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Alleva DG, Delpero AR, Sathiyaseelan T, Murikipudi S, Lancaster TM, Atkinson MA, Wasserfall CH, Yu L, Ragupathy R, Bonami RH, Zion TC. An antigen-specific immunotherapeutic, AKS-107, deletes insulin-specific B cells and prevents murine autoimmune diabetes. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1367514. [PMID: 38515750 PMCID: PMC10954819 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1367514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The antigen-presenting cell function of insulin-reactive B cells promotes type 1 diabetes (T1D) in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice by stimulating pathogenic T cells leading to destruction of insulin-producing β-cells of pancreatic islets. Methods/Results To target insulin-reactive B cells, AKS-107, a human IgG1 Fc molecule fused with human insulin A and B chains, was engineered to retain conformational insulin epitopes that bound mouse and human B cell receptors but prevented binding to the insulin metabolic receptor. AKS-107 Fc-mediated deletion of insulin-reactive B cells was demonstrated via ex vivo and in vivo experiments with insulin-reactive B cell receptor transgenic mouse strains, VH125Tg/NOD and Tg125(H+L)/NOD. As an additional immune tolerance feature, the Y16A mutation of the insulin B(9-23) dominant T cell epitope was engineered into AKS-107 to suppress activation of insulin-specific T cells. In mice and non-human primates, AKS-107 was well-tolerated, non-immunogenic, did not cause hypoglycemia even at high doses, and showed an expectedly protracted pharmacokinetic profile. AKS-107 reproducibly prevented spontaneous diabetes from developing in NOD and VH125Tg/NOD mice that persisted for months after cessation of treatment, demonstrating durable immune tolerance. Discussion These preclinical outcomes position AKS-107 for clinical development in T1D prevention settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G. Alleva
- Department of Pharmacology, Akston Biosciences, Inc., Beverly, MA, United States
| | - Andrea R. Delpero
- Department of Pharmacology, Akston Biosciences, Inc., Beverly, MA, United States
| | | | - Sylaja Murikipudi
- Department of Pharmacology, Akston Biosciences, Inc., Beverly, MA, United States
| | - Thomas M. Lancaster
- Department of Pharmacology, Akston Biosciences, Inc., Beverly, MA, United States
| | - Mark A. Atkinson
- Departments of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, and Diabetes Institute, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Clive H. Wasserfall
- Departments of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, and Diabetes Institute, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Liping Yu
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Ramya Ragupathy
- Department of Pharmacology, Akston Biosciences, Inc., Beverly, MA, United States
| | - Rachel H. Bonami
- Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Todd C. Zion
- Department of Pharmacology, Akston Biosciences, Inc., Beverly, MA, United States
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Alleva DG, Feitsma EA, Janssen YF, Boersma HH, Lancaster TM, Sathiyaseelan T, Murikipudi S, Delpero AR, Scully MM, Ragupathy R, Kotha S, Haworth JR, Shah NJ, Rao V, Nagre S, Ronca SE, Green FM, Shaw SA, Aminetzah A, Kruijff S, Brom M, van Dam GM, Zion TC. Immunogenicity phase II study evaluating booster capacity of nonadjuvanted AKS-452 SARS-Cov-2 RBD Fc vaccine. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:40. [PMID: 38383578 PMCID: PMC10881471 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00830-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
AKS-452, a subunit vaccine comprising an Fc fusion of the ancestral wild-type (WT) SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein receptor binding domain (SP/RBD), was evaluated without adjuvant in a single cohort, non-randomized, open-labelled phase II study (NCT05124483) at a single site in The Netherlands for safety and immunogenicity. A single 90 µg subcutaneous booster dose of AKS-452 was administered to 71 adults previously primed with a registered mRNA- or adenovirus-based vaccine and evaluated for 273 days. All AEs were mild and no SAEs were attributable to AKS-452. While all subjects showed pre-existing SP/RBD binding and ACE2-inhibitory IgG titers, 60-68% responded to AKS-452 via ≥2-fold increase from days 28 to 90 and progressively decreased back to baseline by day 180 (days 28 and 90 mean fold-increases, 14.7 ± 6.3 and 8.0 ± 2.2). Similar response kinetics against RBD mutant proteins (including omicrons) were observed but with slightly reduced titers relative to WT. There was an expected strong inverse correlation between day-0 titers and the fold-increase in titers at day 28. AKS-452 enhanced neutralization potency against live virus, consistent with IgG titers. Nucleocapsid protein (Np) titers suggested infection occurred in 66% (46 of 70) of subjects, in which only 20 reported mild symptomatic COVID-19. These favorable safety and immunogenicity profiles support booster evaluation in a planned phase III universal booster study of this room-temperature stable vaccine that can be rapidly and inexpensively manufactured to serve vaccination at a global scale without the need of a complex distribution or cold chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Alleva
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Eline A Feitsma
- Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Yester F Janssen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hendrikus H Boersma
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, UMCG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas M Lancaster
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | | | - Sylaja Murikipudi
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Andrea R Delpero
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Melanie M Scully
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Ramya Ragupathy
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Sravya Kotha
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Haworth
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Nishit J Shah
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Vidhya Rao
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Shashikant Nagre
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA
| | - Shannon E Ronca
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Freedom M Green
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Stephen A Shaw
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ari Aminetzah
- TRACER BV, Aarhusweg 2-1/2-2, 9723 JJ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Schelto Kruijff
- Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten Brom
- TRACER BV, Aarhusweg 2-1/2-2, 9723 JJ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gooitzen M van Dam
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, Groningen, The Netherlands
- TRACER BV, Aarhusweg 2-1/2-2, 9723 JJ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Todd C Zion
- Akston Biosciences Corporation, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA, 01915, USA.
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Feitsma EA, Janssen YF, Boersma HH, van Sleen Y, van Baarle D, Alleva DG, Lancaster TM, Sathiyaseelan T, Murikipudi S, Delpero AR, Scully MM, Ragupathy R, Kotha S, Haworth JR, Shah NJ, Rao V, Nagre S, Ronca SE, Green FM, Aminetzah A, Sollie F, Kruijff S, Brom M, van Dam GM, Zion TC. A randomized phase I/II safety and immunogenicity study of the Montanide-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-RBD-Fc vaccine, AKS-452. Vaccine 2023; 41:2184-2197. [PMID: 36842886 PMCID: PMC9946892 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.02.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous interim data from a phase I study of AKS-452, a subunit vaccine comprising an Fc fusion of the respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein receptor binding domain (SP/RBD) emulsified in the water-in-oil adjuvant, Montanide™ ISA 720, suggested a good safety and immunogenicity profile in healthy adults. This phase I study was completed and two dosing regimens were further evaluated in this phase II study. METHODS This phase II randomized, open-labelled, parallel group study was conducted at a single site in The Netherlands with 52 healthy adults (18 - 72 years) receiving AKS-452 subcutaneously at one 90 µg dose (cohort 1, 26 subjects) or two 45 µg doses 28 days apart (cohort 2, 26 subjects). Serum samples were collected at the first dose (day 0) and at days 28, 56, 90, and 180. Safety and immunogenicity endpoints were assessed, along with induction of IgG isotypes, cross-reactive immunity against viral variants, and IFN-γ T cell responses. RESULTS All AEs were mild/moderate (grades 1 or 2), and no SAEs were attributable to AKS-452. Seroconversion rates reached 100% in both cohorts, although cohort 2 showed greater geometric mean IgG titers that were stable through day 180 and associated with enhanced potencies of SP/RBD-ACE2 binding inhibition and live virus neutralization. AKS-452-induced IgG titers strongly bound mutant SP/RBD from several SARS-CoV-2 variants (including Omicrons) that were predominantly of the favorable IgG1/3 isotype and IFN-γ-producing T cell phenotype. CONCLUSION These favorable safety and immunogenicity profiles of the candidate vaccine as demonstrated in this phase II study are consistent with those of the phase I study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04681092) and suggest that a total of 90 µg received in 2 doses may offer a greater duration of cross-reactive neutralizing titers than when given in a single dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline A Feitsma
- Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Yester F Janssen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Hendrikus H Boersma
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Yannick van Sleen
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Debbie van Baarle
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - David G Alleva
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Thomas M Lancaster
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | | | - Sylaja Murikipudi
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Andrea R Delpero
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Melanie M Scully
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Ramya Ragupathy
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Sravya Kotha
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Jeffrey R Haworth
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Nishit J Shah
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Vidhya Rao
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Shashikant Nagre
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Shannon E Ronca
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Freedom M Green
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Ari Aminetzah
- TRACER BV, L.J. Zielstraweg 1, 9766 GX Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Frans Sollie
- ICON, van Swietenlaan 6, 9728 NZ Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Schelto Kruijff
- Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands
| | - Maarten Brom
- TRACER BV, L.J. Zielstraweg 1, 9766 GX Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Gooitzen M van Dam
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, UMCG, the Netherlands; TRACER BV, L.J. Zielstraweg 1, 9766 GX Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Todd C Zion
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States.
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Cao J, Fettig LM, LaPara K, Zhang X, Murikipudi S, Delpero AR, Lancaster TM, Zion TC, Yee D. Abstract P4-02-01: Targeting insulin receptor in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs21-p4-02-01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Obesity and metabolic dysfunction are on the rise in the United States. Hyperinsulinemia, frequently seen in these conditions, correlates with an increased risk of development and mortality from estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer. Expression of components of the insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family of proteins promote cancer cell growth in vitro, link to shorter progression-free survival, and is associates with an increased risk of metastatic disease and death in breast cancer patients. Previously our lab found that development of resistance to the commonly used ER-targeting drug tamoxifen (Tam) in vitro is associated with a loss of the type I IGF receptor expression with an increased dependence on the homologous insulin receptor (IR). These data argue for targeting IR in breast cancer, but concern has been raised due to the potential of disrupting glucose homeostasis in patients with or without existing metabolic disease. To address this concern, a novel insulin-Fc fusion protein (AKS-130) was developed to lower blood glucose levels without causing clinical hypoglycemia with a potential to target tumor IR. AKS-130 was found to downregulate IR expression in models of colorectal cancer (HCT-116) and malignant melanoma (WM266.4). Further, AKS-130 suppressed xenograft growth in fed and fasted states. We examined if AKS-130 had similar effects on ER positive breast cancer cells. To test the hypothesis that resistance to endocrine therapy increases the reliance of ER positive breast cancer cells on IR signaling, we utilized the ER positive breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7L, T47D) and their Tam resistant derivatives (MCF-7L TamR, T47D TamR). Similar to in HCT-116 and WM266.4 cells, we found that AKS-130 is a modest agonist of IR in ER+ breast cancer cells. Exposure to AKS-130 led to a marked reduction in IR expression in both parental and TamR cell lines, and was associated with partially suppressed downstream signaling to Akt. Interestingly, AKS130 induced IR downregulation was inhibited by pretreatment of BMS 536924, a dual IGF1R/IR kinase inhibitor. In vivo, AKS-130 treatment by itself scaled down MCF7L parental xenograft growth as compared to vehicle group, and AKS-130 in combination with Tam trended toward extending time to a tumor size of 500mm3. In MCF7L TamR xenografts, addition of AKS-130 to Tam treatment also trended toward delaying xenograft growth, though it was not statistically significant. Importantly, prolonged treatment with AKS-130 did not lead to significant changes in weight or blood glucose. Taken together these data show that novel agents, such as AKS-130, may serve as way to disrupt IR signaling in cancer cells without affecting host glucose metabolism. Addition of AKS-130 to Tam treatment trended toward delaying xenograft growth though further studies are needed, especially animal model systems of insulin resistance. These data indicate that IR signaling may represent a target to overcome or delay endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer.
Citation Format: Jingran Cao, Lynsey M. Fettig, Kelly LaPara, Xihong Zhang, Sylaja Murikipudi, Andrea R. Delpero, Thomas M. Lancaster, Todd C. Zion, Douglas Yee. Targeting insulin receptor in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-02-01.
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Janssen YF, Feitsma EA, Boersma HH, Alleva DG, Lancaster TM, Sathiyaseelan T, Murikipudi S, Delpero AR, Scully MM, Ragupathy R, Kotha S, Haworth JR, Shah NJ, Rao V, Nagre S, Ronca SE, Green FM, Aminetzah A, Sollie F, Kruijff S, Brom M, van Dam GM, Zion TC. Phase I interim results of a phase I/II study of the IgG-Fc fusion COVID-19 subunit vaccine, AKS-452. Vaccine 2022; 40:1253-1260. [PMID: 35115195 PMCID: PMC8802018 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.01.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
To address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a recombinant subunit vaccine, AKS-452, is being developed comprising an Fc fusion protein of the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein receptor binding domain (SP/RBD) antigen and human IgG1 Fc emulsified in the water-in-oil adjuvant, Montanide™ ISA 720. A single-center, open-label, phase I dose-finding and safety study was conducted with 60 healthy adults (18–65 years) receiving one or two doses 28 days apart of 22.5 µg, 45 µg, or 90 µg of AKS-452 (i.e., six cohorts, N = 10 subjects per cohort). Primary endpoints were safety and reactogenicity and secondary endpoints were immunogenicity assessments. No AEs ≥ 3, no SAEs attributable to AKS-452, and no SARS-CoV-2 viral infections occurred during the study. Seroconversion rates of anti-SARS-CoV-2 SP/RBD IgG titers in the 22.5, 45, and 90 µg cohorts at day 28 were 70%, 90%, and 100%, respectively, which all increased to 100% at day 56 (except 89% for the single-dose 22.5 µg cohort). All IgG titers were Th1-isotype skewed and efficiently bound mutant SP/RBD from several SARS-CoV-2 variants with strong neutralization potencies of live virus infection of cells (including alpha and delta variants). The favorable safety and immunogenicity profiles of this phase I study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04681092) support phase II initiation of this room-temperature stable vaccine that can be rapidly and inexpensively manufactured to serve vaccination at a global scale without the need of a complex distribution or cold chain.
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Alleva DG, Delpero AR, Scully MM, Murikipudi S, Ragupathy R, Greaves EK, Sathiyaseelan T, Haworth JR, Shah NJ, Rao V, Nagre S, Lancaster TM, Webb SS, Jasa AI, Ronca SE, Green FM, Elyard HA, Yee J, Klein J, Karnes L, Sollie F, Zion TC. Development of an IgG-Fc fusion COVID-19 subunit vaccine, AKS-452. Vaccine 2021; 39:6601-6613. [PMID: 34642088 PMCID: PMC8491978 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.09.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AKS-452 is a biologically-engineered vaccine comprising an Fc fusion protein of the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein receptor binding domain antigen (Ag) and human IgG1 Fc (SP/RBD-Fc) in clinical development for the induction and augmentation of neutralizing IgG titers against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fc moiety is designed to enhance immunogenicity by increasing uptake via Fc-receptors (FcγR) on Ag-presenting cells (APCs) and prolonging exposure due to neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) recycling. AKS-452 induced approximately 20-fold greater neutralizing IgG titers in mice relative to those induced by SP/RBD without the Fc moiety and induced comparable long-term neutralizing titers with a single dose vs. two doses. To further enhance immunogenicity, AKS-452 was evaluated in formulations containing a panel of adjuvants in which the water-in-oil adjuvant, Montanide™ ISA 720, enhanced neutralizing IgG titers by approximately 7-fold after one and two doses in mice, including the neutralization of live SARS-CoV-2 virus infection of VERO-E6 cells. Furthermore, ISA 720-adjuvanted AKS-452 was immunogenic in rabbits and non-human primates (NHPs) and protected from infection and clinical symptoms with live SARS-CoV-2 virus in NHPs (USA-WA1/2020 viral strain) and the K18 human ACE2-trangenic (K18-huACE2-Tg) mouse (South African B.1.351 viral variant). These preclinical studies support the initiation of Phase I clinical studies with adjuvanted AKS-452 with the expectation that this room-temperature stable, Fc-fusion subunit vaccine can be rapidly and inexpensively manufactured to provide billions of doses per year especially in regions where the cold-chain is difficult to maintain.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Alleva
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Andrea R Delpero
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Melanie M Scully
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Sylaja Murikipudi
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Ramya Ragupathy
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Emma K Greaves
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | | | - Jeffrey R Haworth
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Nishit J Shah
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Vidhya Rao
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Shashikant Nagre
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Thomas M Lancaster
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States
| | - Sarah S Webb
- Biomere Biomedical Research Models, 57 Union St., Worcester, MA 01608, United States
| | - Allison I Jasa
- Biomere Biomedical Research Models, 57 Union St., Worcester, MA 01608, United States
| | - Shannon E Ronca
- Feigin ABSL-3 Facility, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Freedom M Green
- Feigin ABSL-3 Facility, Baylor, College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, 300.15, Houston, TX 77030, United States
| | - Hanne Andersen Elyard
- BIOQUAL, Inc., 9600 Medical Center Drive, Suite 101, Rockville, MD 20850-3336, United States
| | - JoAnn Yee
- Primate Assay Laboratory, CA National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Jeffrey Klein
- Sinclair Research Center, 562 State Road DD, Auxvasse, MO 65231, United States
| | - Larry Karnes
- Sinclair Research Center, 562 State Road DD, Auxvasse, MO 65231, United States
| | - Frans Sollie
- Pharmaceutical Research Associates Group B.V., Amerikaweg 18, 9407 TK Assen, Netherlands
| | - Todd C Zion
- Akston Biosciences Corporation., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 454C, Beverly, MA 01915, United States.
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Fettig LM, Zhang X, LaPara K, Murikipudi S, Delpero AR, Lancaster TM, Zion TC, Yee D. Abstract P1-21-05: A novel long-acting insulin for cancer therapy reduces xenograft tumor growth. Cancer Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs19-p1-21-05] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A link between obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and an increased risk in cancer mortality has been well established in several cancer types including, breast, colon, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. A likely mechanism driving this elevated risk is the associated increase in circulating insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which are known promoters of cancer growth and have been linked to shorter progression-free survival, and increased risk of metastatic disease and death in breast cancer patients. IGF receptor (IGF1R) targeting has been unsuccessful as insulin receptor (IR) also is functional in breast cancers. To address IR targeting, Akston Biosciences developed a novel insulin-Fc fusion protein (AKS-130) with the goal of lowering patient blood glucose levels without causing clinical hypoglycemia. AKS-130 was also found to downregulate IR expression in models of colon cancer (HCT-116) and malignant melanoma (WM266.4). Further, AKS-130 suppressed xenograft growth in fed and fasted states. We examined if AKS-130 had similar effects on estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer cells as ER+ breast cancers may have elevated expression or activation of IGF1R and IR. Data from our lab show that development of endocrine therapy resistance in ER+ breast cancer cell lines is associated with loss of IGF1R expression and subsequently increased sensitivity to insulin signaling, which supports overlapping pro-tumorigenic signaling pathways to IGF1R. To test the hypothesis that resistance to endocrine therapy increases the reliance of ER+ breast cancer cells on IR signaling, we used the ER+ breast cancer cell line, MCF-7L, and a Tam resistant derivative, MCF-7L TamR, to assess IR/IGF1R activation and growth in response to AKS-130. Similar to HCT-116 and WM266.4 cells, MCF-7L parental and TamR cells showed that AKS-130 was an agonist of IR. But after 72 hours of exposure, a marked reduction in IR was seen and associated with partially suppressed downstream signaling to Akt. Interestingly, AKS-130 induced proliferation at similar levels to insulin treatment in MCF-7L parental cells at three and five days post treatment. However, pre-treatment of cells with AKS-130 suppressed further insulin-stimulated growth in MCF-7L TamR cells. Ongoing studies are evaluating the effects of AKS-130 on ER+ breast cancer xenografts in vivo to determine if the ability of the drug to downregulate IR expression results in decreased tumor growth. Taken together these data show that novel agents, such as AKS-130, can target IR function in cancer cells. AKS-130 is a drug which may serve as way to disrupt IR in cancer cells without affecting host glucose metabolism. Targeting of IR signaling may represent a new strategy to overcome endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer.
Citation Format: Lynsey M Fettig, Xihong Zhang, Kelly LaPara, Sylaja Murikipudi, Andrea R Delpero, Thomas M Lancaster, Todd C Zion, Douglas Yee. A novel long-acting insulin for cancer therapy reduces xenograft tumor growth [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-21-05.
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