Abstract 4085: The anti-VISTA x MSLN bispecific antibody-interferon beta mutein fusion protein: A trispecific immunocytokine with potent therapeutic efficacy against malignant pleural mesothelioma
Authors: Park Hee Geon , Kim Hyeon Ju , Seo Myeung Ryun , Park Ji Eun , Kim Tae Won , Choi Jeung Hoo , Park Jay , Song Kyoung , Lee Chan Gyu , Jeong Hae Min , Choi Jun Young , Jeon Yeong Jeong , La Choi Yoon , Hong Sung Youl , Shin Young Kee 
Published: March 2024

Background Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and highly fatal cancer primarily induced by asbestos exposure. The 5-year overall survival rate for MPM patients is less than 20%. Before the FDA approval of the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors (Nivolumab + Ipilimumab, CHECKMATE-743), chemotherapy was the only systemic therapy for MPM. However, the predominant histological type of MPM, epithelioid MPM, comprising approximately 70% of cases, showed limited clinical benefits from immune checkpoint inhibitors when compared to non-epithelioid histology. Consequently, there is an unmet medical need to develop a new anti-cancer drug specifically for the treatment of epithelioid MPM. In this study, we discovered that V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA), an immune checkpoint protein, and Mesothelin (MSLN), a tumor differentiation antigen, are co-expressed in epithelioid MPM. Subsequently, we developed a biomarker-based anti-VISTA x MSLN bispecific antibody (BsAb) and anti-VISTA x MSLN BsAb-IFN-β mutein fusion protein (trispecific immunocytokine) for the treatment of epithelioid MPM.

Method We designed and screened various structures of the anti-VISTA x MSLN BsAb. To produce the trispecific immunocytokine, we fused IFN-β mutein (R27T/C17S), which exhibits improved stability, productivity, and pharmacokinetic properties compare to recombinant IFN-β. The in vitro efficacy of the trispecific immunocytokine was tested in human MPM cell lines, and its in vivo efficacy was evaluated in a human MPM xenograft mouse model and a human IFNAR1/2 Knock-in (KI) mouse model.

Results We demonstrated a strong positive correlation between the expression levels of VISTA and MSLN in epithelioid MPM. The Anti-VISTA x MSLN BsAb showed improved binding affinity and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity. The trispecific immunocytokine displays analogous biological activities to both Anti-VISTA x MSLN BsAb and IFN-β mutein. The trispecific immunocytokine exhibited potent in vivo and in vitro anti-cancer activities against epithelioid MPM preclinical models, operating through both direct cytotoxicity and indirect activation of immune cells.

Conclusion The trispecific immunocytokine demonstrated robust in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer efficacy in the epithelioid MPM model. Our findings suggest that the trispecific immunocytoine is a promising drug candidate for epithelioid MPM.

Citation Format: Hee Geon Park, Hyeon Ju Kim, Myeung Ryun Seo, Ji Eun Park, Tae Won Kim, Jeung Hoo Choi, Jay Park, Kyoung Song, Chan Gyu Lee, Hae Min Jeong, Jun Young Choi, Yeong Jeong Jeon, Yoon La Choi, Sung Youl Hong, Young Kee Shin. The anti-VISTA x MSLN bispecific antibody-interferon beta mutein fusion protein: A trispecific immunocytokine with potent therapeutic efficacy against malignant pleural mesothelioma [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 4085.