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Zhu M, Yu M, Meng Y, Yang J, Wang X, Li L, Liang Y, Kong F. HER3 receptor and its role in the therapeutic management of metastatic breast cancer. J Transl Med 2024; 22:665. [PMID: 39020378 PMCID: PMC11253420 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05445-8] [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: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastatic breast cancer (mBC) poses a significant threat to women's health and is a major cause of malignant neoplasms in women. Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)3, an integral member of the ErbB/HER receptor tyrosine kinase family, is a crucial activator of the phosphoinositide-3 kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway. HER3 overexpression significantly contributes to the development of resistance to drugs targeting other HER receptors, such as HER2 and epidermal growth factor receptors, and plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of mBC. Recently, numerous HER3-targeted therapeutic agents, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), bispecific antibodies (bAbs), and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), have emerged. However, the efficacy of HER3-targeted mAbs and bAbs is limited when used individually, and their combination may result in toxic adverse effects. On the other hand, ADCs are cytotoxic to cancer cells and can bind to target cells through antibodies, which highlights their use in targeted HER3 therapy for mBC. This review provides an overview of recent advancements in HER3 research, historical initiatives, and innovative approaches in targeted HER3 therapy for metastatic breast cancer. Evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of current methods may yield valuable insights and lessons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiying Zhu
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Cancer Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Minghui Yu
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuan Meng
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
| | - Xuerui Wang
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
| | - Longhui Li
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
| | - Yangyueying Liang
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
| | - Fanming Kong
- Department of Oncology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anshanxi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China.
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2
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Kamara S, Guo Y, Wen H, Liu Y, Liu L, Zheng M, Zhang J, Zhou L, Chen J, Zhu S, Zhang L. Novel Bifunctional Affibody Molecules with Specific Binding to Both EBV LMP1 and LMP2 for Targeted Therapy of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10126. [PMID: 37373272 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210126] [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: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibodies are considered highly specific therapeutic agents in cancer medicines, and numerous formats have been developed. Among them, bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) have gained a lot of attention as a next-generation strategy for cancer therapy. However, poor tumor penetration is a major challenge because of their large size and thus contributes to suboptimal responses within cancer cells. On the other hand, affibody molecules are a new class of engineered affinity proteins and have achieved several promising results with their applications in molecular imaging diagnostics and targeted tumor therapy. In this study, an alternative format for bispecific molecules was constructed and investigated, named ZLMP110-277 and ZLMP277-110, that targets Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and latent membrane protein 2 (LMP2). Surface plasmon resonance (SPR), indirect immunofluorescence assay, co-immunoprecipitation, and near-infrared (NIR) imaging clearly demonstrated that ZLMP110-277 and ZLMP277-110 have good binding affinity and specificity for both LMP1 and LMP2 in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, ZLMP110-277 and ZLMP277-110, especially ZLMP277-110, significantly reduced the cell viability of C666-1 and CNE-2Z as compared to their monospecific counterparts. ZLMP110-277 and ZLMP277-110 could inhibit phosphorylation of proteins modulated by the MEK/ERK/p90RSK signaling pathway, ultimately leading to suppression of oncogene nuclear translocations. Furthermore, ZLMP110-277 and ZLMP277-110 showed significant antitumor efficacy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma-bearing nude mice. Overall, our results demonstrated that ZLMP110-277 and ZLMP277-110, especially ZLMP277-110, are promising novel prognostic indicators for molecular imaging and targeted tumor therapy of EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saidu Kamara
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Yanru Guo
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - He Wen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Maolin Zheng
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Luqi Zhou
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Shanli Zhu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, China
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3
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Liu Y, Xu T, Vorobyeva A, Loftenius A, Bodenko V, Orlova A, Frejd FY, Tolmachev V. Radionuclide Therapy of HER2-Expressing Xenografts Using [ 177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 Affibody Molecule Alone and in Combination with Trastuzumab. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15092409. [PMID: 37173878 PMCID: PMC10177614 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15092409] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
ABY-027 is a scaffold-protein-based cancer-targeting agent. ABY-027 includes the second-generation Affibody molecule ZHER2:2891, which binds to human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2). An engineered albumin-binding domain is fused to ZHER2:2891 to reduce renal uptake and increase bioavailability. The agent can be site-specifically labeled with a beta-emitting radionuclide 177Lu using a DOTA chelator. The goals of this study were to test the hypotheses that a targeted radionuclide therapy using [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 could extend the survival of mice with HER2-expressing human xenografts and that co-treatment with [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 and the HER2-targeting antibody trastuzumab could enhance this effect. Balb/C nu/nu mice bearing HER2-expressing SKOV-3 xenografts were used as in vivo models. A pre-injection of trastuzumab did not reduce the uptake of [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 in tumors. Mice were treated with [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 or trastuzumab as monotherapies and a combination of these therapies. Mice treated with vehicle or unlabeled ABY-027 were used as controls. Targeted monotherapy using [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 improved the survival of mice and was more efficient than trastuzumab monotherapy. A combination of therapies utilizing [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 and trastuzumab improved the treatment outcome in comparison with monotherapies using these agents. In conclusion, [177Lu]Lu-ABY-027 alone or in combination with trastuzumab could be a new potential agent for the treatment of HER2-expressing tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsheng Liu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tianqi Xu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anzhelika Vorobyeva
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Vitalina Bodenko
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Anna Orlova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Y Frejd
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
- Affibody AB, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
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Biologic Evaluation of a Heterodimeric HER2-Albumin Targeted Affibody Molecule Produced by Chemo-Enzymatic Peptide Synthesis. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14112519. [PMID: 36432709 PMCID: PMC9698269 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14112519] [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: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted molecular radiation therapy is a promising emerging treatment modality in oncology, and peptide synthesis may shorten the time to reach the clinical stage. In this study, we have explored Chemo-Enzymatic Peptide Synthesis, or CEPS, as a new means of producing a therapeutic HER2 targeted Affibody® molecule, comprising a C-terminal albumin binding domain (ABD) for half-life extension and a total length of 108 amino acids. In addition, a DOTA moiety could be incorporated at N-terminus directly during the synthesis step and subsequently utilized for site-specific radiolabeling with the therapeutic radionuclide 177Lu. Retained thermodynamic stability as well as retained binding to both HER2 and albumin was verified. Furthermore, HER2 binding specificity of the radiolabeled Affibody molecule was confirmed by an in vitro saturation assay showing a significantly higher cell-bound activity of SKOV-3 (high HER2 expression) compared with BxPC3 (low HER2 expression), both in the presence and absence of HSA. In vivo evaluation in mice bearing HER2 expressing xenografts also showed specific tumor targeting as well as extended time in circulation and reduced kidney uptake compared with a HER2 targeted Affibody molecule without the ABD moiety. To conclude, we have demonstrated that CEPS can be used for production of Affibody-fusion molecules with retained in vitro and in vivo functionality.
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Liu H, Jia D, Yuan F, Wang F, Wei D, Tang X, Tian B, Zheng S, Sun R, Shi J, Fan Q. Her3-specific affibody mediated tumor targeting delivery of ICG enhanced the photothermal therapy against Her3-positive tumors. Int J Pharm 2022; 617:121609. [PMID: 35217073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.121609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Photothermal therapy (PTT), mediated by tumor-targeted drug delivery of indocyanine green (ICG), is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (Her3) is highly expressed in several solid tumors and is an ideal target for tumor diagnosis and therapy. This study prepared a Her3-specific dimeric affibody (ZHer3) using an Escherichia coli expression system. The affibody could bind explicitly to Her3-positive MCF7 and LS174T cells, rather than to Her3-negative SKOV-3 cells in vitro. ICG was coupled with the ZHer3 affibody (ICG-ZHer3) through an N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester reactive group for tumor-targeted delivery. As expected, Her3-positive cells were selectively and efficiently killed by ICG-ZHer3-mediated PTT in vitro. In vivo, ICG-ZHer3 preferentially accumulated in Her3-positive LS174T tumor grafts because of the tumor-targeting ability of the ZHer3 affibody. As a result of the local generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species and hyperthermia, the growth rates of LS174T tumor grafts were significantly inhibited by ICG-ZHer3-mediated PTT, and ICG-ZHer3 showed good safety performance during short-term treatment. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that ICG-ZHer3 is a promising photosensitizer for PTT against Her3-positive tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China
| | - Dianlong Jia
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Fengjiao Yuan
- Joint Laboratory for Translational Medicine Research, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Feifei Wang
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Danfeng Wei
- Department of Dermatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, PR China
| | - Xiaohui Tang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China
| | - Baoqing Tian
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China
| | - Shuhui Zheng
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Ruohan Sun
- Laboratory of Drug Discovery and Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, PR China
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China.
| | - Qing Fan
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, PR China.
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6
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Luo R, Liu H, Cheng Z. Protein scaffolds: Antibody alternative for cancer diagnosis and therapy. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:830-847. [PMID: 35866165 PMCID: PMC9257619 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00094f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Although antibodies are well developed and widely used in cancer therapy and diagnostic fields, some defects remain, such as poor tissue penetration, long in vivo metabolic retention, potential cytotoxicity, patent limitation, and high production cost. These issues have led scientists to explore and develop novel antibody alternatives. Protein scaffolds are small monomeric proteins with stable tertiary structures and mutable residues, which emerged in the 1990s. By combining robust gene engineering and phage display techniques, libraries with sufficient diversity could be established for target binding scaffold selection. Given the properties of small size, high affinity, and excellent specificity and stability, protein scaffolds have been applied in basic research, and preclinical and clinical fields over the past two decades. To date, more than 20 types of protein scaffolds have been developed, with the most frequently used being affibody, adnectin, ANTICALIN®, DARPins, and knottin. In this review, we focus on the protein scaffold applications in cancer therapy and diagnosis in the last 5 years, and discuss the pros and cons, and strategies of optimization and design. Although antibodies are well developed and widely used in cancer therapy and diagnostic fields, some defects remain, such as poor tissue penetration, long in vivo metabolic retention, potential cytotoxicity, patent limitation, and high production cost.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Renli Luo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University Shenyang China
| | - Hongguang Liu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Northeastern University Shenyang China
| | - Zhen Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Molecular Imaging Center, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201203 China
- Drug Discovery Shandong Laboratory, Bohai Rim Advanced Research Institute for Drug Discovery Yantai Shandong 264117 China
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Ahmadi MKB, Mohammadi SA, Makvandi M, Mamouei M, Rahmati M, Dehghani H, Wood DW. Recent Advances in the Scaffold Engineering of Protein Binders. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2021; 22:878-891. [PMID: 32838715 DOI: 10.2174/1389201021999200824101035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, extensive attention has been given to the generation of new classes of ligand- specific binding proteins to supplement monoclonal antibodies. A combination of protein engineering and display technologies has been used to manipulate non-human antibodies for humanization and stabilization purposes or even the generation of new binding proteins. Engineered protein scaffolds can now be directed against therapeutic targets to treat cancer and immunological disorders. Although very few of these scaffolds have successfully passed clinical trials, their remarkable properties such as robust folding, high solubility, and small size motivate their employment as a tool for biology and applied science studies. Here, we have focused on the generation of new non-Ig binding proteins and single domain antibody manipulation, with a glimpse of their applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad K B Ahmadi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Seyed A Mohammadi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Manoochehr Makvandi
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Morteza Mamouei
- Department of Animal Science, Ramin Agricultural and Natural Resources University, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Rahmati
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Hesam Dehghani
- Stem Cells Regenerative Research Group, Ressearch Institute of Biotechnology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, Mashhad, Iran
| | - David W Wood
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 151 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, United States
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Abstract
The concept of engineering robust protein scaffolds for novel binding functions emerged 20 years ago, one decade after the advent of recombinant antibody technology. Early examples were the Affibody, Monobody (Adnectin), and Anticalin proteins, which were derived from fragments of streptococcal protein A, from the tenth type III domain of human fibronectin, and from natural lipocalin proteins, respectively. Since then, this concept has expanded considerably, including many other protein templates. In fact, engineered protein scaffolds with useful binding specificities, mostly directed against targets of biomedical relevance, constitute an area of active research today, which has yielded versatile reagents as laboratory tools. However, despite strong interest from basic science, only a handful of those protein scaffolds have undergone biopharmaceutical development up to the clinical stage. This includes the abovementioned pioneering examples as well as designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins). Here we review the current state and clinical validation of these next-generation therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arne Skerra
- Lehrstuhl für Biologische Chemie, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany;
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Garousi J, von Witting E, Borin J, Vorobyeva A, Altai M, Vorontsova O, Konijnenberg MW, Oroujeni M, Orlova A, Tolmachev V, Hober S. Radionuclide therapy using ABD-fused ADAPT scaffold protein: Proof of Principle. Biomaterials 2020; 266:120381. [PMID: 33120197 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Molecular recognition in targeted therapeutics is typically based on immunoglobulins. Development of engineered scaffold proteins (ESPs) has provided additional opportunities for the development of targeted therapies. ESPs offer inexpensive production in prokaryotic hosts, high stability and convenient approaches to modify their biodistribution. In this study, we demonstrated successful modification of the biodistribution of an ESP known as ADAPT (Albumin-binding domain Derived Affinity ProTein). ADAPTs are selected from a library based on the scaffold of ABD (Albumin Binding Domain) of protein G. A particular ADAPT, the ADAPT6, binds to human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) with high affinity. Preclinical and early clinical studies have demonstrated that radiolabeled ADAPT6 can image HER2-expression in tumors with high contrast. However, its rapid glomerular filtration and high renal reabsorption have prevented its use in radionuclide therapy. To modify the biodistribution, ADAPT6 was genetically fused to an ABD. The non-covalent binding to the host's albumin resulted in a 14-fold reduction of renal uptake and appreciable increase of tumor uptake for the best variant, 177Lu-DOTA-ADAPT6-ABD035. Experimental therapy in mice bearing HER2-expressing xenografts demonstrated more than two-fold increase of median survival even after a single injection of 18 MBq 177Lu-DOTA-ADAPT6-ABD035. Thus, a fusion with ABD and optimization of the molecular design provides ADAPT derivatives with attractive targeting properties for radionuclide therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Garousi
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Emma von Witting
- Department of Protein Technology, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jesper Borin
- Department of Protein Technology, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anzhelika Vorobyeva
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden; Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Mohamed Altai
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Olga Vorontsova
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mark W Konijnenberg
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Maryam Oroujeni
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Orlova
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, SE-75185, Uppsala, Sweden; Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia.
| | - Sophia Hober
- Department of Protein Technology, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
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10
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Dahlsson Leitao C, S. Rinne S, Altai M, Vorontsova O, Dunås F, Jonasson P, Tolmachev V, Löfblom J, Ståhl S, Orlova A. Evaluating the Therapeutic Efficacy of Mono- and Bivalent Affibody-Based Fusion Proteins Targeting HER3 in a Pancreatic Cancer Xenograft Model. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12060551. [PMID: 32545760 PMCID: PMC7356278 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12060551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) has been increasingly scrutinized as a potential drug target since the elucidation of its role in mediating tumor growth and acquired therapy resistance. Affibody molecules are so-called scaffold proteins with favorable biophysical properties, such as a small size for improved tissue penetration and extravasation, thermal and chemical stability, and a high tolerance to modifications. Additionally, affibody molecules are efficiently produced in prokaryotic hosts or by chemical peptide synthesis. We have previously evaluated the biodistribution profiles of five mono- and bivalent anti-HER3 affibody molecules (designated as 3) fused to an albumin-binding domain (designated as A), 3A, 33A, 3A3, A33, and A3, that inhibit ligand-dependent phosphorylation. In the present study, we examined the therapeutic efficacy of the three most promising variants, 3A, 33A, and 3A3, in a direct comparison with the HER3-targeting monoclonal antibody seribantumab (MM-121) in a preclinical BxPC-3 pancreatic cancer model. Xenografted mice were treated with either an affibody construct or MM-121 and the tumor growth was compared to a vehicle group. Receptor occupancy was estimated by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging using a HER3-targeting affibody imaging agent [68Ga]Ga-(HE)3-Z08698-NODAGA. The affibody molecules could inhibit ligand-dependent phosphorylation and cell proliferation in vitro and demonstrated tumor growth inhibition in vivo comparable to that of MM-121. PET/CT imaging showed full receptor occupancy for all tested drug candidates. Treatment with 3A and 3A3 affibody constructs was more efficient than with 33A and similar to the anti-HER3 antibody seribantumab, showing that the molecular design of affibody-based therapeutics targeting HER3 in terms of the relative position of functional domains and valency has an impact on therapeutic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Dahlsson Leitao
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.D.L.); (J.L.)
| | - Sara S. Rinne
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden; (S.S.R.); or (M.A.)
| | - Mohamed Altai
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden; (S.S.R.); or (M.A.)
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (O.V.); (V.T.)
- Division of Oncology and Pathology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Olga Vorontsova
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (O.V.); (V.T.)
| | - Finn Dunås
- Affibody AB, 171 65 Solna, Sweden; (F.D.); (P.J.)
| | - Per Jonasson
- Affibody AB, 171 65 Solna, Sweden; (F.D.); (P.J.)
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (O.V.); (V.T.)
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - John Löfblom
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.D.L.); (J.L.)
| | - Stefan Ståhl
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.D.L.); (J.L.)
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (A.O.)
| | - Anna Orlova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden; (S.S.R.); or (M.A.)
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
- Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (A.O.)
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11
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Garousi J, Vorobyeva A, Altai M. Influence of Several Compounds and Drugs on the Renal Uptake of Radiolabeled Affibody Molecules. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25112673. [PMID: 32526905 PMCID: PMC7321166 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25112673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Affibody molecules are the most studied class of engineered scaffold proteins (ESPs) in radionuclide molecular imaging. Attempts to use affibody molecules directly labelled with radiometals for targeted radionuclide therapy were hampered by the high uptake and retention of radioactivity in kidneys. Several promising strategies have been implemented to circumvent this problem. Here, we investigated whether a pharmacological approach targeting different components of the reabsorption system could be used to lower the uptake of [99mTc]Tc-ZHER:2395 affibody molecule in kidneys. Pre-injection of probenecid, furosemide, mannitol or colchicine had no influence on activity uptake in kidneys compared to the control group. Mice pre-injected with maleate and fructose had 33% and 51% reduction in the kidney-associated activity, respectively, compared to the control group. Autoradiography images showed that the accumulation of activity after [99mTc]Tc-ZHER2:2395 injection was in the renal cortex and that both maleate and fructose could significantly reduce it. Results from this study demonstrate that pharmacological intervention with maleate and fructose was effective in reducing the kidney uptake of affibody molecules. A presumable mechanism is the disruption of ATP-mediated cellular uptake and endocytosis processes of affibody molecules by tubular cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Garousi
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (J.G.); (A.V.)
| | - Anzhelika Vorobyeva
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (J.G.); (A.V.)
- Research Centrum for Oncotheranostics, Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634 050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Mohamed Altai
- Division of Oncology and Pathology, Kamprad Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, 222 43 Lund, Sweden
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +46-704128699
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12
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Zhu J, Kamara S, Cen D, Tang W, Gu M, Ci X, Chen J, Wang L, Zhu S, Jiang P, Chen S, Xue X, Zhang L. Generation of novel affibody molecules targeting the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain with inhibiting effects on the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Cell Death Dis 2020; 11:213. [PMID: 32238802 PMCID: PMC7113277 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-2410-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) induced by latent infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) remains the most common head and neck cancer in Southeast Asia, especially in the southern part of China. It is well known that persistent expression of two EBV latent membrane proteins (LMP1/LMP2A) plays a key role in nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis. Therefore, the therapeutic approach of targeting the LMP1/LMP2A protein and subsequently blocking the LMP1/LMP2A-mediated signalling pathway has been considered for treating patients with NPC. Recently, affibody molecules, a new class of small (~6.5 kDa) affinity proteins, have been confirmed to be powerful generalisable tools for developing imaging or therapeutic agents by targeting specific molecules. In this study, three EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain-binding affibody molecules (ZLMP2A-N85, ZLMP2A-N110 and ZLMP2A-N252) were identified by screening a phage-displayed peptide library, and their high affinity and specificity for the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain were confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), indirect immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation and near-infrared small animal fluorescence imaging in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, affibody molecules targeting the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain significantly reduced the viability of the EBV-positive cell lines C666-1, CNE-2Z and B95-8. Further investigations showed that affibody ZLMP2A-N110 could inhibit the phosphorylation of AKT, GSK-3β and β-catenin signalling proteins, leading to suppression of β-catenin nuclear translocation and subsequent inhibition of c-Myc oncogene expression, which may be responsible for the reduced viability of NPC-derived cell lines. In conclusion, our findings provide a strong evidence that three novel EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain-binding affibody molecules have great potential for utilisation and development as agents for both molecular imaging and targeted therapy of EBV-related NPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinshun Zhu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Saidu Kamara
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Danwei Cen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wanlin Tang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Meiping Gu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xingyuan Ci
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Lude Wang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Shanli Zhu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Pengfei Jiang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Shao Chen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiangyang Xue
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, 325035, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, China.
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13
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Rinne SS, Xu T, Dahlsson Leitao C, Ståhl S, Löfblom J, Orlova A, Tolmachev V, Vorobyeva A. Influence of Residualizing Properties of the Radiolabel on Radionuclide Molecular Imaging of HER3 Using Affibody Molecules. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21041312. [PMID: 32075258 PMCID: PMC7072899 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor receptor type 3 (HER3) is an emerging therapeutic target in several malignancies. To select potential responders to HER3-targeted therapy, radionuclide molecular imaging of HER3 expression using affibody molecules could be performed. Due to physiological expression of HER3 in normal organs, high imaging contrast remains challenging. Due to slow internalization of affibody molecules by cancer cells, we hypothesized that labeling (HE)3-ZHER3:08698-DOTAGA affibody molecule with non-residualizing [125I]-N-succinimidyl-4-iodobenzoate (PIB) label would improve the tumor-to-normal organs ratios compared to previously reported residualizing radiometal labels. The [125I]I-PIB-(HE)3-ZHER3:08698-DOTAGA was compared side-by-side with [111In]In-(HE)3-ZHER3:08698-DOTAGA. Both conjugates demonstrated specific high-affinity binding to HER3-expressing BxPC-3 and DU145 cancer cells. Biodistribution in mice bearing BxPC-3 xenografts at 4 and 24 h pi showed faster clearance of the [125I]I-PIB label compared to the indium-111 label from most tissues, except blood. This resulted in higher tumor-to-organ ratios in HER3-expressing organs for [125I]I-PIB-(HE)3-ZHER3:08698-DOTAGA at 4 h, providing the tumor-to-liver ratio of 2.4 ± 0.3. The tumor uptake of both conjugates was specific, however, it was lower for the [125I]I-PIB label. In conclusion, the use of non-residualizing [125I]I-PIB label for HER3-targeting affibody molecule provided higher tumor-to-liver ratio than the indium-111 label, however, further improvement in tumor uptake and retention is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara S. Rinne
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden; (S.S.R.); (A.O.)
| | - Tianqi Xu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (T.X.); (V.T.)
| | - Charles Dahlsson Leitao
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.D.L.); (S.S.); (J.L.)
| | - Stefan Ståhl
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.D.L.); (S.S.); (J.L.)
| | - John Löfblom
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; (C.D.L.); (S.S.); (J.L.)
| | - Anna Orlova
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden; (S.S.R.); (A.O.)
- Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
- Centrum for Oncotheranostics, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Vladimir Tolmachev
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (T.X.); (V.T.)
- Centrum for Oncotheranostics, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Anzhelika Vorobyeva
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; (T.X.); (V.T.)
- Centrum for Oncotheranostics, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +46-18-471-3868
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14
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Mazigi O, Schofield P, Langley DB, Christ D. Protein A superantigen: structure, engineering and molecular basis of antibody recognition. Protein Eng Des Sel 2019; 32:359-366. [PMID: 31641749 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzz026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus interacts with the human immune system through the production of secreted factors. Key among these is protein A, a B-cell superantigen capable of interacting with both antibody Fc and VH regions. Here, we review structural and molecular features of this important example of naturally occurring bacterial superantigens, as well as engineered variants and their application in biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ohan Mazigi
- Department of Immunology, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, St Vincent's Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Peter Schofield
- Department of Immunology, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, St Vincent's Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - David B Langley
- Department of Immunology, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Daniel Christ
- Department of Immunology, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, St Vincent's Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
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15
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Gebauer M, Skerra A. Engineering of binding functions into proteins. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 60:230-241. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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16
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Increase in negative charge of 68Ga/chelator complex reduces unspecific hepatic uptake but does not improve imaging properties of HER3-targeting affibody molecules. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17710. [PMID: 31776413 PMCID: PMC6881397 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54149-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Upregulation of the human epidermal growth factor receptor type 3 (HER3) is a common mechanism to bypass HER-targeted cancer therapy. Affibody-based molecular imaging has the potential for detecting and monitoring HER3 expression during treatment. In this study, we compared the imaging properties of newly generated 68Ga-labeled anti-HER3 affibody molecules (HE)3-ZHER3-DOTA and (HE)3-ZHER3-DOTAGA with previously reported [68Ga]Ga-(HE)3-ZHER3-NODAGA. We hypothesized that increasing the negative charge of the gallium-68/chelator complex would reduce hepatic uptake, which could lead to improved contrast of anti-HER3 affibody-based PET-imaging of HER3 expression. (HE)3-ZHER3-X (X = DOTA, DOTAGA) were produced and labeled with gallium-68. Binding of the new conjugates was specific in HER3 expressing BxPC-3 and DU145 human cancer cells. Biodistribution and in vivo specificity was studied in BxPC-3 xenograft bearing Balb/c nu/nu mice 3 h pi. DOTA- and DOTAGA-containing conjugates had significantly higher concentration in blood than [68Ga]Ga-(HE)3-ZHER3-NODAGA. Presence of the negatively charged 68Ga-DOTAGA complex reduced the unspecific hepatic uptake, but did not improve overall biodistribution of the conjugate. [68Ga]Ga-(HE)3-ZHER3-DOTAGA and [68Ga]Ga-(HE)3-ZHER3-NODAGA had similar tumor-to-liver ratios, but [68Ga]Ga-(HE)3-ZHER3-NODAGA had the highest tumor uptake and tumor-to-blood ratio among the tested conjugates. In conclusion, [68Ga]Ga-(HE)3-ZHER3-NODAGA remains the favorable variant for PET imaging of HER3 expression.
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17
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Improved contrast of affibody-mediated imaging of HER3 expression in mouse xenograft model through co-injection of a trivalent affibody for in vivo blocking of hepatic uptake. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6779. [PMID: 31043683 PMCID: PMC6494909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43145-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor receptor type 3 (HER3) plays a crucial role in the progression of many cancer types. In vivo radionuclide imaging could be a reliable method for repetitive detection of HER3-expression in tumors. The main challenge of HER3-imaging is the low expression in tumors together with endogenous receptor expression in normal tissues, particularly the liver. A HER3-targeting affibody molecule labeled with radiocobalt via a NOTA chelator [57Co]Co-NOTA-Z08699 has demonstrated the most favorable biodistribution profile with the lowest unspecific hepatic uptake and high activity uptake in tumors. We hypothesized that specific uptake of labeled affibody monomer might be selectively blocked in the liver but not in tumors by a co-injection of non-labeled corresponding trivalent affibody (Z08699)3. Biodistribution of [57Co]Co-NOTA-Z08699 and [111In]In-DOTA-(Z08699)3 was studied in BxPC-3 xenografted mice. [57Co]Co-NOTA-Z08699 was co-injected with unlabeled trivalent affibody DOTA-(Z08699)3 at different monomer:trimer molar ratios. HER3-expression in xenografts was imaged using [57Co]Co-NOTA-Z08699 and [57Co]Co-NOTA-Z08699: DOTA-(Z08699)3. Hepatic activity uptake of [57Co]Co-NOTA-Z08699: DOTA-(Z08699)3 decreased with increasing monomer:trimer molar ratio. The tumor activity uptake and tumor-to-liver ratios were the highest for the 1:3 ratio. SPECT/CT images confirmed the biodistribution data. Imaging of HER3 expression can be improved by co-injection of a radiolabeled monomeric affibody-based imaging probe together with a trivalent affibody.
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18
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Schardt JS, Noonan-Shueh M, Oubaid JM, Pottash AE, Williams SC, Hussain A, Lapidus RG, Lipkowitz S, Jay SM. HER3-Targeted Affibodies with Optimized Formats Reduce Ovarian Cancer Progression in a Mouse Xenograft Model. AAPS JOURNAL 2019; 21:48. [PMID: 30949858 DOI: 10.1208/s12248-019-0318-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase HER3 is negatively correlated with survival in ovarian cancer, and HER3 overexpression is associated with cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Thus, improvements in HER3-targeted therapy could lead to significant clinical impact for ovarian cancer patients. Previous work from our group established multivalency as a potential strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of HER3-targeted ligands, including affibodies. Others have established HER3 affibodies as viable and potentially superior alternatives to monoclonal antibodies for cancer therapy. Here, bivalent HER3 affibodies were engineered for optimized production, specificity, and function as evaluated in an ovarian cancer xenograft model. Enhanced inhibition of HER3-mediated signaling and increased HER3 downregulation associated with multivalency could be achieved with a simplified construct, potentially increasing translational potential. Additionally, functional effects of affibodies due to multivalency were found to be specific to HER3 targeting, suggesting a unique molecular mechanism. Further, HER3 affibodies demonstrated efficacy in ovarian cancer xenograft mouse models, both as single agents and in combination with carboplatin. Overall, these results reinforce the potential of HER3-targeted affibodies for cancer therapy and establish treatment of ovarian cancer as an application where multivalent HER3 ligands may be useful. Further, this work introduces the potential of HER3 affibodies to be utilized as part of clinically relevant combination therapies (e.g., with carboplatin).
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Schardt
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 3116 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA.,Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Madeleine Noonan-Shueh
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 3116 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
| | - Jinan M Oubaid
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 3116 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
| | - Alex Eli Pottash
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 3116 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
| | - Sonya C Williams
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 3116 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
| | - Arif Hussain
- Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.,Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rena G Lapidus
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.,Translational Laboratory Shared Service, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Stanley Lipkowitz
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Steven M Jay
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, 3116 A. James Clark Hall, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA. .,Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America. .,Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America.
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19
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Influence of Molecular Design on the Targeting Properties of ABD-Fused Mono- and Bi-Valent Anti-HER3 Affibody Therapeutic Constructs. Cells 2018; 7:cells7100164. [PMID: 30314301 PMCID: PMC6210767 DOI: 10.3390/cells7100164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 3 (HER3) is associated with tumour cell resistance to HER-targeted therapies. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting HER3 are currently being investigated for treatment of various types of cancers. Cumulative evidence suggests that affibody molecules may be appropriate alternatives to mAbs. We previously reported a fusion construct (3A3) containing two HER3-targeting affibody molecules flanking an engineered albumin-binding domain (ABD035) included for the extension of half-life in circulation. The 3A3 fusion protein (19.7 kDa) was shown to delay tumour growth in mice bearing HER3-expressing xenografts and was equipotent to the mAb seribantumab. Here, we have designed and explored a series of novel formats of anti-HER3 affibody molecules fused to the ABD in different orientations. All constructs inhibited heregulin-induced phosphorylation in HER3-expressing BxPC-3 and DU-145 cell lines. Biodistribution studies demonstrated extended the half-life of all ABD-fused constructs, although at different levels. The capacity of our ABD-fused proteins to accumulate in HER3-expressing tumours was demonstrated in nude mice bearing BxPC-3 xenografts. Formats where the ABD was located on the C-terminus of affibody binding domains (3A, 33A, and 3A3) provided the best tumour targeting properties in vivo. Further development of these promising candidates for treatment of HER3-overexpressing tumours is therefore justified.
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