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Ning X, Fu Z, Zhang J, Gao S, Cui Z, Cong M, Guo Q, Sun X, Li J, Zhang M, Wang S. The role of alternative splicing in lung cancer. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2023; 92:83-95. [PMID: 37335335 DOI: 10.1007/s00280-023-04553-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant alternative splicing (AS) events are frequently observed in lung cancer, which can be attributed to aberrant gene AS, alterations in splicing regulatory factors, or changes in splicing regulatory mechanisms. Consequently, the dysregulation of alternative RNA splicing is the fundamental cause of lung cancer. In this review, we have summarized the pivotal role of AS in the development, progression, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance of lung cancer. Ultimately, this review emphasizes the potential of AS as biomarkers in lung cancer prognosis and diagnosis, and introduces some applications of AS isoform in the treatment of lung cancer. The comprehension of the AS may provide a glimmer of hope for the eradication of lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuelian Ning
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Zitong Fu
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Chifeng Municipal Hospital, No.1 Zhaowuda Road, Chifeng, 024000, China
| | - Shuangshu Gao
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Zihan Cui
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Mingqi Cong
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Qingyu Guo
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Xixi Sun
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Minghui Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Chifeng Municipal Hospital, No.1 Zhaowuda Road, Chifeng, 024000, China.
| | - Shuoshuo Wang
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150081, China.
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2
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Di Nitto C, Gilardoni E, Mock J, Nadal L, Weiss T, Weller M, Seehusen F, Libbra C, Puca E, Neri D, De Luca R. An Engineered IFNγ-Antibody Fusion Protein with Improved Tumor-Homing Properties. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15020377. [PMID: 36839699 PMCID: PMC9964878 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020377] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Interferon-gamma (IFNγ) is one of the central cytokines produced by the innate and adaptive immune systems. IFNγ directly favors tumor growth control by enhancing the immunogenicity of tumor cells, induces IP-10 secretion facilitating (CXCR3+) immune cell infiltration, and can prime macrophages to an M1-like phenotype inducing proinflammatory cytokine release. We had previously reported that the targeted delivery of IFNγ to neoplastic lesions may be limited by the trapping of IFNγ-based products by cognate receptors found in different organs. Here we describe a novel fusion protein consisting of the L19 antibody, specific to the alternatively spliced extra-domain B of fibronectin (EDB), fused to a variant of IFNγ with reduced affinity to its cognate receptor. The product (named L19-IFNγ KRG) selectively localized to tumors in mice, showed favorable pharmacokinetic profiles in monkeys and regained biological activity upon antigen binding. The fusion protein was investigated in two murine models of cancer, both as monotherapy and in combination with therapeutic modalities which are frequently used for cancer therapy. L19-IFNγ KRG induced tumor growth retardation and increased the intratumoral concentration of T cells and NK cells in combination with anti-PD-1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lisa Nadal
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Weiss
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Weller
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frauke Seehusen
- Laboratory for Animal Model Pathology (LAMP), Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Libbra
- Philogen S.p.A., Piazza La Lizza 7, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Emanuele Puca
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Philogen S.p.A., Piazza La Lizza 7, 53100 Siena, Italy
- Correspondence: (D.N.); (R.D.L.)
| | - Roberto De Luca
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
- Correspondence: (D.N.); (R.D.L.)
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3
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Galbiati A, Zana A, Bocci M, Millul J, Elsayed A, Mock J, Neri D, Cazzamalli S. A Dimeric FAP-Targeting Small-Molecule Radioconjugate with High and Prolonged Tumor Uptake. J Nucl Med 2022; 63:1852-1858. [PMID: 35589404 PMCID: PMC9730928 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.122.264036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Imaging procedures based on small-molecule radioconjugates targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP) have recently emerged as a powerful tool for the diagnosis of a wide variety of tumors. However, the therapeutic potential of radiolabeled FAP-targeting agents is limited by their short residence time in neoplastic lesions. In this work, we present the development and in vivo characterization of BiOncoFAP, a new dimeric FAP-binding motif with an extended tumor residence time and favorable tumor-to-organ ratio. Methods: The binding properties of BiOncoFAP and its monovalent OncoFAP analog were assayed against recombinant human FAP. Preclinical experiments with 177Lu-OncoFAP-DOTAGA (177Lu-OncoFAP) and 177Lu-BiOncoFAP-DOTAGA (177Lu-BiOncoFAP) were performed on mice bearing FAP-positive HT-1080 tumors. Results: OncoFAP and BiOncoFAP displayed comparable subnanomolar dissociation constants toward recombinant human FAP in solution, but the bivalent BiOncoFAP bound more avidly to the target immobilized on solid supports. In a comparative biodistribution study, 177Lu-BiOncoFAP exhibited a more stable and prolonged tumor uptake than 177Lu-OncoFAP (∼20 vs. ∼4 percentage injected dose/g, respectively, at 24 h after injection). Notably, 177Lu-BiOncoFAP showed favorable tumor-to-organ ratios with low kidney uptake. Both 177Lu-OncoFAP and 177Lu-BiOncoFAP displayed potent antitumor efficacy when administered at therapeutic doses to tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion: 177Lu-BiOncoFAP is a promising candidate for radioligand therapy of cancer, with favorable in vivo tumor-to-organ ratios, a long tumor residence time, and potent anticancer efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Galbiati
- Research and Development Department, Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Aureliano Zana
- Research and Development Department, Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Matilde Bocci
- Research and Development Department, Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Jacopo Millul
- Research and Development Department, Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Abdullah Elsayed
- Research and Development Department, Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland;,Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland; and
| | - Jacqueline Mock
- Research and Development Department, Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland; and,Philogen S.p.A., Siena, Italy
| | - Samuele Cazzamalli
- Research and Development Department, Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland
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4
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Di Nitto C, Neri D, Weiss T, Weller M, De Luca R. Design and Characterization of Novel Antibody-Cytokine Fusion Proteins Based on Interleukin-21. Antibodies (Basel) 2022; 11:antib11010019. [PMID: 35323193 PMCID: PMC8944420 DOI: 10.3390/antib11010019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Interleukin-21 (IL21) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in the modulation of both innate and adaptive immunity. IL21 is mainly secreted by natural killer (NK) and activated CD4+ T-cells. The biology of this cytokine can be associated to proinflammatory responses reflecting its potent stimulatory activity of NK and CD8+ T-cells. Here we describe four formats of novel IL21-based antibody–cytokine fusion proteins, targeting the extra domain A (EDA) of fibronectin and explore their potential for cancer treatment. The fusion proteins were designed, expressed, and characterized. F8 in single-chain diabody (scDb) format fused to IL21 at its C-terminus exhibited a promising profile in size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and SDS-PAGE. The lead candidate was further characterized in vitro. A cell-based activity assay on murine cytotoxic T-cells showed that human IL21, compared to murine IL21 partially cross-reacted with the murine receptor. The prototype was able to recognize EDA as demonstrated by immunofluorescence analysis on tumor sections. In an in vivo quantitative biodistribution experiment, F8(scDb)-murine IL21 did not preferentially accumulate at the site of disease after intravenous injection, suggesting that additional protein engineering would be required to improve the tumor-homing properties of IL21-based product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare Di Nitto
- Philochem AG, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (C.D.N.); (D.N.)
| | - Dario Neri
- Philochem AG, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (C.D.N.); (D.N.)
- Philogen SpA, Piazza la Lizza 7, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Tobias Weiss
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland; (T.W.); (M.W.)
- Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Weller
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland; (T.W.); (M.W.)
- Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roberto De Luca
- Philochem AG, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (C.D.N.); (D.N.)
- Correspondence:
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5
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Engineered antibody fusion proteins for targeted disease therapy. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2021; 42:1064-1081. [PMID: 34706833 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2021.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Since the FDA approval of the first therapeutic antibody 35 years ago, antibody-based products have gained prominence in the pharmaceutical market. Building on the early successes of monoclonal antibodies, more recent efforts have capitalized on the exquisite specificity and/or favorable pharmacokinetic properties of antibodies by developing fusion proteins that enable targeted delivery of therapeutic payloads which are otherwise ineffective when administered systemically. This review focuses on recent engineering and translational advances for therapeutics that genetically fuse antibodies to disease-relevant payloads, including cytokines, toxins, enzymes, neuroprotective agents, and soluble factor traps. With numerous antibody fusion proteins in the clinic and other innovative molecules poised to follow suit, these potent, multifunctional drug candidates promise to be a major player in the therapeutic development landscape for years to come.
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6
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The immunocytokine L19-TNF eradicates sarcomas in combination with chemotherapy agents or with immune check-point inhibitors. Anticancer Drugs 2021; 31:799-805. [PMID: 32304410 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000000938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins (also called 'immunocytokines') represent an emerging class of biopharmaceutical products, which are being considered for cancer immunotherapy. When used as single agents, pro-inflammatory immunocytokines are rarely capable of inducing complete and durable cancer regression in mouse models and in patients. However, the combination treatment with conventional chemotherapy or with other immune-stimulatory agents typically increases the therapeutic efficacy of immunocytokines. In this article, we describe combination treatments of a tumor-targeting antibody-cytokine fusion protein based on the L19 antibody (specific to a splice isoform of fibronectin) fused to murine tumor necrosis factor with standard chemotherapy (dacarbazine, trabectedin or melphalan) or with an immune check-point inhibitor (anti-PD-1) in a BALB/c derived immunocompetent murine model of sarcoma (WEHI-164). All combination treatments led to improved tumor remission compared to single-agent treatments, suggesting that these combination partners may be suitable for further clinical development in sarcoma patients.
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7
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Corbellari R, Stringhini M, Mock J, Ongaro T, Villa A, Neri D, De Luca R. A Novel Antibody-IL15 Fusion Protein Selectively Localizes to Tumors, Synergizes with TNF-based Immunocytokine, and Inhibits Metastasis. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:859-871. [PMID: 33632875 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
IL15 is an immunostimulatory cytokine that holds promises for cancer therapy, but its performance (alone or as partner for fusion proteins) has often been limited by suboptimal accumulation in the tumor and very rapid clearance from circulation. Most recently, the Sushi Domain (SD, the shortest region of IL15 receptor α, capable of binding to IL15) has been fused to IL15-based anticancer products to increase its biological activity. Here, we describe two novel antibody fusion proteins (termed F8-F8-IL15 and F8-F8-SD-IL15), specific to the alternatively spliced EDA domain of fibronectin (a marker of tumor neoangiogenisis, expressed in the majority of solid and hematologic tumors, but absent in normal healthy tissues) and featuring the F8 antibody in single-chain diabody format (with a short linker between VH and VL, thus allowing the domains to pair with the complementary ones of another chain). Unlike previously described fusions of the F8 antibody with human IL15, F8-F8-IL15 and F8-F8-SD-IL15 exhibited a preferential uptake in solid tumors, as evidenced by quantitative biodistribution analysis with radioiodinated protein preparations. Both products were potently active in vivo against mouse metastatic colon carcinomas and in sarcoma lesion in combination with targeted TNF. The results may be of clinical significance, as F8-F8-IL15 and F8-F8-SD-IL15 are fully human proteins, which recognize the cognate tumor-associated antigen with identical affinity in mouse and man.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Corbellari
- CiBIO (Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology), University of Trento, Povo, Trento, Italy.,Philochem AG, Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Marco Stringhini
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jaqueline Mock
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Zurich, Switzerland
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8
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Vacchelli E, Aranda F, Eggermont A, Galon J, Sautès-Fridman C, Zitvogel L, Kroemer G, Galluzzi L. Trial Watch: Tumor-targeting monoclonal antibodies in cancer therapy. Oncoimmunology 2021; 3:e27048. [PMID: 24605265 PMCID: PMC3937194 DOI: 10.4161/onci.27048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/01/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In 1997, for the first time in history, a monoclonal antibody (mAb), i.e., the chimeric anti-CD20 molecule rituximab, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in cancer patients. Since then, the panel of mAbs that are approved by international regulatory agencies for the treatment of hematopoietic and solid malignancies has not stopped to expand, nowadays encompassing a stunning amount of 15 distinct molecules. This therapeutic armamentarium includes mAbs that target tumor-associated antigens, as well as molecules that interfere with tumor-stroma interactions or exert direct immunostimulatory effects. These three classes of mAbs exert antineoplastic activity via distinct mechanisms, which may or may not involve immune effectors other than the mAbs themselves. In previous issues of OncoImmunology, we provided a brief scientific background to the use of mAbs, all types confounded, in cancer therapy, and discussed the results of recent clinical trials investigating the safety and efficacy of this approach. Here, we focus on mAbs that primarily target malignant cells or their interactions with stromal components, as opposed to mAbs that mediate antineoplastic effects by activating the immune system. In particular, we discuss relevant clinical findings that have been published during the last 13 months as well as clinical trials that have been launched in the same period to investigate the therapeutic profile of hitherto investigational tumor-targeting mAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Vacchelli
- Gustave Roussy; Villejuif, France ; INSERM, U848; Villejuif, France ; Equipe 11 labellisée par la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer; Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Paris, France ; Université Paris-Sud/Paris XI; Paris, France
| | - Fernando Aranda
- Gustave Roussy; Villejuif, France ; INSERM, U848; Villejuif, France ; Equipe 11 labellisée par la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer; Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Paris, France
| | | | - Jérôme Galon
- Université Paris Descartes/Paris V; Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris, France ; Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Paris VI; Paris, France ; INSERM, U872; Paris, France ; Equipe 15, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Paris, France
| | - Catherine Sautès-Fridman
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Paris VI; Paris, France ; INSERM, U872; Paris, France ; Equipe 13, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Paris, France
| | - Laurence Zitvogel
- Gustave Roussy; Villejuif, France ; INSERM, U1015; CICBT507; Villejuif, France
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Pôle de Biologie; Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou; AP-HP; Paris, France ; Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms; Gustave Roussy; Villejuif, France ; INSERM, U848; Villejuif, France ; Equipe 11 labellisée par la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer; Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes/Paris V; Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris, France
| | - Lorenzo Galluzzi
- Gustave Roussy; Villejuif, France ; Université Paris Descartes/Paris V; Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris, France ; Equipe 11 labellisée par la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer; Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Paris, France
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9
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Ongaro T, Guarino SR, Scietti L, Palamini M, Wulhfard S, Neri D, Villa A, Forneris F. Inference of molecular structure for characterization and improvement of clinical grade immunocytokines. J Struct Biol 2021; 213:107696. [PMID: 33493635 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2021.107696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The use of immunomodulatory agents for the treatment of cancer is gaining a growing biopharmaceutical interest. Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins, namely immunocytokines, represent a promising solution for the regulation of the immune system at the site of disease. The three-dimensional arrangement of these molecules can profoundly influence their biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties. Structural techniques might provide important insight in the 3D arrangement of immunocytokines. Here, we performed structure investigations on clinical grade fusion proteins L19-IL2, IL12-L19L19 and L19L19-IL2 to elucidate their quaternary organization. Crystallographic characterization of the common L19 antibody fragment at a resolution of 2.0-Å was combined with low-resolution studies of the full-length chimeric molecules using small-angle synchrotron X-ray scattering (SAXS) and negative stain electron microscopy. Characterization of the full-length quaternary structures of the immunocytokines in solution by SAXS consistently supported the diabody structure in the L19-IL2 immunocytokine and allowed generation of low-resolution models of the chimeric proteins L19L19-IL2 and IL12-L19L19. Comparison with 3D reconstructions obtained from negative-stain electron microscopy revealed marked flexibility associated to the linker regions connecting the cytokine and the antibody components of the chimeric proteins. Collectively, our results indicate that low-resolution molecular structure characterizations provide useful complementary insights for the quality control of immunocytokines, constituting a powerful tool to guide the design and the subsequent optimization steps towards clinical enhancement of these chimeric protein reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziano Ongaro
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Dept. Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9/A, 27100 Pavia Italy; Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Salvatore R Guarino
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Dept. Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9/A, 27100 Pavia Italy
| | - Luigi Scietti
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Dept. Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9/A, 27100 Pavia Italy
| | - Martina Palamini
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Dept. Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9/A, 27100 Pavia Italy
| | - Sarah Wulhfard
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, CH-8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | | | - Federico Forneris
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Dept. Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9/A, 27100 Pavia Italy.
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10
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Van Limbergen EJ, Hoeben A, Lieverse RIY, Houben R, Overhof C, Postma A, Zindler J, Verhelst F, Dubois LJ, De Ruysscher D, Troost EGC, Lambin P. Toxicity of L19-Interleukin 2 Combined with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy: A Phase 1 Study. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2020; 109:1421-1430. [PMID: 33285270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.11.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The immunocytokine L19-IL2 delivers interleukin-2 to the tumor by exploiting the selective L19-dependent binding of extradomain B of fibronectin on tumor blood vessels. In preclinical models, L19-IL2 has been shown to enhance the local and abscopal effects of radiation therapy. The clinical safety of L19-IL2 monotherapy has been established previously. In this study, the safety and tolerability of L19-IL2 after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was assessed. METHODS AND MATERIALS Patients with oligometastatic solid tumors received radical SBRT to all visible metastases. Within 1 week after SBRT, intravenous L19-IL2 using a 3 + 3 dose escalation design was administered. Safety and tolerability were analyzed as the primary endpoint using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 4.03 scoring system, with progression-free and overall survival as secondary endpoints. RESULTS A total of 6 patients in 2 L19-IL2 dose levels were included. The 15 million International Units (Mio IU) dose level was well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicity. The most frequently reported adverse events were chills, noninfectious fever, fatigue, edema, erythema, pruritus, nausea/vomiting, and cough and dyspnea. Blood analysis revealed abnormalities in liver function tests, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and hypokalemia. At the second dose level (ie, 22.5 Mio IU), which is the recommended dose for L19-IL2 monotherapy, all 3 included patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity but recovered without sequelae. We documented 2 long-term progression-free responders, both having non-small cell lung cancer as primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results of this phase 1 clinical trial, the recommended phase 2 dose for SBRT combined with L19-IL2 is 15 Mio IU. The therapeutic efficacy of this combination is currently being evaluated in the multicentric EU-funded phase 2 clinical trial, ImmunoSABR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evert Jan Van Limbergen
- Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ann Hoeben
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Relinde I Y Lieverse
- The D-Lab & The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud Houben
- Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Chantal Overhof
- Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alida Postma
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, GROW-School for Oncology, School for Mental Health and Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jaap Zindler
- Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Radiotherapy, Erasmus University Medical Centre Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Holland Proton Therapy Centre, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Frans Verhelst
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonology, H.-Hartziekenhuis, Lier, Belgium
| | - Ludwig J Dubois
- The D-Lab & The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Dirk De Ruysscher
- Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro), GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Esther G C Troost
- OncoRay-National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Dresden, Germany; Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden- Rossendorf, Institute of Radiooncology - OncoRay, Dresden, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden, Germany: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Helmholtz Association/Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Philippe Lambin
- The D-Lab & The M-Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW-School for Oncology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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11
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A novel format for recombinant antibody-interleukin-2 fusion proteins exhibits superior tumor-targeting properties in vivo. Oncotarget 2020; 11:3698-3711. [PMID: 33110477 PMCID: PMC7566808 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.27726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The targeted delivery of interleukin-2 to the tumor is gaining attention as an avenue to potentiate the action of T and NK cells at the site of disease. We have previously described the fusion of the L19 antibody, specific to the EDB domain of fibronectin, with human interleukin-2, using a non-covalent homodimeric diabody format. Here, we describe four novel formats for the L19-IL2 fusion, featuring different arrangements of antibody and IL2. A comparative quantitative biodistribution analysis in tumor-bearing mice using radioiodinated proteins revealed that the novel format (L19L19-IL2, with the antibody in single-chain diabody format) exhibited the best biodistribution results. In vitro assays on peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed a decrease activation of regulatory T cells when single IL2 domain was used. In vivo, both L19-IL2 and L19L19-IL2 inhibited tumor growth in immunocompetent mouse models of cancer. T-cell analysis revealed similar levels of CD4+ and FoxP3+ cells, with an expansion of the CD8+ T cell in mice treated with L19-IL2 and L19L19-IL2. The percentage of CD4+ regulatory T cells was markedly decreased with L19L19-IL2 combined with a mouse-specific PD-1 blocker. Collectively, these data indicate that the new L19L19-IL2 format exhibits favorable tumor-homing properties and mediates a potent anti-cancer activity in vivo.
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Balza E, Carnemolla B, Orecchia P, Rubartelli A, Poggi A, Mortara L. Tumor Vasculature Targeted TNFα Therapy: Reversion of Microenvironment Anergy and Enhancement of the Anti-tumor Efficiency. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:4233-4248. [PMID: 30182839 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180904121118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Tumor cells and tumor-associated stromal cells such as immune, endothelial and mesenchimal cells create a Tumor Microenvironment (TME) which allows tumor cell promotion, growth and dissemination while dampening the anti-tumor immune response. Efficient anti-tumor interventions have to keep into consideration the complexity of the TME and take advantage of immunotherapy and chemotherapy combined approaches. Thus, the aim of tumor therapy is to directly hit tumor cells and reverse endothelial and immune cell anergy. Selective targeting of tumor vasculature using TNFα-associated peptides or antibody fragments in association with chemotherapeutic agents, has been shown to exert a potent stimulatory effect on endothelial cells as well as on innate and adaptive immune responses. These drug combinations reducing the dose of single agents employed have led to minimize the associated side effects. In this review, we will analyze different TNFα-mediated tumor vesseltargeted therapies in both humans and tumor mouse models, with emphasis on the role played by the cross-talk between natural killer and dendritic cells and on the ability of TNFα to trigger tumor vessel activation and normalization. The improvement of the TNFα-based therapy with anti-angiogenic immunomodulatory drugs that may convert the TME from immunosuppressive to immunostimulant, will be discussed as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrica Balza
- Cell Biology Unit, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Paola Orecchia
- Immunology Unit, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Anna Rubartelli
- Cell Biology Unit, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Poggi
- Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis Unit, IRCCS Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Mortara
- Immunology and General Pathology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences (DBSV), University of Insubria, Via Monte Generoso, n. 71, 21100 Varese, Italy
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Joshi S. Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment in Neuroblastoma: Recent Advances and Future Directions. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2057. [PMID: 32722460 PMCID: PMC7465822 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common pediatric tumor malignancy that originates from the neural crest and accounts for more than 15% of all the childhood deaths from cancer. The neuroblastoma cancer research has long been focused on the role of MYCN oncogene amplification and the contribution of other genetic alterations in the progression of this malignancy. However, it is now widely accepted that, not only tumor cells, but the components of tumor microenvironment (TME), including extracellular matrix, stromal cells and immune cells, also contribute to tumor progression in neuroblastoma. The complexity of different components of tumor stroma and their resemblance with surrounding normal tissues pose huge challenges for therapies targeting tumor microenvironment in NB. Hence, the detailed understanding of the composition of the TME of NB is crucial to improve existing and future potential immunotherapeutic approaches against this childhood cancer. In this review article, I will discuss different components of the TME of NB and the recent advances in the strategies, which are used to target the tumor microenvironment in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Joshi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0815, USA
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Stringhini M, Probst P, Neri D. Immunotherapy of CT26 murine tumors is characterized by an oligoclonal response of tissue-resident memory T cells against the AH1 rejection antigen. Eur J Immunol 2020; 50:1591-1597. [PMID: 32470143 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201948433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mice bearing CT26 tumors can be cured by administration of L19-mIL12 or F8-mTNF, two antibody fusion proteins which selectively deliver their cytokine payload to the tumor. In both settings, cancer cures crucially depended on CD8+ T cells and the AH1 peptide (derived from the gp70 protein of the murine leukemia virus) acted as the main tumor-rejection antigen, with ∼50% of CD8+ T cells in the neoplastic mass being AH1-specific after therapy. In order to characterize the clonality of the T cell response, its phenotype, and activation status, we isolated CD8+ T cells from tumors and secondary lymphoid organs and submitted them to T cell receptor (TCR) and total mRNA sequencing. We found an extremely diverse repertoire of more than 40 000 unique TCR sequences, but the ten most abundant TCRs accounted for >60% of CD8+ T-cell clones in the tumor. AH1-specific TCRs were consistently found among the most abundant sequences. AH1-specific T cells in the tumor had a tissue-resident memory phenotype. Treatment with L19-mIL12 led to overexpression of IL-12 receptor and of markers of cell activation and proliferation. These data suggest that the antitumor response driven by antibody-cytokine fusions proceeds through an oligoclonal expansion and activation of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Stringhini
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Probst
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Zürich, Switzerland
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Comparative evaluation of bolus and fractionated administration modalities for two antibody-cytokine fusions in immunocompetent tumor-bearing mice. J Control Release 2020; 317:282-290. [PMID: 31790729 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins are being considered as biopharmaceuticals for cancer immunotherapy. Tumor-homing cytokine fusions typically display an improved therapeutic activity compared to the corresponding unmodified cytokine products, but toxicity profiles at equivalent doses are similar, since side effects are mainly driven by the cytokine concentration in blood. In order to explore avenues to harness the therapeutic potential of antibody-cytokine fusions while decreasing potential toxicity, we compared bolus and fractionated administration modalities for two tumor-targeting antibody-cytokine fusion proteins based on human interleukin-2 (IL2) and murine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (i.e., L19-hIL2 and L19-mTNF) in two murine immunocompetent mouse models of cancer (F9 and C51). A comparative quantitative biodistribution analysis with radio-labeled protein preparations revealed that a fractionated administration of L19-hIL2 could deliver comparable product doses to the tumor with decreased product concentration in blood and normal organs, compared to bolus injection. By contrast, L19-mTNF (a product that causes a selective vascular shutdown in the tumor) accumulated most efficiently after bolus injection. Fractionated schedules allowed the safe administration of a cumulative dose of L19-mTNF, which was 2.5-times higher than the lethal dose for bolus injection. Dose fractionation led to a prolonged tumor growth inhibition for F9 teratocarcinomas, but not for C51 colorectal tumors, which responded best to bolus injection. Thus, dose fractionation may have different outcomes for the same antibody-cytokine product in different biological contexts.
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Hutmacher C, Gonzalo Núñez N, Liuzzi AR, Becher B, Neri D. Targeted Delivery of IL2 to the Tumor Stroma Potentiates the Action of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors by Preferential Activation of NK and CD8 + T Cells. Cancer Immunol Res 2019; 7:572-583. [PMID: 30782667 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-18-0566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant human IL2 is being considered as a combination partner for immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer therapy, but the product only has a narrow therapeutic window. Therefore, we used F8-IL2, an antibody-IL2 fusion protein capable of selective localization to the tumor site, in combination with antibodies against murine CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1. In immunocompetent mice bearing CT26 tumors, the combination of F8-IL2 with CTLA-4 blockade was efficacious, leading to increased progression-free survival and protective immunity against subsequent tumor rechallenges. The combination with anti-PD-1 induced substantial tumor growth retardation, but tumor clearance was rare, whereas the combination with anti-PD-L1 exhibited the lowest activity. A detailed high-parametric single-cell analysis of the tumor leukocyte composition revealed that F8-IL2 had a strong impact on NK-cell activity without collateral immune activation in the systemic immune compartment, whereas CTLA-4 blockade led to significant changes in the T-cell compartment. Leukocyte depletion studies revealed that CD8+ T and NK cells were the main drivers of the therapeutic activity. We extended the experimental observations to a second model, treating MC38 tumor-bearing mice with F8-IL2 and/or CTLA-4 blockade. Only the combination treatment displayed potent anticancer activity, characterized by an increase in cytolytic CD8+ T and NK cells in tumors and draining lymph nodes. A decrease in the regulatory T cell frequency, within the tumors, was also observed. The results provide a rationale for the combined use of engineered IL2 therapeutics with immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Hutmacher
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Anna Rita Liuzzi
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Burkhard Becher
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland.
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Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins: Biopharmaceuticals with immunomodulatory properties for cancer therapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2019; 141:67-91. [PMID: 30201522 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2018.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines have long been used for therapeutic applications in cancer patients. Substantial side effects and unfavorable pharmacokinetics limit their application and may prevent dose escalation to therapeutically active regimens. Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins (often referred to as immunocytokines) may help localize immunomodulatory cytokine payloads to the tumor, thereby activating anticancer immune responses. A variety of formats (e.g., intact IgGs or antibody fragments), molecular targets (e.g., extracellular matrix components and cell membrane antigens) and cytokine payloads have been considered for the development of this novel class of biopharmaceuticals. This review presents the basic concepts on the design and engineering of immunocytokines, reviews their potential limitations, points out emerging opportunities and summarizes key features of preclinical and clinical-stage products.
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Ongaro T, Matasci M, Cazzamalli S, Gouyou B, De Luca R, Neri D, Villa A. A novel anti-cancer L19-interleukin-12 fusion protein with an optimized peptide linker efficiently localizes in vivo at the site of tumors. J Biotechnol 2019; 291:17-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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19
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Accumulation of prohibitin is a common cellular response to different stressing stimuli and protects melanoma cells from ER stress and chemotherapy-induced cell death. Oncotarget 2018; 8:43114-43129. [PMID: 28562344 PMCID: PMC5522132 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is responsible for most deaths among skin cancers and conventional and palliative care chemotherapy are limited due to the development of chemoresistance. We used proteomic analysis to identify cellular responses that lead to chemoresistance of human melanoma cell lines to cisplatin. A systems approach to the proteomic data indicated the participation of specific cellular processes such as oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial organization and homeostasis, as well as the unfolded protein response (UPR) to be required for the survival of cells treated with cisplatin. Prohibitin (PHB) was among the proteins consistently accumulated, interacting with the functional clusters associated with resistance to cisplatin. We showed PHB accumulated at different levels in melanoma cell lines under stressing stimuli, such as (i) treatment with temozolomide (TMZ), dacarbazine (DTIC) and cisplatin; (ii) serum deprivation; (iii) tunicamycin, an UPR inducer. Prohibitin accumulated in the mitochondria of melanoma cells after cisplatin and tunicamycin treatment and its de novo accumulation led to chemoresistance melanoma cell lines. In contrast, PHB knock-down sensitized melanoma cells to cisplatin and tunicamycin treatment. We conclude that PHB participates in the survival of cells exposed to different stress stimuli, and can therefore serve as a target for the sensitization of melanoma cells to chemotherapy.
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Borsi L, Carnemolla B, Neri D, Zardi L. Use of Human Recombinant Antibodies to the Marker of Angiogenesis Ed-B in Cancer Therapy. TUMORI JOURNAL 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/030089160108700629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Borsi
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Cancer Research Institute, Genoa, Italy
| | - Barbara Carnemolla
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Cancer Research Institute, Genoa, Italy
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Applied BioSciences of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luciano Zardi
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Cancer Research Institute, Genoa, Italy
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Valedkarimi Z, Nasiri H, Aghebati-Maleki L, Majidi J. Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins for improving efficacy and safety of cancer therapy. Biomed Pharmacother 2017; 95:731-742. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.07.160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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Niccoli Asabella A, Di Palo A, Altini C, Ferrari C, Rubini G. Multimodality Imaging in Tumor Angiogenesis: Present Status and Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18091864. [PMID: 28846661 PMCID: PMC5618513 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18091864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 08/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Angiogenesis is a complex biological process that plays a central role in progression of tumor growth and metastasis. It led to a search for antiangiogenic molecules, and to design antiangiogenic strategies for cancer treatment. Noninvasive molecular imaging, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), could be useful for lesion detection, to select patients likely to respond to antiangiogenic therapies, to confirm successful targeting, and dose optimization. Additionally, nuclear imaging techniques could also aid in the development of new angiogenesis-targeted drugs and their validation. Angiogenesis imaging can be categorized as targeted at three major cell types: (I) non-endothelial cell targets, (II) endothelial cell targets, and (III) extracellular matrix proteins and matrix proteases. Even if radiopharmaceuticals studying the metabolism and hypoxia can be also used for the study of angiogenesis, many of the agents used in nuclear imaging for this purpose are yet to be investigated. The purpose of this review is to describe the role of molecular imaging in tumor angiogenesis, highlighting the advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artor Niccoli Asabella
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Di Palo
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
| | - Corinna Altini
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
| | - Cristina Ferrari
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Rubini
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
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Balza E, Zanellato S, Poggi A, Reverberi D, Rubartelli A, Mortara L. The therapeutic T-cell response induced by tumor delivery of TNF and melphalan is dependent on early triggering of natural killer and dendritic cells. Eur J Immunol 2017; 47:743-753. [PMID: 28198545 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201646544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The fusion protein L19mTNF (mouse TNF and human antibody fragment L19 directed to fibronectin extra domain B) selectively targets the tumor vasculature, and in combination with melphalan induces a long-lasting T-cell therapeutic response and immune memory in murine models. Increasing evidence suggests that natural killer (NK) cells act to promote effective T-cell-based antitumor responses. We have analyzed the role of NK cells and dendritic cells (DCs) on two different murine tumor models: WEHI-164 fibrosarcoma and C51 colon carcinoma, in which the combined treatment induces high and low rejection rates, respectively. In vivo NK-cell depletion strongly reduced the rejection of WEHI-164 fibrosarcoma and correlated with a decrease in mature DCs, CD4+ , and CD8+ T cells in the tumor-draining LNs and mature DCs and CD4+ T cells in the tumor 40 h after initiation of the therapy. NK-cell depletion also resulted in the impairment of the stimulatory capability of DCs derived from tumor-draining LNs of WEHI-164-treated mice. Moreover, a significant reduction of M2-type infiltrating macrophages was detected in both tumors undergoing therapy. These results suggest that the efficacy of L19mTNF/melphalan therapy is strongly related to the early activation of NK cells and DCs, which are necessary for an effective T-cell response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrica Balza
- Cell Biology Unit, Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCSS AOU San Martino Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro (IST), Genoa, Italy
| | - Silvia Zanellato
- Immunology and General Pathology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.,Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Alessandro Poggi
- Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino IST, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Anna Rubartelli
- Cell Biology Unit, Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCSS AOU San Martino Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro (IST), Genoa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Mortara
- Immunology and General Pathology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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Abstract
Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) utilizes intrinsic optical absorption signals of blood, water, and lipid concentration available in the NIR window (600–1000 nm) as well as a developing array of extrinsic organic compounds to detect and localize cancer. This paper reviews optical cancer detection made possible through high tumor-tissue signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and providing biochemical and physiological data in addition to those obtained via other methods. NIRS detects cancers in vivo through a combination of blood volume and oxygenation from measurements of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin giving signals of tumor angiogenesis and hypermetabolism. The Chance lab tends towards CW breast cancer systems using manually scannable detectors with calibrated low pressure tissue contact. These systems calculate angiogenesis and hypermetabolism by using a pair of wavelengths and referencing the mirror image position of the contralateral breast to achieve high ROC/AUC. Time domain and frequency domain spectroscopy were also used to study similar intrinsic breast tumor characteristics such as high blood volume. Other NIRS metrics are water-fat ratio and the optical scattering coefficient. An extrinsic FDA approved dye, ICG, has been used to measure blood pooling with extravasation, similar to Gadolinium in MRI. A key future development in NIRS will be new Molecular Beacons targeting cancers and fluorescing in the NIR window to enhance in vivo tumor-tissue ratios and to afford biochemical specificity with the potential for effective photodynamic anti-cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nioka
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 250 Anatomy-Chemistry Bldg., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6059, USA
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Birchler MT, Thuerl C, Schmid D, Neri D, Waibel R, Schubiger A, Stoeckli SJ, Schmid S, Goerres GW. Immunoscintigraphy of patients with head and neck carcinomas, with an anti-angiogenetic antibody fragment. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2016; 136:543-8. [PMID: 17418248 DOI: 10.1016/j.otohns.2006.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2006] [Accepted: 07/06/2006] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Objective In a phase I/II clinical study, we investigated tumor targeting in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), using an antibody directed against the extra-domain-B of fibronectin (EDB), a marker of angiogenesis and tissue remodeling. Study Design And Setting Five patients with SCC were injected with the 123-iodine-radiolabeled L19(scFv)2 antibody and underwent scintigraphic detection with single photon emission tomography with computerized tomography (SPECT/CT). In addition, 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 FDG) positron emission tomography with computerized tomography (PET/CT) was performed. Results Successful targeting of the primary tumor could be achieved in 4 of 5 patients and was comparable to PET imaging. No side effects were observed. Conclusions Tumor targeting with the L19(scFv)2 antibody is also feasible for head and neck SCC. Significance These results may serve as a base for future therapeutical applications in human beings, with modified versions of the L19(scFv)2 antibody, designed to selectively deliver bioactive molecules into malignant tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred T Birchler
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Casi G, Neri D. Antibody–Drug Conjugates and Small Molecule–Drug Conjugates: Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of Selective Anticancer Cytotoxic Agents. J Med Chem 2015; 58:8751-61. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Casi
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Department
of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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27
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Börschel N, Schwöppe C, Zerbst C, Angenendt L, Kessler T, Klapper W, Giovannoni L, Elia G, Neri D, Berdel WE, Mesters RM, Schliemann C. Potentiating the activity of rituximab against mantle cell lymphoma in mice by targeting interleukin-2 to the neovasculature. Leuk Res 2015; 39:739-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2015.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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28
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Bujak E, Pretto F, Neri D. Generation and tumor recognition properties of two human monoclonal antibodies specific to cell surface anionic phospholipids. Invest New Drugs 2015; 33:791-800. [PMID: 25983040 DOI: 10.1007/s10637-015-0248-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Phosphatidylserine (PS) and other anionic phospholipids, which become exposed on the surface of proliferating endothelial cells, tumor cells and certain leukocytes, have been used as targets for the development of clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals. One of these products (bavituximab) is currently being investigated in Phase 3 clinical trials. There are conflicting reports on the ability of bavituximab and other antibodies to recognize PS directly or through beta-2 glycoprotein 1, a serum protein that is not highly conserved across species. Here, we report on the generation and characterization of two fully human antibodies directed against phosphatidylserine. One of these antibodies (PS72) bound specifically to phosphatidylserine and to phosphatidic acid, but did not recognize other closely related phospholipids, while the other antibody (PS41) also bound to cardiolipin. Both PS72 and PS41 stained 8/9 experimental tumor models in vitro, but both antibodies failed to exhibit a preferential tumor accumulation in vivo, as revealed by quantitative biodistribution analysis. Our findings indicate that anionic phospholipids are exposed and accessible in most tumor types, but cast doubts about the possibility of efficiently targeting tumors in vivo with PS-specific reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Bujak
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland
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29
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A Monoclonal Antibody to Human DLK1 Reveals Differential Expression in Cancer and Absence in Healthy Tissues. Antibodies (Basel) 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/antib4020071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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30
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Abstract
Conventional cancer chemotherapy is limited by the fact that small organic cytotoxic agents typically do not preferentially localize at the tumor site, causing unwanted toxicities to normal organs and limiting dose escalation to therapeutically active regimens. In principle, antibodies and other ligands could be used for the selective pharmacodelivery of cytotoxic agents to the tumor environment. While traditionally internalizing ligands have been used for such targeting applications, increasing experimental evidence suggests that the ligand-based delivery of anticancer drugs to the extracellular space in the tumor, followed by suitable release strategies, may mediate a potent anticancer activity. In this review, we outline the main requirements for the development of noninternalizing targeted cytotoxics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Casi
- †Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH8112 Otelfingen (ZH), Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- ‡Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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Hong H, Chen F, Zhang Y, Cai W. New radiotracers for imaging of vascular targets in angiogenesis-related diseases. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2014; 76:2-20. [PMID: 25086372 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2014] [Revised: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Tremendous advances over the last several decades in positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) allow for targeted imaging of molecular and cellular events in the living systems. Angiogenesis, a multistep process regulated by the network of different angiogenic factors, has attracted world-wide interests, due to its pivotal role in the formation and progression of different diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and inflammation. In this review article, we will summarize the recent progress in PET or SPECT imaging of a wide variety of vascular targets in three major angiogenesis-related diseases: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammation. Faster drug development and patient stratification for a specific therapy will become possible with the facilitation of PET or SPECT imaging and it will be critical for the maximum benefit of patients.
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Pretto F, Elia G, Castioni N, Neri D. Preclinical evaluation of IL2-based immunocytokines supports their use in combination with dacarbazine, paclitaxel and TNF-based immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2014; 63:901-10. [PMID: 24893857 PMCID: PMC11029048 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-014-1562-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2013] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins ("immunocytokines") represent a promising class of armed antibody products, which allow the selective delivery of potent pro-inflammatory payloads at the tumor site. The antibody-based selective delivery of interleukin-2 (IL2) is particularly attractive for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, an indication for which this cytokine received marketing approval from the US Food and drug administration. We used the K1735M2 immunocompetent syngeneic model of murine melanoma to study the therapeutic activity of F8-IL2, an immunocytokine based on the F8 antibody in diabody format, fused to human IL2. F8-IL2 was shown to selectively localize at the tumor site in vivo, following intravenous administration, and to mediate tumor growth retardation, which was potentiated by the combination with paclitaxel or dacarbazine. Combination treatment led to a substantially more effective tumor growth inhibition, compared to the cytotoxic drugs used as single agents, without additional toxicity. Analysis of the immune infiltrate revealed a significant accumulation of CD4(+) T cells 24 h after the administration of the combination. The fusion proteins F8-IL2 and L19-IL2, specific to the alternatively spliced extra domain A and extra domain B of fibronectin respectively, were also studied in combination with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-based immunocytokines. The combination treatment was superior to the action of the individual immunocytokines and was able to eradicate neoplastic lesions after a single intratumoral injection, a procedure that is being clinically used for the treatment of Stage IIIC melanoma. Collectively, these data reinforce the rationale for the use of IL2-based immunocytokines in combination with cytotoxic agents or TNF-based immunotherapy for the treatment of melanoma patients.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/administration & dosage
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacokinetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/pharmacology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Combined Modality Therapy
- Dacarbazine/administration & dosage
- Drug Synergism
- Female
- Immunotherapy/methods
- Interleukin-2/administration & dosage
- Interleukin-2/immunology
- Interleukin-2/pharmacokinetics
- Interleukin-2/pharmacology
- Melanoma, Experimental/drug therapy
- Melanoma, Experimental/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/metabolism
- Melanoma, Experimental/therapy
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C3H
- Paclitaxel/administration & dosage
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/administration & dosage
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/pharmacology
- Tissue Distribution
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giuliano Elia
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, 8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Nadia Castioni
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, ETH Hoenggerberg, HCI G392.4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, ETH Hoenggerberg, HCI G392.4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Gu G, Hu Q, Feng X, Gao X, Menglin J, Kang T, Jiang D, Song Q, Chen H, Chen J. PEG-PLA nanoparticles modified with APTEDB peptide for enhanced anti-angiogenic and anti-glioma therapy. Biomaterials 2014; 35:8215-26. [PMID: 24974009 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tumor neovasculature and tumor cells dual-targeting chemotherapy can not only destroy the tumor neovasculature, cut off the supply of nutrition and starve the tumor cells, but also directly kill tumor cells, holding great potential in overcoming the drawbacks of anti-angiogenic therapy only and improving the anti-glioma efficacy. In the present study, by taking advantage of the specific expression of fibronectin extra domain B (EDB) on both glioma neovasculature endothelial cells and glioma cells, we constructed EDB-targeted peptide APTEDB-modified PEG-PLA nanoparticles (APT-NP) for paclitaxel (PTX) loading to enable tumor neovasculature and tumor cells dual-targeting chemotherapy. PTX-loaded APT-NP showed satisfactory encapsulated efficiency, loading capacity and size distribution. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, APT-NP exhibited significantly elevated cellular accumulation via energy-dependent, caveolae and lipid raft-involved endocytosis, and improved PTX-induced apoptosis therein. Both in vitro tube formation assay and in vivo matrigel angiogenesis analysis confirmed that APT-NP significantly improved the antiangiogenic ability of PTX. In U87MG cells, APT-NP showed elevated cellular internalization and also enhanced the cytotoxicity of the loaded PTX. Following intravenous administration, as shown by both in vivo live animal imaging and tissue distribution analysis, APT-NP achieved a much higher and specific accumulation within the glioma. As a result, APT-NP-PTX exhibited improved anti-glioma efficacy over unmodified nanoparticles and Taxol(®) in both subcutaneous and intracranial U87MG xenograft models. These findings collectively indicated that APTEDB-modified nanoparticles might serve as a promising nanocarrier for tumor cells and neovasculature dual-targeting chemotherapy and hold great potential in improving the efficacy anti-glioma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangzhi Gu
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Lane 826, Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, PR China; Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Control (SIFDC), 479 Futexi First Road, Shanghai 200131, PR China
| | - Quanyin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Lane 826, Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Xingye Feng
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Lane 826, Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Xiaoling Gao
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Jiang Menglin
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Lane 826, Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Ting Kang
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Lane 826, Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Di Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Lane 826, Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, PR China
| | - Qingxiang Song
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Hongzhuan Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 280 South Chongqing Road, Shanghai 200025, PR China
| | - Jun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Smart Drug Delivery, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Lane 826, Zhangheng Road, Shanghai 201203, PR China.
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Gutbrodt KL, Schliemann C, Giovannoni L, Frey K, Pabst T, Klapper W, Berdel WE, Neri D. Antibody-based delivery of interleukin-2 to neovasculature has potent activity against acute myeloid leukemia. Sci Transl Med 2014; 5:201ra118. [PMID: 24005158 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3006221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressing disease that is accompanied by a strong increase in microvessel density in the bone marrow. This observation prompted us to stain biopsies of AML and acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) patients with the clinical-stage human monoclonal antibodies F8, L19, and F16 directed against markers of tumor angiogenesis. The analysis revealed that the F8 and F16 antibodies strongly stained 70% of AML and 75% of ALL bone marrow specimens, whereas chloroma biopsies were stained with all three antibodies. Therapy experiments performed in immunocompromised mice bearing human NB4 leukemia with the immunocytokine F8-IL2 [consisting of the F8 antibody fused to human interleukin-2 (IL-2)] mediated a strong inhibition of AML progression. This effect was potentiated by the addition of cytarabine, promoting complete responses in 40% of treated animals. Experiments performed in immunocompetent mice bearing C1498 murine leukemia revealed long-lasting complete tumor eradication in all treated mice. The therapeutic effect of F8-IL2 was mediated by both natural killer cells and CD8(+) T cells, whereas CD4(+) T cells appeared to be dispensable, as determined in immunodepletion experiments. The treatment of an AML patient with disseminated extramedullary AML manifestations with F16-IL2 (consisting of the F16 antibody fused to human IL-2, currently being tested in phase 2 clinical trials in patients with solid tumors) and low-dose cytarabine showed significant reduction of AML lesions and underlines the translational potential of vascular tumor-targeting antibody-cytokine fusions for the treatment of patients with leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin L Gutbrodt
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Elia G, Fugmann T, Neri D. From target discovery to clinical trials with armed antibody products. J Proteomics 2014; 107:50-5. [PMID: 24631826 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.02.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Conventional chemotherapy of serious conditions (e.g., cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases) relies on the use of potent bioactive agents, which do not preferentially localize at the site of disease and which may harm healthy tissues. Intense pharmaceutical research efforts are being devoted to the development of targeted therapeutic agents, capable of selectively homing to diseased tissues, while sparing normal body structures. Biological mass spectrometry and chemical proteomics have revolutionized the way targets for ligand-based pharmacodelivery applications are discovered. In this article, we present a personal account on research activities in the field for the last decade, outlining our experience in the discovery of accessible biomarkers and in the development of potent targeted therapeutic agents. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE The present review discusses evolution of proteomic methodologies applied to the discovery of new targets for therapeutic intervention in cancer and inflammatory diseases. Chemical proteomics-driven target discovery allowed the development of new classes of antibody-based targeting biologics, which are having an impact in the oncological and chronic inflammation clinical research. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 20years of Proteomics in memory of Viatliano Pallini. Guest Editors: Luca Bini, Juan J. Calvete, Natacha Turck, Denis Hochstrasser and Jean-Charles Sanchez.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliano Elia
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Tim Fugmann
- Philochem AG, Libernstrasse 3, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied BioSciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
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36
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Hess C, Venetz D, Neri D. Emerging classes of armed antibody therapeutics against cancer. MEDCHEMCOMM 2014. [DOI: 10.1039/c3md00360d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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37
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Bujak E, Matasci M, Neri D, Wulhfard S. Reformatting of scFv antibodies into the scFv-Fc format and their downstream purification. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1131:315-334. [PMID: 24515475 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-992-5_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The scFv-Fc format allows for rapid characterization of candidate scFvs isolated from phage display libraries before conversion into a full-length IgG. This format offers several advantages over the phage display-derived scFv, including bivalent binding, longer half-life, and Fc-mediated effector functions. Here, a detailed method is presented, which describes the cloning, expression, and purification of an scFv-Fc fragment, starting from scFv fragments obtained from a phage display library. This method facilitates the rapid screening of candidate antibodies, prior to a more time-consuming conversion into a full IgG format. Alternatively, the scFv-Fc format may be used in the clinic for therapeutic applications.
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38
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Bernardes GJL, Steiner M, Hartmann I, Neri D, Casi G. Site-specific chemical modification of antibody fragments using traceless cleavable linkers. Nat Protoc 2013; 8:2079-89. [DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2013.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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39
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Mortara L, Orecchia P, Castellani P, Borsi L, Carnemolla B, Balza E. Schedule-dependent therapeutic efficacy of L19mTNF-α and melphalan combined with gemcitabine. Cancer Med 2013; 2:478-87. [PMID: 24156020 PMCID: PMC3799282 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2012] [Revised: 04/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
L19-tumor necrosis factor alpha (L19mTNF-α; L), a fusion protein consisting of mouse TNFα and the human antibody fragment L19 directed to the extra domain-B (ED-B) of fibronectin, is able to selectively target tumor vasculature and to exert a long-lasting therapeutic activity in combination with melphalan (M) in syngeneic mouse tumor models. We have studied the antitumor activity of single L19mTNF-α treatment in combination with melphalan and gemcitabine (G) using different administration protocols in two histologically different murine tumor models: WEHI-164 fibrosarcoma and K7M2 osteosarcoma. All responding mice showed significant reduction in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and an increase in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the tumor infiltrates, as well as significant reduction in regulatory T cells (Treg) at the level of draining lymph nodes. What is important is that all cured mice rejected tumor challenge up to 1 year after therapy. Targeted delivery of L19mTNF-α synergistically increases the antitumor activity of melphalan and gemcitabine, but optimal administration schedules are required. This study provides information for designing clinical studies using L19mTNF-α in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. Targeted delivery of L19mTNF-α synergistically increases the antitumor activity of melphalan and gemcitabine, but optimal administration schedule requires a pretreatment with L19mTNF-α otherwise an antagonistic effect could occur. This study provides information for designing clinical studies using L19mTNF-α in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Mortara
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria Varese, Italy
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40
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Pretto F, Neri D. Pharmacotherapy of metastatic melanoma: emerging trends and opportunities for a cure. Pharmacol Ther 2013; 139:405-11. [PMID: 23711792 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2013.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Metastatic melanoma is one of the most deadly forms of cancer and is poorly responsive to standard chemotherapeutics, such as Dacarbazine and Paclitaxel. Recently, the advent of Vemurafenib and Ipilimumab has broadened the spectrum of therapeutic options for advanced melanoma patients but the occurrence of resistance and of high-grade toxicities call for better and more effective treatments. This review focuses on approved and experimental therapies for metastatic melanoma. The mechanism of action and the reported efficacy data for small molecule drugs and biologics are discussed, outlining directions for future pharmaceutical research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pretto
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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41
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Tumour vasculature targeting agents in hybrid/conjugate drugs. Angiogenesis 2013; 16:503-24. [DOI: 10.1007/s10456-013-9347-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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42
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Combinatorial Design of an Anticalin Directed against the Extra-Domain B for the Specific Targeting of Oncofetal Fibronectin. J Mol Biol 2013; 425:780-802. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2012.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2012] [Revised: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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43
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Krall N, Scheuermann J, Neri D. Small Targeted Cytotoxics: Current State and Promises from DNA-Encoded Chemical Libraries. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013; 52:1384-402. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201204631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Krall N, Scheuermann J, Neri D. Entwicklung zielgerichteter niedermolekularer zytotoxischer Wirkstoffverbindungen mit DNA-codierten chemischen Bibliotheken. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201204631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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The immunocytokine L19-IL2 eradicates cancer when used in combination with CTLA-4 blockade or with L19-TNF. J Invest Dermatol 2012; 133:751-758. [PMID: 23096716 DOI: 10.1038/jid.2012.376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Systemic high-dose IL2 promotes long-term survival in a subset of metastatic melanoma patients, but this treatment is accompanied by severe toxicities. The immunocytokine L19-IL2, in which IL2 is fused to the human L19 antibody capable of selective accumulation on tumor neovasculature, has recently shown encouraging clinical activity in patients with metastatic melanoma. In this study, we have investigated the therapeutic performance of L19-IL2, administered systemically in combination with a murine anti-CTLA-4 antibody or with a second clinical-stage immunocytokine (L19-TNF) in two syngeneic immunocompetent mouse models of cancer. We observed complete tumor eradications when L19-IL2 was used in combination with CTLA-4 blockade. Interestingly, mice cured from F9 tumors developed new lesions when rechallenged with tumor cells after therapy, whereas mice cured from CT26 tumors were resistant to tumor rechallenge. Similarly, L19-IL2 induced complete remissions when administered in a single intratumoral injection in combination with L19-TNF, whereas the two components did not lead to cures when administered as single agents. These findings provide a rationale for combination trials in melanoma, as the individual therapeutic agents have been extensively studied in clinical trials, and the antigen recognized by the L19 antibody has an identical sequence in mouse and man.
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46
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List T, Neri D. Biodistribution studies with tumor-targeting bispecific antibodies reveal selective accumulation at the tumor site. MAbs 2012; 4:775-83. [PMID: 23032949 DOI: 10.4161/mabs.22271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bispecific antibodies are proteins that bind two different antigens and may retarget immune cells with a binding moiety specific for a leukocyte marker. A binding event in blood could in principle prevent antibody extravasation and accumulation at the site of disease. In this study, we produced and characterized two tetravalent bispecific antibodies that bind with high affinity to the alternatively-spliced EDB domain of fibronectin, a tumor-associated antigen. The bispecific antibodies simultaneously engaged the cognate antigens (murine T cell co-receptor CD3 and hen egg lysozyme) and selectively accumulated on murine tumors in vivo. The results, which were in agreement with predictions based on pharmacokinetic modeling and antibody binding characteristics, confirmed that bispecific antibodies can reach abluminal targets without being blocked by peripheral blood leukocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas List
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
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47
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48
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Reber J, Struthers H, Betzel T, Hohn A, Schibli R, Müller C. Radioiodinated folic acid conjugates: evaluation of a valuable concept to improve tumor-to-background contrast. Mol Pharm 2012; 9:1213-21. [PMID: 22509996 DOI: 10.1021/mp200511t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Folic acid radioconjugates can be used for targeting folate receptor positive (FR(+)) tumors. However, the high renal uptake of radiofolates is a drawback of this strategy, particularly with respect to a therapeutic application due to the risk of damage to the kidneys by particle radiation. The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate radioiodinated folate conjugates as a novel class of folate-based radiopharmaceuticals potentially suitable for therapeutic application. Two different folic acid conjugates, tyrosine-folate (1) and tyrosine-click-folate (3), were synthesized and radioiodinated using the Iodogen method resulting in [(125)I]-2 and [(125/131)I]-4. Both radiofolates were highly stable in mouse and human plasma. Determination of FR binding affinities using (3)H-folic acid and FR(+) KB tumor cells revealed affinities in the nanomolar range for 2 and 4. The cell uptake of [(125)I]-2 and [(125/131)I]-4 proved to be FR specific as it was blocked by the coincubation of folic acid. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) in vitro assays were employed for the determination of tumor cell viability upon exposure to [(131)I]-4. Compared to untreated control cells, significantly reduced cell viability was observed for FR(+) cancer cells (KB, IGROV-1, SKOV-3), while FR(-) cells (PC-3) were not affected. Biodistribution studies performed in tumor bearing nude mice showed the specific accumulation of both radiofolates in KB tumor xenografts ([(125)I]-2: 3.43 ± 0.28% ID/g; [(125)I]-4: 2.28 ± 0.46% ID/g, 4 h p.i.) and increasing tumor-to-kidney ratios over time. The further improvement of the tumor-to-background contrast was achieved by preinjection of the mice with pemetrexed allowing excellent imaging via single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT). These findings confirmed the hypothesis that the application of radioiodinated folate conjugates may be a valuable concept to improve tumor-to-background contrast. The inhibitory effect of [(131)I]-4 on FR(+) cancer cells in vitro indicates the potential of this class of radiofolates for therapeutic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Reber
- Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences ETH-PSI-USZ, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
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Schiefner A, Gebauer M, Skerra A. Extra-domain B in oncofetal fibronectin structurally promotes fibrillar head-to-tail dimerization of extracellular matrix protein. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:17578-17588. [PMID: 22442152 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.303131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The type III extra-domain B (ED-B) is specifically spliced into fibronectin (Fn) during embryogenesis and neoangiogenesis, including many cancers. The x-ray structure of the recombinant four-domain fragment Fn(III)7B89 reveals a tightly associated, extended head-to-tail dimer, which is stabilized via pair-wise shape and charge complementarity. A tendency toward ED-B-dependent dimer formation in solution was supported by size exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation. When amending the model with the known three-dimensional structure of the Fn(III)10 domain, its RGD loop as well as the adhesion synergy region in Fn(III)9-10 become displayed on the same face of the dimer; this should allow simultaneous binding of at least two integrins and, thus, receptor clustering on the cell surface and intracellular signaling. Insertion of ED-B appears to stabilize overall head-to-tail dimerization of two separate Fn chains, which, together with alternating homodimer formation via disulfide bridges at the C-terminal Fn tail, should lead to the known macromolecular fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Schiefner
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPS-M) and Lehrstuhl für Biologische Chemie, Technische Universität München, 85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Michaela Gebauer
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPS-M) and Lehrstuhl für Biologische Chemie, Technische Universität München, 85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Arne Skerra
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPS-M) and Lehrstuhl für Biologische Chemie, Technische Universität München, 85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.
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Eigentler TK, Weide B, de Braud F, Spitaleri G, Romanini A, Pflugfelder A, González-Iglesias R, Tasciotti A, Giovannoni L, Schwager K, Lovato V, Kaspar M, Trachsel E, Menssen HD, Neri D, Garbe C. A dose-escalation and signal-generating study of the immunocytokine L19-IL2 in combination with dacarbazine for the therapy of patients with metastatic melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2011; 17:7732-42. [PMID: 22028492 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-11-1203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE L19-IL2 is an immunocytokine composed of an antibody fragment specific to the EDB domain of fibronectin, a tumor angiogenesis marker, and of human interleukin-2 (IL2). L19-IL2 delivers IL2 to the tumor site exploiting the selective expression of EDB on newly formed blood vessels. Previously, the recommended dose of L19-IL2 monotherapy was defined as 22.5 million international units (Mio IU) IL2 equivalents. In this study, safety and clinical activity of L19-IL2 in combination with dacarbazine were assessed in patients with metastatic melanoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The first 10 studied patients received escalating doses of L19-IL2 on days 1, 3, and 5 in combination with 1 g/m(2) of dacarbazine on day 1 of a 3-weekly therapy cycle. Subsequently, 22 patients received L19-IL2 at recommended dose plus dacarbazine. Up to six treatment cycles were given, followed by a maintenance regimen with biweekly L19-IL2. RESULTS The recommended dose of L19-IL2 in combination with dacarbazine was defined as 22.5 Mio IU. Toxicity was manageable and reversible, with no treatment-related deaths. Twenty-nine patients were evaluable for efficacy according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). In a centralized radiology analysis, eight of 29 (28%) patients achieved a RECIST-confirmed objective response, including a complete response still ongoing 21 months after treatment beginning. The 12-month survival rate and median overall survival of the recommended dose-treated patients (n = 26) were 61.5% and 14.1 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The repeated administration of L19-IL2 in combination with dacarbazine is safe and shows encouraging signs of clinical activity in patients with metastatic melanoma. This combination therapy is currently evaluated in a randomized phase II trial with patients with metastatic melanoma.
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