Preclinical Activity of Datopotamab Deruxtecan, an Antibody-Drug Conjugate Targeting Trophoblast Cell-Surface Antigen 2, in Uterine Serous Carcinoma

Abstract

Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is a rare subset of endometrial cancer with a poor prognosis and high recurrence rate. Datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) is a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). The objective of this study was to evaluate the preclinical activity of Dato-DXd in USC in vitro against primary USC cell lines with various trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2) expression and in vivo in TROP2-overexpressing cell line-derived mice xenografts. USC primary tumor cell lines were treated with Dato-DXd and a control ADC (CTL ADC) to evaluate cell viability following exposure. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against TROP2-overexpressing and -nonexpressing cell lines was evaluated using a 4-hour chromium release assay. USC xenografts in mice were treated with Dato-DXd, CTL ADC, datopotamab, and vehicle to assess the in vivo effects via retro-orbital Dato-DXd administration. We found USC cell lines with TROP2 overexpression to be significantly more sensitive to killing induced by Dato-DXd compared with CTL ADC in vitro (e.g., IC50: 0.11 µmol/L vs. 30.07 µmol/L, P = 0.0074 and 0.11 µmol/L vs. 48.95 µmol/L, P = 0.0127, respectively). Dato-DXd induced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in the presence of peripheral blood lymphocytes from healthy donors. TROP2-nonexpressing cell lines demonstrated minimal killing by Dato-DXd; however, when admixed with TROP2-overexpressing cells, a significant bystander effect was appreciated. In vivo, mice xenografts overexpressing TROP2 treated with Dato-DXd demonstrated tumor growth suppression and longer overall survival compared with CTL ADC-treated xenografts. These data demonstrate Dato-DXd to be highly active against TROP2-overexpressing USC in vitro and in vivo. Our preclinical activity results warrant future clinical trials for patients with advanced or recurrent USC.

Significance: Targeted treatment of USC using the biomarker TROP2 represents a significant opportunity for further treatment options for patients already resistant to other lines of treatment. In this study, we present data showing preclinical evidence of effectiveness of this biomarker-targeted therapy in USC.