MM-131, a bispecific anti-Met/EpCAM mAb, inhibits HGF-dependent and HGF-independent Met signaling through concurrent binding to EpCAM

Activation of the Met receptor tyrosine kinase, either by its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), or via ligand-independent mechanisms, such as MET amplification or receptor overexpression, has been implicated in driving tumor proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. Clinical development of Met-targeted antibodies has been challenging, however, as bivalent antibodies exhibit agonistic properties, whereas monovalent antibodies lack potency and the capacity to down-regulate Met. Through computational modeling, we found that the potency of a monovalent antibody targeting Met could be dramatically improved by introducing a second binding site that recognizes an unrelated, highly expressed antigen on the tumor cell surface. Guided by this prediction, we engineered MM-131, a bispecific antibody that is monovalent for both Met and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). MM-131 is a purely antagonistic antibody that blocks ligand-dependent and ligand-independent Met signaling by inhibiting HGF binding to Met and inducing receptor down-regulation. Together, these mechanisms lead to inhibition of proliferation in Met-driven cancer cells, inhibition of HGF-mediated cancer cell migration, and inhibition of tumor growth in HGF-dependent and -independent mouse xenograft models. Consistent with its design, MM-131 is more potent in EpCAM-high cells than in EpCAM-low cells, and its potency decreases when EpCAM levels are reduced by RNAi. Evaluation of Met, EpCAM, and HGF levels in human tumor samples reveals that EpCAM is expressed at high levels in a wide range of Met-positive tumor types, suggesting a broad opportunity for clinical development of MM-131.

Impact of intrinsic affinity on functional binding and biological activity of EGFR antibodies

Aberrant expression and activation of EGF receptor (EGFR) has been implicated in the development and progression of many human cancers. As such, targeted therapeutic inhibition of EGFR, for example by antibodies, is a promising anticancer strategy. The overall efficacy of antibody therapies results from the complex interplay between affinity, valence, tumor penetration and retention, and signaling inhibition. To gain better insight into this relationship, we studied a panel of EGFR single-chain Fv (scFv) antibodies that recognize an identical epitope on EGFR but bind with intrinsic monovalent affinities varying by 280-fold. The scFv were converted to Fab and IgG formats, and investigated for their ability to bind EGFR, compete with EGF binding, and inhibit EGF-mediated downstream signaling and proliferation. We observed that the apparent EGFR-binding affinity for bivalent IgG plateaus at intermediate values of intrinsic affinity of the cognate Fab, leading to a biphasic curve describing the ratio of IgG to Fab affinity. Mathematical modeling of antibody-receptor binding indicated that the biphasic effect results from nonequilibrium assay limitations. This was confirmed by further observation that the potency of EGF competition for antibody binding to EGFR improved with both intrinsic affinity and antibody valence. Similarly, both higher intrinsic affinity and bivalent binding improved the potency of antibodies in blocking cellular signaling and proliferation. Overall, our work indicates that higher intrinsic affinity combined with bivalent binding can achieve avidity that leads to greater in vitro potency of antibodies, which may translate into greater therapeutic efficacy.

Antitumor activity of a novel bispecific antibody that targets the ErbB2/ErbB3 oncogenic unit and inhibits heregulin-induced activation of ErbB3

The prevalence of ErbB2 amplification in breast cancer has resulted in the heavy pursuit of ErbB2 as a therapeutic target. Although both the ErbB2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab and ErbB1/ErbB2 dual kinase inhibitor lapatinib have met with success in the clinic, many patients fail to benefit. In addition, the majority of patients who initially respond will unfortunately ultimately progress on these therapies. Activation of ErbB3, the preferred dimerization partner of ErbB2, plays a key role in driving ErbB2-amplified tumor growth, but we have found that current ErbB2-directed therapies are poor inhibitors of ligand-induced activation. By simulating ErbB3 inhibition in a computational model of ErbB2/ErbB3 receptor signaling, we predicted that a bispecific antibody that docks onto ErbB2 and subsequently binds to ErbB3 and blocks ligand-induced receptor activation would be highly effective in ErbB2-amplified tumors, with superior activity to a monospecific ErbB3 inhibitor. We have developed a bispecific antibody suitable for both large scale production and systemic therapy by generating a single polypeptide fusion protein of two human scFv antibodies linked to modified human serum albumin. The resulting molecule, MM-111, forms a trimeric complex with ErbB2 and ErbB3, effectively inhibiting ErbB3 signaling and showing antitumor activity in preclinical models that is dependent on ErbB2 overexpression. MM-111 can be rationally combined with trastuzumab or lapatinib for increased antitumor activity and may in the future complement existing ErbB2-directed therapies to treat resistant tumors or deter relapse.

Optimizing properties of antireceptor antibodies using kinetic computational models and experiments

Monoclonal antibodies are valuable as anticancer therapeutics because of their ability to selectively bind tumor-associated target proteins like receptor tyrosine kinases. Kinetic computational models that capture protein-protein interactions using mass action kinetics are a valuable tool for understanding the binding properties of monoclonal antibodies to their targets. Insights from the models can be used to explore different formats, to set antibody design specifications such as affinity and valence, and to predict potency. Antibody binding to target is driven by both intrinsic monovalent affinity and bivalent avidity. In this chapter, we describe a combined experimental and computational method of assessing the relative importance of these effects on observed drug potency. The method, which we call virtual flow cytometry (VFC), merges experimental measurements of monovalent antibody binding kinetics and affinity curves of antibody-antigen binding into a kinetic computational model of antibody-antigen interaction. The VFC method introduces a parameter χ, the avidity factor, which characterizes the ability of an antibody to cross-link its target through bivalent binding. This simple parameterization of antibody cross-linking allows the model to successfully describe and predict antibody binding curves across a wide variety of experimental conditions, including variations in target expression level and incubation time of antibody with target. We further demonstrate how computational models of antibody binding to cells can be used to predict target inhibition potency. Importantly, we demonstrate computationally that antibodies with high ability to cross-link antigen have significant potency advantages. We also present data suggesting that the parameter χ is a physical, epitope-dependent property of an antibody, and as a result propose that determination of antibody cross-linking and avidity should be incorporated into the screening of antibody panels for therapeutic development. Overall, our results suggest that antibody cross-linking, in addition to monovalent binding affinity, is a key design parameter of antibody performance.

Systems biologists seek fuller integration of systems biology approaches in new cancer research programs

Systems biology takes an interdisciplinary approach to the systematic study of complex interactions in biological systems. This approach seeks to decipher the emergent behaviors of complex systems rather than focusing only on their constituent properties. As an increasing number of examples illustrate the value of systems biology approaches to understand the initiation, progression, and treatment of cancer, systems biologists from across Europe and the United States hope for changes in the way their field is currently perceived among cancer researchers. In a recent EU-US workshop, supported by the European Commission, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, and the National Cancer Institute of the NIH, the participants discussed the strengths, weaknesses, hurdles, and opportunities in cancer systems biology.

Therapeutically targeting ErbB3: a key node in ligand-induced activation of the ErbB receptor-PI3K axis

The signaling network downstream of the ErbB family of receptors has been extensively targeted by cancer therapeutics; however, understanding the relative importance of the different components of the ErbB network is nontrivial. To explore the optimal way to therapeutically inhibit combinatorial, ligand-induced activation of the ErbB-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) axis, we built a computational model of the ErbB signaling network that describes the most effective ErbB ligands, as well as known and previously unidentified ErbB inhibitors. Sensitivity analysis identified ErbB3 as the key node in response to ligands that can bind either ErbB3 or EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor). We describe MM-121, a human monoclonal antibody that halts the growth of tumor xenografts in mice and, consistent with model-simulated inhibitor data, potently inhibits ErbB3 phosphorylation in a manner distinct from that of other ErbB-targeted therapies. MM-121, a previously unidentified anticancer therapeutic designed using a systems approach, promises to benefit patients with combinatorial, ligand-induced activation of the ErbB signaling network that are not effectively treated by current therapies targeting overexpressed or mutated oncogenes.

Directional persistence of EGF-induced cell migration is associated with stabilization of lamellipodial protrusions

Migrating cells can sustain a relatively constant direction of lamellipodial protrusion and locomotion over timescales ranging from minutes to hours. However, individual waves of lamellipodial extension occur over much shorter characteristic times. Little understanding exists regarding how cells might integrate biophysical processes across these disparate timescales to control the directional persistence of locomotion. We address this issue by examining the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation on long-timescale directional persistence and short-timescale lamellipodial dynamics of EGF receptor-transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells migrating on fibronectin-coated substrata. Addition of EGF increased persistence, with the magnitude of increase correlating with fibronectin coating concentration. Kymographic analysis of EGF-stimulated lamellipodial dynamics revealed that the temporal stability of lamellipodial protrusions similarly increased with fibronectin concentration. A soluble RGD peptide competitor reduced both the persistence of long-timescale cell paths and the stability of short-timescale membrane protrusions, indicating that cell-substratum adhesion concomitantly influences lamellipodial dynamics and directional persistence. These results reveal the importance of adhesion strength in regulating the directional motility of cells and suggest that the short-timescale kinetics of adhesion complex formation may play a key role in modulating directional persistence over much longer timescales.