1
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Romei MG, Leonard B, Katz ZB, Le D, Yang Y, Day ES, Koo CW, Sharma P, Bevers Iii J, Kim I, Dai H, Farahi F, Lin M, Shaw AS, Nakamura G, Sockolosky JT, Lazar GA. i-shaped antibody engineering enables conformational tuning of biotherapeutic receptor agonists. Nat Commun 2024; 15:642. [PMID: 38245524 PMCID: PMC10799922 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44985-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to leverage antibodies to agonize disease relevant biological pathways has tremendous potential for clinical investigation. Yet while antibodies have been successful as antagonists, immune mediators, and targeting agents, they are not readily effective at recapitulating the biology of natural ligands. Among the important determinants of antibody agonist activity is the geometry of target receptor engagement. Here, we describe an engineering approach inspired by a naturally occurring Fab-Fab homotypic interaction that constrains IgG in a unique i-shaped conformation. i-shaped antibody (iAb) engineering enables potent intrinsic agonism of five tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) targets. When applied to bispecific antibodies against the heterodimeric IL-2 receptor pair, constrained bispecific IgG formats recapitulate IL-2 agonist activity. iAb engineering provides a tool to tune agonist antibody function and this work provides a framework for the development of intrinsic antibody agonists with the potential for generalization across broad receptor classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew G Romei
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Brandon Leonard
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zachary B Katz
- Department of Research Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Le
- Department of Microchemistry, Proteomic, Lipidomics, and Next Generation Sequencing, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yanli Yang
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Eric S Day
- Department of Pharma Technical Development, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christopher W Koo
- Department of Structural Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Preeti Sharma
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jack Bevers Iii
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ingrid Kim
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Huiguang Dai
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Farzam Farahi
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - May Lin
- Department of Protein Chemistry, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrey S Shaw
- Department of Research Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gerald Nakamura
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Greg A Lazar
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA.
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2
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Damelang T, Brinkhaus M, van Osch TLJ, Schuurman J, Labrijn AF, Rispens T, Vidarsson G. Impact of structural modifications of IgG antibodies on effector functions. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1304365. [PMID: 38259472 PMCID: PMC10800522 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1304365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are a critical component of the adaptive immune system, binding to and neutralizing pathogens and other foreign substances. Recent advances in molecular antibody biology and structural protein engineering enabled the modification of IgG antibodies to enhance their therapeutic potential. This review summarizes recent progress in both natural and engineered structural modifications of IgG antibodies, including allotypic variation, glycosylation, Fc engineering, and Fc gamma receptor binding optimization. We discuss the functional consequences of these modifications to highlight their potential for therapeutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timon Damelang
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Sanquin Research, Department of Immunopathology, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Antibody Research & Technologies’, Genmab, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Maximilian Brinkhaus
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Thijs L. J. van Osch
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Janine Schuurman
- Department of Antibody Research & Technologies’, Genmab, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Aran F. Labrijn
- Department of Antibody Research & Technologies’, Genmab, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Theo Rispens
- Sanquin Research, Department of Immunopathology, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gestur Vidarsson
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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3
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Mahasongkram K, Glab-ampai K, Kaewchim K, Saenlom T, Chulanetra M, Sookrung N, Nathalang O, Chaicumpa W. Agonistic Bivalent Human scFvs-Fcγ Fusion Antibodies to OX40 Ectodomain Enhance T Cell Activities against Cancer. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1826. [PMID: 38140230 PMCID: PMC10747724 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11121826] [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: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Understanding how advanced cancers evade host innate and adaptive immune opponents has led to cancer immunotherapy. Among several immunotherapeutic strategies, the reversal of immunosuppression mediated by regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) using blockers of immune-checkpoint signaling in effector T cells is the most successful treatment measure. Furthermore, agonists of T cell costimulatory molecules (CD40, 4-1BB, OX40) play an additional anti-cancer role to that of checkpoint blocking in combined therapy and serve also as adjuvant/neoadjuvant/induction therapy to conventional cancer treatments, such as tumor resection and radio- and chemo- therapies. (2) Methods and Results: In this study, novel agonistic antibodies to the OX40/CD134 ectodomain (EcOX40), i.e., fully human bivalent single-chain variable fragments (HuscFvs) linked to IgG Fc (bivalent HuscFv-Fcγ fusion antibodies) were generated by using phage-display technology and genetic engineering. The HuscFvs in the fusion antibodies bound to the cysteine-rich domain-2 of the EcOX40, which is known to be involved in OX40-OX40L signaling for NF-κB activation in T cells. The fusion antibodies caused proliferation, and increased the survival and cytokine production of CD3-CD28-activated human T cells. They showed enhancement trends for other effector T cell activities like granzyme B production and lysis of ovarian cancer cells when added to the activated T cells. (3) Conclusions: The novel OX40 agonistic fusion antibodies should be further tested step-by-step toward their safe use as an adjunctive non-immunogenic cancer immunotherapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kodchakorn Mahasongkram
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.M.); (K.G.-a.); (K.K.); (T.S.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Kantaphon Glab-ampai
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.M.); (K.G.-a.); (K.K.); (T.S.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Kanasap Kaewchim
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.M.); (K.G.-a.); (K.K.); (T.S.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
- Graduate Program in Immunology, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Thanatsaran Saenlom
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.M.); (K.G.-a.); (K.K.); (T.S.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Monrat Chulanetra
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.M.); (K.G.-a.); (K.K.); (T.S.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Nitat Sookrung
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.M.); (K.G.-a.); (K.K.); (T.S.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
- Biomedical Research Incubator Unit, Department of Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Oytip Nathalang
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand;
| | - Wanpen Chaicumpa
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.M.); (K.G.-a.); (K.K.); (T.S.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
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4
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Dadas O, Ertay A, Cragg MS. Delivering co-stimulatory tumor necrosis factor receptor agonism for cancer immunotherapy: past, current and future perspectives. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1147467. [PMID: 37180119 PMCID: PMC10167284 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1147467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) and their receptors (TNFRSF) are important regulators of the immune system, mediating proliferation, survival, differentiation, and function of immune cells. As a result, their targeting for immunotherapy is attractive, although to date, under-exploited. In this review we discuss the importance of co-stimulatory members of the TNFRSF in optimal immune response generation, the rationale behind targeting these receptors for immunotherapy, the success of targeting them in pre-clinical studies and the challenges in translating this success into the clinic. The efficacy and limitations of the currently available agents are discussed alongside the development of next generation immunostimulatory agents designed to overcome current issues, and capitalize on this receptor class to deliver potent, durable and safe drugs for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osman Dadas
- Antibody and Vaccine Group, School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Ayse Ertay
- School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Mark S. Cragg
- Antibody and Vaccine Group, School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
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5
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Jhajj HS, Lwo TS, Yao EL, Tessier PM. Unlocking the potential of agonist antibodies for treating cancer using antibody engineering. Trends Mol Med 2023; 29:48-60. [PMID: 36344331 PMCID: PMC9742327 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2022.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Agonist antibodies that target immune checkpoints, such as those in the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily, are an important class of emerging therapeutics due to their ability to regulate immune cell activity, especially for treating cancer. Despite their potential, to date, they have shown limited clinical utility and further antibody optimization is urgently needed to improve their therapeutic potential. Here, we discuss key antibody engineering approaches for improving the activity of antibody agonists by optimizing their valency, specificity for different receptors (e.g., bispecific antibodies) and epitopes (e.g., biepitopic or biparatopic antibodies), and Fc affinity for Fcγ receptors (FcγRs). These powerful approaches are being used to develop the next generation of cancer immunotherapeutics with improved efficacy and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harkamal S Jhajj
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Timon S Lwo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Emily L Yao
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Peter M Tessier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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6
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Zhang J, Jiang X, Gao H, Zhang F, Zhang X, Zhou A, Xu T, Cai H. Structural Basis of a Novel Agonistic Anti-OX40 Antibody. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12091209. [PMID: 36139048 PMCID: PMC9496217 DOI: 10.3390/biom12091209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Agonistic antibodies targeting co-stimulating receptor OX40 on T cells are considered as important as (or complementary to) the immune checkpoint blockers in cancer treatment. However, none of these agonistic antibodies have reached the late stage of clinical development partially due to the lack of intrinsic potency with the correlation between binding epitope and activity of the antibody not well understood. Here, we identified a novel anti-OX40 agonistic antibody DF004, which stimulated the proliferation of human CD4+ T cells in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in a mouse model. Our crystallography structural studies showed that DF004 binds to the CRD2 region of OX40 while RG7888, an OX40 agonist antibody developed by Roche, binds to CRD3 of OX40 to the diametrically opposite position of DF004. This suggests that the agonistic activities of the antibodies are not necessarily epitope dependent. As their agonistic activities critically depend on clustering or cross-linking, our structural modeling indicates that the agonistic activity requires the optimal positioning of three Fc receptor/antibody/OX40 complexes on the cell membrane to facilitate the formation of one intracellular hexameric TRAF complex for downstream signal transduction, which is relatively inefficient. This may explain the lack of sufficient potency of these OX40 antibodies in a therapeutic setting and sheds light on the development of cross-linking-independent agonistic antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xiaoyong Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Han Gao
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Fei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Dingfu Biotarget Co., Ltd., Suzhou 215126, China
| | - Aiwu Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (T.X.); (H.C.)
| | - Ting Xu
- Dingfu Biotarget Co., Ltd., Suzhou 215126, China
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (T.X.); (H.C.)
| | - Haiyan Cai
- Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (T.X.); (H.C.)
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7
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Liu L, Wu Y, Ye K, Cai M, Zhuang G, Wang J. Antibody-Targeted TNFRSF Activation for Cancer Immunotherapy: The Role of FcγRIIB Cross-Linking. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:924197. [PMID: 35865955 PMCID: PMC9295861 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.924197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Co-stimulation signaling in various types of immune cells modulates immune responses in physiology and disease. Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) members such as CD40, OX40 and CD137/4-1BB are expressed on myeloid cells and/or lymphocytes, and they regulate antigen presentation and adaptive immune activities. TNFRSF agonistic antibodies have been evaluated extensively in preclinical models, and the robust antitumor immune responses and efficacy have encouraged continued clinical investigations for the last two decades. However, balancing the toxicities and efficacy of TNFRSF agonistic antibodies remains a major challenge in the clinical development. Insights into the co-stimulation signaling biology, antibody structural roles and their functionality in immuno-oncology are guiding new advancement of this field. Leveraging the interactions between antibodies and the inhibitory Fc receptor FcγRIIB to optimize co-stimulation agonistic activities dependent on FcγRIIB cross-linking selectively in tumor microenvironment represents the current frontier, which also includes cross-linking through tumor antigen binding with bispecific antibodies. In this review, we will summarize the immunological roles of TNFRSF members and current clinical studies of TNFRSF agonistic antibodies. We will also cover the contribution of different IgG structure domains to these agonistic activities, with a focus on the role of FcγRIIB in TNFRSF cross-linking and clustering bridged by agonistic antibodies. We will review and discuss several Fc-engineering approaches to optimize Fc binding ability to FcγRIIB in the context of proper Fab and the epitope, including a cross-linking antibody (xLinkAb) model and its application in developing TNFRSF agonistic antibodies with improved efficacy and safety for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yi Wu
- Lyvgen Biopharma, Shanghai, China
| | - Kaiyan Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Meichun Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanglei Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gynecologic Oncology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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8
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Oostindie SC, Lazar GA, Schuurman J, Parren PWHI. Avidity in antibody effector functions and biotherapeutic drug design. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2022; 21:715-735. [PMID: 35790857 PMCID: PMC9255845 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-022-00501-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Antibodies are the cardinal effector molecules of the immune system and are being leveraged with enormous success as biotherapeutic drugs. A key part of the adaptive immune response is the production of an epitope-diverse, polyclonal antibody mixture that is capable of neutralizing invading pathogens or disease-causing molecules through binding interference and by mediating humoral and cellular effector functions. Avidity - the accumulated binding strength derived from the affinities of multiple individual non-covalent interactions - is fundamental to virtually all aspects of antibody biology, including antibody-antigen binding, clonal selection and effector functions. The manipulation of antibody avidity has since emerged as an important design principle for enhancing or engineering novel properties in antibody biotherapeutics. In this Review, we describe the multiple levels of avidity interactions that trigger the overall efficacy and control of functional responses in both natural antibody biology and their therapeutic applications. Within this framework, we comprehensively review therapeutic antibody mechanisms of action, with particular emphasis on engineered optimizations and platforms. Overall, we describe how affinity and avidity tuning of engineered antibody formats are enabling a new wave of differentiated antibody drugs with tailored properties and novel functions, promising improved treatment options for a wide variety of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone C Oostindie
- Genmab, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Greg A Lazar
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Genentech, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Paul W H I Parren
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands. .,Sparring Bioconsult, Odijk, Netherlands. .,Lava Therapeutics, Utrecht, Netherlands.
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9
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Schardt JS, Jhajj HS, O’Meara RL, Lwo TS, Smith MD, Tessier PM. Agonist antibody discovery: Experimental, computational, and rational engineering approaches. Drug Discov Today 2022; 27:31-48. [PMID: 34571277 PMCID: PMC8714685 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.09.008] [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: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Agonist antibodies that activate cellular signaling have emerged as promising therapeutics for treating myriad pathologies. Unfortunately, the discovery of rare antibodies with the desired agonist functions is a major bottleneck during drug development. Nevertheless, there has been important recent progress in discovering and optimizing agonist antibodies against a variety of therapeutic targets that are activated by diverse signaling mechanisms. Herein, we review emerging high-throughput experimental and computational methods for agonist antibody discovery as well as rational molecular engineering methods for optimizing their agonist activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S. Schardt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Harkamal S. Jhajj
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ryen L. O’Meara
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Timon S. Lwo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Matthew D. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Peter M. Tessier
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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10
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Ceglia V, Zurawski S, Montes M, Bouteau A, Wang Z, Ellis J, Igyártó BZ, Lévy Y, Zurawski G. Anti-CD40 Antibodies Fused to CD40 Ligand Have Superagonist Properties. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 207:2060-2076. [PMID: 34551965 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
CD40 is a potent activating receptor within the TNFR family expressed on APCs of the immune system, and it regulates many aspects of B and T cell immunity via interaction with CD40 ligand (CD40L; CD154) expressed on the surface of activated T cells. Soluble CD40L and agonistic mAbs directed to CD40 are being explored as adjuvants in therapeutic or vaccination settings. Some anti-CD40 Abs can synergize with soluble monomeric CD40L. We show that direct fusion of CD40L to certain agonistic anti-CD40 Abs confers superagonist properties, reducing the dose required for efficacy, notably greatly increasing total cytokine secretion by human dendritic cells. The tetravalent configuration of anti-CD40-CD40L Abs promotes CD40 cell surface clustering and internalization and is the likely mechanism of increased receptor activation. CD40L fused to either the L or H chain C termini, with or without flexible linkers, were all superagonists with greater potency than CD40L trimer. The increased anti-CD40-CD40L Ab potency was independent of higher order aggregation. Moreover, the anti-CD40-CD40L Ab showed higher potency in vivo in human CD40 transgenic mice compared with the parental anti-CD40 Ab. To broaden the concept of fusing agonistic Ab to natural ligand, we fused OX40L to an agonistic OX40 Ab, and this resulted in dramatically increased efficacy for proliferation and cytokine production of activated human CD4+ T cells as well as releasing the Ab from dependency on cross-linking. This work shows that directly fusing antireceptor Abs to ligand is a useful strategy to dramatically increase agonist potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Ceglia
- Baylor Scott & White Immunology Research, Dallas, TX.,Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France.,Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
| | - Sandra Zurawski
- Baylor Scott & White Immunology Research, Dallas, TX.,Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
| | - Monica Montes
- Baylor Scott & White Immunology Research, Dallas, TX.,Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
| | - Aurélie Bouteau
- Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX; and.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Zhiqing Wang
- Baylor Scott & White Immunology Research, Dallas, TX.,Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
| | - Jerome Ellis
- Baylor Scott & White Immunology Research, Dallas, TX.,Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
| | - Botond Z Igyártó
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Yves Lévy
- Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France.,Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
| | - Gerard Zurawski
- Baylor Scott & White Immunology Research, Dallas, TX; .,Vaccine Research Institute, INSERM, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Créteil, France
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11
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Yang Y, Chai X, Xin W, Wang D, Dai C, Qian F, Yang T. Generation and characterization of a high-affinity chimeric anti-OX40 antibody with potent antitumor activity. FEBS Lett 2021; 595:1587-1603. [PMID: 33792041 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OX40 is a costimulatory molecule that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily. OX40 agonist-based combinations are emerging as promising candidates for novel cancer immunotherapy. Clinical trials have shown that OX40 agonist antibodies could lead to better results in cancer patients. Using a hybridoma platform and three different types of immunization strategies, namely recombinant protein, DNA, and overexpressing cells, we identified a chimeric anti-OX40 antibody (mAb035-hIgG1 from DNA immunization) that shows excellent binding specificity, and slightly stronger activation of human memory CD4+ T cells and similar potent antitumor activity compared with BMS 986178, an anti-OX40 antibody currently being evaluated for the treatment of solid tumors. This paper further systematically investigates the antigen-specific immune response, the number of binders, epitope bins, and functional activities of antibodies among different immunization strategies. Interestingly, we found that different immunization strategies affect the biological activity of monoclonal antibodies.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/biosynthesis
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/isolation & purification
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology
- Antibody Affinity
- Antibody Specificity
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/isolation & purification
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/metabolism
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/pharmacology
- Biological Assay
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/drug effects
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CHO Cells
- Cricetulus
- Female
- Freund's Adjuvant/administration & dosage
- Gene Expression
- Genes, Reporter
- HEK293 Cells
- Humans
- Hybridomas/chemistry
- Hybridomas/immunology
- Immunization/methods
- Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments/biosynthesis
- Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments/isolation & purification
- Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments/pharmacology
- Jurkat Cells
- Luciferases/genetics
- Luciferases/metabolism
- Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- NF-kappa B/genetics
- NF-kappa B/immunology
- Receptors, OX40/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, OX40/genetics
- Receptors, OX40/immunology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/biosynthesis
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/isolation & purification
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongli Yang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Human Phenome Institute and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai ChemPartner Co., Ltd., China
| | | | | | | | | | - Feng Qian
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Human Phenome Institute and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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12
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Li M, Wang L, Yu C, Wang J. Development of a robust reporter gene assay for measuring the bioactivity of OX40-targeted therapeutic antibodies. LUMINESCENCE 2021; 36:885-893. [PMID: 33382183 DOI: 10.1002/bio.4004] [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: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OX40 plays a prominent role in the onset and development of solid tumors, and OX40-targeted monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have entered clinical trials for various tumors. Bioactivity determination of therapeutic mAbs is of great significance in product quality, however, mechanism of action-based bioassays to determine the bioactivity of anti-OX40 mAbs is still lacking. Here, we established a reporter gene assay system based on two cell lines, namely Jurkat-OX40-NFκB-Luc which stably expresses NFκB-controlled luciferase, and Raji cells which inherently express FcγRs. In the model, FcγRs on Raji cells could crosslink the Fc of anti-OX40 mAbs, which leads to the further crosslinking between Fab of anti-OX40 mAbs and OX40 on Jurkat-OX40-NFκB-Luc cells. OX40 crosslinking could activate Jurkat-OX40-NFκB-Luc cells, and induce the expression of NFκB-controlled luciferase, the extent of which could reflect the bioactivity of anti-OX40 mAbs in a dose-dependent manner. After the optimization of various assay conditions, the validation of the cell-based bioassay showed good assay performance characteristics, including specificity, accuracy, precision, linearity, and stability. This innovative assay that is based on the OX40-NFκB pathway can be a powerful pool to measure the bioactivity of OX40-targeted mAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Li
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Lan Wang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Chuanfei Yu
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, China
| | - Junzhi Wang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Health for Research on Quality and Standardization of Biotech Products, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, China
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13
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Kang SH, Lee CH. Development of Therapeutic Antibodies and Modulating the Characteristics of Therapeutic Antibodies to Maximize the Therapeutic Efficacy. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2021; 26:295-311. [PMID: 34220207 PMCID: PMC8236339 DOI: 10.1007/s12257-020-0181-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have been used as therapeutic agents for various diseases, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) is mainly used among antibody isotypes due to its structural and functional properties. So far, regardless of the purpose of the therapeutic antibody, wildtype IgG has been mainly used, but recently, the engineered antibodies with various strategies according to the role of the therapeutic antibody have been used to maximize the therapeutic efficacy. In this review paper, first, the overall structural features and functional characteristics of antibody IgG, second, the old and new techniques for antibody discovery, and finally, several antibody engineering strategies for maximizing therapeutic efficacy according to the role of a therapeutic antibody will be introduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Hyun Kang
- grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080 Korea
| | - Chang-Han Lee
- grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080 Korea ,grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080 Korea ,Hongcheon, 25159 Korea ,grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905SNU Dementia Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080 Korea
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14
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Kuang Z, Pu P, Wu M, Wu Z, Wang L, Li Y, Zhang S, Jing H, Wu W, Chen B, Liu J. A Novel Bispecific Antibody with PD-L1-assisted OX40 Activation for Cancer Treatment. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 19:2564-2574. [PMID: 32999045 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy using OX40 agonist antibodies shows great preclinical efficacy in mouse tumor models. But in a clinical setting, OX40 agonist antibody alone or in combination with checkpoint blockade exhibits only modest efficacy due to lack of sufficient activation. We hypothesized that the limited antitumor activity in patients may due to insufficient clustering of OX40 antibody in the tumor. To test this hypothesis, we generated a tetravalent programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)/OX40 BsAb by fusing two PD-L1 VHH fragments to the C-terminus of a nonblocking agonistic anti-OX40 antibody. The resulting BsAb had intact function of each parental antibody, including efficiently blocking PD1/PD-L1 interaction and inducing OX40 activation. In addition, this BsAb showed significantly enhanced potency in activation of OX40-expressing T cells when PD-L1-expressing tumor cells or dendrite cells were present, through PD-L1-mediated cross-linking of OX40. Moreover, the BsAb exhibited superior antitumor activities over the parental monospecific antibodies alone or in combination in multiple in vivo tumor models. These results demonstrated a great potential for further clinical development of the potent immunostimulatory PD-L1/OX40 bispecific antibody.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihui Kuang
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Pu Pu
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Min Wu
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Zhihai Wu
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Li Wang
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Yiming Li
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Shaofei Zhang
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine, Northwest University, Shaanxi, Xi'an, P.R. China
| | - Hua Jing
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Weiwei Wu
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Bingliang Chen
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China
| | - Junjian Liu
- Drug Discovery, Innovent Biologics Co, Suzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China.
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15
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Strasser J, de Jong RN, Beurskens FJ, Schuurman J, Parren PWHI, Hinterdorfer P, Preiner J. Weak Fragment Crystallizable (Fc) Domain Interactions Drive the Dynamic Assembly of IgG Oligomers upon Antigen Recognition. ACS NANO 2020; 14:2739-2750. [PMID: 31887016 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b08347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Activation of membrane receptors through clustering is a common mechanism found in various biological systems. Spatial proximity of receptors may be transduced across the membrane to initiate signaling pathways or alternatively be recognized by peripheral proteins or immune cells to trigger external effector functions. Here we show how specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding induces clustering of monomeric target molecules in lipid membranes through Fc-Fc interactions. We visualize and characterize the dynamic IgG oligomerization process and the molecular interactions involved using high-speed atomic force microscopy, single-molecule force spectroscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance experiments. We found that the Fc-Fc interaction strength is precisely tuned to be weak enough to prevent IgG oligomerization in solution at physiological titers, but enabling IgG oligomerization when Fabs additionally bind to their cognate surface epitopes, a mechanism that ultimately targets IgG-mediated effector functions such as classical complement activation to antigenic membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Strasser
- University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, 4020 Linz, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Paul W H I Parren
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
- Lava Therapeutics, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Johannes Preiner
- University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, 4020 Linz, Austria
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16
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Development and characterization of a novel anti-OX40 antibody for potent immune activation. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020; 69:939-950. [DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02501-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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17
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Chiu ML, Goulet DR, Teplyakov A, Gilliland GL. Antibody Structure and Function: The Basis for Engineering Therapeutics. Antibodies (Basel) 2019; 8:antib8040055. [PMID: 31816964 PMCID: PMC6963682 DOI: 10.3390/antib8040055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibodies and antibody-derived macromolecules have established themselves as the mainstay in protein-based therapeutic molecules (biologics). Our knowledge of the structure–function relationships of antibodies provides a platform for protein engineering that has been exploited to generate a wide range of biologics for a host of therapeutic indications. In this review, our basic understanding of the antibody structure is described along with how that knowledge has leveraged the engineering of antibody and antibody-related therapeutics having the appropriate antigen affinity, effector function, and biophysical properties. The platforms examined include the development of antibodies, antibody fragments, bispecific antibody, and antibody fusion products, whose efficacy and manufacturability can be improved via humanization, affinity modulation, and stability enhancement. We also review the design and selection of binding arms, and avidity modulation. Different strategies of preparing bispecific and multispecific molecules for an array of therapeutic applications are included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark L. Chiu
- Drug Product Development Science, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Malvern, PA 19355, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Dennis R. Goulet
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, P.O. Box 357610, Seattle, WA 98195-7610, USA;
| | - Alexey Teplyakov
- Biologics Research, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, PA 19477, USA; (A.T.); (G.L.G.)
| | - Gary L. Gilliland
- Biologics Research, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, PA 19477, USA; (A.T.); (G.L.G.)
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18
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Strasser J, de Jong RN, Beurskens FJ, Wang G, Heck AJR, Schuurman J, Parren PWHI, Hinterdorfer P, Preiner J. Unraveling the Macromolecular Pathways of IgG Oligomerization and Complement Activation on Antigenic Surfaces. NANO LETTERS 2019; 19:4787-4796. [PMID: 31184907 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b02220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
IgG antibodies play a central role in protection against pathogens by their ability to alert and activate the innate immune system. Here, we show that IgGs assemble into oligomers on antigenic surfaces through an ordered, Fc domain-mediated process that can be modulated by protein engineering. Using high-speed atomic force microscopy, we unraveled the molecular events of IgG oligomer formation on surfaces. IgG molecules were recruited from solution although assembly of monovalently binding molecules also occurred through lateral diffusion. Monomers were observed to assemble into hexamers with all intermediates detected, but in which only hexamers bound C1. Functional characterization of oligomers on cells also demonstrated that C1 binding to IgG hexamers was a prerequisite for maximal activation, whereas tetramers, trimers, and dimers were mostly inactive. We present a dynamic IgG oligomerization model, which provides a framework for exploiting the macromolecular assembly of IgGs on surfaces for tool, immunotherapy, and vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Strasser
- University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria , 4020 Linz , Austria
| | | | | | - Guanbo Wang
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences , Utrecht University , Padualaan 8 , 3584 CH Utrecht , The Netherlands
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science , Nanjing Normal University , 1 Wenyuan Road , Nanjing 210023 , China
- Netherlands Proteomics Centre , Padualaan 8 , 3584 CH Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | - Albert J R Heck
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences , Utrecht University , Padualaan 8 , 3584 CH Utrecht , The Netherlands
- Netherlands Proteomics Centre , Padualaan 8 , 3584 CH Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | | | - Paul W H I Parren
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion , Leiden University Medical Center , 2333 ZA Leiden , The Netherlands
- Lava Therapeutics , 3584 CM Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | | | - Johannes Preiner
- University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria , 4020 Linz , Austria
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19
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Yang Y, Yeh SH, Madireddi S, Matochko WL, Gu C, Pacheco Sanchez P, Ultsch M, De Leon Boenig G, Harris SF, Leonard B, Scales SJ, Zhu JW, Christensen E, Hang JQ, Brezski RJ, Marsters S, Ashkenazi A, Sukumaran S, Chiu H, Cubas R, Kim JM, Lazar GA. Tetravalent biepitopic targeting enables intrinsic antibody agonism of tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily members. MAbs 2019; 11:996-1011. [PMID: 31156033 PMCID: PMC6748612 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2019.1625662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Agonism of members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) with monoclonal antibodies is of high therapeutic interest due to their role in immune regulation and cell proliferation. A major hurdle for pharmacologic activation of this receptor class is the requirement for high-order clustering, a mechanism that imposes a reliance in vivo on Fc receptor-mediated crosslinking. This extrinsic dependence represents a potential limitation of virtually the entire pipeline of agonist TNFRSF antibody drugs, of which none have thus far been approved or reached late-stage clinical trials. We show that tetravalent biepitopic targeting enables robust intrinsic antibody agonism for two members of this family, OX40 and DR5, that is superior to extrinsically crosslinked native parental antibodies. Tetravalent biepitopic anti-OX40 engagement co-stimulated OX40low cells, obviated the requirement for CD28 co-signal for T cell activation, and enabled superior pharmacodynamic activity relative to native IgG in a murine vaccination model. This work establishes a proof of concept for an engineering approach that addresses a major gap for the therapeutic activation of this important receptor class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Yang
- a Departments of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Sherry H Yeh
- b Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Shravan Madireddi
- c Cancer Immunology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Wadim L Matochko
- a Departments of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Chen Gu
- d Protein Chemistry, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | | | - Mark Ultsch
- f Structural Biology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | | | - Seth F Harris
- f Structural Biology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Brandon Leonard
- a Departments of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Suzie J Scales
- g Molecular Biology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Jing W Zhu
- c Cancer Immunology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Erin Christensen
- d Protein Chemistry, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Julie Q Hang
- d Protein Chemistry, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Randall J Brezski
- a Departments of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Scot Marsters
- c Cancer Immunology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Avi Ashkenazi
- c Cancer Immunology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Siddharth Sukumaran
- h Pre-Clinical and Translational Pharmacokinetics, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Henry Chiu
- b Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Rafael Cubas
- e Translational Oncology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Jeong M Kim
- c Cancer Immunology, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Greg A Lazar
- a Departments of Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc ., South San Francisco , CA , USA
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20
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Improvement of pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic antibodies by antibody engineering. Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 2018; 34:25-41. [PMID: 30472066 DOI: 10.1016/j.dmpk.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become an important therapeutic option for several diseases. Since several mAbs have shown promising efficacy in clinic, the competition to develop mAbs has become severe. In efforts to gain a competitive advantage over other mAbs and provide significant benefits to patients, innovations in antibody engineering have aimed at improving the pharmacokinetic properties of mAbs. Because engineering can provide therapeutics that are more convenient, safer, and more efficacious for patients in several disease areas, it is an attractive approach to provide significant benefits to patients. Further advances in engineering mAbs to modulate their pharmacokinetics were driven by the increase of total soluble target antigen concentration that is often observed after injecting a mAb, which then requires a high dosage to antagonize. To decrease the required dosage, several antibody engineering techniques have been invented that reduce the total concentration of soluble target antigen. Here, we review the various ways that antibody engineering can improve the pharmacokinetic properties of mAbs.
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21
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Liu M, Guo F. Recent updates on cancer immunotherapy. PRECISION CLINICAL MEDICINE 2018; 1:65-74. [PMID: 30687562 PMCID: PMC6333045 DOI: 10.1093/pcmedi/pby011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional cancer therapies include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, all of which are typically non-specific approaches. Cancer immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer. Cancer immunotherapy represents a standing example of precision medicine: immune checkpoint inhibitors precisely target the checkpoints; tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, TCR T cells, and CAR T cells precisely kill cancer cells through tumor antigen recognition; and cancer vaccines are made from patient-derived dendritic cells, tumor cell DNA, or RNA, or oncolytic viruses, thus offering a type of personalized medicine. This review will highlight up-to-date advancement in most, if not all, of the immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Fukun Guo
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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22
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The promise and challenges of immune agonist antibody development in cancer. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2018; 17:509-527. [PMID: 29904196 DOI: 10.1038/nrd.2018.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 248] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Immune cell functions are regulated by co-inhibitory and co-stimulatory receptors. The first two generations of cancer immunotherapy agents consist primarily of antagonist antibodies that block negative immune checkpoints, such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte protein 4 (CTLA4). Looking ahead, there is substantial promise in targeting co-stimulatory receptors with agonist antibodies, and a growing number of these agents are making their way through various stages of development. This Review discusses the key considerations and potential pitfalls of immune agonist antibody design and development, their differentiating features from antagonist antibodies and the landscape of agonist antibodies in clinical development for cancer treatment.
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23
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Zhang D, Whitaker B, Derebe MG, Chiu ML. FcγRII-binding Centyrins mediate agonism and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis when fused to an anti-OX40 antibody. MAbs 2018; 10:463-475. [PMID: 29359992 PMCID: PMC5916553 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2018.1424611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunostimulatory antibodies against the tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFR) are emerging as promising cancer immunotherapies. The agonism activity of such antibodies depends on crosslinking to Fc gamma RIIB receptor (FcγRIIB) to enable the antibody multimerization that drives TNFR activation. Previously, Fc engineering was used to enhance the binding of such antibodies to Fcγ receptors. Here, we report the identification of Centyrins as alternative scaffold proteins with binding affinities to homologous FcγRIIB and FcγRIIA, but not to other types of Fcγ receptors. One Centyrin, S29, was engineered at distinct positions of an anti-OX40 SF2 antibody to generate bispecific and tetravalent molecules named as mAbtyrins. Regardless of the position of S29 on the SF2 antibody, SF2-S29 mAbtyrins could bind FcγRIIB and FcγRIIA specifically while maintaining binding to OX40 receptors. In a NFκB reporter assay, attachment of S29 Centyrin molecules at the C-termini, but not the N-termini, resulted in SF2 antibodies with increased agonism owing to FcγRIIB crosslinking. The mAbtyrins also showed agonism in T-cell activation assays with immobilized FcγRIIB and FcγRIIA, but this activity was confined to mAbtyrins with S29 specifically at the C-termini of antibody heavy chains. Furthermore, regardless of the position of the molecule, S29 Centyrin could equip an otherwise Fc-silent antibody with antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis activity without affecting the antibody's intrinsic antibody-dependent cell-meditated cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. In summary, the appropriate adoption FcγRII-binding Centyrins as functional modules represents a novel strategy to engineer therapeutic antibodies with improved functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Zhang
- a Department of Biologics Research , Janssen R&D, LLC, Spring House , PA , USA
| | - Brian Whitaker
- a Department of Biologics Research , Janssen R&D, LLC, Spring House , PA , USA
| | - Mehabaw G Derebe
- a Department of Biologics Research , Janssen R&D, LLC, Spring House , PA , USA
| | - Mark L Chiu
- a Department of Biologics Research , Janssen R&D, LLC, Spring House , PA , USA
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