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Ординатура / Хирургия / Библиотека им академика М.И. Перельмана / Книга_5886_Библиотеки_им_академика_М_И_Перельмана.pdf
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D. Y. Jackson
origin of the parent antibody, and methods used for humanization also inuence the performance of the ADC [15]. Even the cell culture media used for antibody pro­duction can affect the activity of an ADC.For example, different glycosylation pat­terns have been observed in antibodies produced in different media that resulted in signicant changes in immunogenicity [16]. Large manufacturing batches worth millions of dollars have been ruined because of subtle changes in the cell culture media and stories of process scientists losing their jobs over such incidents are com­mon. Most antigen targets are not patentable because they are not human inventions so researchers have begun patenting specic epitopes on the targets in order to claim ownership of specic binding sites. Antibodies that bind to different epitopes on a target can have profoundly different activities and, in some cases, different epitopes can provide freedom to operate (FTO) for targets being investigated by competitor companies [17]. New epitopes are therefore often treated like new targets from a legal and regulatory perspective.
Occasionally the antibody component used in an ADC possesses antitumor activity without any payloads attached. Two of the currently approved ADCs, Kadcyla and Enhertu, fall into this category and utilize a previously approved can­cer drug, trastuzumab, as their antibody component. Trastuzumab, which binds to growth-stimulating receptor (ERbB2 aka HER2) expressed on breast and other solid tumors, blocks binding to its ligand and inhibits tumor growth. Most other ADCs contain antibodies that lack inherent anti-tumor activity, and the antibody only serves as a delivery vehicle for the cytotoxic payload. As a result, some researchers believe that the antibody component of an ADC primarily serves as a slow-release mechanism to help maintain steady-state concentrations and improve the overall pharmacological prole of the payloads. This perspective is well sup­ported since clinical data have shown that systemic concentration of the payloads remains relatively constant in patients dosed with ADCs [18]. In contrast, there is very little clinical evidence to support claims that ADCs can selectively deliver their payloads to tumors while sparing normal tissues.
Many other factors need to be considered when selecting an appropriate antibody to use for constructing an ADC therapeutic. For example, minor variations in anti­body subtypes can signicantly impact the conjugation process, especially when it involves the reduction of disulde bonds. Different IgG subtypes vary in the number of interchain disuldes and afford different numbers of available cysteines upon reduction. Usually, antibodies of the IgG1 subtype are preferred for cysteine conju­gation; due to the relatively mild conditions required for disulde reduction neces­sary to yield an optimal number of eight cysteines for conjugation. Species cross-reactivity is another important property to consider since the efcacy of the ADC in tumor models is more predictive of the efcacy expected in humans if the antibody also binds the analogous mouse antigen with equal afnity [19].
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12.5 Selection ofLinkers andPayloads
The remaining two components that signicantly impact the success of an ADC are the linker and the drug or payload (Fig.12.3). Finding the right combination of linker and payload has proven to be very difcult because the potency of an ADC often does not correlate with the potency of the unconjugated payload [20]. In addi­tion, the conjugation of a small molecule payload to an antibody, which is often 100× larger in size, limits the amount of payload that can be administered to patients. Conventional small molecule drugs can often reach plasma concentrations of 20μM or more, even when relatively small doses (10–100mg) are administered. In order for an antibody to reach a plasma concentration of 20μM (1.5mg/mL), a dose of at least 20 grams would be required. Treatments of this size would not be safe or cost­effective so the payload must be extremely potent (IC50< 10nM) to enable more practical doses of ADC in the 50–500mg range.
The payload potency alone is not sufcient to ensure ADC activity, however, since there are numerous other factors that contribute to the activity of an ADC.These include the payload’s mechanism of action (MoA), the location of its target within the cell (cytoplasm or nucleus), the membrane permeability, and the linker used for conjugation. The conjugation of a highly potent drug payload to an antibody can result in an ADC with poor activity if the payload never reaches its target or falls off of the ADC prematurely. Conversely, highly potent payloads with low membrane permeability will have poor activity in their unconjugated state but can yield extremely potent ADCs because the permeability of the payload is determined by the antibody.
A classic example of the lack of correlation between the potency of an ADC with its unconjugated payload is shown in Fig.12.4. Two structurally and mechanisti­cally similar tubulin inhibitor payloads (MMAE and MMAF) differ in potency by roughly 200-fold in their unconjugated state (avg. IC50=0.4 and 100nM, respec­tively), but when conjugated to trastuzumab, the relative potencies of the resulting ADCs are reversed and the MMAF ADC is actually more potent than the analogous MMAE ADC [21]. The potency of the conjugated MMAF increased by orders of
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Fig. 12.4 (a) Cytotoxicity of unconjugated MMAE & MMAF payloads and trastuzumab ADCs against HER2 positive SkBr3 cells. (b) Tubulin binding afnity of MMAE vs MMAF. (c) Tubulin inhibition assay showing the superior potency of MMAF over MMAE
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magnitude relative to the unconjugated drug (Fig.12.4a), while the MMAE ADC had roughly equal potency with the unconjugated payload. Both of the MMAE ADCs are less potent than analogous MMAF ADCs regardless of the linkers used for conjugation. ADC potency does correlate with the tubulin binding afnity of the payloads however, and with their potency in tubulin polymerization assays where MMAF is the clear winner (Fig.12.4b, c).
The dramatic increase in the potency of the MMAF ADCs relative to unconju­gated MMAF (Fig.12.4a) is consistent with the fact that unconjugated MMAF has extremely poor membrane permeability. Conjugation to trastuzumab gives both payloads equal access to their tubulin target because the payloads are internalized with the antibody at similar rates. MMAF is actually a more potent tubulin inhibitor than MMAE (Fig. 12.4b), which is consistent with the superior potency of the MMAF ADCs. Moreover, the poor permeability of MMAF causes it to accumulate to lethal concentrations inside the cell, while MMAE is free to diffuse out into nearby cells. The superior permeability of MMAE is believed to contribute to the enhanced invivo activity of MMAE ADCs against tumors with low antigen expres­sion. This property has been named “Bystander effect” and some researchers believe that the increased permeability of MMAE makes it more effective against certain tumors because it is able to diffuse into nearby cancer cells.
In contrast, MMAF remains in the intercellular space and is cleared more rapidly than MMAE.Some ADC researchers believe the “bystander effect” is also respon­sible for the systemic off-target toxicity observed in patients treated with ADCs [22]. This hypothesis is well founded since the free payloads are no longer selective for antigen-expressing cells after they are released from the ADC.

12.6 ADC Technology

The benets of combining small molecule potency with the specicity of antibodies are often accompanied by new challenges during the development process. ADCs can be considered either as turbo-charged antibody therapeutics with improved potency or as tumor targeting chemotherapeutics enhanced by antibodies. The dual complexicity of ADCs raises numerous questions regarding CMC and regulatory requirements such as whether to le an NDA or BLA [23]. Some researchers believe that the antibody component of an ADC simply serves as a slow-release delivery system for the payload and therefore ADCs should be classied as small molecule drugs. Others believe that the payloads just enhance the activity of an existing anti­body therapeutic; like Kadcyla & Enhertu do for trastuzumab. Regardless of which side of the fence you stand on, ADCs are currently considered to be biologics by the FDA and therefore follow a similar development path as antibody therapeutics [24]. In reality, the ADC development process is more rigorous than that for antibodies (or small molecules) because additional safety considerations are necessary due to the cytotoxic payloads that are released. Some researchers say that “developing an
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ADC is similar to developing a new drug and a new biologic simultaneously and therefore requires twice the amount of work.”
Another major factor that further complicates ADC development is heterogene­ity. Eight of the 11 approved ADCs are heterogeneous mixtures of distinct mole­cules that differ in the number of payloads perantibody and their location [10]. There can be thousands of different molecular entities in a single ADC drug (Fig.12.5). Kadcyla (aka T-DM1), an ADC approved for breast cancer in 2013, is a prime example of a heterogeneous ADC [25]. Kadcyla is composed of a payload conjugated to an antibody via lysine side chains to afford a complex mixture of dif­ferent molecules that contain between 0 and 10 payloads perantibody and an aver­age drugs/antibody ratio (DAR) of 3.7. Since the payloads are dispersed over multiple conjugation sites, the ADC is composed of a cocktail of thousands of dif­ferent molecules, each with its own unique properties. Like Kadcyla, most currently approved ADCs are heterogeneous mixtures that range from dozens to thousands of different molecules. ADC heterogeneity arises from conventional conjugation methods that use lysine or cysteine reactive linkers that are not site-specic. Since a typical antibody has up to 12 cysteines and more than 70 lysines available for con­jugation and a typical ADC contains only three to four drugs perantibody, most conventional ADCs differ in both DAR and conjugation sites (Fig.12.5).
Over the past decade, substantial effort has been focused on reducing ADC het­erogeneity resulting in a plethora of new site-specic conjugation methods [26]. Signicant progress has been made toward producing homogeneous ADCs, but only two of the currently approved ADCs (Enhertu & Polivy) can be considered homogeneous [27, 28]. The homogeneity of Enhertu was not achieved through recombinant antibody engineering or other site-specic methods, but through new linker technology that enabled the conjugation of eight payloads perantibody with­out precipitation or aggregation of the ADC.
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Fig. 12.5 Heterogeneity of ADCs with payloads conjugated to lysine or cysteine
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Fig. 12.6 ADCs containing dibromomaleimide linkers maintain covalent bonds between the heavy and light chains and yield homogeneous ADCs with 4 drugs/mAb
Other linker-based approaches for synthesizing homogeneous ADCs include the use of dibromomaleimide linkers that crosslink interchain cysteines and yield homogeneous ADCs with 4 drugs perantibody (Fig. 12.6) [29]. This innovative approach does not require recombinant engineering and maintains covalent bonds between the antibody heavy and light chains for improved stability invivo. Similar linker-based approaches for generating homogeneous ADCs have been reported, but have not yet progressed to clinical development [30].

12.7 ADC Clinical Development

Despite the difculties that many companies have faced during ADC development, 11 ADCs have now been approved for cancer (Table12.1), and at least 20 more are in late-stage clinical trials (Table12.2). A vast majority of these ADCs carry tubulin inhibitor payloads, which suggests that tubulin may be an ideal target for ADC pay­loads. Alternatively, the frequent use of tubulin inhibitor payloads might be a reec­tion of the risk-averse nature of pharmaceutical companies that chose to follow a similar path as their predecessors. Indeed, the popularity of MMAE as an ADC payload probably arises from the fact that it was used in Adcetris, the third approved ADC and arguably the most efcacious ADC to date.
When considering the unprecedented clinical activity involving ADCs, it is important to remember that more ADCs fail in the clinic than those that succeed. Dozens of ADC clinical trials have been terminated, discontinued, or withdrawn. The large number of ADC failures illuminates the signicant challenges that the ADC eld has experienced over the last 20years [31]. A partial list of ADC failures is shown in Table12.3 which suggests that there is ample room for improving the therapeutic properties of ADCs.
Eight of the 11 ADCs currently approved for cancer share one or more of the four major ADC components discussed previously (see Fig.12.3). For example, Mylotarg and Besponsa have identical linkers and payloads but target different antigens (CD33 & CD22) [32, 33]. Kadcyla and Enhertu share the same target (HER2) and the same antibody (trastuzumab) but have different linkers and payloads; while four
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Drug ADC Company Year Indications Target Payload MOA
Mylotarg Gemtuzumab ozogamicin Pzer/Wyeth 2000 AML CD33 Calicheamicin DNA alkylator
Adcetris Brentuximab vedotin SEAGEN 2011 Hodgkin’s lymphoma CD30 MMAE Tubulin inh.
Kadcyla Trastuzumab emtansine Genentech 2013 Breast cancer HER2 DMI Tubulin inh.
Besponsa Inotuzumab ozogamicin Pzer/Wyeth 2017 ALL CD22 Calicheamicin DNA alkylator
Table 12.1 ADCs currently approved for cancer indications
Enhertu Trastuzumab deruxtecan Daiichi/AZ 2019 Breast cancer HER2 Dxd Topo 1 inh.
Padcev Enfortumab vedotin AsteIIaslSEAGEN 2019 Urothelial cancer Nectin-4 MMAE Tubulin inh.
Polivy Polatuzumab vedotin Genentech/Roche 2019 Large Bcl CD79b MMAE Tubulin inh.
Trodelvy Sacituzumab govitecan Immunomedlcs 2020 TNBC TROP-2 SN38 Topo 1 inh.
Blenrep Belantamab mafodotin GSK 2020 Multiple myeloma BCMA MMAF Tubulin inh.
Tivdak Tisotumab vedotin SEAGEN 2021 Cervical cancer TF MMAE Tubulin inh.
Zynlonta Loncastuximab tesirine ADC Therapeutics 2021 B-cell lymphoma CD19 PBD DNA crosslinker
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ADC name Sponsor Indications Status Target Linker (type) Payload MOA
Depatuxizumab Mafodotin Abbvle Glioblastoma Phase Ill EGFR MC MMAF Tubulin inh.
Mirvetuximab Soravtansine ImmunoGen Ovarian Phase Ill FolR alpha SPDP (disulde) DM4 Tubulin inh.
Table 12.2 ADCs in late stage development in 2021
Vadastuximab Talirine Seattle Genetics AML Phase Ill CD33A VCP (cleavable) PBD DNA alkylator
Trastuzumab duocarmazine Synthon MBC (breast) Phase Ill Her2 VCP (cleavable) Duocarmycin DNA alkylator
Rovalpituzumab tesirine AbbVie SCLC Phase Ill DLL3 VCP (cleavable) PBD DNA crosslinker
Telisotuzumab vedotin Abbvie Solid tumors Phase Ill c-Met VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Camidanlumab tesirine ADC Therapeutics AML Phase Il CD25 VCP (cleavable) PBD DNA crosslinker
Loncastuximab tesirine ADC Therapeutics DLBCL Phase Il CD19 VCP (cleavable) PBD DNA crosslinker
Indatuximab ravtansine Biotest MM Phase Il CD138 SPDP (disulde) DM4 Tubulin inh.
BMs-986148 BMS Solid tumors Phase Il Mesothelin VCP (cleavable) Tubulysin Tubulin Inh.
Glembatumumab vedotin Celldex Melanoma Phase Il gpNMB VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Patritumab Deruxtecan Daiichi Sankyo Breast cancer Phase Il Her3 GGFG (cleavable) DXd Topo I inh.
Pinatuzumab vedotn Genentech/Roche DLBCL, NHL Phase Il CD22 VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Enapotamab vedotin GenMab Solid tumors Phase Il AxI VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Tetosumab vedotin GenMab Ovarian/solid Phase Il TF VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Labetuzumab govitecan Immunomedics CRC Phase Il CEACAM5 PEG (cleavable) Camptothecin Topo 1 inh.
OBI-999 OBI Pharma Solid tumors Phase Il Globo H MCVC (thiobridge) MMAE Tubulin inh.
PSMA-ADC Progenics Prostate Phase Il PSMA VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Disitamab vedotin Remegen/Mabplex Solid tumors Phase Il Her2 VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin
STRO-002 Sutro Ovarian Phase Il FoI-Ra p-AMF/D8CO Hemiasterlin Tubulin inh.
CX-2029 Cytomx/Abbvie Solid tumor Phase Il CD71 VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin
Source: Clinical trials.gov
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ADC Name Sponsor Indications Status Target Linker Payload MOA
Coltuximab ravtansine Immunogen ALL, NHL Phase Il CD19 SPDP DM4 Tubulin inh.
MLN2704 Takeda Prostate Phase Il PSMA SPP DM1 Tubulin inh.
MDX-1203, BMS936561 BMS RCC Phase I CD70 MC-VC Duocarmycin DNA binder
Cantuzumab ravtansine Immunogen Gastric Phase Il CANAG/MUC1 SPDP DM4 Tubulin inh.
Anetumab ravtansine Bayer/NCI Solid tumors Phase Il Mesothelin SPDP (cleavable) DM4 Tubulin inh.
Denintuzumab mafodotin SEAGEN DLBCL Phase Il CD19A MC (stable) MMAF Tubulin inh.
Glembatumumab vedotin Celldex BC, melanoma Phase Il gpNMB VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Pinatuzumab vedotin Genentech DLBCL, NHL Phase Il CD22 VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
Rovalpituzumab tesirine Abbvie Small cell lung Phase Il DLL-3 VCP (cleavable) PBD DNA crosslinker
Vadastuximab talirine SEAGEN AML Phase Il CD33A VCP (cleavable) PBD DNA alkylator
ABBV-838 Abbvie MM Phase I CD319 VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
AGS67E Astellas AML Phase I CD37 VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
BAY 1129980 Bayer Solid tumors Phase I LYPD3 VC (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh._
Table 12.3 Examples of ADCs discontinued or terminated due to inadequate safety
BAY 1187982 Bayer Gastric Phase I FGFR2 NHS-caproyl MMAW Tubulin inh.
CDX-014 Celldex RCC Phase I TIM-1 VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh._
HKT288 Novartis Ovarian Phase I Cadherin-6 SPDP (disulde) DM4 Tubulin inh.
IMGN289 ImmunoGen NSCLC Phase I EGFR MCC (stable) DMI Tubulin inh._
LOP628 Novartis Solid tumors Phase I CD117 MCC (stable) DMI Tubulin inh._
SGN-CD123A SEAGEN AML Phase I CD123A VCP (cleavable) PBD DNA alkylator
SGN-CD19B SEAGEN ALL, NHL Phase I CD19B VCP (cleavable) MMAE Tubulin inh.
SGN-CD48A SEAGEN Mult. Myeloma Phase I CD48A glucuronidase MMAE Tubulin inh._
SGN-CD70A (SGN-75) SEAGEN NHL, RCC Phase I CD70 MC (stable) MMAF Tubulin inh._
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ADCs: Adcetris, Polivy, Padcev, and Tivdak share identical linkers and payloads but have different antibodies directed against different targets [3436].
Only one ADC property is shared by all 11 approved ADCs; they are all designed to release toxic payloads in tumors. The following section will discuss the pros and cons of the currently approved ADCs, the synthetic processes that were used to make them, and the technology that contributed to their approval. The remaining sections of this chapter will focus on the evolution of ADCs starting with a review of those currently approved. New ADCs currently in late-stage development and predictions for future ADC therapeutics will also be discussed. The objective of this chapter is to provide information about the risks and benets that are associated with ADCs for the treatment of cancer in addition to summarizing their develop­ment history.
12.8 ADCs Approved forCancer
12.8.1 Mylotarg
Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg) was the rst immunoconjugate to receive FDA approval to treat patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) [32]. It was originally developed by Wyeth in the 1990s as an immunoconjugate, before the term “ADC” was coined, and was later approved in the year 2000. Mylotarg is an ADC in which a humanized anti-CD33 mAb is covalently linked to N-acetyl gamma calicheamicin through an acid-labile linker (Fig.12.7). The presence of the hydra­zone function in the linker allows the rapid release of calicheamicin from its conju­gated state under the acidic conditions found in a lysosome [8].
The target of gemtuzumab ozogamicin, CD33, is a 67Kd adhesion molecule expressed on both normal and malignant cells that bind 2,3-linked sialic acid resi­dues. Upon binding to its CD33 target, Mylotarg is rapidly internalized, and the payload is released in the lysosome. Once released the calicheamicin payload induces double-strand DNA breaks, subsequently inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death. The safety of Mylotarg was questioned very early in develop­ment due to 8 fatalities out of 131 patients in the dosing arm of the pivotal clinical trial. Although there is a 6% chance that a patient will not survive the treatment,
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O
O
HO
H
S
S
N H
HO
O
O
O
N
O
H
O
O
O


conjugation
NHS
1) linker
O
O
O
O
N


O
O
H
2) payloadconjugation
NAc-g-calicheamicin-DMH
O


O
N H
I
O
O
HO
O
HO
Fig. 12.7 Synthesis of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg) and inotuzumab ozogamicin (Besponsa), which contain identical calicheamicin payloads
12 Development ofAntibody-Drug Conjugates
359
Mylotarg was granted accelerated approval from the FDA based on phase 1 data. Considering the high fatality rate and cost of treatment, combined with marginal efcacy (there was no statistically signicant difference between the treatment arm and the control group in overall survival), it is not surprising that Mylotarg was removed from the market in 2010.
Numerous other problems contributed to the temporary demise of Mylotarg. For instance, the original ADC contained an average of only two to three payloads perantibody conjugated stochastically to over 70 lysines on the antibody surface. The low drug/antibody ratio (DAR) resulted in a highly heterogeneous mixture of ADC molecules with up to 30% unconjugated antibody [37]. The presence of an unconjugated antibody is problematic because it can function as a competitive inhibitor of the ADC by occupying target binding sites. These factors together with the inherent linker instability of Mylotarg likely contributed to its discontinuation. Mylotarg was eventually reapproved in 2017 after several more clinical trials dem­onstrated that the benets outweigh the risk [38]. Most ADCs that have followed the approval of Mylotarg have shown modest, though somewhat gradual improvement, and the benets they offer to cancer patients are becoming more apparent.
12.8.2 Adcetris
Nearly a decade after the initial approval of Mylotarg, a second ADC, brentuximab vedotin (aka Adcetris), was approved for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2011 [39]. Adcetris is composed of an anti-CD30 (TNFRSF8) antibody conjugated to a potent anti-mitotic agent, monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) via a protease cleavable dipeptide linker [40]. Adcetris differs from Mylotarg in many ways that have led to its continued commercial success. Perhaps the most important difference is that Adcetris contains an average of four drugs/antibody conjugated to interchain cyste­ines after partial reduction of the antibody (Fig.12.8a) [41]. Since there are only eight interchain cysteines available for conjugation compared to 70 or more lysines used for conjugation on Mylotarg, the heterogeneity of Adcetris is signicantly reduced and the fraction of unconjugated antibody is less than 5%.
The use of a tubulin inhibitor payload in Adcetris may provide other less tangible benets such as bystander killing of nearby tumor cells [42]. Another component that was improved in Adcetris is the linker, which is signicantly more stable than Mylotarg’s linker. As a result, Adcetris is less prone to premature release of the payloads. In addition, the linker used in Adcetris contains a p-aminobenzyl func­tional group that self-destructs upon cleavage of the aryl amide bond to release the unmodied payload (Fig. 12.8b) [43]. In contrast to Adcetris, the payload on Mylotarg is released by acid hydrolysis of the hydrazone bond, and later in the nucleus the payload is activated by attack of the glutathione on the disulde.
Lastly, the expression prole for the Adcetris target, CD30, is more restricted to specic cell types while CD33 is more broadly expressed. When the improved