Antibody engineering to generate SKY59, a long-acting anti-C5 recycling antibody

PLoS One. 2018 Dec 28;13(12):e0209509. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209509. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Modulating the complement system is a promising strategy in drug discovery for disorders with uncontrolled complement activation. Although some of these disorders can be effectively treated with an antibody that inhibits complement C5, the high plasma concentration of C5 requires a huge dosage and frequent intravenous administration. Moreover, a conventional anti-C5 antibody can cause C5 to accumulate in plasma by reducing C5 clearance when C5 forms an immune complex (IC) with the antibody, which can be salvaged from endosomal vesicles by neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-mediated recycling. In order to neutralize the increased C5, an even higher dosage of the antibody would be required. This antigen accumulation can be suppressed by giving the antibody a pH-dependent C5-binding property so that C5 is released from the antibody in the acidic endosome and then trafficked to the lysosome for degradation, while the C5-free antibody returns back to plasma. We recently demonstrated that a pH-dependent C5-binding antibody, SKY59, exhibited long-lasting neutralization of C5 in cynomolgus monkeys, showing potential for subcutaneous delivery or less frequent administration. Here we report the details of the antibody engineering involved in generating SKY59, from humanizing a rabbit antibody to improving the C5-binding property. Moreover, because the pH-dependent C5-binding antibodies that we first generated still accumulated C5, we hypothesized that the surface charges of the ICs partially contributed to a slow uptake rate of the C5-antibody ICs. This idea motivated us to engineer the surface charges of the antibody. Our surface-charge engineered antibody consequently exhibited a high capacity to sweep C5 and suppressed the C5 accumulation in vivo by accelerating the cycle of sweeping: uptake of ICs into cells, release of C5 from the antibody in endosomes, and salvage of the antigen-free antibody. Thus, our engineered anti-C5 antibody, SKY59, is expected to provide significant benefits for patients with complement-mediated disorders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / genetics*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Antibody Affinity
  • Complement Activation / drug effects*
  • Complement Activation / immunology
  • Complement C5 / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Complement C5 / immunology
  • Complement C5 / isolation & purification
  • Computer Simulation
  • Drug Discovery / methods
  • Endosomes / immunology
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / genetics
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Immune System Diseases / drug therapy
  • Immune System Diseases / immunology
  • Macaca fascicularis
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Mutagenesis
  • Protein Engineering / methods*
  • Receptors, Fc / genetics
  • Receptors, Fc / immunology
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology
  • Recombinant Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Complement C5
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Receptors, Fc
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Fc receptor, neonatal

Grants and funding

All the authors are employed by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. or Chugai Pharmabody Research Pte. Ltd. (collectively referred to as “Chugai”), which supported and funded the research described in this report. The study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript were performed by the authors, and their decision to publish was authorized by Chugai.