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Zettl M, Wurm M, Schaaf O, Mostböck S, Tirapu I, Apfler I, Lorenz IC, Frego L, Kenny C, Thibodeau M, Oquendo Cifuentes E, Reschke M, Moll J, Kraut N, Vogt A, Sedgwick JD, Waizenegger IC. Combination of two novel blocking antibodies, anti-PD-1 antibody ezabenlimab ( BI 754091) and anti-LAG-3 antibody BI 754111, leads to increased immune cell responses. Oncoimmunology 2022; 11:2080328. [PMID: 35756842 PMCID: PMC9225207 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2022.2080328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Upregulation of inhibitory receptors, such as lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), may limit the antitumor activity of therapeutic antibodies targeting the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) pathway. We describe the binding properties of ezabenlimab, an anti-human PD-1 antibody, and BI 754111, an anti-human LAG-3 antibody, and assess their activity alone and in combination. Ezabenlimab bound with high affinity to human PD-1 (KD = 6 nM) and blocked the interaction of PD-1 with PD-L1 and PD-L2. Ezabenlimab dose-dependently increased interferon-γ secretion in human T cells expressing PD-1 in co-culture with PD-L1-expressing dendritic cells. Administration of ezabenlimab to human PD-1 knock-in mice dose-dependently inhibited growth of MC38 tumors. To reduce immunogenicity, ezabenlimab was reformatted from a human IgG4 to a chimeric variant with a mouse IgG1 backbone (BI 905725) for further in vivo studies. Combining BI 905725 with anti-mouse LAG-3 antibodies improved antitumor activity versus BI 905725 monotherapy in the MC38 tumor model. We generated BI 754111, which bound with high affinity to human LAG-3 and prevented LAG-3 interaction with its ligand, major histocompatibility complex class II. In an in vitro model of antigen-experienced memory T cells expressing PD-1 and LAG-3, interferon-γ secretion increased by an average 1.8-fold versus isotype control (p = 0.027) with BI 754111 monotherapy, 6.9-fold (p < 0.0001) with ezabenlimab monotherapy and 13.2-fold (p < 0.0001) with BI 754111 plus ezabenlimab. Overall, ezabenlimab and BI 754111 bound to their respective targets with high affinity and prevented ligand binding. Combining ezabenlimab with BI 754111 enhanced in vitro activity versus monotherapy, supporting clinical investigation of this combination (NCT03156114; NCT03433898).
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Zettl
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Melanie Wurm
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Otmar Schaaf
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sven Mostböck
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Iñigo Tirapu
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ilse Apfler
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ivo C Lorenz
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Ridgefield, CT, USA
| | - Lee Frego
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Ridgefield, CT, USA
| | - Cynthia Kenny
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Ridgefield, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jürgen Moll
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Norbert Kraut
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anne Vogt
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, Vienna, Austria
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