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Cho EJ, Dalby KN. Luminescence Energy Transfer-Based Screening and Target Engagement Approaches for Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery. SLAS DISCOVERY 2021; 26:984-994. [PMID: 34330171 DOI: 10.1177/24725552211036056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Luminescence is characterized by the spontaneous emission of light resulting from either chemical or biological reactions. Because of their high sensitivity, reduced background interference, and applicability to numerous situations, luminescence-based assay strategies play an essential role in early-stage drug discovery. Newer developments in luminescence-based technologies have dramatically affected the ability of researchers to investigate molecular binding events. At the forefront of these developments are the nano bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (NanoBRET) and amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay (Alpha) technologies. These technologies have opened up numerous possibilities for analyzing the molecular biophysical properties of complexes in environments such as cell lysates. Moreover, NanoBRET enables the validation and quantitation of the interactions between therapeutic targets and small molecules in live cells, representing an essential benchmark for preclinical drug discovery. Both techniques involve proximity-based luminescence energy transfer, in which excited-state energy is transferred from a donor to an acceptor, where the efficiency of transfer depends on proximity. Both approaches can be applied to high-throughput compound screening in biological samples, with the NanoBRET assay providing opportunities for live-cell screening. Representative applications of both technologies for assessing physical interactions and associated challenges are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Jeong Cho
- Targeted Therapeutic Drug Discovery and Development Program, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Kevin N Dalby
- Targeted Therapeutic Drug Discovery and Development Program, Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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2
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Chan DTY, Jenkinson L, Haynes SW, Austin M, Diamandakis A, Burschowsky D, Seewooruthun C, Addyman A, Fiedler S, Ryman S, Whitehouse J, Slater LH, Gowans E, Shibata Y, Barnard M, Wilkinson RW, Vaughan TJ, Holt SV, Cerundolo V, Carr MD, Groves MAT. Extensive sequence and structural evolution of Arginase 2 inhibitory antibodies enabled by an unbiased approach to affinity maturation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:16949-16960. [PMID: 32616569 PMCID: PMC7382286 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1919565117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Affinity maturation is a powerful technique in antibody engineering for the in vitro evolution of antigen binding interactions. Key to the success of this process is the expansion of sequence and combinatorial diversity to increase the structural repertoire from which superior binding variants may be selected. However, conventional strategies are often restrictive and only focus on small regions of the antibody at a time. In this study, we used a method that combined antibody chain shuffling and a staggered-extension process to produce unbiased libraries, which recombined beneficial mutations from all six complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) in the affinity maturation of an inhibitory antibody to Arginase 2 (ARG2). We made use of the vast display capacity of ribosome display to accommodate the sequence space required for the diverse library builds. Further diversity was introduced through pool maturation to optimize seven leads of interest simultaneously. This resulted in antibodies with substantial improvements in binding properties and inhibition potency. The extensive sequence changes resulting from this approach were translated into striking structural changes for parent and affinity-matured antibodies bound to ARG2, with a large reorientation of the binding paratope facilitating increases in contact surface and shape complementarity to the antigen. The considerable gains in therapeutic properties seen from extensive sequence and structural evolution of the parent ARG2 inhibitory antibody clearly illustrate the advantages of the unbiased approach developed, which was key to the identification of high-affinity antibodies with the desired inhibitory potency and specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denice T Y Chan
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lesley Jenkinson
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart W Haynes
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Austin
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, BioPharmaceuticals Research & Development, AstraZeneca, CB21 6GH Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Agata Diamandakis
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Burschowsky
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, LE1 7HB Leicester, United Kingdom
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, LE1 7HB Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Chitra Seewooruthun
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, LE1 7HB Leicester, United Kingdom
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, LE1 7HB Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandra Addyman
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Fiedler
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie Ryman
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica Whitehouse
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Louise H Slater
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen Gowans
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yoko Shibata
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Barnard
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Robert W Wilkinson
- Early Oncology Discovery, Oncology Research & Development, AstraZeneca, CB21 6GH Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tristan J Vaughan
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, BioPharmaceuticals Research & Development, AstraZeneca, CB21 6GH Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah V Holt
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Vincenzo Cerundolo
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mark D Carr
- Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, University of Leicester, LE1 7HB Leicester, United Kingdom;
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, LE1 7HB Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Maria A T Groves
- Cancer Research UK-AstraZeneca Antibody Alliance Laboratory, CB21 6GP Cambridge, United Kingdom;
- Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, BioPharmaceuticals Research & Development, AstraZeneca, CB21 6GH Cambridge, United Kingdom
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3
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Gong H, An J, Dong Q, Li J, Yang W, Sun W, Su Z, Zhang S. Discovery of SCY45, a Natural Small-Molecule MDM2-p53 Interaction Inhibitor. Chem Biodivers 2019; 16:e1900081. [PMID: 30989812 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.201900081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The disruption of the MDM2-p53 interaction has been regarded as an attractive strategy for anticancer drug discovery. Here, the natural small-molecule SCY45 was identified as a potent MDM2-p53 interaction inhibitor based on fluorescence polarization and molecular modeling. SCY45 inhibited the MDM2-p53 interaction with an IC50 value of 4.93±0.08 μm. The structural modeling results showed that SCY45 not only had high structural similarity with nutlin-3a, a well-reported MDM2-P53 interaction inhibitor, but also bound to the p53 binding pocket of MDM2 with a binding mode similar to that of nutlin-3a. Moreover, SCY45 reduced the cell viability in cancer cells with MDM2 gene amplification. SCY45 showed the highest inhibition for SJSA-1 cells, which exhibit excessive MDM2 gene amplification, with an IC50 value of 7.54±0.29 μm, whereas SCY45 showed a weaker inhibition for 22Rv1 cells and A549 cells, which have a single copy of the MDM2 gene, with IC50 values of 18.47±0.75 μm and 31.62±1.96 μm, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haifeng Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, #251 Ningda Road, Xining, 810016, P. R. China.,Medical College of Qinghai University, #16 Kunlun Road, Xining, 810001, P. R. China.,Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital, #2 Gonghe Road, Xining, 810007, P. R. China
| | - Juan An
- Medical College of Qinghai University, #16 Kunlun Road, Xining, 810001, P. R. China
| | - Qiuxia Dong
- The Fifth People's Hospital of Qinghai Province, #166 Nanshan Road, Xining 810007, P. R. China
| | - Jinxian Li
- Medical College of Qinghai University, #16 Kunlun Road, Xining, 810001, P. R. China
| | - Wei Yang
- Medical College of Qinghai University, #16 Kunlun Road, Xining, 810001, P. R. China
| | - Wei Sun
- Medical College of Qinghai University, #16 Kunlun Road, Xining, 810001, P. R. China
| | - Zhanhai Su
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, #251 Ningda Road, Xining, 810016, P. R. China.,Medical College of Qinghai University, #16 Kunlun Road, Xining, 810001, P. R. China
| | - Shoude Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, #251 Ningda Road, Xining, 810016, P. R. China.,Medical College of Qinghai University, #16 Kunlun Road, Xining, 810001, P. R. China.,School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, #130 Meilong Road, 200237, Shanghai, P. R. China
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Varkey R, Du Q, Karnell JL, Xiao X, Casey KA, Woods R, Rosenthal K, Wilson S, Dall’Acqua WF, Wu H, Herbst R, Ettinger R, Damschroder M. Discovery and characterization of potent IL-21 neutralizing antibodies via a novel alternating antigen immunization and humanization strategy. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211236. [PMID: 30682117 PMCID: PMC6347146 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Interleukin-21 (IL-21), a member of the common cytokine receptor γ chain (γc) family, is secreted by CD4+ T cells and natural killer T cells and induces effector function through interactions with the IL-21 receptor (IL-21R)/γc complex expressed on both immune and non-immune cells. Numerous studies suggest that IL-21 plays a significant role in autoimmune disorders. Therapeutic intervention to disrupt the IL-21/IL-21R/γc interaction and inhibit subsequent downstream signal transduction could offer a treatment paradigm for these diseases. Potent neutralizing antibodies reported in the literature were generated after extensive immunizations with human IL-21 alone and in combination with various adjuvants. To circumvent the laborious method of antibody generation while targeting a conserved functional epitope, we designed a novel alternating-antigen immunization strategy utilizing both human and cynomolgus monkey (cyno) IL-21. Despite the high degree of homology between human and cyno IL-21, our alternating-immunization strategy elicited higher antibody titers and more potent neutralizing hybridomas in mice than did the immunization with human IL-21 antigen alone. The lead hybridoma clone was humanized by grafting the murine complementarity-determining regions onto human germline framework templates, using a unique rational design. The final humanized and engineered antibody, MEDI7169, encodes only one murine residue at the variable heavy/light-chain interface, retains the sub-picomolar affinity for IL-21, specifically inhibits IL-21/IL-21R-mediated signaling events and is currently under clinical development as a potential therapeutic agent for autoimmune diseases. This study provides experimental evidence of the immune system's potential to recognize and respond to shared epitopes of antigens from distinct species, and presents a generally applicable, novel method for the rapid generation of exceptional therapeutic antibodies using the hybridoma platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reena Varkey
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Qun Du
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jodi L. Karnell
- Department of Respiratory, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Xiaodong Xiao
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kerry A. Casey
- Department of Respiratory, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rob Woods
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kim Rosenthal
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Susan Wilson
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - William F. Dall’Acqua
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Herren Wu
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ronald Herbst
- Department of Respiratory, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rachel Ettinger
- Department of Respiratory, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Melissa Damschroder
- Department of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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McGivern JG, Howes R. JBS special issue on therapeutic antibody discovery and development: biologics come of age. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 20:433-6. [PMID: 25805607 DOI: 10.1177/1087057115572999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
In this special issue of the Journal of biomolecular screening, we have assembled a series of articles that exemplify and discuss various aspects and challenges associated with the discovery, development, and manufacture of biologics with an emphasis on those topics that we feel will appeal to readers of this journal. We hope you enjoy them!
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Neal F, Arnold J, Rossant CJ, Podichetty S, Lowne D, Dobson C, Wilkinson T, Colley C, Howes R, Vaughan TJ. Isolation of Potent CGRP Neutralizing Antibodies Using Four Simple Assays. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 21:24-34. [PMID: 26450103 DOI: 10.1177/1087057115610070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a small neuropeptide and a potent vasodilator that is widely associated with chronic pain and migraine. An antibody that inhibits CGRP function would be a potential therapeutic for treatment of these disorders. Here we describe the isolation of highly potent antibodies to CGRP from phage and ribosome display libraries and characterization of their epitope, species cross-reactivity, kinetics, and functional activity. Homogenous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) binding assays identified antibodies with the desired species cross-reactivity from naïve libraries, and HTRF epitope competition assays were used to characterize and group scFv by epitope. The functional inhibition of CGRP and species cross-reactivity of purified scFv and antibodies were subsequently confirmed using cAMP assays. We show that epitope competition assays could be used as a surrogate for functional cell-based assays during affinity maturation, in combination with scFv off-rate ranking by biolayer interferometry (BLI). This is the first time it has been shown that off-rate ranking can be predictive of functional activity for anti-CGRP antibodies. Here we demonstrate how, by using just four simple assays, diverse panels of antibodies to CGRP can be identified. These assay formats have potential utility in the identification of antibodies to other therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances Neal
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joanne Arnold
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christine J Rossant
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK Crescendo Biologics Ltd., Cambridge, UK
| | | | - David Lowne
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Claire Dobson
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK
| | - Trevor Wilkinson
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK
| | - Caroline Colley
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rob Howes
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tristan J Vaughan
- Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering, MedImmune, Cambridge, UK
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