Abstract 647: SeriMabs: N-terminal serine modification enables modular, site-specific payload incorporation into antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
Authors: Harris Luke , Tavares Daniel , Rui Lingyun , Maloney Erin , Wilhelm Alan , Costoplus Juliet , Archer Katie , Bogalhas Megan , Harvey Lauren , Wu Rui , Chen Xuan , Xu Xiangyang , Connaughton Sonia , Wang Lintao , Whiteman Kathleen , Ab Olga , Hong Erica , Widdison Wayne , Shizuka Manami , Miller Michael , Pinkas Jan , Keating Thomas , Chari Ravi , Fishkin Nathan 
Published: August 2015

Site-specific incorporation of cell-killing agents into cancer-targeting antibodies is an active area of innovation in the field of ADCs. We have developed a highly modular site-specific conjugation platform employing N-terminal serine engineered antibodies (SeriMabs), using ligation chemistry orthogonal to lysine and cysteine modification which typically employs maleimide containing linkers. Humanized IgG1 antibodies were engineered with N-terminal serine residues on either the light or heavy chain, with the precise position optimized for quantitative conversion to the corresponding glyoxyl aldehyde in the presence of sodium periodate. The aminooxy functional group of the heterobifunctional linker N-[(aminooxy)acetyl]-3-[(3-nitro-2-pyridinyl)dithio]-L-alanine was condensed with the aldehyde group on the antibody using 4-amino phenethyl alcohol catalyst, yielding a stable oxime bond under conditions that fully maintain antibody integrity. The dithiopyridine groups were then reacted with thiol-containing maytansinoid or IGN cell-killing agents, yielding disulfide-linked SeriMab ADCs with exactly 2 payload molecules per antibody, as determined by MS analysis, in &gt; 90% yield and with a monomer content of &gt; 98%. Conjugation of payload was found to be selective for the N-terminal serine based on MS/MS analysis. The site-specific ADCs were found to bind to their target antigens with affinity similar to the corresponding lysine-conjugated ADCs, and FcRn binding (pH 5.8) of the SeriMab ADCs were comparable to lysine-conjugated controls.

DGN462, our proprietary DNA-acting IGN payload used in our preclinical candidate IMGN779, was conjugated to SeriMabs against two targets, and in both cases, high, antigen-specific in vitro potency was noted. The oxime linkage used in the serine site-specific conjugates was found to be stable at pH 5.5 and pH 7.4 in buffer, as little detectable payload was released over 4 days at 37°C.

SeriMab antiFRα-DGN462 (2 DGN462 molecules per Ab) demonstrated potent, dose-dependent antitumor activity against NCI-H2110 non-small cell lung cancer xenografts in SCID mice. SeriMab antiFRα-DGN462 was highly active at a single injection dose of 50 and 25 μg/kg (DGN462 dose) with a minimal efficacious dose (MED) of 10 μg/kg.

We have developed a modular method for preparing site-specific, disulfide-linked ADCs with good biochemical characteristics, through an optimized N-terminal serine engineered IgG, using the same thiol containing effector payloads employed in our lysine-conjugation platform.

Citation Format: Luke Harris, Daniel Tavares, Lingyun Rui, Erin Maloney, Alan Wilhelm, Juliet Costoplus, Katie Archer, Megan Bogalhas, Lauren Harvey, Rui Wu, Xuan Chen, Xiangyang Xu, Sonia Connaughton, Lintao Wang, Kathleen Whiteman, Olga Ab, Erica Hong, Wayne Widdison, Manami Shizuka, Michael Miller, Jan Pinkas, Thomas Keating, Ravi Chari, Nathan Fishkin. SeriMabs: N-terminal serine modification enables modular, site-specific payload incorporation into antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 647. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-647