1
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Lipsh-Sokolik R, Fleishman SJ. Addressing epistasis in the design of protein function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2314999121. [PMID: 39133844 PMCID: PMC11348311 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2314999121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Mutations in protein active sites can dramatically improve function. The active site, however, is densely packed and extremely sensitive to mutations. Therefore, some mutations may only be tolerated in combination with others in a phenomenon known as epistasis. Epistasis reduces the likelihood of obtaining improved functional variants and dramatically slows natural and lab evolutionary processes. Research has shed light on the molecular origins of epistasis and its role in shaping evolutionary trajectories and outcomes. In addition, sequence- and AI-based strategies that infer epistatic relationships from mutational patterns in natural or experimental evolution data have been used to design functional protein variants. In recent years, combinations of such approaches and atomistic design calculations have successfully predicted highly functional combinatorial mutations in active sites. These were used to design thousands of functional active-site variants, demonstrating that, while our understanding of epistasis remains incomplete, some of the determinants that are critical for accurate design are now sufficiently understood. We conclude that the space of active-site variants that has been explored by evolution may be expanded dramatically to enhance natural activities or discover new ones. Furthermore, design opens the way to systematically exploring sequence and structure space and mutational impacts on function, deepening our understanding and control over protein activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalie Lipsh-Sokolik
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Sarel J Fleishman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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2
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Zhang X, Wang H, Sun C. BiSpec Pairwise AI: guiding the selection of bispecific antibody target combinations with pairwise learning and GPT augmentation. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2024; 150:237. [PMID: 38713378 PMCID: PMC11076393 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-024-05740-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), capable of targeting two antigens simultaneously, represent a significant advancement by employing dual mechanisms of action for tumor suppression. However, how to pair targets to develop effective and safe bispecific drugs is a major challenge for pharmaceutical companies. METHODS Using machine learning models, we refined the biological characteristics of currently approved or in clinical development BsAbs and analyzed hundreds of membrane proteins as bispecific targets to predict the likelihood of successful drug development for various target combinations. Moreover, to enhance the interpretability of prediction results in bispecific target combination, we combined machine learning models with Large Language Models (LLMs). Through a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) approach, we supplement each pair of bispecific targets' machine learning prediction with important features and rationales, generating interpretable analytical reports. RESULTS In this study, the XGBoost model with pairwise learning was employed to predict the druggability of BsAbs. By analyzing extensive data on BsAbs and designing features from perspectives such as target activity, safety, cell type specificity, pathway mechanism, and gene embedding representation, our model is able to predict target combinations of BsAbs with high market potential. Specifically, we integrated XGBoost with the GPT model to discuss the efficacy of each bispecific target pair, thereby aiding the decision-making for drug developers. CONCLUSION The novelty of this study lies in the integration of machine learning and GPT techniques to provide a novel framework for the design of BsAbs drugs. This holistic approach not only improves prediction accuracy, but also enhances the interpretability and innovativeness of drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Protein and Antibody, Sinocelltech Ltd., Beijing, 100176, China
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Huiyu Wang
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Protein and Antibody, Sinocelltech Ltd., Beijing, 100176, China
| | - Chunyun Sun
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Protein and Antibody, Sinocelltech Ltd., Beijing, 100176, China.
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3
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Zhou F, Ben Y, Jiang H, Tan S, Mu G, Zha Z, Dong S, Huang S, Zhou Y, Jin Y, Chiu ML. A Novel Dual-Fc Bispecific Antibody with Enhanced Fc Effector Function. Biochemistry 2024; 63:958-968. [PMID: 38426700 PMCID: PMC11025548 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are undergoing continued development for applications in oncology and autoimmune diseases. While increasing activity by having more than one targeting arm, most BsAb engineering employs single Fc engagement as monoclonal antibodies. Here, we designed a novel immunoglobulin gamma-1 (IgG1)-derived dual-Fc BsAb containing two Fc regions and two distinct asymmetric antigen binding arms comprising a Fab arm and another VHH domain. In conjunction with the knob-into-hole technology, dual-Fc BsAbs could be produced with a high yield and good stability. We explore how Fc engineering effects on dual-Fc constructs could boost the desired therapeutic efficacy. This new format enabled simultaneous bispecific binding to corresponding antigens. Furthermore, compared to the one-Fc control molecules, dual-Fc BsAbs were shown to increase the avidity-based binding to FcγRs to result in higher ADCC and ADCP activities by potent avidity via binding to two antigens and Fc receptors. Overall, this novel BsAb format with enhanced effector functionalities provides a new option for antibody-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulai Zhou
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yinyin Ben
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Hao Jiang
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Siwen Tan
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Guangmao Mu
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Zhengxia Zha
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Shuting Dong
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Sheng Huang
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yijun Zhou
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Ying Jin
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Mark L. Chiu
- Research
& Development Department, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Suzhou 215000, China
- Research
& Development, Tavotek Biotherapeutics, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
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4
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Madsen AV, Pedersen LE, Kristensen P, Goletz S. Design and engineering of bispecific antibodies: insights and practical considerations. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1352014. [PMID: 38333084 PMCID: PMC10850309 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1352014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) have attracted significant attention due to their dual binding activity, which permits simultaneous targeting of antigens and synergistic binding effects beyond what can be obtained even with combinations of conventional monospecific antibodies. Despite the tremendous therapeutic potential, the design and construction of bsAbs are often hampered by practical issues arising from the increased structural complexity as compared to conventional monospecific antibodies. The issues are diverse in nature, spanning from decreased biophysical stability from fusion of exogenous antigen-binding domains to antibody chain mispairing leading to formation of antibody-related impurities that are very difficult to remove. The added complexity requires judicious design considerations as well as extensive molecular engineering to ensure formation of high quality bsAbs with the intended mode of action and favorable drug-like qualities. In this review, we highlight and summarize some of the key considerations in design of bsAbs as well as state-of-the-art engineering principles that can be applied in efficient construction of bsAbs with diverse molecular formats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas V. Madsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lasse E. Pedersen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Peter Kristensen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Steffen Goletz
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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5
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McCue AC, Demarest SJ, Froning KJ, Hickey MJ, Antonysamy S, Kuhlman B. Engineering a tumor-selective prodrug T-cell engager bispecific antibody for safer immunotherapy. MAbs 2024; 16:2373325. [PMID: 38962811 PMCID: PMC11225918 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2024.2373325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
T-cell engaging (TCE) bispecific antibodies are potent drugs that trigger the immune system to eliminate cancer cells, but administration can be accompanied by toxic side effects that limit dosing. TCEs function by binding to cell surface receptors on T cells, frequently CD3, with one arm of the bispecific antibody while the other arm binds to cell surface antigens on cancer cells. On-target, off-tumor toxicity can arise when the target antigen is also present on healthy cells. The toxicity of TCEs may be ameliorated through the use of pro-drug forms of the TCE, which are not fully functional until recruited to the tumor microenvironment. This can be accomplished by masking the anti-CD3 arm of the TCE with an autoinhibitory motif that is released by tumor-enriched proteases. Here, we solve the crystal structure of the antigen-binding fragment of a novel anti-CD3 antibody, E10, in complex with its epitope from CD3 and use this information to engineer a masked form of the antibody that can activate by the tumor-enriched protease matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2). We demonstrate with binding experiments and in vitro T-cell activation and killing assays that our designed prodrug TCE is capable of tumor-selective T-cell activity that is dependent upon MMP-2. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a similar masking strategy can be used to create a pro-drug form of the frequently used anti-CD3 antibody SP34. This study showcases an approach to developing immune-modulating therapeutics that prioritizes safety and has the potential to advance cancer immunotherapy treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia C. McCue
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Karen J. Froning
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Michael J. Hickey
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Brian Kuhlman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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6
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Yoshikawa M, Nakamura H, Oda-Ueda N, Ohkuri T. Analysis of thermostability for seven Phe to Ala and six Pro to Gly mutants in the Fab constant region of adalimumab. J Biochem 2023; 174:345-353. [PMID: 37390406 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvad047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
To identify amino acids that play important roles in the structural stability of Fab, seven phenylalanine residues in the Fab constant region of the therapeutic antibody adalimumab were subjected to alanine mutagenesis. Six Fab mutants, H:F130A, H:F154A, H:F174A, L:F118A, L:F139A and L:F209A, showed decreased thermostability compared with wild-type Fab. In contrast, the Tm for the L:F116A mutant was 1.7°C higher than that of wild-type Fab, indicating that the F116 residue was unfavorable for Fab thermostability. Six proline mutants, H:P131G, H:P155G, H:P175G, L:P119G, L:P120G and L:P141G, were also prepared to investigate the effect of proline residues adjacent to mutated phenylalanine residues. The thermostability of the H:P155G and L:P141G mutants in particular was significantly reduced, with decreases in Tm of 5.0 and 3.0°C, respectively, compared with wild-type Fab. The H:P155 and L:P141 residues have a cis conformation, whereas the other mutated proline residues have a trans conformation. H:P155 and L:P141 had stacking interactions with the H:F154 and L:Y140, respectively, at the interface between the variable and constant regions. It is suggested that the interactions of the aromatic ring with a cis-form proline at the interface between the variable and constant regions is important for stability of Fab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moeka Yoshikawa
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
| | - Hitomi Nakamura
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
| | - Naoko Oda-Ueda
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
| | - Takatoshi Ohkuri
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, 4-22-1 Ikeda, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto 860-0082, Japan
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7
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Bagert JD, Oganesyan V, Chiang CI, Iannotti M, Lin J, Yang C, Payne S, McMahon W, Edwards S, Dippel A, Hutchinson M, Huang F, Aleti V, Niu C, Qian C, Denham J, Ferreira S, Pradhan P, Penney M, Wang C, Liu W, Walseng E, Mazor Y. Robust production of monovalent bispecific IgG antibodies through novel electrostatic steering mutations at the C H1-C λ interface. MAbs 2023; 15:2273449. [PMID: 37930310 PMCID: PMC10629431 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2273449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies represent an increasingly large fraction of biologics in therapeutic development due to their expanded scope in functional capabilities. Asymmetric monovalent bispecific IgGs (bsIgGs) have the additional advantage of maintaining a native antibody-like structure, which can provide favorable pharmacology and pharmacokinetic profiles. The production of correctly assembled asymmetric monovalent bsIgGs, however, is a complex engineering endeavor due to the propensity for non-cognate heavy and light chains to mis-pair. Previously, we introduced the DuetMab platform as a general solution for the production of bsIgGs, which utilizes an engineered interchain disulfide bond in one of the CH1-CL domains to promote orthogonal chain pairing between heavy and light chains. While highly effective in promoting cognate heavy and light chain pairing, residual chain mispairing could be detected for specific combinations of Fv pairs. Here, we present enhancements to the DuetMab design that improve chain pairing and production through the introduction of novel electrostatic steering mutations at the CH1-CL interface with lambda light chains (CH1-Cλ). These mutations work together with previously established charge-pair mutations at the CH1-CL interface with kappa light chains (CH1-Cκ) and Fab disulfide engineering to promote cognate heavy and light chain pairing and enable the reliable production of bsIgGs. Importantly, these enhanced DuetMabs do not require engineering of the variable domains and are robust when applied to a panel of bsIgGs with diverse Fv sequences. We present a comprehensive biochemical, biophysical, and functional characterization of the resulting DuetMabs to demonstrate compatibility with industrial production benchmarks. Overall, this enhanced DuetMab platform substantially streamlines process development of these disruptive biotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D. Bagert
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | | | - Chi-I Chiang
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Mike Iannotti
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Jia Lin
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Chunning Yang
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Sterling Payne
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Will McMahon
- Process and Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Samuel Edwards
- Process and Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Andrew Dippel
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | | | - Fengying Huang
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Vineela Aleti
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Chendi Niu
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Chen Qian
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Jessica Denham
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Sofia Ferreira
- Research and Early Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Pallab Pradhan
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Mark Penney
- Research and Early Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chunlei Wang
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Wenhai Liu
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Even Walseng
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Yariv Mazor
- Biologics Engineering, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
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8
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Cao M, Parthemore C, Jiao Y, Korman S, Aspelund M, Hunter A, Kilby G, Chen X. Characterization and Monitoring of a Novel Light-heavy-light Chain Mispair in a Therapeutic Bispecific Antibody. J Pharm Sci 2021; 110:2904-2915. [PMID: 33894207 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2021.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific cysteine engineering, along with other genetic mutations, is broadly implemented in bispecific antibodies (bsAb). Thus far, homodimer, half hole antibody, one-light chain mispaired and light chain swapped variants have been reported as chain-pairing variants for the asymmetric IgG-like bispecific antibodies. Here we report a novel mispair in which the CH3 engineered cysteine on the hole heavy chain (HC) of a knob-into-hole (KiH) bsAb is linked to the engineered cysteine in CL through a disulfide bond, forming a LHL species in a bsAb construct. Due to its impact on bioactivity, it is critical to implement an analytical strategy to monitor this CQA and mitigate risk for the future products. A set of orthogonal physicochemical assays that include hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), capillary electrophoresis sodium dodecyl sulfate (CE-SDS), reverse phase liquid chromatography ultra-performance chromatography mass spectrometry (RP-UPLC MS) and disulfide bond mapping have been utilized to monitor and characterize this chain-pairing impurity for manufacturing process control and product release. Our data shows the LHL mispair in condition medium (CM) is approximately 1.3 - 1.9%. LambdaFabSelect affinity chromatography removes two major chain-pairing variants in CM - i.e. the hole-hole homodimer and hole half-antibody, while retaining the LHL species. Process improvement in Capto Q (anion exchange) and HS50 (cation exchange) chromatography steps removes LHL to as low as 0.2% in the final product. We have demonstrated an orthogonal analytical methodology that is capable of characterizing and monitoring bsAb mispairing, suitable for use in manufacturing process control and product release, and can be potentially implemented for similar bsAb constructs with engineered disulfide bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyan Cao
- Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States.
| | - Conner Parthemore
- Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States
| | - Yang Jiao
- Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States
| | - Samuel Korman
- Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States
| | - Matthew Aspelund
- Purification Process Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States
| | - Alan Hunter
- Purification Process Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States
| | - Greg Kilby
- Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Analytical Sciences, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, One Medimmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States.
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9
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Schoeder C, Schmitz S, Adolf-Bryfogle J, Sevy AM, Finn JA, Sauer MF, Bozhanova NG, Mueller BK, Sangha AK, Bonet J, Sheehan JH, Kuenze G, Marlow B, Smith ST, Woods H, Bender BJ, Martina CE, del Alamo D, Kodali P, Gulsevin A, Schief WR, Correia BE, Crowe JE, Meiler J, Moretti R. Modeling Immunity with Rosetta: Methods for Antibody and Antigen Design. Biochemistry 2021; 60:825-846. [PMID: 33705117 PMCID: PMC7992133 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Structure-based antibody and antigen design has advanced greatly in recent years, due not only to the increasing availability of experimentally determined structures but also to improved computational methods for both prediction and design. Constant improvements in performance within the Rosetta software suite for biomolecular modeling have given rise to a greater breadth of structure prediction, including docking and design application cases for antibody and antigen modeling. Here, we present an overview of current protocols for antibody and antigen modeling using Rosetta and exemplify those by detailed tutorials originally developed for a Rosetta workshop at Vanderbilt University. These tutorials cover antibody structure prediction, docking, and design and antigen design strategies, including the addition of glycans in Rosetta. We expect that these materials will allow novice users to apply Rosetta in their own projects for modeling antibodies and antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara
T. Schoeder
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Samuel Schmitz
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Jared Adolf-Bryfogle
- Department
of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- IAVI
Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Alexander M. Sevy
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Chemical
and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0301, United States
- Vanderbilt
Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical
Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0417, United States
| | - Jessica A. Finn
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Vanderbilt
Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical
Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0417, United States
- Department
of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Marion F. Sauer
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Chemical
and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0301, United States
- Vanderbilt
Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical
Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0417, United States
| | - Nina G. Bozhanova
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Benjamin K. Mueller
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Amandeep K. Sangha
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Jaume Bonet
- Institute
of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan H. Sheehan
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Georg Kuenze
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Institute
for Drug Discovery, University Leipzig Medical
School, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Brennica Marlow
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Chemical
and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0301, United States
| | - Shannon T. Smith
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Chemical
and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0301, United States
| | - Hope Woods
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Chemical
and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0301, United States
| | - Brian J. Bender
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Department
of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
| | - Cristina E. Martina
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Diego del Alamo
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Chemical
and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0301, United States
| | - Pranav Kodali
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - Alican Gulsevin
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
| | - William R. Schief
- Department
of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- IAVI
Neutralizing Antibody Center, The Scripps
Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Bruno E. Correia
- Institute
of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - James E. Crowe
- Vanderbilt
Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical
Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0417, United States
- Department
of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department
of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical
Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Jens Meiler
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
- Institute
for Drug Discovery, University Leipzig Medical
School, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rocco Moretti
- Department
of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240-7917, United States
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10
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Albuquerque ADO, da Silva Junior HC, Sartori GR, Martins da Silva JH. Computationally-obtained structural insights into the molecular interactions between Pidilizumab and binding partners DLL1 and PD-1. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:6450-6462. [PMID: 33559526 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1885492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Pidilizumab is a monoclonal antibody tested against several types of malignancies, such as lymphoma and metastatic melanoma, showing promising results. In 2016, the FDA put Pidilizumab's clinical studies on partial hold due to emerging evidence pointing to the antibody target uncertainty. Although initial studies indicated an interaction with the PD-1 checkpoint receptor, recent updates assert that Pidilizumab binds primarily to Notch ligand DLL1. However, a detailed description of which interactions coordinate antibody-antigen complex formation is lacking. Therefore, this study uses computational tools to identify molecular interactions between Pidilizumab and its reported targets PD-1 and DLL1. A docking methodology was validated and applied to determine the binding modes between modeled Pidilizumab scFvs and the two antigens. We used Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to verify the complexes' stability and submitted the resulting trajectory files to MM/PBSA and Principal Component Analysis. A set of different prediction tools determined scFv interface hot-spots. Whereas docking and MD simulations revealed that the antibody fragments do not interact straightforwardly with PD-1, ten scFv hot-spots, including Met93 and Leu112, mediated the interaction with the DLL1 C2 domain. The interaction triggered a conformational selection-like effect on DLL1, allowing new hydrogen bonds on the β3-β4 interface loop. The unprecedented structural data on Pidilizumab's interactions provided novel evidence that its legitimate target is the DLL1 protein and offered structural insight on how these molecules interact, shedding light on the pathways that could be affected by the use of this essential immunobiological.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Geraldo Rodrigues Sartori
- Grupo para Modelagem, Simulação e Evolução, in sílico, de Biomoléculas, Fiocruz-Ceará, Eusébio, Brazil
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11
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Mieczkowski C, Bahmanjah S, Yu Y, Baker J, Raghunathan G, Tomazela D, Hsieh M, McCoy M, Strickland C, Fayadat-Dilman L. Crystal Structure and Characterization of Human Heavy-Chain Only Antibodies Reveals a Novel, Stable Dimeric Structure Similar to Monoclonal Antibodies. Antibodies (Basel) 2020; 9:antib9040066. [PMID: 33266498 PMCID: PMC7709113 DOI: 10.3390/antib9040066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the novel crystal structure and characterization of symmetrical, homodimeric humanized heavy-chain-only antibodies or dimers (HC2s). HC2s were found to be significantly coexpressed and secreted along with mAbs from transient CHO HC/LC cotransfection, resulting in an unacceptable mAb developability attribute. Expression of full-length HC2s in the absence of LC followed by purification resulted in HC2s with high purity and thermal stability similar to conventional mAbs. The VH and CH1 portion of the heavy chain (or Fd) was also efficiently expressed and yielded a stable, covalent, and reducible dimer (Fd2). Mutagenesis of all heavy chain cysteines involved in disulfide bond formation revealed that Fd2 intermolecular disulfide formation was similar to Fabs and elucidated requirements for Fd2 folding and expression. For one HC2, we solved the crystal structure of the Fd2 domain to 2.9 Å, revealing a highly symmetrical homodimer that is structurally similar to Fabs and is mediated by conserved (CH1) and variable (VH) contacts with all CDRs positioned outward for target binding. Interfacial dimer contacts revealed by the crystal structure were mutated for two HC2s and were found to dramatically affect HC2 formation while maintaining mAb bioactivity, offering a potential means to modulate novel HC2 formation through engineering. These findings indicate that human heavy-chain dimers can be secreted efficiently in the absence of light chains, may show good physicochemical properties and stability, are structurally similar to Fabs, offer insights into their mechanism of formation, and may be amenable as a novel therapeutic modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Mieczkowski
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (Y.Y.); (J.B.); (G.R.); (D.T.); (M.H.); (L.F.-D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-650-496-6501
| | - Soheila Bahmanjah
- Department of Chemistry, Modeling and Informatics, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (S.B.); (C.S.)
| | - Yao Yu
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (Y.Y.); (J.B.); (G.R.); (D.T.); (M.H.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Jeanne Baker
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (Y.Y.); (J.B.); (G.R.); (D.T.); (M.H.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Gopalan Raghunathan
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (Y.Y.); (J.B.); (G.R.); (D.T.); (M.H.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Daniela Tomazela
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (Y.Y.); (J.B.); (G.R.); (D.T.); (M.H.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Mark Hsieh
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (Y.Y.); (J.B.); (G.R.); (D.T.); (M.H.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Mark McCoy
- Department of Pharmacology, Mass Spectrometry & Biophysics, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA;
| | - Corey Strickland
- Department of Chemistry, Modeling and Informatics, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (S.B.); (C.S.)
| | - Laurence Fayadat-Dilman
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (Y.Y.); (J.B.); (G.R.); (D.T.); (M.H.); (L.F.-D.)
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12
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Bringing the Heavy Chain to Light: Creating a Symmetric, Bivalent IgG-Like Bispecific. Antibodies (Basel) 2020; 9:antib9040062. [PMID: 33172091 PMCID: PMC7709125 DOI: 10.3390/antib9040062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Bispecific molecules are biologically significant, yet their complex structures pose important manufacturing and pharmacokinetic challenges. Nevertheless, owing to similarities with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), IgG-like bispecifics conceptually align well with conventional expression and manufacturing platforms and often exhibit potentially favorable drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) properties. However, IgG-like bispecifics do not possess target bivalency and current designs often require tedious engineering and purification to ensure appropriate chain pairing. Here, we present a near-native IgG antibody format, the 2xVH, which can create bivalency for each target or epitope and requires no engineering for cognate chain pairing. In this modality, two different variable heavy (VH) domains with distinct binding specificities are grafted onto the first constant heavy (CH1) and constant light (CL) domains, conferring the molecule with dual specificity. To determine the versatility of this format, we characterized the expression, binding, and stability of several previously identified soluble human VH domains. By grafting these domains onto an IgG scaffold, we generated several prototype 2xVH IgG and Fab molecules that display similar properties to mAbs. These molecules avoided the post-expression purification necessary for engineered bispecifics while maintaining a capacity for simultaneous dual binding. Hence, the 2xVH format represents a bivalent, bispecific design that addresses limitations of manufacturing IgG-like bispecifics while promoting biologically-relevant dual target engagement.
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13
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Sawant MS, Streu CN, Wu L, Tessier PM. Toward Drug-Like Multispecific Antibodies by Design. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7496. [PMID: 33053650 PMCID: PMC7589779 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of antibody therapeutics is strongly influenced by their multifunctional nature that couples antigen recognition mediated by their variable regions with effector functions and half-life extension mediated by a subset of their constant regions. Nevertheless, the monospecific IgG format is not optimal for many therapeutic applications, and this has led to the design of a vast number of unique multispecific antibody formats that enable targeting of multiple antigens or multiple epitopes on the same antigen. Despite the diversity of these formats, a common challenge in generating multispecific antibodies is that they display suboptimal physical and chemical properties relative to conventional IgGs and are more difficult to develop into therapeutics. Here we review advances in the design and engineering of multispecific antibodies with drug-like properties, including favorable stability, solubility, viscosity, specificity and pharmacokinetic properties. We also highlight emerging experimental and computational methods for improving the next generation of multispecific antibodies, as well as their constituent antibody fragments, with natural IgG-like properties. Finally, we identify several outstanding challenges that need to be addressed to increase the success of multispecific antibodies in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manali S. Sawant
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (M.S.S.); (C.N.S.)
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Craig N. Streu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (M.S.S.); (C.N.S.)
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Department of Chemistry, Albion College, Albion, MI 49224, USA
| | - Lina Wu
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Peter M. Tessier
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; (M.S.S.); (C.N.S.)
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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14
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Froning K, Maguire J, Sereno A, Huang F, Chang S, Weichert K, Frommelt AJ, Dong J, Wu X, Austin H, Conner EM, Fitchett JR, Heng AR, Balasubramaniam D, Hilgers MT, Kuhlman B, Demarest SJ. Computational stabilization of T cell receptors allows pairing with antibodies to form bispecifics. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2330. [PMID: 32393818 PMCID: PMC7214467 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16231-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombinant T cell receptors (TCRs) can be used to redirect naïve T cells to eliminate virally infected or cancerous cells; however, they are plagued by low stability and uneven expression. Here, we use molecular modeling to identify mutations in the TCR constant domains (Cα/Cβ) that increase the unfolding temperature of Cα/Cβ by 20 °C, improve the expression of four separate α/β TCRs by 3- to 10-fold, and improve the assembly and stability of TCRs with poor intrinsic stability. The stabilizing mutations rescue the expression of TCRs destabilized through variable domain mutation. The improved stability and folding of the TCRs reduces glycosylation, perhaps through conformational stabilization that restricts access to N-linked glycosylation enzymes. The Cα/Cβ mutations enables antibody-like expression and assembly of well-behaved bispecific molecules that combine an anti-CD3 antibody with the stabilized TCR. These TCR/CD3 bispecifics can redirect T cells to kill tumor cells with target HLA/peptide on their surfaces in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Froning
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Jack Maguire
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Arlene Sereno
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Flora Huang
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Shawn Chang
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Kenneth Weichert
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Anton J Frommelt
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Jessica Dong
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Xiufeng Wu
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Heather Austin
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Elaine M Conner
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Jonathan R Fitchett
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Aik Roy Heng
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | | | - Mark T Hilgers
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Brian Kuhlman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Stephen J Demarest
- Eli Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10300 Campus Point Drive, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA.
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15
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Quijano-Rubio A, Ulge UY, Walkey CD, Silva DA. The advent of de novo proteins for cancer immunotherapy. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2020; 56:119-128. [PMID: 32371023 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Engineered proteins are revolutionizing immunotherapy, but advances are still needed to harness their full potential. Traditional protein engineering methods use naturally existing proteins as a starting point, and therefore, are intrinsically limited to small alterations of a protein's natural structure and function. Conversely, computational de novo protein design is free of such limitation, and can produce a virtually infinite number of novel protein sequences, folds, and functions. Recently, we used de novo protein engineering to create Neoleukin-2/15 (Neo-2/15), a protein mimetic of the function of both interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-15 (IL-15). To our knowledge, Neo-2/15 is the first de novo protein with immunotherapeutic activity, and in murine cancer models, it has demonstrated enhanced therapeutic potency and reduced toxicity compared to IL-2. De novo protein design is already showcasing its tremendous potential for driving the next wave of protein-based therapeutics that are explicitly engineered to treat disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Umut Y Ulge
- Neoleukin Therapeutics Inc., Seattle, WA, USA
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16
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Nie S, Wang Z, Moscoso-Castro M, D'Souza P, Lei C, Xu J, Gu J. Biology drives the discovery of bispecific antibodies as innovative therapeutics. Antib Ther 2020; 3:18-62. [PMID: 33928225 PMCID: PMC7990219 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbaa003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A bispecific antibody (bsAb) is able to bind two different targets or two distinct epitopes on the same target. Broadly speaking, bsAbs can include any single molecule entity containing dual specificities with at least one being antigen-binding antibody domain. Besides additive effect or synergistic effect, the most fascinating applications of bsAbs are to enable novel and often therapeutically important concepts otherwise impossible by using monoclonal antibodies alone or their combination. This so-called obligate bsAbs could open up completely new avenue for developing novel therapeutics. With evolving understanding of structural architecture of various natural or engineered antigen-binding immunoglobulin domains and the connection of different domains of an immunoglobulin molecule, and with greatly improved understanding of molecular mechanisms of many biological processes, the landscape of therapeutic bsAbs has significantly changed in recent years. As of September 2019, over 110 bsAbs are under active clinical development, and near 180 in preclinical development. In this review article, we introduce a system that classifies bsAb formats into 30 categories based on their antigen-binding domains and the presence or absence of Fc domain. We further review the biology applications of approximately 290 bsAbs currently in preclinical and clinical development, with the attempt to illustrate the principle of selecting a bispecific format to meet biology needs and selecting a bispecific molecule as a clinical development candidate by 6 critical criteria. Given the novel mechanisms of many bsAbs, the potential unknown safety risk and risk/benefit should be evaluated carefully during preclinical and clinical development stages. Nevertheless we are optimistic that next decade will witness clinical success of bsAbs or multispecific antibodies employing some novel mechanisms of action and deliver the promise as next wave of antibody-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwei Nie
- WuXi Biologics, 299 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China and ,To whom correspondence should addressed. Jijie Guor Siwei Nie. or
| | - Zhuozhi Wang
- WuXi Biologics, 299 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China and
| | | | - Paul D'Souza
- Clarivate Analytics, Friars House, 160 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8EZ, UK
| | - Can Lei
- Clarivate Analytics, Friars House, 160 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8EZ, UK
| | - Jianqing Xu
- WuXi Biologics, 299 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China and
| | - Jijie Gu
- WuXi Biologics, 299 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai 200131, China and ,To whom correspondence should addressed. Jijie Guor Siwei Nie. or
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17
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Kuhlman B. Designing protein structures and complexes with the molecular modeling program Rosetta. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:19436-19443. [PMID: 31699898 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.aw119.008144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins perform an amazingly diverse set of functions in all aspects of life. Critical to the function of many proteins are the highly specific three-dimensional structures they adopt. For this reason, there is strong interest in learning how to rationally design proteins that adopt user-defined structures. Over the last 25 years, there has been significant progress in the field of computational protein design as rotamer-based sequence optimization protocols have enabled accurate design of protein tertiary and quaternary structure. In this award article, I will summarize how the molecular modeling program Rosetta is used to design new protein structures and describe how we have taken advantage of this capability to create proteins that have important applications in research and medicine. I will highlight three protein design stories: the use of protein interface design to create therapeutic bispecific antibodies, the engineering of light-inducible proteins that can be used to recruit proteins to specific locations in the cell, and the de novo design of new protein structures from pieces of naturally occurring proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Kuhlman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7260 .,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
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18
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Kuhlman B, Bradley P. Advances in protein structure prediction and design. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2019; 20:681-697. [PMID: 31417196 PMCID: PMC7032036 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-019-0163-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 387] [Impact Index Per Article: 77.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The prediction of protein three-dimensional structure from amino acid sequence has been a grand challenge problem in computational biophysics for decades, owing to its intrinsic scientific interest and also to the many potential applications for robust protein structure prediction algorithms, from genome interpretation to protein function prediction. More recently, the inverse problem - designing an amino acid sequence that will fold into a specified three-dimensional structure - has attracted growing attention as a potential route to the rational engineering of proteins with functions useful in biotechnology and medicine. Methods for the prediction and design of protein structures have advanced dramatically in the past decade. Increases in computing power and the rapid growth in protein sequence and structure databases have fuelled the development of new data-intensive and computationally demanding approaches for structure prediction. New algorithms for designing protein folds and protein-protein interfaces have been used to engineer novel high-order assemblies and to design from scratch fluorescent proteins with novel or enhanced properties, as well as signalling proteins with therapeutic potential. In this Review, we describe current approaches for protein structure prediction and design and highlight a selection of the successful applications they have enabled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Kuhlman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Philip Bradley
- Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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19
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Joshi KK, Phung W, Han G, Yin Y, Kim I, Sandoval W, Carter PJ. Elucidating heavy/light chain pairing preferences to facilitate the assembly of bispecific IgG in single cells. MAbs 2019; 11:1254-1265. [PMID: 31286843 PMCID: PMC6748609 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2019.1640549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple strategies have been developed to facilitate the efficient production of bispecific IgG (BsIgG) in single host cells. For example, we previously demonstrated near quantitative (≥90%) formation of BsIgG of different species and isotypes by combining 'knob-into-hole' mutations for heavy chain heterodimerization with engineered antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) for preferential cognate heavy/light chain pairing. Surprisingly, in this study we found high yield (>65%) of BsIgG1without Fab engineering to be a common occurrence, i.e., observed for 33 of the 99 different antibody pairs evaluated. Installing charge mutations at both CH1/CL interfaces was sufficient for near quantitative yield (>90%) of BsIgG1 for most (9 of 11) antibody pairs tested with this inherent cognate chain pairing preference. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that a strong cognate pairing preference in one Fab arm can be sufficient for high BsIgG1 yield. These observed chain pairing preferences are apparently driven by variable domain sequences and can result from a few specific residues in the complementarity-determining region (CDR) L3 and H3. Transfer of these CDR residues into other antibodies increased BsIgG1 yield in most cases. Mutational analysis revealed that the disulfide bond between heavy and light chains did not affect the yield of BsIgG1. This study provides some mechanistic understanding of factors contributing to antibody heavy/light chain pairing preference and subsequently contributes to the efficient production of BsIgG in single host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamal Kishore Joshi
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wilson Phung
- Department of Microchemistry, Proteomics and Lipidomics, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Guanghui Han
- Department of Microchemistry, Proteomics and Lipidomics, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yiyuan Yin
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ingrid Kim
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Sandoval
- Department of Microchemistry, Proteomics and Lipidomics, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Paul J. Carter
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
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20
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Bispecific antibodies: The next generation of targeted inflammatory bowel disease therapies. Autoimmun Rev 2019; 18:123-128. [DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2018.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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21
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Wu X, Demarest SJ. Building blocks for bispecific and trispecific antibodies. Methods 2018; 154:3-9. [PMID: 30172007 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs), which target two antigens or epitopes, incorporate the specificities and properties of two distinct monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) into a single molecule. As such, BsAbs can elicit synergistic activities and provide the capacity for enhanced therapeutic efficacy and/or safety compared to what can be achieved with conventional monospecific IgGs. There are many building block formats to generate BsAbs and Trispecific antibodies (TsAbs) based on combining the antigen recognition domains of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This review describes the many and varied antibody-based building blocks used to achieve multivalency and multispecificity. These diverse building blocks provide opportunities to tailor the design of BsAbs and TsAbs to match the desired applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiufeng Wu
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10290 Campus Point Dr., San Diego, CA 92121, United States.
| | - Stephen J Demarest
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10290 Campus Point Dr., San Diego, CA 92121, United States
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22
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Krah S, Kolmar H, Becker S, Zielonka S. Engineering IgG-Like Bispecific Antibodies-An Overview. Antibodies (Basel) 2018; 7:antib7030028. [PMID: 31544880 PMCID: PMC6640676 DOI: 10.3390/antib7030028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibody therapeutics have proven to be successful treatment options for patients in various indications. Particularly in oncology, therapeutic concepts involving antibodies often rely on the so-called effector functions, such as antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), which are programed in the antibody Fc region. However, Fc-mediated effector mechanisms often seem to be insufficient in properly activating the immune system to act against tumor cells. Furthermore, long term treatments can lead to resistance against the applied drug, which is monospecific by nature. There is promise in using specific antibodies to overcome such issues due to their capability of recruiting and activating T-cells directly at the tumor site, for instance. During the last decade, two of these entities, which are referred to as Blinatumomab and Catumaxomab, have been approved to treat patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and malignant ascites. In addition, Emicizumab, which is a bispecific antibody targeting clotting factors IXa and X, was recently granted market approval by the FDA in 2017 for the treatment of hemophilia A. However, the generation of these next generation therapeutics is challenging and requires tremendous engineering efforts as two distinct paratopes need to be combined from two different heavy and light chains. This mini review summarizes technologies, which enable the generation of antibodies with dual specificities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Krah
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Strasse 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Harald Kolmar
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Strasse 4, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Stefan Becker
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Strasse 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Stefan Zielonka
- Protein Engineering and Antibody Technologies, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Strasse 250, D-64293 Darmstadt, Germany.
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Wu X, Yuan R, Bacica M, Demarest SJ. Generation of orthogonal Fab-based trispecific antibody formats. Protein Eng Des Sel 2018; 31:249-256. [DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzy007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiufeng Wu
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10290 Campus Point Dr., San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Richard Yuan
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10290 Campus Point Dr., San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Michael Bacica
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, 10290 Campus Point Dr., San Diego, CA, USA
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24
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Verdino P, Atwell S, Demarest SJ. Emerging trends in bispecific antibody and scaffold protein therapeutics. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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