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Hofmann I, Baum A, Hofmann MH, Trapani F, Reichel-Voda C, Ehrensperger D, Aichinger M, Ebner F, Budano N, Schweifer N, Sykora M, Depla E, Boucneau J, Gschwind A, Kraut N, Hilberg F, Künkele KP. Pharmacodynamic and Antitumor Activity of BI 836880, a Dual Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Angiopoietin 2 Inhibitor, Alone and Combined with Programmed Cell Death Protein-1 Inhibition. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2023; 384:331-342. [PMID: 36241203 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.122.001255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin (ANG)-2 have complementary roles in angiogenesis and promote an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. It is anticipated that the combination of VEGF and ANG2 blockade could provide superior activity to the blockade of either pathway alone and that the addition of VEGF/ANG2 inhibition to an anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody could change the tumor microenvironment to support T-cell-mediated tumor cytotoxicity. Here, we describe the pharmacologic and antitumor activity of BI 836880, a humanized bispecific nanobody comprising two single-variable domains blocking VEGF and ANG2, and an additional module for half-life extension in vivo. BI 836880 demonstrated high affinity and selectivity for human VEGF-A and ANG2, resulting in inhibition of the downstream signaling of VEGF/ANG2 and a decrease in endothelial cell proliferation and survival. In vivo, BI 836880 exhibited significant antitumor activity in all patient-derived xenograft models tested, showing significantly greater tumor growth inhibition (TGI) than bevacizumab (VEGF inhibition) and AMG386 (ANG1/2 inhibition) in a range of models. In a Lewis lung carcinoma syngeneic tumor model, the combination of PD-1 inhibition with VEGF inhibition showed superior efficacy versus the blockade of either pathway alone. TGI was further increased with the addition of ANG2 inhibition to VEGF/PD-1 blockade. VEGF/ANG2 inhibition had a strong antiangiogenic effect. Our data suggest that the blockade of VEGF and ANG2 with BI 836880 may offer improved antitumor activity versus the blockade of either pathway alone and that combining VEGF/ANG2 inhibition with PD-1 blockade can further enhance antitumor effects. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin (ANG)-2 play key roles in angiogenesis and have an immunosuppressive effect in the tumor microenvironment. This study shows that BI 836880, a bispecific nanobody targeting VEGF and ANG2, demonstrates substantial antitumor activity in preclinical models. Combining VEGF/ANG2 inhibition with the blockade of the PD-1 pathway can further improve antitumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irmgard Hofmann
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Anke Baum
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Marco H Hofmann
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Francesca Trapani
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Claudia Reichel-Voda
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Diane Ehrensperger
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Martin Aichinger
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Florian Ebner
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Nicole Budano
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Norbert Schweifer
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Martina Sykora
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Erik Depla
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Joachim Boucneau
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Andreas Gschwind
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Norbert Kraut
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Frank Hilberg
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
| | - Klaus-Peter Künkele
- Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation (I.H., C.R.-V., M.S.), Cancer Pharmacology and Disease Positioning (A.B., M.H.H., M.A., F.E., F.H.), Cancer Research (D.E., A.G., N.K., K.-P.K.), and Oncology Translational Sciences (F.T., N.B., N.S.), Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria; and Ablynx NV, Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium (E.D., J.B.)
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Kofink C, Trainor N, Mair B, Wöhrle S, Wurm M, Mischerikow N, Roy MJ, Bader G, Greb P, Garavel G, Diers E, McLennan R, Whitworth C, Vetma V, Rumpel K, Scharnweber M, Fuchs JE, Gerstberger T, Cui Y, Gremel G, Chetta P, Hopf S, Budano N, Rinnenthal J, Gmaschitz G, Mayer M, Koegl M, Ciulli A, Weinstabl H, Farnaby W. A selective and orally bioavailable VHL-recruiting PROTAC achieves SMARCA2 degradation in vivo. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5969. [PMID: 36216795 PMCID: PMC9551036 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33430-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted protein degradation offers an alternative modality to classical inhibition and holds the promise of addressing previously undruggable targets to provide novel therapeutic options for patients. Heterobifunctional molecules co-recruit a target protein and an E3 ligase, resulting in ubiquitylation and proteosome-dependent degradation of the target. In the clinic, the oral route of administration is the option of choice but has only been achieved so far by CRBN- recruiting bifunctional degrader molecules. We aimed to achieve orally bioavailable molecules that selectively degrade the BAF Chromatin Remodelling complex ATPase SMARCA2 over its closely related paralogue SMARCA4, to allow in vivo evaluation of the synthetic lethality concept of SMARCA2 dependency in SMARCA4-deficient cancers. Here we outline structure- and property-guided approaches that led to orally bioavailable VHL-recruiting degraders. Our tool compound, ACBI2, shows selective degradation of SMARCA2 over SMARCA4 in ex vivo human whole blood assays and in vivo efficacy in SMARCA4-deficient cancer models. This study demonstrates the feasibility for broadening the E3 ligase and physicochemical space that can be utilised for achieving oral efficacy with bifunctional molecules. Protein degraders are an emerging drug modality; however, their properties lie beyond typical drug-like space. Here the authors report optimisation via structure-based exit vector and linker design towards the VHL-recruiting PROTAC ACBI2, an orally bioavailable and selective degrader of SMARCA2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole Trainor
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.,ACRF Chemical Biology Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Barbara Mair
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon Wöhrle
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Melanie Wurm
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Michael J Roy
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.,ACRF Chemical Biology Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Gerd Bader
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Greb
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Emelyne Diers
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Ross McLennan
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Claire Whitworth
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Vesna Vetma
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Klaus Rumpel
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Yunhai Cui
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG, Biberach, Germany
| | | | - Paolo Chetta
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Hopf
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicole Budano
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Moriz Mayer
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Manfred Koegl
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alessio Ciulli
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | | | - William Farnaby
- Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
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