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Zhang Y, Chou DHC. Gel protects therapeutic proteins from deactivation - even in the post. Nature 2024; 631:507-508. [PMID: 39020039 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-02233-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
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2
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Kommera SP, Kumar A, Chitkara D, Mittal A. Pramlintide an Adjunct to Insulin Therapy: Challenges and Recent Progress in Delivery. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2024; 388:81-90. [PMID: 37863489 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.123.001679] [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: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysregulation of various glucoregulatory hormones lead to failure of insulin monotherapy in patients with diabetes mellitus due to various reasons, including severe hypoglycemia, glycemic hypervariability, and an increased risk of microvascular complications. However, pramlintide as an adjunct to insulin therapy enhances glucagon suppression and thereby offers improved glycemic control. Clinical studies have shown that pramlintide improves glycemic control, reduces postprandial glucose excursions, and promotes weight loss in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Although clinical benefits of pramlintide are well reported, there still exists a high patient resistance for the therapy, as separate injections for pramlintide and insulin must be administered. Although marketed insulin formulations generally demonstrate a peak action in 60-90 minutes, pramlintide elicits its peak concentration at around 20-30 minutes after administration. Thus, owing to the significant differences in pharmacokinetics of exogenously administered pramlintide and insulin, the therapy fails to elicit its action otherwise produced by the endogenous hormones. Hence, strategies such as delaying the release of pramlintide by using inorganic polymers like silica, synthetic polymers like polycaprolactone, and lipids have been employed. Also, approaches like noncovalent conjugation, polyelectrolyte complexation, and use of amphiphilic excipients for codelivery of insulin and pramlintide have been explored to address the issues with pramlintide delivery and improve patient adherence to the therapy. This approach may usher in a new era of diabetes management, offering patients multiple options to tailor their treatment and improve their quality of life. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: To our knowledge, this is the first report that summarizes various challenges in insulin and pramlintide codelivery and strategies to overcome them. The paper also provides deeper insights into various novel formulation strategies for pramlintide that could further broaden the reader's understanding of peptide codelivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Pradyuth Kommera
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS PILANI), Pilani, Rajasthan, India
| | - Ankur Kumar
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS PILANI), Pilani, Rajasthan, India
| | - Deepak Chitkara
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS PILANI), Pilani, Rajasthan, India
| | - Anupama Mittal
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS PILANI), Pilani, Rajasthan, India
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Weiss MA. Real-world insulin stability and global access. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2023; 11:307-309. [PMID: 37003281 DOI: 10.1016/s2213-8587(23)00066-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Weiss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
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4
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Klich JH, Kasse CM, Mann JL, Huang Y, d’Aquino AI, Grosskopf AK, Baillet J, Fuller GG, Appel EA. Stable High-Concentration Monoclonal Antibody Formulations Enabled by an Amphiphilic Copolymer Excipient. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2023; 6:2200102. [PMID: 36684707 PMCID: PMC9854243 DOI: 10.1002/adtp.202200102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies are a staple in modern pharmacotherapy. Unfortunately, these biopharmaceuticals are limited by their tendency to aggregate in formulation, resulting in poor stability and often requiring low concentration drug formulations. Moreover, existing excipients designed to stabilize these formulations are often limited by their toxicity and tendency to form particles such as micelles. Here, we demonstrate the ability of a simple "drop-in", amphiphilic copolymer excipient to enhance the stability of high concentration formulations of clinically-relevant monoclonal antibodies without altering their pharmacokinetics or injectability. Through interfacial rheology and surface tension measurements, we demonstrate that the copolymer excipient competitively adsorbs to formulation interfaces. Further, through determination of monomeric composition and retained bioactivity through stressed aging, we show that this excipient confers a significant stability benefit to high concentration antibody formulations. Finally, we demonstrate that the excipient behaves as an inactive ingredient, having no significant impact on the pharmacokinetic profile of a clinically relevant antibody in mice. This amphiphilic copolymer excipient demonstrates promise as a simple formulation additive to create stable, high concentration antibody formulations, thereby enabling improved treatment options such as a route-of-administration switch from low concentration intravenous (IV) to high concentration subcutaneous (SC) delivery while reducing dependence on the cold chain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joseph L. Mann
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yaoqi Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrea I. d’Aquino
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Abigail K. Grosskopf
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Julie Baillet
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gerald G. Fuller
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Eric A. Appel
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Pediatrics – Endocrinology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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5
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Smith NA, Menting JG, Weiss MA, Lawrence MC, Smith BJ. Single-chain insulin analogs threaded by the insulin receptor αCT domain. Biophys J 2022; 121:4063-4077. [PMID: 36181268 PMCID: PMC9675026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.09.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Insulin is a mainstay of therapy for diabetes mellitus, yet its thermal stability complicates global transportation and storage. Cold-chain transport, coupled with optimized formulation and materials, prevents to some degree nucleation of amyloid and hence inactivation of hormonal activity. These issues hence motivate the design of analogs with increased stability, with a promising approach being single-chain insulins (SCIs), whose C domains (foreshortened relative to proinsulin) resemble those of the single-chain growth factors (IGFs). We have previously demonstrated that optimized SCIs can exhibit native-like hormonal activity with enhanced thermal stability and marked resistance to fibrillation. Here, we describe the crystal structure of an ultrastable SCI (C-domain length 6; sequence EEGPRR) bound to modules of the insulin receptor (IR) ectodomain (N-terminal α-subunit domains L1-CR and C-terminal αCT peptide; "microreceptor" [μIR]). The structure of the SCI-μIR complex, stabilized by an Fv module, was determined using diffraction data to a resolution of 2.6 Å. Remarkably, the αCT peptide (IR-A isoform) "threads" through a gap between the flexible C domain and the insulin core. To explore such threading, we undertook molecular dynamics simulations to 1) compare threaded with unthreaded binding modes and 2) evaluate effects of C-domain length on these alternate modes. The simulations (employing both conventional and enhanced sampling simulations) provide evidence that very short linkers (C-domain length of -1) would limit gap opening in the SCI and so impair threading. We envisage that analogous threading occurs in the intact SCI-IR complex-rationalizing why minimal C-domain lengths block complete activity-and might be exploited to design novel receptor-isoform-specific analogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Smith
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John G Menting
- WEHI, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael A Weiss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
| | - Michael C Lawrence
- WEHI, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Brian J Smith
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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Maikawa CL, Nguyen LT, Mann JL, Appel EA. Formulation Excipients and Their Role in Insulin Stability and Association State in Formulation. Pharm Res 2022; 39:2721-2728. [PMID: 35978148 PMCID: PMC9633423 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-022-03367-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
While excipients are often overlooked as the "inactive" ingredients in pharmaceutical formulations, they often play a critical role in protein stability and absorption kinetics. Recent work has identified an ultrafast absorbing insulin formulation that is the result of excipient modifications. Specifically, the insulin monomer can be isolated by replacing zinc and the phenolic preservative metacresol with phenoxyethanol as an antimicrobial agent and an amphiphilic acrylamide copolymer excipient for stability. A greater understanding is needed of the interplay between excipients, insulin association state, and stability in order to optimize this formulation. Here, we formulated insulin with different preservatives and stabilizing excipient concentrations using both insulin lispro and regular human insulin and assessed the insulin association states using analytical ultracentrifugation as well as formulation stability. We determined that phenoxyethanol is required to eliminate hexamers and promote a high monomer content even in a zinc-free lispro formulation. There is also a concentration dependent relationship between the concentration of polyacrylamide-based copolymer excipient and insulin stability, where a concentration greater than 0.1 g/mL copolymer is required for a mostly monomeric zinc-free lispro formulation to achieve stability exceeding that of Humalog in a stressed aging assay. Further, we determined that under the formulation conditions tested zinc-free regular human insulin remains primarily hexameric and is not at this time a promising candidate for rapid-acting formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin L Maikawa
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, USA
| | - Leslee T Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, USA
| | - Joseph L Mann
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, USA
| | - Eric A Appel
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, USA. .,Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, USA. .,ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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Maikawa CL, Chen PC, Vuong ET, Nguyen LT, Mann JL, d'Aquino AI, Lal RA, Maahs DM, Buckingham BA, Appel EA. Ultra-Fast Insulin-Pramlintide Co-Formulation for Improved Glucose Management in Diabetic Rats. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2021; 8:e2101575. [PMID: 34499434 PMCID: PMC8564421 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202101575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Dual-hormone replacement therapy with insulin and amylin in patients with type 1 diabetes has the potential to improve glucose management. Unfortunately, currently available formulations require burdensome separate injections at mealtimes and have disparate pharmacokinetics that do not mimic endogenous co-secretion. Here, amphiphilic acrylamide copolymers are used to create a stable co-formulation of monomeric insulin and amylin analogues (lispro and pramlintide) with synchronous pharmacokinetics and ultra-rapid action. The co-formulation is stable for over 16 h under stressed aging conditions, whereas commercial insulin lispro (Humalog) aggregates in 8 h. The faster pharmacokinetics of monomeric insulin in this co-formulation result in increased insulin-pramlintide overlap of 75 ± 6% compared to only 47 ± 7% for separate injections. The co-formulation results in similar delay in gastric emptying compared to pramlintide delivered separately. In a glucose challenge, in rats, the co-formulation reduces deviation from baseline glucose compared to insulin only, or separate insulin and pramlintide administrations. Further, comparison of interspecies pharmacokinetics of monomeric pramlintide suggests that pharmacokinetics observed for the co-formulation will be well preserved in future translation to humans. Together these results suggest that the co-formulation has the potential to improve mealtime glucose management and reduce patient burden in the treatment of diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin L Maikawa
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Peyton C Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Eric T Vuong
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Leslee T Nguyen
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Joseph L Mann
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Andrea I d'Aquino
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Rayhan A Lal
- Department of Medicine (Endocrinology), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - David M Maahs
- Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Bruce A Buckingham
- Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Eric A Appel
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Maikawa CL, d’Aquino AI, Vuong ET, Su B, Zou L, Chen PC, Nguyen LT, Autzen AAA, Mann JL, Webber MJ, Appel EA. Affinity-Directed Dynamics of Host-Guest Motifs for Pharmacokinetic Modulation via Supramolecular PEGylation. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:3565-3573. [PMID: 34314146 PMCID: PMC8627827 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Proteins are an impactful class of therapeutics but can exhibit suboptimal therapeutic performance, arising from poor control over the timescale of clearance. Covalent PEGylation is one established strategy to extend circulation time but often at the cost of reduced activity and increased immunogenicity. Supramolecular PEGylation may afford similar benefits without necessitating that the protein be permanently modified with a polymer. Here, we show that insulin pharmacokinetics can be modulated by tuning the affinity-directed dynamics of a host-guest motif used to non-covalently endow insulin with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain. When administered subcutaneously, supramolecular PEGylation with higher binding affinities extends the time of total insulin exposure systemically. Pharmacokinetic modeling reveals that the extension in the duration of exposure arises specifically from decreased absorption from the subcutaneous depot governed directly by the affinity and dynamics of host-guest exchange. The lifetime of the supramolecular interaction thus dictates the rate of absorption, with negligible impact attributed to association of the PEG upon rapid dilution of the supramolecular complex in circulation. This modular approach to supramolecular PEGylation offers a powerful tool to tune protein pharmacokinetics in response to the needs of different disease applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin L. Maikawa
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Andrea I. d’Aquino
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Eric T. Vuong
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Bo Su
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Lei Zou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Peyton C. Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Leslee T. Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Anton A. A. Autzen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Joseph L. Mann
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Matthew J. Webber
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Eric A. Appel
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Endocrinology (Pediatrics), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- ChEM-H Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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