Fc engineering of anti-Nectin-2 antibody improved thrombocytopenic adverse event in monkey

PLoS One. 2018 May 3;13(5):e0196422. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196422. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Nectin-2 is a transmembrane glycoprotein which is involved in the process of Ca2+-independent cell-cell adhesion. In our previous study, we have demonstrated that Nectin-2 is over-expressed in breast and ovarian cancer tissues by using gene expression analysis and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, we discovered multiple anti-Nectin-2 fully human monoclonal antibodies which inhibited tumor growth in in vivo subcutaneous xenograft models with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) as the principal mechanism of action. In this report, we assessed the toxicity of Y-443, a fully human IgG1/kappa anti-Nectin-2 monoclonal antibody exhibiting strong in vitro ADCC and in vivo anti-tumor activity in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis (Cynos)). Unexpectedly, upon administration, Y-443 induced strong thrombocytopenia through Nectin-2 expressed on Cyno platelets, presumably followed by phagocytosis in the mononuclear phagocytic system. To mitigate the adverse safety profile, we mutated the Fc region of Y-443 to reduce the Fc binding activity to Fcγ receptor I, which is the primary receptor for phagocytosis on macrophages. Moreover, we further engineered the Fc through defucosylation to maintain ADCC activity. The resultant Fc engineered antibody, termed Y-634, demonstrated diminished thrombocytopenia in Cyno toxicological studies and maintained anti-tumor activity in a mouse xenograft model. These findings suggest that Y-634 may have a therapeutic potential for the treatment of Nectin-2 positive cancers, and moreover, Fc engineering is a potential mitigation strategy to ameliorate safety liabilities in antibody induced thrombocytopenia while maintaining antibody potency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / adverse effects
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / genetics
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology*
  • Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / adverse effects
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / immunology
  • Macaca fascicularis
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, SCID
  • Nectins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Nectins / genetics
  • Nectins / immunology*
  • Protein Engineering
  • Recombinant Proteins / adverse effects
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology
  • Thrombocytopenia / etiology
  • Thrombocytopenia / prevention & control
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments
  • Nectins
  • Recombinant Proteins

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in Fujisawa, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in Yamaguchi and Takeda California Inc. All authors are/were employees of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and were paid as such. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the 'author contributions' section. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.