Modulating Antibody–Drug Conjugate Payload Metabolism by Conjugation Site and Linker Modification

Previous investigations on antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) stability have focused on drug release by linker-deconjugation due to the relatively stable payloads such as maytansines. Recent development of ADCs has been focused on exploring technologies to produce homogeneous ADCs and new classes of payloads to expand the mechanisms of action of the delivered drugs. Certain new ADC payloads could undergo metabolism in circulation while attached to antibodies and thus affect ADC stability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy and toxicity profiles. Herein, we investigate payload stability specifically and seek general guidelines to address payload metabolism and therefore increase the overall ADC stability. Investigation was performed on various payloads with different functionalities (e.g., PNU-159682 analog, tubulysin, cryptophycin, and taxoid) using different conjugation sites (HC-A118C, LC-K149C, and HC-A140C) on THIOMAB antibodies. We were able to reduce metabolism and inactivation of a broad range of payloads of THIOMAB antibody-drug conjugates by employing optimal conjugation sites (LC-K149C and HC-A140C). Additionally, further payload stability was achieved by optimizing the linkers. Coupling relatively stable sites with optimized linkers provided optimal stability and reduction of payloads metabolism in circulation in vivo

Exploration of Pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD)-Dimers Containing Disulfide-Based Prodrugs as Payloads for Antibody–Drug Conjugates

A number of cytotoxic pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) monomers containing various disulfide-based prodrugs were evaluated for their ability to undergo activation (disulfide cleavage) <i>in vitro</i> in the presence of either glutathione (GSH) or cysteine (Cys). A good correlation was observed between <i>in vitro</i> GSH stability and <i>in vitro</i> cytotoxicity toward tumor cell lines. The prodrug-containing compounds were typically more potent against cells with relatively high intracellular GSH levels (e.g., KPL-4 cells). Several antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) were subsequently constructed from PBD dimers that incorporated selected disulfide-based prodrugs. Such HER2 conjugates exhibited potent antiproliferation activity against KPL-4 cells <i>in vitro</i> in an antigen-dependent manner. However, the disulfide prodrugs contained in the majority of such entities were surprisingly unstable toward whole blood from various species. One HER2-targeting conjugate that contained a thiophenol-derived disulfide prodrug was an exception to this stability trend. It exhibited potent activity in a KPL-4 <i>in vivo</i> efficacy model that was approximately three-fold weaker than that displayed by the corresponding parent ADC. The same prodrug-containing conjugate demonstrated a three-fold improvement in mouse tolerability properties <i>in vivo</i> relative to the parent ADC, which did not contain the prodrug