment govern crowd behaviour. We tested the effects of partial obstruction and the homogeneity of body sizes on the escape rate and found that appropriate selection of size and location of obstruction and homogeneity of body sizes can increase the outflow of pedestrians by more than double. Broader comparisons of crowd behaviour among species with different forms of locomotion and body size can enhance our theoretical understanding of crowd panics and potentially has applications in handling of agricultural animals as well as human public safety.

Differences in caste dimorphism among three hornet species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): forewing size, shape and allometry

Caste shape dimorphism (CShD) has previously been studied in wasps through comparison of different body parts, originating from different imaginal discs. Using geometric morphometrics with a new protocol for measuring wings of pinned specimens from natural history collections, we tested CShD of three hornet species in an organ developed from a single imaginal disc: the forewing. Gaussian mixture models retrieved most castes and species levels, confirming that caste is an important component of wing variations in females of these hornets. Size and allometry - the influence of size on shape - contribution to wing dimorphism between castes was major, but failed to explain the entire shape dimorphism. This deviation from simple allometric scaling was not similar in the three species: in Vespa tropica, allometric directions in the shape space differed between castes, whereas in V. crabro and V. velutina, they were similar but a significant part of CShD resulted from lateral transpositions. These results clearly indicate that queens are not just enlarged workers. They also support that the different patterns of CShD may result from different developmental mechanisms. Finally, they highlight that even in a highly social group like hornets, there is still variation in caste dimorphism among species.

Quantitative Prediction of Human Pharmacokinetics for Monoclonal Antibodies

Prediction of human pharmacokinetics for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) plays an important role for first-in-human (FIH) dose selection. This retrospective analysis compares observed FIH pharmacokinetic data for 16 mAbs to those predicted in humans based on allometric scaling of Cynomolgus monkey pharmacokinetic data. Ten mAbs exhibited linear pharmacokinetics in monkeys based on non-compartmental analysis. For these, simple allometric scaling based on bodyweight was applied to predict human clearance (CL) and volume of distribution (V(d)) from those obtained in monkeys. Six mAbs exhibited nonlinear pharmacokinetics in monkeys based on population modelling. For these, a population modelling approach using nonlinear mixed-effects modelling software, NONMEM, was applied to describe monkey data by a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model with parallel linear and nonlinear elimination from the central compartment. The pharmacokinetic parameters in monkeys were then scaled to humans based on simple allometry. Human concentration-time profiles of these mAbs were then simulated and compared with those observed in the FIH studies. Antibodies with linear elimination in monkeys also exhibited linear elimination in humans. For these, observed CL and V(d) were predicted within 2.3-fold by allometry. The predictability of human peak serum concentration (C(max)) and area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) for mAbs with nonlinear pharmacokinetics in monkeys was, however, concentration dependent. C(max) was consistently overestimated (up to 5.3-fold higher) when below the predicted Michaelis-Menten constant (Km; range 0.3-4 μg/mL). The prediction of human C(max) was within 2.3-fold when concentrations greatly exceeded Km. Similarly, differences between predicted human AUCs and those observed in the FIH studies were much greater at low doses/concentrations. Consequently, predicted drug exposure in humans at low starting doses (range 0.01-0.3 mg/kg) in FIH studies was poorly estimated for three of six mAbs with nonlinear pharmacokinetics. Allometric prediction of human pharmacokinetics may be sufficient for mAbs that exhibit linear pharmacokinetics. For mAbs that exhibited nonlinear pharmacokinetics, the best predictive performance was obtained after doses that achieved target-saturating concentrations.

Projecting human pharmacokinetics of therapeutic antibodies from nonclinical data

The pharmacokinetics (PK) of therapeutic antibodies is determined by target and non-target mediated mechanisms. These antibody-specific factors need to be considered during prediction of human PK based upon preclinical information. Principles of allometric scaling established for small molecules using data from multiple animal species cannot be directly applied to antibodies. Here, different methods for projecting human clearance (CL) from animal PK data for 13 therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) exhibiting linear PK over the tested dose ranges were examined: simple allometric scaling (CL versus body weight), allometric scaling with correction factors, allometric scaling based on rule of exponent and scaling from only cynomolgus monkey PK data. A better correlation was obtained between the observed human CL and the estimated human CL based on cynomolgus monkey PK data and an allometric scaling exponent of 0.85 for CL than other scaling approaches. Human concentration-time profiles were also reasonably predicted from the cynomolgus monkey data using species-invariant time method with a fixed exponent of 0.85 for CL and 1.0 for volume of distribution. In conclusion, we expanded our previous work and others and further confirmed that PK from cynomolgus monkey alone can be successfully scaled to project human PK profiles within linear range using simplify allometry and Dedrick plots with fixed exponent.

Abstract 2663: Preclinical pharmacokinetic characterizations and human pharmacokinetic prediction of AMG 900, an orally available small molecule inhibitor of aurora kinases

Abstract Introduction: AMG 900 is a small molecule being developed as an orally administered, highly potent and selective pan-aurora kinase inhibitor. AMG 900 is currently undergoing phase 1 clinical evaluation in patients with advanced solid tumors. The objectives of the studies were to characterize single dose pharmacokinetics (PK) of AMG 900 in preclinical species and use the preclinical PK data to predict its human PK. Methods: Following a single intravenous and oral administration of AMG 900 to mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys, blood samples were collected and processed for plasma by centrifugation. AMG 900 plasma concentrations were determined by LC-MS/MS. Non-compartmental analysis of the concentration - time data was performed to calculate PK parameters of AMG 900. Human PK were predicted based on data from preclinical species using the simple allometric scaling method assuming a human body weight of 60 kg. Results: AMG 900 exhibited low (mouse, monkey and dog) to moderate (rat) clearance in the species evaluated. The volume of distribution at steady state was less than 0.5 L/kg across species. Following intravenous administration, the compound had terminal elimination half-life ranging from 0.6 to 2.4 hours. AMG 900 was well absorbed in fasted animals across species with an oral bioavailability ranging from 31% to 104%. The clearance and volume of distribution at steady state in humans were predicted to be 0.03 L/hr/kg and 0.1 L/kg, respectively, with the predicted half-life to be approximately 2.3 hours. Bioavailability after oral administration of AMG 900 was predicted to be 75%, calculated from the mean values observed in non-clinical species. Conclusion: AMG 900 exhibits good PK properties in preclinical species and it was predicted to have low clearance and good oral bioavailability in human. Available PK results from the on-going phase 1 trial are consistent with the allometric scaling predictions. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2663.