Therapeutic afucosylated monoclonal antibody and bispecific T-cell engagers for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive disease with a poor cure rate for relapsed/resistant patients. Due to the lack of T-cell restricted targetable antigens, effective immune-therapeutics are not presently available and the treatment of chemo-refractory T-ALL is still an unmet clinical need. To develop novel immune-therapy for T-ALL, we generated an afucosylated monoclonal antibody (mAb) (ahuUMG1) and two different bispecific T-cell engagers (BTCEs) against UMG1, a unique CD43-epitope highly and selectively expressed by T-ALL cells from pediatric and adult patients. UMG1 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on a wide panel of normal tissue microarrays (TMAs), and by flow cytometry on healthy peripheral blood/bone marrow-derived cells, on 10 different T-ALL cell lines, and on 110 T-ALL primary patient-derived cells. CD43-UMG1 binding site was defined through a peptide microarray scanning. ahuUMG1 was generated by Genetic Glyco-Engineering technology from a novel humanized mAb directed against UMG1 (huUMG1). BTCEs were generated as IgG1-(scFv)2 constructs with bivalent (2+2) or monovalent (2+1) CD3ε arms. Antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and redirected T-cell cytotoxicity assays were analysed by flow cytometry. In vivo antitumor activity of ahUMG1 and UMG1-BTCEs was investigated in NSG mice against subcutaneous and orthotopic xenografts of human T-ALL. Among 110 T-ALL patient-derived samples, 53 (48.1%) stained positive (24% of TI/TII, 82% of TIII and 42.8% of TIV). Importantly, no expression of UMG1-epitope was found in normal tissues/cells, excluding cortical thymocytes and a minority (<5%) of peripheral blood T lymphocytes. ahUMG1 induced strong ADCC and ADCP on T-ALL cells in vitro, which translated in antitumor activity in vivo and significantly extended survival of treated mice. Both UMG1-BTCEs demonstrated highly effective killing activity against T-ALL cells in vitro. We demonstrated that this effect was specifically exerted by engaged activated T cells. Moreover, UMG1-BTCEs effectively antagonized tumor growth at concentrations >2 log lower as compared with ahuUMG1, with significant mice survival advantage in different T-ALL models in vivo. Altogether our findings, including the safe UMG1-epitope expression profile, provide a framework for the clinical development of these innovative immune-therapeutics for this still orphan disease.

Caracciolo D ，Riillo C ，Ballerini A ，Gaipa G ，Lhermitte L ，Rossi M ，Botta C ，Duroyon E ，Grillone K ，Gallo Cantafio ME ，Buracchi C ，Alampi G ，Gulino A ，Belmonte B ，Conforti F ，Golino G ，Juli G ，Altomare E ，Polerà N ，Scionti F ，Arbitrio M ，Iannone M ，Martino M ，Correale P ，Talarico G ，Ghelli Luserna di Rorà A ，Ferrari A ，Concolino D ，Sestito S ，Pensabene L ，Giordano A ，Hildinger M ，Di Martino MT ，Martinelli G ，Tripodo C ，Asnafi V ，Biondi A ，Tagliaferri P ，Tassone P ... -  《Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer》

Melanoma cells can be eliminated by sialylated CD43 × CD3 bispecific T cell engager formats in vitro and in vivo.

de Jong G ，Bartels L ，Kedde M ，Verdegaal EME ，Gillissen MA ，Levie SE ，Cercel MG ，van Hal-van Veen SE ，Fatmawati C ，van de Berg D ，Yasuda E ，Claassen YB ，Bakker AQ ，van der Burg SH ，Schotte R ，Villaudy J ，Spits H ，Hazenberg MD ，van Helden PM ，Wagner K ... -  《-》

A Chemo-enzymatically Linked Bispecific Antibody Retargets T Cells to a Sialylated Epitope on CD43 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a high-risk disease with a poor prognosis, particularly in elderly patients. Because current AML treatment relies primarily on untargeted therapies with severe side effects that limit patient eligibility, identification of novel therapeutic AML targets is highly desired. We recently described AT1413, an antibody produced by donor B cells of a patient with AML cured after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. AT1413 binds CD43s, a unique sialylated epitope on CD43, which is weakly expressed on normal myeloid cells and overexpressed on AML cells. Because of its selectivity for AML cells, we considered CD43s as a target for a bispecific T-cell-engaging antibody (bTCE) and generated a bTCE by coupling AT1413 to two T-cell-targeting fragments using chemo-enzymatic linkage. In vitro, AT1413 bTCE efficiently induced T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity toward different AML cell lines and patient-derived AML blasts, whereas endothelial cells with low binding capacity for AT1413 remained unaffected. In the presence of AML cells, AT1413 bTCE induced upregulation of T-cell activation markers, cytokine release, and T-cell proliferation. AT1413 bTCE was also effective in vivo. Mice either coinjected with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells or engrafted with human hematopoietic stem cells [human immune system (HIS) mice] were inoculated with an AML cell line or patient-derived primary AML blasts. AT1413 bTCE treatment strongly inhibited tumor growth and, in HIS mice, had minimal effects on normal human hematopoietic cells. Taken together, our results indicate that CD43s is a promising target for T-cell-engaging antibodies and that AT1413 holds therapeutic potential in a bTCE-format. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings offer preclinical evidence for the therapeutic potential of a bTCE antibody that targets a sialylated epitope on CD43 in AML.

Bartels L ，de Jong G ，Gillissen MA ，Yasuda E ，Kattler V ，Bru C ，Fatmawati C ，van Hal-van Veen SE ，Cercel MG ，Moiset G ，Bakker AQ ，van Helden PM ，Villaudy J ，Hazenberg MD ，Spits H ，Wagner K ... -  《-》

T cell engaging bispecific antibodies targeting CD33 IgV and IgC domains for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains one of the most challenging hematological malignancies. Despite progress in therapeutics, majority of patients succumb to this neoplasm. CD33 is a proven therapeutic target, given its expression on most AML cells. Almost all anti-CD33 antibodies target the membrane distal immunoglobulin V (IgV) domain of the CD33 extracellular domain. In this manuscript, we present data on three bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) against the CD33 IgV and membrane proximal immunoglobulin C (IgC) domains. We use in vitro binding and cytotoxicity assays to show the effect of these BsAbs on AML cell lines. We also use immunodeficient mice-bearing leukemias from cell lines and patient-derived xenografts to show the effect of these BsAbs in vivo. In vitro, the IgV-targeting BsAb had higher binding to AML cell lines using flow cytometry and delivered more potent cytotoxicity in T-cell-dependent cytotoxicity assays; importantly, the IgC domain-targeting outperformed the IgV domain-targeting BsAb in medullary and extramedullary leukemia animal models. These data support further clinical development of this BsAb for first-in-human phase I clinical trial.

Hoseini SS ，Vadlamudi M ，Espinosa-Cotton M ，Tran H ，Feng Y ，Guo HF ，Xu H ，Cheung I ，Cheung NV ... -  《Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer》

UMG1/CD3ε-bispecific T-cell engager redirects T-cell cytotoxicity against diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

UMG1 is a unique epitope of CD43, not expressed by normal cells and tissues of haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic origin, except thymocytes and a minority (<5%) of peripheral blood T lymphocytes. By immunohistochemistry analysis of tissue microarray and pathology slides, we found high UMG1 expression in 20%-24% of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs), including highly aggressive BCL2high and CD20low cases. UMG1 membrane expression was also found in DLBCL bone marrow-infiltrating cells and established cell lines. Targeting UMG1 with a novel asymmetric UMG1/CD3ε-bispecific T-cell engager (BTCE) induced redirected cytotoxicity against DLBCL cells and was synergistic with lenalidomide. We conclude that UMG1/CD3ε-BTCE is a promising therapeutic for DLBCLs.

Caracciolo D ，Polerà N ，Belmonte B ，Conforti F ，Signorelli S ，Gulino A ，Staropoli N ，Tuccillo FM ，Bonelli P ，Juli G ，Grillone K ，Ascrizzi S ，Cirillo M ，Migale L ，Ballerini A ，Pelizon C ，Di Martino MT ，Tagliaferri P ，Riillo C ，Tassone P ... -  《-》