Application of a Biocatalytic Strategy for the Preparation of Tiancimycin-Based Antibody-Drug Conjugates Revealing Key Insights into Structure-Activity Relationships

J Med Chem. 2023 Jan 26;66(2):1562-1573. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01771. Epub 2023 Jan 4.

Abstract

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are cancer chemotherapeutics that utilize a monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based delivery system, a cytotoxic payload, and a chemical linker. ADC payloads must be strategically functionalized to allow linker attachment without perturbing the potency required for ADC efficacy. We previously developed a biocatalytic system for the precise functionalization of tiancimycin (TNM)-based payloads. The TNMs are anthraquinone-fused enediynes (AFEs) and have yet to be translated into the clinic. Herein, we report the translation of biocatalytically functionalized TNMs into ADCs in combination with the dual-variable domain (DVD)-mAb platform. The DVD enables both site-specific conjugation and a plug-and-play modularity for antigen-targeting specificity. We evaluated three linker chemistries in terms of TNM-based ADC potency and antigen selectivity, demonstrating a trade-off between potency and selectivity. This represents the first application of AFE-based payloads to DVDs for ADC development, a workflow that is generalizable to further advance AFE-based ADCs for multiple cancer types.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Immunoconjugates* / chemistry
  • Neoplasms*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Immunoconjugates
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antineoplastic Agents