Abstract 1366: Dual immune checkpoint inhibition enhances the anti-tumor activity of trastuzumab deruxtecan in preclinical models
Authors: Jenkins Liam , Kazlauskas Laura , Wilson Matt , Hammond Scott A. , Proia Theresa , Mettetal Jerome 
Published: March 2024

Background

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) composed of an anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antibody, a cleavable tetrapeptide-based linker, and a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload. Recent clinical trials such as BEGONIA have highlighted the potential therapeutic benefit in combining T-DXd with immuno-oncology (IO) agents such as the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab. Here, we report preclinical findings demonstrating enhanced anti-tumor activity when T-DXd is combined with dual immune checkpoint inhibition.

Methods

HER2-expressing human cancer cell lines were treated in vitro with T-DXd and assessed for induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) markers and expression of NK cell-activating ligands. Human macrophages and T cells were incubated with supernatants from treated cancer cells, and their activation status evaluated via flow cytometry. In vivo, the effects of T-DXd in combination with inhibitors of PD-L1, CTLA-4, and a monovalent bispecific anti-PD-1/TIGIT antibody - a murine surrogate of rilvegostomig - on tumor growth were evaluated in BALB/c mice bearing human HER2-low EMT6 murine mammary tumors. The anti-tumor activity of T-DXd in combination with volrustomig, a monovalent bispecific antibody targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4, was also assessed in hu-CD34+ NSG mice bearing HER2-low Caki-1 renal cell carcinoma tumors.

Results

In vitro, T-DXd induced ICD via DXd-mediated extracellular release of inflammatory mediators ATP and HMGB1, and cell surface exposure of calreticulin. This was associated with a greater than 2-fold increase in expression of NK cell-activating ligands, and activation of both macrophages and T cells. In immunocompetent mice bearing human HER2 expressing EMT6 tumors, T-DXd treatment drove tumor growth inhibition (53%, P &lt;0.001) that was associated with an increase in tumoral T cells (2.6-fold, P &lt;0.05) and increased CD8+ T cell expression of the immune checkpoints PD-1, TIGIT, and TIM-3. Tumor growth inhibition relative to vehicle-treated mice was enhanced when T-DXd was combined with inhibitors of PD-L1 (108%, P &lt;0.001), PD-L1 plus CTLA-4 (172%, P &lt;0.001), or a bispecific PD-1/TIGIT inhibitor (181%, P &lt;0.001). Pharmacodynamic analysis revealed how the combination of T-DXd and PD-1/TIGIT inhibition increased tumoral NK cells (3.2-fold, P &lt;0.001) and CD8+ T cells (3.8-fold, P &lt;0.001) relative to vehicle. Consistent with findings in syngeneic models, the combination of T-DXd with a bispecific PD-1/CTLA-4 inhibitor also enhanced tumor growth inhibition in a humanised Caki-1 model (121%) compared to T-DXd alone (72%) (P &lt;0.001).

Conclusions

These data provide insight into the clinical activity observed with T-DXd and provide scientific rationale for combination strategies with novel, bispecific IO agents targeting CTLA-4 or TIGIT in addition to the PD-1/PD-L1 axis.

Citation Format: Liam Jenkins, Laura Kazlauskas, Matt Wilson, Scott A. Hammond, Theresa Proia, Jerome Mettetal. Dual immune checkpoint inhibition enhances the anti-tumor activity of trastuzumab deruxtecan in preclinical models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1366.