The aim of the present study was to evaluate model identifiability when minimal physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (mPBPK) models are integrated with target mediated drug disposition (TMDD) models in the tissue compartment. Three quasi-steady-state (QSS) approximations of TMDD dynamics were explored: on (a) antibody-target complex, (b) free target, and (c) free antibody concentrations in tissue. The effects of the QSS approximations were assessed via simulations, taking as reference the mPBPK-TMDD model with no simplifications. Approximation (a) did not affect model-derived concentrations, while with the inclusion of approximation (b) or (c), target concentration profiles alone, or both drug and target concentration profiles respectively deviated from the reference model profiles. A local sensitivity analysis was performed, highlighting the potential importance of sampling in the terminal pharmacokinetic phase and of collecting target concentration data. The a priori and a posteriori identifiability of the mPBPK-TMDD models were investigated under different experimental scenarios and designs. The reference model and QSS approximation (a) on antibody-target complex were both found to be a priori identifiable in all scenarios, while under the further inclusion of QSS approximation (b) target concentration data were needed for a priori identifiability to be preserved. The property could not be assessed for the model including all three QSS approximations. A posteriori identifiability issues were detected for all models, although improvement was observed when appropriate sampling and dose range were selected. In conclusion, this work provides a theoretical framework for the assessment of key properties of mathematical models before their experimental application. Attention should be paid when applying integrated mPBPK-TMDD models, as identifiability issues do exist, especially when rich study designs are not feasible.
Keywords: Identifiability; Minimal physiologically-based pharmacokinetics; Monoclonal antibodies; Study design; Target mediated drug disposition.