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Damelang T, Brinkhaus M, van Osch TLJ, Schuurman J, Labrijn AF, Rispens T, Vidarsson G. Impact of structural modifications of IgG antibodies on effector functions. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1304365. [PMID: 38259472 PMCID: PMC10800522 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1304365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are a critical component of the adaptive immune system, binding to and neutralizing pathogens and other foreign substances. Recent advances in molecular antibody biology and structural protein engineering enabled the modification of IgG antibodies to enhance their therapeutic potential. This review summarizes recent progress in both natural and engineered structural modifications of IgG antibodies, including allotypic variation, glycosylation, Fc engineering, and Fc gamma receptor binding optimization. We discuss the functional consequences of these modifications to highlight their potential for therapeutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timon Damelang
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Sanquin Research, Department of Immunopathology, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Antibody Research & Technologies’, Genmab, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Maximilian Brinkhaus
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Thijs L. J. van Osch
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Janine Schuurman
- Department of Antibody Research & Technologies’, Genmab, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Aran F. Labrijn
- Department of Antibody Research & Technologies’, Genmab, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Theo Rispens
- Sanquin Research, Department of Immunopathology, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gestur Vidarsson
- Sanquin Research, Department of Experimental Immunohematology and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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2
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Pang KT, Yang YS, Zhang W, Ho YS, Sormanni P, Michaels TCT, Walsh I, Chia S. Understanding and controlling the molecular mechanisms of protein aggregation in mAb therapeutics. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 67:108192. [PMID: 37290583 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108192] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In antibody development and manufacturing, protein aggregation is a common challenge that can lead to serious efficacy and safety issues. To mitigate this problem, it is important to investigate its molecular origins. This review discusses (1) our current molecular understanding and theoretical models of antibody aggregation, (2) how various stress conditions related to antibody upstream and downstream bioprocesses can trigger aggregation, and (3) current mitigation strategies employed towards inhibiting aggregation. We discuss the relevance of the aggregation phenomenon in the context of novel antibody modalities and highlight how in silico approaches can be exploited to mitigate it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuin Tian Pang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore; School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore
| | - Yuan Sheng Yang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Wei Zhang
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Ying Swan Ho
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Pietro Sormanni
- Chemistry of Health, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas C T Michaels
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich, Otto-Stern-Weg 3, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; Bringing Materials to Life Initiative, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ian Walsh
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Sean Chia
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
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3
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Wu Q, Cao C, Wei S, He H, Chen K, Su L, Liu Q, Li S, Lai Y, Li J. Decreasing hydrophobicity or shielding hydrophobic areas of CH2 attenuates low pH-induced IgG4 aggregation. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1257665. [PMID: 37711444 PMCID: PMC10497874 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1257665] [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: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a major challenge in the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Several stressors can cause protein aggregation, including temperature shifts, mechanical forces, freezing-thawing cycles, oxidants, reductants, and extreme pH. When antibodies are exposed to low pH conditions, aggregation increases dramatically. However, low pH treatment is widely used in protein A affinity chromatography and low pH viral inactivation procedures. In the development of an IgG4 subclass antibody, mAb1-IgG4 showed a strong tendency to aggregate when temporarily exposed to low pH conditions. Our findings showed that the aggregation of mAb1-IgG4 under low pH conditions is determined by the stability of the Fc. The CH2 domain is the least stable domain in mAb1-IgG4. The L309E, Q311D, and Q311E mutations in the CH2 domain significantly reduced the aggregation propensity, which could be attributed to a reduction in the hydrophobicity of the CH2 domain. Protein stabilizers, such as sucrose and mannose, could also attenuate low pH-induced mAb1-IgG4 aggregation by shielding hydrophobic areas and increasing protein stability. Our findings provide valuable strategies for managing the aggregation of protein therapeutics with a human IgG4 backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Wu
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
- Zhuhai United Laboratories Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Chunlai Cao
- Zhuhai United Laboratories Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
- The United Biotechnology (Zhuhai Hengqin) Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Suzhen Wei
- The United Biotechnology (Zhuhai Hengqin) Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Hua He
- The United Biotechnology (Zhuhai Hengqin) Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Kangyue Chen
- Zhuhai United Laboratories Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Lijuan Su
- Zhuhai United Laboratories Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Qiulian Liu
- Zhuhai United Laboratories Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Shuang Li
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongjie Lai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Zunyi Medical University (Zhuhai Campus), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Jing Li
- Zhuhai United Laboratories Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
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Pejchal R, Cooper AB, Brown ME, Vásquez M, Krauland EM. Profiling the Biophysical Developability Properties of Common IgG1 Fc Effector Silencing Variants. Antibodies (Basel) 2023; 12:54. [PMID: 37753968 PMCID: PMC10526015 DOI: 10.3390/antib12030054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic antibodies represent the most significant modality in biologics, with around 150 approved drugs on the market. In addition to specific target binding mediated by the variable fragments (Fvs) of the heavy and light chains, antibodies possess effector functions through binding of the constant region (Fc) to Fcγ receptors (FcγR), which allow immune cells to attack and kill target cells using a variety of mechanisms. However, for some applications, including T-cell-engaging bispecifics, this effector function is typically undesired. Mutations within the lower hinge and the second constant domain (CH2) of IgG1 that comprise the FcγR binding interface reduce or eliminate effector function ("Fc silencing") while retaining binding to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), important for normal antibody pharmacokinetics (PKs). Comprehensive profiling of biophysical developability properties would benefit the choice of constant region variants for development. Here, we produce a large panel of representative mutations previously described in the literature and in many cases in clinical or approved molecules, generate select combinations thereof, and characterize their binding and biophysical properties. We find that some commonly used CH2 mutations, including D265A and P331S, are effective in reducing binding to FcγR but significantly reduce stability, promoting aggregation, particularly under acidic conditions commonly employed in manufacturing. We highlight mutation sets that are particularly effective for eliminating Fc effector function with the retention of WT-like stability, including L234A, L235A, and S267K (LALA-S267K), L234A, L235E, and S267K (LALE-S267K), L234A, L235A, and P329A (LALA-P329A), and L234A, L235E, and P329G (LALE-P329G).
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Pejchal
- Adimab LLC, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA; (M.E.B.); (M.V.); (E.M.K.)
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Ransdell AS, Reed M, Herrington J, Cain P, Kelly RM. Creation of a versatile automated two-step purification system with increased throughput capacity for preclinical mAb material generation. Protein Expr Purif 2023; 207:106269. [PMID: 37023994 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2023.106269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
The ever-increasing speed of biotherapeutic drug discovery has driven the development of automated and high throughput purification capabilities. Typically, purification systems require complex flow paths or third-party components that are not found on a standard fast protein liquid chromatography instrument (FPLC) (e.g., Cytiva's ÄKTA) to enable higher throughput. In early mAb discovery there is often a trade-off between throughput and scale where a high-throughput process requires miniaturized workflows necessitating a sacrifice in the amount of material generated. At the interface of discovery and development, flexible automated systems are required that can perform purifications in a high-throughput manner, while also generating sufficient quantities of preclinical material for biophysical, developability, and preclinical animal studies. In this study we highlight the engineering efforts to generate a highly versatile purification system capable of balancing the purification requirements between throughput, chromatographic versatility, and overall product yields. We incorporated a 150 mL Superloop into an ÄKTA FPLC system to expand our existing purification capabilities. This allowed us to perform a range of automated two-step tandem purifications including primary affinity captures (protein A (ProA)/immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC)/antibody fragment (Fab)) followed by secondary polishing with either size exclusion (SEC) or cation exchange (CEX) chromatography. We also integrated a 96 deep-well plate fraction collector into the ÄKTA FPLC system with purified protein fractions being analyzed by a plate based high performance liquid chromatography instrument (HPLC). This streamlined automated purification workflow allowed us to process up to 14 samples within 24 hr, enabling purification of ∼1100 proteins, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and mAb related protein scaffolds during a 12-month period. We purified a broad range of cell culture supernatant volumes, between 0.1 - 2 L, with final purification yields up to 2 g. The implementation of this new automated, streamlined protein purification process greatly expanded our sample throughput and purification versatility while also enabling the accelerated production of greater quantities of biotherapeutic candidates for preclinical in vivo animal studies and developability assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Ransdell
- Biotechnology Discovery Research, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Technology Center-North, 1400 West Raymond St, Indianapolis, IN, 46221, USA.
| | - Melora Reed
- Biotechnology Discovery Research, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Technology Center-North, 1400 West Raymond St, Indianapolis, IN, 46221, USA
| | - John Herrington
- Biotechnology Discovery Research, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Technology Center-North, 1400 West Raymond St, Indianapolis, IN, 46221, USA
| | - Paul Cain
- Biotechnology Discovery Research, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Technology Center-North, 1400 West Raymond St, Indianapolis, IN, 46221, USA
| | - Ronan M Kelly
- Biotechnology Discovery Research, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Technology Center-North, 1400 West Raymond St, Indianapolis, IN, 46221, USA
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Wilkinson I, Hale G. Systematic analysis of the varied designs of 819 therapeutic antibodies and Fc fusion proteins assigned international nonproprietary names. MAbs 2022; 14:2123299. [PMID: 36109838 PMCID: PMC9481088 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2123299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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Takagi‐Maeda S, Yajima S, Suzuki T, Usami K, Takahashi N, Niwa R, Shimada H. A novel cancer‐specific EGFR antibody obtained from the serum of esophageal cancer patients with long‐term survival. Cancer Sci 2022; 113:2118-2128. [PMID: 35348270 PMCID: PMC9207364 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sayaka Takagi‐Maeda
- Research and Development Division Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. 3‐6‐6 Asahi‐machi, Machida‐shi Tokyo 194‐8533 Japan
| | - Satoshi Yajima
- Department of Surgery School of Medicine Toho University 6‐11‐1 Omori‐Nishi, Ota‐ku Tokyo 143‐8541 Japan
| | - Takashi Suzuki
- Department of Surgery School of Medicine Toho University 6‐11‐1 Omori‐Nishi, Ota‐ku Tokyo 143‐8541 Japan
| | - Katsuaki Usami
- Research and Development Division Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. 3‐6‐6 Asahi‐machi, Machida‐shi Tokyo 194‐8533 Japan
| | - Nobuaki Takahashi
- Research and Development Division Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. 1‐9‐2 Otemachi, Chiyoda‐ku Tokyo 100‐0004 Japan
| | - Rinpei Niwa
- Research and Development Division Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. 3‐6‐6 Asahi‐machi, Machida‐shi Tokyo 194‐8533 Japan
| | - Hideaki Shimada
- Department of Surgery School of Medicine Toho University 6‐11‐1 Omori‐Nishi, Ota‐ku Tokyo 143‐8541 Japan
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery and Clinical Oncology Toho University Graduate School of Medicine 6‐11‐1, Omori‐Nishi, Ota‐ku Tokyo 143‐8541 Japan
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Izumi Y, Kanayama M, Shen Z, Kai M, Kawamura S, Akiyama M, Yamamoto M, Nagao T, Okada K, Kawamata N, Toyota S, Ohteki T. An Antibody-Drug Conjugate That Selectively Targets Human Monocyte Progenitors for Anti-Cancer Therapy. Front Immunol 2021; 12:618081. [PMID: 33692791 PMCID: PMC7937628 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.618081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As hematopoietic progenitors supply a large number of blood cells, therapeutic strategies targeting hematopoietic progenitors are potentially beneficial to eliminate unwanted blood cells, such as leukemic cells and immune cells causing diseases. However, due to their pluripotency, targeting those cells may impair the production of multiple cell lineages, leading to serious side effects such as anemia and increased susceptibility to infection. To minimize those side effects, it is important to identify monopotent progenitors that give rise to a particular cell lineage. Monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages play important roles in the development of inflammatory diseases and tumors. Recently, we identified human monocyte-restricted progenitors, namely, common monocyte progenitors and pre-monocytes, both of which express high levels of CD64, a well-known monocyte marker. Here, we introduce a dimeric pyrrolobenzodiazepine (dPBD)-conjugated anti-CD64 antibody (anti-CD64-dPBD) that selectively induces the apoptosis of proliferating human monocyte-restricted progenitors but not non-proliferating mature monocytes. Treatment with anti-CD64-dPBD did not affect other types of hematopoietic cells including hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes and platelets, suggesting that its off-target effects are negligible. In line with these findings, treatment with anti-CD64-dPBD directly killed proliferating monocytic leukemia cells and prevented monocytic leukemia cell generation from bone marrow progenitors of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia patients in a patient-derived xenograft model. Furthermore, by depleting the source of monocytes, treatment with anti-CD64-dPBD ultimately eliminated tumor-associated macrophages and significantly reduced tumor size in humanized mice bearing solid tumors. Given the selective action of anti-CD64-dPBD on proliferating monocyte progenitors and monocytic leukemia cells, it should be a promising tool to target cancers and other monocyte-related inflammatory disorders with minimal side effects on other cell lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Izumi
- Department of Biodefense Research, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masashi Kanayama
- Department of Biodefense Research, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Zhongchuzi Shen
- Oncology Research Laboratories, Oncology R&D Unit, R&D Division, Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masayuki Kai
- Oncology Research Laboratories, Oncology R&D Unit, R&D Division, Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Kawamura
- Department of Biodefense Research, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Megumi Akiyama
- Department of Biodefense Research, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Hematology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahide Yamamoto
- Department of Hematology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshikage Nagao
- Department of Hematology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keigo Okada
- Department of Hematology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Norihiko Kawamata
- Department of Hematology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeo Toyota
- Department of Hematology, Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Ohteki
- Department of Biodefense Research, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
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