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Watts E, Bashyal A, Dunham SD, Crittenden CM, Brodbelt JS. Enhanced Characterization of Lysine-Linked Antibody Drug Conjugates Enabled by Middle-Down Mass Spectrometry and Higher-Energy Collisional Dissociation-Triggered Electron-Transfer/Higher-Energy Collisional Dissociation and Ultraviolet Photodissociation. Antibodies (Basel) 2024; 13:30. [PMID: 38651410 PMCID: PMC11036284 DOI: 10.3390/antib13020030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
As the development of new biotherapeutics advances, increasingly sophisticated tandem mass spectrometry methods are needed to characterize the most complex molecules, including antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Lysine-linked ADCs, such as trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1), are among the most heterogeneous biotherapeutics. Here, we implement a workflow that combines limited proteolysis with HCD-triggered EThcD and UVPD mass spectrometry for the characterization of the resulting middle-down large-sized peptides of T-DM1. Fifty-three payload-containing peptides were identified, ranging in mass from 1.8 to 16.9 kDa, and leading to the unambiguous identification of 46 out of 92 possible conjugation sites. In addition, seven peptides were identified containing multiple payloads. The characterization of these types of heterogeneous peptides represents an important step in unraveling the combinatorial nature of lysine-conjugated ADCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Watts
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; (E.W.); (A.B.)
| | - Aarti Bashyal
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; (E.W.); (A.B.)
| | - Sean D. Dunham
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; (E.W.); (A.B.)
| | | | - Jennifer S. Brodbelt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; (E.W.); (A.B.)
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2
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Liu T, Tao Y, Xia X, Zhang Y, Deng R, Wang Y. Analytical tools for antibody–drug conjugates: from in vitro to in vivo. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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3
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Nagornov KO, Gasilova N, Kozhinov AN, Virta P, Holm P, Menin L, Nesatyy VJ, Tsybin YO. Drug-to-Antibody Ratio Estimation via Proteoform Peak Integration in the Analysis of Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates with Orbitrap Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2021; 93:12930-12937. [PMID: 34519496 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c02247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The therapeutic efficacy and pharmacokinetics of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in general, and antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) in particular, depend on the drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) distribution and average value. The DAR is considered a critical quality attribute, and information pertaining to it needs to be gathered during ADC/AOC development, production, and storage. However, because of the high structural complexity of ADC/AOC samples, particularly in the initial drug-development stages, the application of the current state-of-the-art mass spectrometric approaches can be limited for DAR analysis. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach for the analysis of complex ADC/AOC samples, following native size-exclusion chromatography Orbitrap Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS). The approach is based on the integration of the proteoform-level mass spectral peaks in order to provide an estimate of the DAR distribution and its average value with less than 10% error. The peak integration is performed via a truncation of the Orbitrap's unreduced time-domain ion signals (transients) before mass spectra generation via FT processing. Transient recording and processing are undertaken using an external data acquisition system, FTMS Booster X2, coupled to a Q Exactive HF Orbitrap FTMS instrument. This approach has been applied to the analysis of whole and subunit-level trastuzumab conjugates with oligonucleotides. The obtained results indicate that ADC/AOC sample purification or simplification procedures, for example, deglycosylation, could be omitted or minimized prior to the DAR analysis, streamlining the drug-development process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalia Gasilova
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Pasi Virta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Patrik Holm
- Protein and Antibody Engineering Unit, Orion Pharma, 20380 Turku, Finland
| | - Laure Menin
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Victor J Nesatyy
- Protein and Antibody Engineering Unit, Orion Pharma, 20380 Turku, Finland
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4
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Thakur A, Tan Z, Kameyama T, El-Khateeb E, Nagpal S, Malone S, Jamwal R, Nwabufo CK. Bioanalytical strategies in drug discovery and development. Drug Metab Rev 2021; 53:434-458. [PMID: 34310243 DOI: 10.1080/03602532.2021.1959606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
A reliable, rapid, and effective bioanalytical method is essential for the determination of the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and toxicokinetic parameters that inform the safety and efficacy profile of investigational drugs. The overall goal of bioanalytical method development is to elucidate the procedure and operating conditions under which a method can sufficiently extract, qualify, and/or quantify the analyte(s) of interest and/or their metabolites for the intended purpose. Given the difference in the physicochemical properties of small and large molecule drugs, different strategies need to be adopted for the development of an effective and efficient bioanalytical method. Herein, we provide an overview of different sample preparation strategies, analytical platforms, as well as procedures for achieving high throughput for bioanalysis of small and large molecule drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarzoo Thakur
- Innovations in Food and Chemical Safety, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, Singapore.,Skin Research Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhiyuan Tan
- Department of Early Clinical Development, dMed-Clinipace, Shanghai, China
| | - Tsubasa Kameyama
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Eman El-Khateeb
- Centre for Applied Pharmacokinetic Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Shakti Nagpal
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Rohitash Jamwal
- College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
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5
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Skeene K, Khatri K, Soloviev Z, Lapthorn C. Current status and future prospects for ion-mobility mass spectrometry in the biopharmaceutical industry. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2021; 1869:140697. [PMID: 34246790 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2021.140697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Detailed characterization of protein reagents and biopharmaceuticals is key in defining successful drug discovery campaigns, aimed at bringing molecules through different discovery stages up to development and commercialization. There are many challenges in this process, with complex and detailed analyses playing paramount roles in modern industry. Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an essential tool for characterization of proteins ever since the onset of soft ionization techniques and has taken the lead in quality assessment of biopharmaceutical molecules, and protein reagents, used in the drug discovery pipeline. MS use spans from identification of correct sequences, to intact molecule analyses, protein complexes and more recently epitope and paratope identification. MS toolkits could be incredibly diverse and with ever evolving instrumentation, increasingly novel MS-based techniques are becoming indispensable tools in the biopharmaceutical industry. Here we discuss application of Ion Mobility MS (IMMS) in an industrial setting, and what the current applications and outlook are for making IMMS more mainstream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty Skeene
- Biopharm Process Research, Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK.
| | - Kshitij Khatri
- Structure and Function Characterization, CMC-Analytical, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA 19406, USA.
| | - Zoja Soloviev
- Protein, Cellular and Structural Sciences, Medicinal Science and Technology, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK.
| | - Cris Lapthorn
- Structure and Function Characterization, CMC-Analytical, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK.
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6
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Nagy G, Attah IK, Conant CR, Liu W, Garimella SVB, Gunawardena HP, Shaw JB, Smith RD, Ibrahim YM. Rapid and Simultaneous Characterization of Drug Conjugation in Heavy and Light Chains of a Monoclonal Antibody Revealed by High-Resolution Ion Mobility Separations in SLIM. Anal Chem 2020; 92:5004-5012. [PMID: 32142606 PMCID: PMC8754684 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b05209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have recently gained traction in the biomedical community due to their promise for human therapeutics and an alternative to chemotherapy for cancer. Crucial metrics for ADC efficacy, safety, and selectivity are their drug-antibody ratios (DARs). However, DAR characterization (i.e., determining the average number of conjugated drugs on the antibody) through analytical methods remains challenging due to the heterogeneity of drug conjugation as well as the numerous post-translational modifications possible in the monoclonal antibody. Herein, we report on the use of high-resolution ion mobility spectrometry separations in structures for lossless ion manipulations coupled to mass spectrometry (SLIM IMS-MS) for the rapid and simultaneous characterization of the drug load profile (i.e., stoichiometric distribution of the number of conjugated drugs present on the mAb), determination of the weighted average DAR in both the heavy and light chains of a model antibody-drug conjugate, and calculation of the overall DAR of the ADC. After chemical reduction of the ADC and a subsequent 31.5 m SLIM IMS separation, the various drug-bound antibody species could be well resolved for both chains. We also show significantly higher resolution separations were possible for these large ions with SLIM IMS as compared to ones performed on a commercially available (1 m) drift tube IMS-MS platform. We expect high-resolution SLIM IMS separations will augment the existing toolbox for ADC characterization, particularly to enable the rapid optimization of DAR for a given ADC and thus better understand its potential toxicity and potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabe Nagy
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Isaac K Attah
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Christopher R Conant
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Weijing Liu
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Sandilya V B Garimella
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Harsha P Gunawardena
- Janssen Research & Development, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| | - Jared B Shaw
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Richard D Smith
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Yehia M Ibrahim
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
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7
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Abstract
Lysine-conjugated antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are formed by attaching cytotoxic drugs to reactive lysine residues of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) through chemical linkers. During production, the payloads are conjugated nonspecifically to lysine residues in mAbs, resulting in a heterogeneous mixture of ADCs with both different number and conjugation sites of drug payloads per mAb. On account of the drug conjugation sites and levels that both have significant influences on physical and pharmaceutical properties of ADCs, a reliable and straightforward approach for conjugation site analysis for ADCs is highly demanded. Herein, we used a lysine-conjugated ADC, Trastuzumab-MCC-DM1 (T-DM1), as a model ADC, and described an integrative strategy that combines the signature ion fingerprinting method for rapid and reliable filtering of DM1-conjugated peptides, and the normalized area quantitation approach for accurately gauging the conjugation levels for each identified site. This approach is believed to be readily applicable to other maytansinoid derivatives-modified ADCs, and more importantly, universally applicable to lysine-conjugated ADCs for both the recognition of conjugation sites and the measurement of conjugation levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Sang
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Wan
- Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Gaoyuan Lu
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Tian
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangji Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui Ye
- Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
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8
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Chemoenzymatic glycan labelling as a platform for site-specific IgM-antibody drug conjugates. Anal Biochem 2019; 584:113385. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2019.113385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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9
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Bults P, Spanov B, Olaleye O, van de Merbel NC, Bischoff R. Intact protein bioanalysis by liquid chromatography – High-resolution mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2019; 1110-1111:155-167. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2019.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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10
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Ion mobility in the pharmaceutical industry: an established biophysical technique or still niche? Curr Opin Chem Biol 2018; 42:147-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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11
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Källsten M, Hartmann R, Artemenko K, Lind SB, Lehmann F, Bergquist J. Qualitative analysis of antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs): an experimental comparison of analytical techniques of cysteine-linked ADCs. Analyst 2018; 143:5487-5496. [DOI: 10.1039/c8an01178h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Four different cysteine linked antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) consisting of Trastuzumab-vc-MMAE were analysed with four common analytical techniques with respect to drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) and molecular weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin Källsten
- Department of Chemistry-BMC
- Analytical Chemistry
- Uppsala University
- Uppsala
- Sweden
| | - Rafael Hartmann
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry
- Organic Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- BMC
- Uppsala University
- SE-751 23 Uppsala
| | | | - Sara Bergström Lind
- Department of Chemistry-BMC
- Analytical Chemistry
- Uppsala University
- Uppsala
- Sweden
| | | | - Jonas Bergquist
- Department of Chemistry-BMC
- Analytical Chemistry
- Uppsala University
- Uppsala
- Sweden
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12
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Neupane R, Bergquist J. Analytical techniques for the characterization of Antibody Drug Conjugates: Challenges and prospects. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2017; 23:417-426. [PMID: 29183195 DOI: 10.1177/1469066717733919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Antibody drug conjugates are increasingly being researched for the treatment of cancer. Accurate and reliable characterization of ADCs is inevitable for their development as potential therapeutic agent. Different analytical techniques have been used in order to decipher heterogeneous nature of antibody drug conjugates, enabling successful characterization. This review will summarize specially three major analytical tools i.e. UV-Vis spectroscopy, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry used in characterization of antibody drug conjugates. In this review, major challenges during analysis due to the inherent features of analytical techniques and antibody drug conjugates are summarized along with the modifications intended to address each challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabin Neupane
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Analytical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jonas Bergquist
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Analytical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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13
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Qu M, An B, Shen S, Zhang M, Shen X, Duan X, Balthasar JP, Qu J. Qualitative and quantitative characterization of protein biotherapeutics with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2017; 36:734-754. [PMID: 27097288 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, the advancement of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/MS) techniques has enabled their broad application in protein characterization, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Owing to certain important merits of LC/MS techniques (e.g., high selectivity, flexibility, and rapid method development), LC/MS assays are often deemed as preferable alternatives to conventional methods (e.g., ligand-binding assays) for the analysis of protein biotherapeutics. At the discovery and development stages, LC/MS is generally employed for two purposes absolute quantification of protein biotherapeutics in biological samples and qualitative characterization of proteins. For absolute quantification of a target protein in bio-matrices, recent work has led to improvements in the efficiency of LC/MS method development, sample treatment, enrichment and digestion, and high-performance low-flow-LC separation. These advances have enhanced analytical sensitivity, specificity, and robustness. As to qualitative analysis, a range of techniques have been developed to characterize intramolecular disulfide bonds, glycosylation, charge variants, primary sequence heterogeneity, and the drug-to-antibody ratio of antibody drug conjugate (ADC), which has enabled a refined ability to assess product quality. In this review, we will focus on the discussion of technical challenges and strategies of LC/MS-based quantification and characterization of biotherapeutics, with the emphasis on the analysis of antibody-based biotherapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and ADCs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 36:734-754, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Qu
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14214
- New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, 14203
| | - Bo An
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14214
- New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, 14203
| | - Shichen Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14214
- New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, 14203
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14214
- New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, 14203
| | - Xiaomeng Shen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14214
- New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, 14203
| | - Xiaotao Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Joseph P Balthasar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14214
| | - Jun Qu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14214
- New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Buffalo, NY, 14203
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14
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Immunoprecipitation middle-up LC–MS for in vivo drug-to-antibody ratio determination for antibody–drug conjugates. Bioanalysis 2017; 9:1535-1549. [DOI: 10.4155/bio-2017-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim: Drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) determination is critical for development of antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs). This work presents a middle-up LC–MS approach for DAR analysis using prelabeled capture beads and in-house fabricated slit-plates. Methodology & Results: Cysteine, engineered cysteine and disulfide-linked ADCs, each with two different linker payloads, were immunocaptured and digested to scFc and F(ab′)2 fragments. At this point, disulfide-linked ADCs were analyzed while cysteine and engineered cysteine ADCs were reduced to LC and Fd′ fragments for analysis. Results were precise, accurate and sensitive, allowing DAR to be determined out to 21 days. Conclusion: This work describes a method that is easily implemented, amenable to high-throughput analysis and does not require specialized reagents or equipment.
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15
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Gilroy JJ, Eakin CM. Characterization of drug load variants in a thiol linked antibody-drug conjugate using multidimensional chromatography. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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16
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Sang H, Lu G, Liu Y, Hu Q, Xing W, Cui D, Zhou F, Zhang J, Hao H, Wang G, Ye H. Conjugation site analysis of antibody-drug-conjugates (ADCs) by signature ion fingerprinting and normalized area quantitation approach using nano-liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 2017; 955:67-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2016.11.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 11/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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17
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Loos G, Van Schepdael A, Cabooter D. Quantitative mass spectrometry methods for pharmaceutical analysis. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2016; 374:20150366. [PMID: 27644982 PMCID: PMC5031633 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2015.0366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative pharmaceutical analysis is nowadays frequently executed using mass spectrometry. Electrospray ionization coupled to a (hybrid) triple quadrupole mass spectrometer is generally used in combination with solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography. Furthermore, isotopically labelled standards are often used to correct for ion suppression. The challenges in producing sensitive but reliable quantitative data depend on the instrumentation, sample preparation and hyphenated techniques. In this contribution, different approaches to enhance the ionization efficiencies using modified source geometries and improved ion guidance are provided. Furthermore, possibilities to minimize, assess and correct for matrix interferences caused by co-eluting substances are described. With the focus on pharmaceuticals in the environment and bioanalysis, different separation techniques, trends in liquid chromatography and sample preparation methods to minimize matrix effects and increase sensitivity are discussed. Although highly sensitive methods are generally aimed for to provide automated multi-residue analysis, (less sensitive) miniaturized set-ups have a great potential due to their ability for in-field usage.This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn Loos
- KU Leuven, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ann Van Schepdael
- KU Leuven, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Deirdre Cabooter
- KU Leuven, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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18
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Xu L, Packer LE, Qian MG, Wu JT. Rapid quantification of a cleavable antibody-conjugated drug by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with microwave-assisted enzymatic cleavage. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2016; 128:226-235. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2016.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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19
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Chen L, Wang L, Shion H, Yu C, Yu YQ, Zhu L, Li M, Chen W, Gao K. In-depth structural characterization of Kadcyla® (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) and its biosimilar candidate. MAbs 2016; 8:1210-1223. [PMID: 27380163 PMCID: PMC5058630 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2016.1204502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The biopharmaceutical industry has become increasingly focused on developing biosimilars as less expensive therapeutic products. As a consequence, the regulatory approval of 2 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), Kadcyla® and Adcetris® has led to the development of biosimilar versions by companies located worldwide. Because of the increased complexity of ADC samples that results from the heterogeneity of conjugation, it is imperative that close attention be paid to the critical quality attributes (CQAs) that stem from the conjugation process during ADC biosimilar development process. A combination of physicochemical, immunological, and biological methods are warranted in order to demonstrate the identity, purity, concentration, and activity (potency or strength) of ADC samples. As described here, we performed extensive characterization of a lysine conjugated ADC, ado-trastuzumab emtansine, and compared its CQAs between the reference product (Kadcyla®) and a candidate biosimilar. Primary amino acid sequences, drug-to-antibody ratios (DARs), conjugation sites and site occupancy data were acquired and compared by LC/MS methods. Furthermore, thermal stability, free drug content, and impurities were analyzed to further determine the comparability of the 2 ADCs. Finally, biological activities were compared between Kadcyla® and biosimilar ADCs using a cytotoxic activity assay and a HER2 binding assay. The in-depth characterization helps to establish product CQAs, and is vital for ADC biosimilars development to ensure their comparability with the reference product, as well as product safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuxi Chen
- a Waters Corporation , Milford , MA , USA
| | - Lan Wang
- b National Institutes of Food and Drug Control , Tiantan Xili, Beijing , P.R. China
| | | | - Chuanfei Yu
- b National Institutes of Food and Drug Control , Tiantan Xili, Beijing , P.R. China
| | | | - Lei Zhu
- c Second Military Medical University, International Joint Cancer Institute , Shanghai , China
| | - Meng Li
- b National Institutes of Food and Drug Control , Tiantan Xili, Beijing , P.R. China
| | | | - Kai Gao
- b National Institutes of Food and Drug Control , Tiantan Xili, Beijing , P.R. China
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20
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Wei C, Zhang G, Clark T, Barletta F, Tumey LN, Rago B, Hansel S, Han X. Where Did the Linker-Payload Go? A Quantitative Investigation on the Destination of the Released Linker-Payload from an Antibody-Drug Conjugate with a Maleimide Linker in Plasma. Anal Chem 2016; 88:4979-86. [PMID: 27075639 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b00976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The reactive thiol of cysteine is often used for coupling maleimide-containing linker-payloads to antibodies resulting in the generation of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Currently, a numbers of ADCs in drug development are made by coupling a linker-payload to native or engineered cysteine residues on the antibody. An ADC conjugated via hinge-cysteines to an auristatin payload was used as a model in this study to understand the impact of the maleimide linkers on ADC stability. The payload was conjugated to trastuzumab by a protease-cleavable linker, maleimido-caproyl-valine-citruline-p-amino-benzyloxy carbonyl (mcVC-PABC). In plasma stability assays, when the ADC (Trastuzumab-mcVC-PABC-Auristatin-0101) was incubated with plasma over a 144-h time-course, a discrepancy was observed between the measured released free payload concentration and the measured loss of drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR), as measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We found that an enzymatic release of payload from ADC-depleted human plasma at 144 h was able to account for almost 100% of the DAR loss. Intact protein mass analysis showed that at the 144 h time point, the mass of the major protein in ADC-depleted human plasma had an additional 1347 Da over the native albumin extracted from human plasma, exactly matching the mass of the linker-payload. In addition, protein gel electrophoresis showed that there was only one enriched protein in the 144 h ADC-depleted and antipayload immunoprecipitated plasma sample, as compared to the 0 h plasma immunoprecipitated sample, and the mass of this enriched protein was slightly heavier than the mass of serum albumin. Furthermore, the albumin adduct was also identified in 96 h and 168 h postdose in vivo cynomolgus monkey plasma. These results strongly suggest that the majority of the deconjugated mc-VC-PABC-auristatin ultimately is transferred to serum albumin, forming a long-lived albumin-linker-payload adduct. To our knowledge, this is the first report quantitatively characterizing the extent of linker-payload transfer to serum albumin and the first clear example of in vivo formation of an albumin-linker-payload adduct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Wei
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Guodong Zhang
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Tracey Clark
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Frank Barletta
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - L Nathan Tumey
- Worldwide Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Brian Rago
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Steven Hansel
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Xiaogang Han
- Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer Inc. , Eastern Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
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21
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Huang RYC, Chen G. Characterization of antibody-drug conjugates by mass spectrometry: advances and future trends. Drug Discov Today 2016; 21:850-5. [PMID: 27080148 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are emerging modalities in the pharmaceutical industry. The unique target-specific binding of antibody allows targeted delivery of cytotoxic small molecules to cancer cells, and thus expands the therapeutic window. However, in-depth characterization of ADCs is complex because it involves the characterization of antibody, conjugated molecules and antibody conjugates as a whole. In this review, we describe the practical use of mass spectrometry for ADC characterization including qualitative and quantitative analysis. Technical advances, limitations and future trends will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Y-C Huang
- Bioanalytical and Discovery Analytical Sciences, Research and Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Route 206 & Province Line Road, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA
| | - Guodong Chen
- Bioanalytical and Discovery Analytical Sciences, Research and Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Route 206 & Province Line Road, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA.
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22
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Fekete S, Guillarme D, Sandra P, Sandra K. Chromatographic, Electrophoretic, and Mass Spectrometric Methods for the Analytical Characterization of Protein Biopharmaceuticals. Anal Chem 2015; 88:480-507. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b04561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Szabolcs Fekete
- School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, University of Lausanne, Boulevard d’Yvoy 20, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Davy Guillarme
- School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, University of Lausanne, Boulevard d’Yvoy 20, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Pat Sandra
- Research Institute for Chromatography (RIC), President Kennedypark 26, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Koen Sandra
- Research Institute for Chromatography (RIC), President Kennedypark 26, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
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23
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Birdsall RE, McCarthy SM, Janin-Bussat MC, Perez M, Haeuw JF, Chen W, Beck A. A sensitive multidimensional method for the detection, characterization, and quantification of trace free drug species in antibody-drug conjugate samples using mass spectral detection. MAbs 2015; 8:306-17. [PMID: 26651262 PMCID: PMC4966627 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2015.1116659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Conjugation processes and stability studies associated with the production and shelf life of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can result in free (non-conjugated) drug species. These free drug species can increase the risk to patients and reduce the efficacy of the ADC. Despite stringent purification steps, trace levels of free drug species may be present in formulated ADCs, reducing the therapeutic window. The reduction of sample preparation steps through the incorporation of multidimensional techniques has afforded analysts more efficient methods to assess trace drug species. Multidimensional methods coupling size-exclusion and reversed phase liquid chromatography with ultra-violet detection (SEC-RPLC/UV) have been reported, but offer limited sensitivity and can limit method optimization. The current study addresses these challenges with a multidimensional method that is specific, sensitive, and enables method control in both dimensions via coupling of an on-line solid phase extraction column to RPLC with mass spectral detection (SPE-RPLC/MS). The proposed method was evaluated using an antibody-fluorophore conjugate (AFC) as an ADC surrogate to brentuximab vedotin and its associated parent maleimide-val-cit-DSEA payload and the derived N-acetylcysteine adduct formed during the conjugation process. Assay sensitivity was found to be 2 orders more sensitive using MS detection in comparison to UV-based detection with a nominal limit of quantitation of 0.30 ng/mL (1.5 pg on-column). Free-drug species were present in an unadulterated ADC surrogate sample at concentrations below 7 ng/mL, levels not detectable by UV alone. The proposed SPE-RPLC/MS method provides a high degree of specificity and sensitivity in the assessment of trace free drug species and offers improved control over each dimension, enabling straightforward integration into existing or novel workflows.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sean M McCarthy
- a Waters Corporation, 34 Maple Street , Milford , MA , 01757 , USA
| | | | - Michel Perez
- c IRPF, Center de R&D Pierre Fabre , Toulouse , France
| | | | - Weibin Chen
- a Waters Corporation, 34 Maple Street , Milford , MA , 01757 , USA
| | - Alain Beck
- b IRPF, Center d'Immunologie Pierre Fabre , St Julien-en-Genevois , France
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