Sacituzumab Govitecan (IMMU-132), an Anti-Trop-2/SN-38 Antibody-Drug Conjugate: Characterization and Efficacy in Pancreatic, Gastric, and Other Cancers

Bioconjug Chem. 2015 May 20;26(5):919-31. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5b00223. Epub 2015 May 8.

Abstract

Sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) made from a humanized anti-Trop-2 monoclonal antibody (hRS7) conjugated with the active metabolite of irinotecan, SN-38. In addition to its further characterization, as the clinical utility of IMMU-132 expands to an ever-widening range of Trop-2-expressing solid tumor types, its efficacy in new disease models needs to be explored in a nonclinical setting. Unlike most ADCs that use ultratoxic drugs and stable linkers, IMMU-132 uses a moderately toxic drug with a moderately stable carbonate bond between SN-38 and the linker. Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry disclosed that Trop-2 is expressed in a wide range of tumor types, including gastric, pancreatic, triple-negative breast (TNBC), colonic, prostate, and lung. While cell-binding experiments reveal no significant differences between IMMU-132 and parental hRS7 antibody, surface plasmon resonance analysis using a Trop-2 CM5 chip shows a significant binding advantage for IMMU-132 over hRS7. The conjugate retained binding to the neonatal receptor, but it lost greater than 60% of the antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity compared to that of hRS7. Exposure of tumor cells to either free SN-38 or IMMU-132 demonstrated the same signaling pathways, with pJNK1/2 and p21(WAF1/Cip1) upregulation followed by cleavage of caspases 9, 7, and 3, ultimately leading to poly-ADP-ribose polymerase cleavage and double-stranded DNA breaks. Pharmacokinetics of the intact ADC in mice reveals a mean residence time (MRT) of 15.4 h, while the carrier hRS7 antibody cleared at a similar rate as that of the unconjugated antibody (MRT ∼ 300 h). IMMU-132 treatment of mice bearing human gastric cancer xenografts (17.5 mg/kg; twice weekly × 4 weeks) resulted in significant antitumor effects compared to that of mice treated with a nonspecific control. Clinically relevant dosing schemes of IMMU-132 administered either every other week, weekly, or twice weekly in mice bearing human pancreatic or gastric cancer xenografts demonstrate similar, significant antitumor effects in both models. Current Phase I/II clinical trials ( ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT01631552) confirm anticancer activity of IMMU-132 in cancers expressing Trop-2, including gastric and pancreatic cancer patients.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / chemistry*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / chemistry
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / pharmacokinetics
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / pharmacology*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / therapeutic use
  • Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity / drug effects
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / immunology*
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / metabolism
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Camptothecin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Camptothecin / chemistry
  • Camptothecin / pharmacokinetics
  • Camptothecin / pharmacology
  • Camptothecin / therapeutic use
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules / immunology*
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Immunoconjugates / chemistry
  • Immunoconjugates / pharmacokinetics
  • Immunoconjugates / pharmacology*
  • Immunoconjugates / therapeutic use
  • Irinotecan
  • Mice
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / immunology
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Stomach Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / immunology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • Immunoconjugates
  • TACSTD2 protein, human
  • Irinotecan
  • sacituzumab govitecan
  • Camptothecin

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01631552