Rationale and objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is associated with worse outcomes in bronchiectasis. Impaired neutrophil antimicrobial responses contribute to bacterial persistence. Gremubamab is a bivalent, bispecific monoclonal antibody targeting Psl exopolysaccharide and the type 3 secretion system component PcrV. This study evaluated the efficacy of gremubamab to enhance killing of P.aeruginosa by neutrophils from bronchiectasis patients and to prevent P.aeruginosa-associated cytotoxicity.
Methods: P.aeruginosa isolates from a global bronchiectasis cohort (n=100) underwent whole-genome sequencing to determine target prevalence. Functional activity of gremubamab against selected isolates was tested in-vitro and in-vivo. Patients with bronchiectasis (n=11) and controls (n=10) were enrolled and the effect of gremubamab in peripheral-blood neutrophil opsonophagocytic killing (OPK) assays against P.aeruginosa was evaluated. Serum antibody titers to Psl and PcrV were determined (n=30; 19: chronic P.aeruginosa infection, 11: no-known P.aeruginosa infection), as was the effect of gremubamab treatment in OPK and anti-cytotoxic activity assays.
Measurements and results: Psl and PcrV were conserved in isolates from chronically-infected bronchiectasis patients. 73/100 isolates had a full psl locus and 99/100 contained the pcrV gene, with 20 distinct full-length PcrV protein subtypes identified. PcrV subtypes were successfully bound by gremubamab and the mAb mediated potent protective activity against tested isolates. Gremubamab increased bronchiectasis patient neutrophil-mediated OPK (+34.6±8.1%) and phagocytosis (+70.0±48.8%), similar to effects observed in neutrophils from controls (OPK:+30.1±7.6%). No evidence of competition between gremubamab and endogenous antibodies was found, with protection against P.aeruginosa-induced cytotoxicity and enhanced OPK demonstrated with and without addition of patient serum.
Conclusion: Gremubamab enhanced bronchiectasis patient neutrophil phagocytosis and killing of P.aeruginosa and reduced virulence.
Keywords: antibody; bronchiectasis; infection; neutrophil.