Self-hydrolyzing maleimides improve the stability and pharmacological properties of antibody-drug conjugates

Site-Dependent Degradation of a Non-Cleavable Auristatin-Based Linker-Payload in Rodent Plasma and Its Effect on ADC Efficacy

The efficacy of an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) is dependent on the properties of its linker-payload which must remain stable while in systemic circulation but undergo efficient processing upon internalization into target cells. Here, we examine the stability of a non-cleavable Amino-PEG6-based linker bearing the monomethyl auristatin D (MMAD) payload site-specifically conjugated at multiple positions on an antibody. Enzymatic conjugation with transglutaminase allows us to create a stable amide linkage that remains intact across all tested conjugation sites on the antibody, and provides us with an opportunity to examine the stability of the auristatin payload itself. We report a position-dependent degradation of the C terminus of MMAD in rodent plasma that has a detrimental effect on its potency. The MMAD cleavage can be eliminated by either modifying the C terminus of the toxin, or by selection of conjugation site. Both approaches result in improved stability and potency in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we show that the MMAD metabolism in mouse plasma is likely mediated by a serine-based hydrolase, appears much less pronounced in rat, and was not detected in cynomolgus monkey or human plasma. Clarifying these species differences and controlling toxin degradation to optimize ADC stability in rodents is essential to make the best ADC selection from preclinical models. The data presented here demonstrate that site selection and toxin susceptibility to mouse plasma degradation are important considerations in the design of non-cleavable ADCs, and further highlight the benefits of site-specific conjugation methods.

Antibody-Drug Conjugates for Tumor Targeting-Novel Conjugation Chemistries and the Promise of non-IgG Binding Proteins

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as a promising class of anticancer agents, combining the specificity of antibodies for tumor targeting and the destructive potential of highly potent drugs as payload. An essential component of these immunoconjugates is a bifunctional linker capable of reacting with the antibody and the payload to assemble a functional entity. Linker design is fundamental, as it must provide high stability in the circulation to prevent premature drug release, but be capable of releasing the active drug inside the target cell upon receptor-mediated endocytosis. Although ADCs have demonstrated an increased therapeutic window, compared to conventional chemotherapy in recent clinical trials, therapeutic success rates are still far from optimal. To explore other regimes of half-life variation and drug conjugation stoichiometries, it is necessary to investigate additional binding proteins which offer access to a wide range of formats, all with molecularly defined drug conjugation. Here, we delineate recent progress with site-specific and biorthogonal conjugation chemistries, and discuss alternative, biophysically more stable protein scaffolds like Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins), which may provide such additional engineering opportunities for drug conjugates with improved pharmacological performance.

Sortase Enzyme-Mediated Generation of Site-Specifically Conjugated Antibody Drug Conjugates with High In Vitro and In Vivo Potency

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) have recently been proven to be highly potent anti-tumor drugs, typically exceeding the efficacy of conventional monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). ADCs are currently produced by chemical conjugation of a small-molecule toxin to the mAb through lysine or cysteine side chains. This leads to heterogeneous mixtures of ADCs in which variable numbers of drugs are conjugated to individual antibodies and in which the site of conjugation cannot be defined. Consequently, there is currently significant interest in further development of drug conjugation technologies, with a particular focus on site-specific payload conjugation. Here, we present an enzymatic conjugation platform based on the S. aureus sortase A-mediated transpeptidation reaction, allowing the efficient generation of ADCs with toxins conjugated to pre-defined sites at pre-defined drug-to-antibody ratios. For this, two modifications were introduced: first, immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) and light (IgL) chains were modified at their C-termini by addition of the sortase A recognition motif LPETG, and second, the small molecule tubulin polymerization inhibitors monomethylauristatin E (MMAE) and maytansine were modified by addition of a pentaglycine peptide, thus making them suitable substrates for sortase A-mediated transpeptidation. We demonstrate efficient generation and characterization of the anti-CD30 ADC Ac10-vcPAB-MMAE, an enzymatically conjugated counterpart of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), as well as several anti-HER-2 ADCs including trastuzumab-maytansine, the counterpart of trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla). ADCs generated in this manner were found to display in vitro cell killing activities indistinguishable from the classic conjugates. Further, when tested in vivo in a HER-2-overexpressing ovarian cancer xenograft mouse model, enzymatically generated trastuzumab-maytansine was found to lead to complete regression of established tumors, similar to Kadcyla.

In vivo biotransformations of antibody–drug conjugates

The selective delivery of potent pharmacologically active compounds to target tissue or cells by antibody–drug conjugates makes this immuno-conjugate a promising modality for the treatment of cancers. A thorough understanding of the structural integrity of the linker, the payload and the conjugation site during biological exposure is critical throughout the process of novel linker-payload design and optimization of PK profile. This understanding is a key aspect of the effort to maximize efficacy while minimizing toxicity in preclinical testing and to ensure the translation to the clinical setting. The complexity of this bioconjugate modality is a source of significant challenge for analytical interrogation and analysis in vivo. Therefore, we report herein a survey of various types of biotransformation events that have been elucidated in recent years.

A platform for efficient, thiol-stable conjugation to albumin's native single accessible cysteine

Herein we report the use of bromomaleimides for the construction of stable albumin conjugates via conjugation to its native, single accessible, cysteine followed by hydrolysis. Advantages over the classical maleimide approach are highlighted in terms of quantitative hydrolysis and absence of undesirable retro-Michael deconjugation.

Chemoenzymatic Conjugation of Toxic Payloads to the Globally Conserved N-Glycan of Native mAbs Provides Homogeneous and Highly Efficacious Antibody-Drug Conjugates

A robust, generally applicable, nongenetic technology is presented to convert monoclonal antibodies into stable and homogeneous ADCs. Starting from a native (nonengineered) mAb, a chemoenzymatic protocol allows for the highly controlled attachment of any given payload to the N-glycan residing at asparagine-297, based on a two-stage process: first, enzymatic remodeling (trimming and tagging with azide), followed by ligation of the payload based on copper-free click chemistry. The technology, termed GlycoConnect, is applicable to any IgG isotype irrespective of glycosylation profile. Application to trastuzumab and maytansine, both components of the marketed ADC Kadcyla, demonstrate a favorable in vitro and in vivo efficacy for GlycoConnect ADC. Moreover, the superiority of the native glycan as attachment site was demonstrated by in vivo comparison to a range of trastuzumab-based glycosylation mutants. A side-by-side comparison of the copper-free click probes bicyclononyne (BCN) and a dibenzoannulated cyclooctyne (DBCO) showed a surprising difference in conjugation efficiency in favor of BCN, which could be even further enhanced by introduction of electron-withdrawing fluoride substitutions onto the azide. The resulting mAb-conjugates were in all cases found to be highly stable, which in combination with the demonstrated efficacy warrants ADCs with a superior therapeutic index.

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Cysteine Rebridged Trastuzumab-MMAE Antibody Drug Conjugates with Defined Drug-to-Antibody Ratios

The conjugation of monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) to trastuzumab using a reduction bis-alkylation approach that is capable of rebridging reduced (native) antibody interchain disulfide bonds has been previously shown to produce a homogeneous and stable conjugate with a drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) of 4 as the major product. Here, we further investigate the potency of the DAR 4 conjugates prepared by bis-alkylation by comparing to lower drug loaded variants to maleimide linker based conjugates possessing typical mixed DAR profiles. Serum stability, HER2 receptor binding, internalization, in vitro potency, and in vivo efficacy were all evaluated. Greater stability compared with maleimide conjugation was observed with no significant decrease in receptor/FcRn binding. A clear dose-response was obtained based on drug loading (DAR) with the DAR 4 conjugate showing the highest potency in vitro and a much higher efficacy in vivo compared with the lower DAR conjugates. Finally, the DAR 4 conjugate demonstrated superior efficacy compared to trastuzumab-DM1 (T-DM1, Kadcyla), as evaluated in a low HER2 expressing JIMT-1 xenograft model.

Exploiting protected maleimides to modify oligonucleotides, peptides and peptide nucleic acids

This manuscript reviews the possibilities offered by 2,5-dimethylfuran-protected maleimides. Suitably derivatized building blocks incorporating the exo Diels-Alder cycloadduct can be introduced at any position of oligonucleotides, peptide nucleic acids, peptides and peptoids, making use of standard solid-phase procedures. Maleimide deprotection takes place upon heating, which can be followed by either Michael-type or Diels-Alder click conjugation reactions. However, the one-pot procedure in which maleimide deprotection and conjugation are simultaneously carried out provides the target conjugate more quickly and, more importantly, in better yield. This procedure is compatible with conjugates involving oligonucleotides, peptides and peptide nucleic acids. A variety of cyclic peptides and oligonucleotides can be obtained from peptide and oligonucleotide precursors incorporating protected maleimides and thiols.

Emerging formats for next-generation antibody drug conjugates

INTRODUCTION

Antibody drug conjugates now make up a significant fraction of biopharma's oncology pipeline due to great advances in the understanding of the three key components and how they should be optimised together. With this clinical success comes innovation to produce new enabling technologies that can deliver more effective antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with a larger therapeutic index.

AREAS COVERED

There are many reviews that discuss the various strategies for ADCs design but the last 5 years or so have witnessed the emergence of a number of different antibody formats compete with the standard whole immunoglobulin. Using published research, patent applications and conference disclosures, the authors review the many antibody and antibody-like formats, discussing innovations in protein engineering and how these new formats impact on the conjugation strategy and ultimately the performance. The alternative chemistries that are now available offer new linkages, stability profiles, drug:antibody ratio, pharmacokinetics and efficacy. The different sizes being considered promise to address issues, such as tumour penetration, circulatory half-life and side-effects.

EXPERT OPINION

ADCs are at the beginning of the next stage in their evolution and as these newer formats are developed and examined in the clinic, we will discover if the predicted features have a clinical benefit. From the commercial activity, it is envisaged that smaller or fragment-based ADCs will expand oncological applications.

Current ADC Linker Chemistry

The list of ADCs in the clinic continues to grow, bolstered by the success of first two marketed ADCs: ADCETRIS® and Kadcyla®. Currently, there are 40 ADCs in various phases of clinical development. However, only 34 of these have published their structures. Of the 34 disclosed structures, 24 of them use a linkage to the thiol of cysteines on the monoclonal antibody. The remaining 10 candidates utilize chemistry to surface lysines of the antibody. Due to the inherent heterogeneity of conjugation to the multiple lysines or cysteines found in mAbs, significant research efforts are now being directed toward the production of discrete, homogeneous ADC products, via site-specific conjugation. These site-specific conjugations may involve genetic engineering of the mAb to introduce discrete, available cysteines or non-natural amino acids with an orthogonally-reactive functional group handle such as an aldehyde, ketone, azido, or alkynyl tag. These site-specific approaches not only increase the homogeneity of ADCs but also enable novel bio-orthogonal chemistries that utilize reactive moieties other than thiol or amine. This broadens the diversity of linkers that can be utilized which will lead to better linker design in future generations of ADCs.

Effect of attachment site on stability of cleavable antibody drug conjugates

The systemic stability of the antibody-drug linker is crucial for delivery of an intact antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to target-expressing tumors. Linkers stable in circulation but readily processed in the target cell are necessary for both safety and potency of the delivered conjugate. Here, we report a range of stabilities for an auristatin-based payload site-specifically attached through a cleavable valine-citrulline-p-aminobenzylcarbamate (VC-PABC) linker across various sites on an antibody. We demonstrate that the conjugation site plays an important role in determining VC-PABC linker stability in mouse plasma, and that the stability of the linker positively correlates with ADC cytotoxic potency both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we show that the VC-PABC cleavage in mouse plasma is not mediated by Cathepsin B, the protease thought to be primarily responsible for linker processing in the lysosomal degradation pathway. Although the VC-PABC cleavage is not detected in primate plasma in vitro, linker stabilization in the mouse is an essential prerequisite for designing successful efficacy and safety studies in rodents during preclinical stages of ADC programs. The divergence of linker metabolism in mouse plasma and its intracellular cleavage offers an opportunity for linker optimization in the circulation without compromising its efficient payload release in the target cell.

Site-specific antibody-drug conjugates: the nexus of bioorthogonal chemistry, protein engineering, and drug development

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) combine the specificity of antibodies with the potency of small molecules to create targeted drugs. Despite the simplicity of this concept, generation of clinically successful ADCs has been very difficult. Over the past several decades, scientists have learned a great deal about the constraints on antibodies, linkers, and drugs as they relate to successful construction of ADCs. Once these components are in hand, most ADCs are prepared by nonspecific modification of antibody lysine or cysteine residues with drug-linker reagents, which results in heterogeneous product mixtures that cannot be further purified. With advances in the fields of bioorthogonal chemistry and protein engineering, there is growing interest in producing ADCs by site-specific conjugation to the antibody, yielding more homogeneous products that have demonstrated benefits over their heterogeneous counterparts in vivo. Here, we chronicle the development of a multitude of site-specific conjugation strategies for assembly of ADCs and provide a comprehensive account of key advances and their roots in the fields of bioorthogonal chemistry and protein engineering.

CBTF: new amine-to-thiol coupling reagent for preparation of antibody conjugates with increased plasma stability

Amine-to-thiol coupling is the most common route for the preparation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). It is usually achieved by using heterobifunctional reagents possessing an activated ester at one end and a maleimide group at the other. However, maleimide-based conjugates were recently revealed to have limited stability in blood circulation, which can compromise therapeutic efficacy of the conjugate. To address this issue, we have developed a heterobifunctional reagent, sodium 4-((4-(cyanoethynyl)benzoyl)oxy)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzenesulfonate (CBTF), for amine-to-thiol coupling. It comprises a recently described 3-arylpropionitrile (APN) function in replacement of maleimide and allows for the preparation of remarkably stable conjugates. A series of antibody-dye conjugates have been prepared using this reagent and shown superior stability in human blood plasma compared to maleimide-derived conjugates.

Synthesis and Application of Protein-Containing Block Copolymers

Proteins possess an impressive array of functionality ranging from catalytic activity to selective binding and mechanical strength, making them highly attractive for materials engineering. Conjugation of synthetic polymers to proteins has the potential to improve the physical properties of the protein as well as provide functionality not typically found in native proteins, such as stimuli-responsive behavior and the programmable ability to self-assemble. This viewpoint discusses the design of protein-polymer conjugates, an important class of block copolymers. Use of these hybrid molecules in biological and catalytic applications is highlighted, and the ability of the polymer to direct the solution and solid-state self-assembly of the hybrid block copolymers is reviewed. Future challenges in polymer and material science that will enable these hybrid molecules to reach their potential as protein-based materials are outlined.

Mild method for succinimide hydrolysis on ADCs: impact on ADC potency, stability, exposure, and efficacy

The stability of the connection between the antibody and the toxin can have a profound impact on ADC safety and efficacy. There has been increasing evidence in recent years that maleimide-based ADCs are prone to payload loss via a retro-Michael type reaction. Herein, we report a mild method for the hydrolysis of the succinimide-thioether ring which results in a "ring-opened" linker. ADCs containing this hydrolyzed succinimide linker show equivalent cytotoxicity, improved in vitro stability, improved PK exposure, and improved efficacy as compared to their nonhydrolyzed counterparts. This method offers a simple way to improve the stability, exposure, and efficacy of maleimide-based ADCs.