Proof-of-concept study of the caninized anti-canine programmed death 1 antibody in dogs with advanced non-oral malignant melanoma solid tumors

BACKGROUND

The anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibody has led to durable clinical responses in a wide variety of human tumors. We have previously developed the caninized anti-canine PD-1 antibody (ca-4F12-E6) and evaluated its therapeutic properties in dogs with advance-staged oral malignant melanoma (OMM), however, their therapeutic effects on other types of canine tumors remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The present clinical study was carried out to evaluate the safety profile and clinical efficacy of ca-4F12-E6 in dogs with advanced solid tumors except for OMM.

METHODS

Thirty-eight dogs with non-OMM solid tumors were enrolled prospectively and treated with ca-4F12-E6 at 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks of each 10-week treatment cycle. Adverse events (AEs) and treatment efficacy were graded based on the criteria established by the Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group.

RESULTS

One dog was withdrawn, and thirty-seven dogs were evaluated for the safety and efficacy of ca-4F12-E6. Treatment-related AEs of any grade occurred in 13 out of 37 cases (35.1%). Two dogs with sterile nodular panniculitis and one with myasthenia gravis and hypothyroidism were suspected of immune-related AEs. In 30 out of 37 dogs that had target tumor lesions, the overall response and clinical benefit rates were 6.9% and 27.6%, respectively. The median progression-free survival and overall survival time were 70 days and 215 days, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated that ca-4F12-E6 was well-tolerated in non-OMM dogs, with a small number of cases showing objective responses. This provides evidence supporting large-scale clinical trials of anti-PD-1 antibody therapy in dogs.

Long-term survival of dogs with stage 4 oral malignant melanoma treated with anti-canine PD-1 therapeutic antibody: A follow-up case report

A monoclonal antibody targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is one of the most promising treatments for human cancers. Clinical studies in humans demonstrated that the anti-PD-1 antibody provides a long-lasting tumour response. Previously, we established an anti-canine PD-1 therapeutic antibody (ca-4F12-E6), and the pilot clinical study demonstrated that the antibody was effective in dogs with oral malignant melanoma (OMM). However, two OMM cases were still undergoing treatment when the pilot study was published. Here, we describe the long-term follow-up of those two cases. Although both cases showed long-term survival with complete response (CR), the tumour response differed; the effect onset was slow in one case and a durable response was observed in the second case even after treatment discontinuation. Secondary malignant tumours occurred during treatment in both cases. This follow-up study revealed that ca-4F12-E6 maintains CR in dogs for more than 1 year. In addition, the pattern of tumour response was unique compared to conventional therapy. These results indicate that new evaluation criteria for tumour response may be necessary for immunotherapy in veterinary medicine. Long-term follow-up is necessary regardless of the short-term treatment responsiveness.

Relationship of microsatellite instability to mismatch repair deficiency in malignant tumors of dogs

BACKGROUND

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a type of genomic instability caused by mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) in tumors. Studies on dMMR/MSI are limited, and the relationship between dMMR and MSI is unknown in tumors of dogs.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to identify the frequency of dMMR/MSI by tumor type and evaluate the relationship between dMMR and MSI in tumors of dogs.

ANIMALS

In total, 101 dogs with 11 types of malignant tumors were included.

METHODS

We extracted DNA from fresh normal and tumor tissues. Twelve microsatellite loci from both normal and tumor DNA were amplified by PCR and detected by capillary electrophoresis. Each microsatellite (MS) was defined as MSI if a difference in product size between the tumor and normal DNA was detected. The dMMR was evaluated by immunohistochemistry with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. Next, we confirmed whether dMMR induces MSI by serial passaging of MMR gene knockout cell lines for 3 months.

RESULTS

Microsatellite instability was detected frequently in oral malignant melanoma. The number of MSI-positive markers was higher in cases with dMMR than in those with proficient MMR (P < .0001). Statistical analysis indicated that the occurrence of MSI in FH2305 might have relevance to dMMR. Furthermore, MSI occurred in dMMR cell lines 3 months after passaging.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

Microsatellite instability and dMMR more frequently were found in oral malignant melanoma than in other tumors, and dMMR has relevance to MSI in both clinical cases and cell lines.

Mismatch repair deficiency in canine neoplasms

The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system preserves genomic stability by identifying and repairing mismatched nucleotides in the DNA replication process. The dysfunction of the MMR system, also known as mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), is implicated as a predictive biomarker for the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy regardless of the tumor type in humans. This study aimed to evaluate the immunolabeling of MMR proteins in canine tumors and to identify the types of tumors having dMMR. First, we performed immunohistochemistry in 8 different canine tumors (oral malignant melanoma, high-to-intermediate grade lymphoma, mast cell tumor, malignant mammary gland tumor, urothelial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, osteosarcoma, and hemangiosarcoma) with 15 samples each to analyze the immunolabeling of canine mismatch repair proteins (MSH2, MSH6, and MLH1) using anti-human monoclonal antibodies. We found that more than half of canine oral malignant melanoma (60%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (53%) samples and fewer of the other canine tumors had loss of immunolabeling in ≥1 MMR protein (ie, evidence of defective MMR proteins, based on the definition of dMMR in the humans). Antibodies against human MSH2, MSH6, and MLH1 were cross-reactive with the corresponding canine protein as confirmed using MMR gene knockout canine cell lines. Further studies are required to investigate the clinical outcomes in canine spontaneous tumors with dMMR to determine the potential for immune checkpoint blockade therapy for these tumor types.

Angular distributions of H-induced HD and D2 desorptions from the Si(100) surfaces

We measured angular distributions of HD and D2 molecules desorbed via the reactions H+DSi(100)-->HD [abstraction (ABS)] and H+DSi(100)-->D2 [adsorption-induced-desorption (AID)], respectively. It was found that the angular distribution of HD molecules desorbed along ABS is broader than that of D2 molecules desorbed along AID, i.e., the former could be fit with cos(2.0+/-0.2) theta, while the latter with cos(5.0+/-0.5) theta. This difference of the angular distributions between the two reaction paths suggests that their dynamic mechanisms are different. The observed cos2 theta distribution for the ABS reaction was reproduced by the classical trajectory calculations over the London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato potential-energy surfaces. The simulation suggests that the HD desorption along the ABS path takes place along the direction of Si-D bonds, but the apparent angular distribution is comprised of multiple components reflecting the different orientations of D-occupied Si dimers in the (2 x 1) and (1 x 2) double domain structures.

Modulated hydrogen beam study of adsorption-induced desorption of deuterium from Si(100)-3×1:D surfaces

We have studied the kinetic mechanism of the adsorption-induced-desorption (AID) reaction, H+D/Si(100) --> D2. Using a modulated atomic hydrogen beam, two different types of AID reaction are revealed: one is the fast AID reaction occurring only at the beam on-cycles and the other the slow AID reaction occurring even at the beam off-cycles. Both the fast and slow AID reactions show the different dependence on surface temperature Ts, suggesting that their kinetic mechanisms are different. The fast AID reaction overwhelms the slow one in the desorption yield for 300 K < or = Ts < or = 650 K. It proceeds along a first-order kinetics with respect to the incident H flux. Based on the experimental results, both two AID reactions are suggested to occur only on the 3x1 dihydride phase accumulated during surface exposure to H atoms. Possible mechanisms for the AID reactions are discussed.

Chlorinated Alkaloids in Menispermum dauricum DC. Root Culture

Feeding experiments using (36)Cl showed that Menispermum dauricum root culture produces four alkaloids containing chlorine. They included the novel alkaloids dauricumine and dauricumidine as well as the known alkaloids acutumine and acutumidine. The structures of novel alkaloids were established by spectroscopic, crystallographic, and chemical methods. These four alkaloids were labeled with (36)Cl, isolated, and fed independently to root cultures. Mutual conversion between acutumine and acutumidine, and between dauricumine and dauricumidine by N-methylation and N-demethylation, was demonstrated. Moreover, dauricumine was converted to acutumine and acutumidine. Epimerization of acutumidine to dauricumidine or vice versa was not observed. These results suggest that dauricumine is the first chlorinated alkaloid formed in cultured M. dauricum roots. Skewed distribution of radioactivity derived from labeled dauricumine is proof that epimerization at C-1 proceeds at a lower rate than N-demethylation.

Effect of Imidacloprid on Incidence of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus

Confidor, an imidacloprid insecticide, was used in two applications at four rates (47.6, 71.4, 95.2, and 119 g a.i./ha) for indirectly controlling Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in field plantings of tomato. This spray regimen was compared with standard applications of cypermethrins at 10- to 15-day intervals throughout the growing season. In three field trials, a combination of integrated pest management (IPM) practices and two applications of Confidor at the two highest rates immediately after planting and 6 weeks later, protected tomato plants against the disease until 12 weeks after sowing. All rates of Confidor reduced disease incidence compared with standard chemical control applied in an integrated strategy, and quantitative efficacy increased with increase of insecticide rate. In the three seasons, the mean incidence of TYLCV 12 weeks after sowing was 42.7% in plots not adopting IPM compared with 15.7% in those that did. Disease incidence was reduced by Confidor treatments to 2.2 to 17%. Confidor-treated plots consistently had higher yields than control plots, and the yields decreased with the decrease in the rate of Confidor application. Confidor offers several advantages over standard applications of cypermethrins to control TYLCV. When applied immediately after planting, its long-lasting systemic activity protected the crop against the disease during early stages of growth. In addition, it reduced the number of sprays and increased tomato yield.