Nectin-4: a Tumor Cell Target and Status of Inhibitor Development

High-glucose-associated YTHDC1 lactylation reduces the sensitivity of bladder cancer to enfortumab vedotin therapy

Hyperglycemia is a recognized risk factor for bladder cancer (BC). Enfortumab vedotin (EV), the first NECTIN4-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, demonstrates promising clinical efficacy in patients with advanced BC. In this study, we show that EV treatment is less effective in BC patients with diabetes than in those with normoglycemia. The subsequent in vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that high glucose decreases the sensitivity of BC cells to EV. Mechanistically, lactate overproduction associated with high glucose promotes AARS1-mediated YTHDC1 lactylation and enhances RNF183-mediated YTHDC1 ubiquitination. Downregulated YTHDC1 reduces JUND mRNA stability in an m6A-dependent manner, subsequently decreasing NECTIN4 expression and EV responsiveness. Our study identifies a high-glucose-associated lactate-AARS1-YTHDC1-JUND-NECTIN4 axis that affects EV sensitivity in BC. Targeting this axis with JUND activators or β-alanine may offer therapeutic strategies to enhance the sensitivity of BC cells to EV.

A cutting-edge 68Ga-labeled bicyclic peptide PET molecular probe for noninvasive assessment of Nectin4 expression

The diagnosis and treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) are huge challenges due to the lack of identifiable molecular targets. The high expression of Nectin4 in a variety of tumors, including TNBC, is associated with the occurrence, invasion, progression and poor prognosis of tumors. Therefore, Nectin4 is an emerging biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC. A PET imaging method to non-invasively quantify Nectin4 expression levels may aid in TNBC diagnosis and classification. In this study, a novel bicyclic peptide molecular probe [68Ga]Ga-DN68 was used to evaluate the expression of Nectin4 in tumors. The radiolabeling rate of [68Ga]Ga-DN68 was over 97 %, while maintaining more than 99 % radiochemical purity. In vitro experiments showed that [68Ga]Ga-DN68 could effectively target Nectin4 in tumor cells, and the cellular uptake of MC38-Nectin4 cells (Nectin4+) was significantly higher than that of MC38 cells (Nectin4-). Biodistribution and PET imaging studies consistently showed that [68Ga]Ga-DN68 was specifically accumulated in MC38-Nectin4 and MDA-MB-468 tumors, which was significantly higher than that of MC38. When co-injected with cold DN68, the specific accumulation could block the tumor uptake of MDA-MB-468. Notably, the signal-to-noise ratio at the tumor site gradually increased over time, reaching a peak at 1 h. These results strongly suggest that [68Ga]Ga-DN68 has broad application prospects as a PET tracer in TNBC imaging.

Post-marketing drug safety surveillance of enfortumab vedotin: an observational pharmacovigilance study based on a real-world database

Background

Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that has been approved by the FDA for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). This study presents a comprehensive pharmacovigilance analysis of the post-marketing safety profile of EV in the real-world based on the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

Methods

Adverse event (AE) reports regarding EV between January 2020 and December 2023 were obtained from the FAERS database. The standardized MedDRA query (SMQ) narrow search AEs on the preferred term (PT) level were used. Disproportionality analysis was performed to identify the AE signals for EV with the reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), multi-item gamma Poisson shrinker (MGPS), and Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN).

Results

A total of 2,216 reports regarding EV were included in the present study. SMQ analysis results indicated that a stronger strength signal was found in severe cutaneous adverse reactions, retroperitoneal fibrosis, and peripheral neuropathy. A total of 116 significant disproportionality PTs referring to 14 system organ classes (SOCs) were retained by disproportionality analysis, with 49 PTs not listed on the EV drug label. Frequently reported EV-related AEs included rash, peripheral neuropathy, decreased appetite, alopecia, and pruritus. The time to onset of the majority of EV-related AEs was within 30 days (66.05%), with only 0.73% events occurring after 1 year.

Conclusion

The disproportionality analysis highlights that dermatologic toxicity and peripheral neuropathy were the major AEs induced by EV. The potential AEs not listed on the drug label were mainly related to gastrointestinal, hepatic, and pulmonary events. Further research is needed to confirm and explore the EV-related AEs in clinical practice.

Spotlight on ideal target antigens and resistance in antibody-drug conjugates: Strategies for competitive advancement

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent a novel and promising approach in targeted therapy, uniting the specificity of antibodies that recognize specific antigens with payloads, all connected by the stable linker. These conjugates combine the best targeted and cytotoxic therapies, offering the killing effect of precisely targeting specific antigens and the potent cell-killing power of small molecule drugs. The targeted approach minimizes the off-target toxicities associated with the payloads and broadens the therapeutic window, enhancing the efficacy and safety profile of cancer treatments. Within precision oncology, ADCs have garnered significant attention as a cutting-edge research area and have been approved to treat a range of malignant tumors. Correspondingly, the issue of resistance to ADCs has gradually come to the fore. Any dysfunction in the steps leading to the ADCs' action within tumor cells can lead to the development of resistance. A deeper understanding of resistance mechanisms may be crucial for developing novel ADCs and exploring combination therapy strategies, which could further enhance the clinical efficacy of ADCs in cancer treatment. This review outlines the brief historical development and mechanism of ADCs and discusses the impact of their key components on the activity of ADCs. Furthermore, it provides a detailed account of the application of ADCs with various target antigens in cancer therapy, the categorization of potential resistance mechanisms, and the current state of combination therapies. Looking forward, breakthroughs in overcoming technical barriers, selecting differentiated target antigens, and enhancing resistance management and combination therapy strategies will broaden the therapeutic indications for ADCs. These progresses are anticipated to advance cancer treatment and yield benefits for patients.

Immune-related adverse events of antibody-based biological medicines in cancer therapy

Recombinant antibodies (Abs) are an integral modality for the treatment of multiple tumour malignancies. Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of rituximab as the first monoclonal antibody (mAb) for cancer treatment, several mAbs and antibody (Ab)-based therapies have been approved for the treatment of solid tumour malignancies and other cancers. These Abs function by either blocking oncogenic pathways or angiogenesis, modulating immune response, or by delivering a conjugated drug. The use of Ab-based therapy in cancer patients who could benefit from the treatment, however, is still limited by associated toxicity profiles which may stem from biological features and processes related to target binding, alongside biochemical and/or biophysical characteristics of the therapeutic Ab. A significant immune-related adverse event (irAE) associated with Ab-based therapies is cytokine release syndrome (CRS), characterized by the development of fever, rash and even marked, life-threatening hypotension, and acute inflammation with secondary to systemic uncontrolled increase in a range of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Here, we review irAEs associated with specific classes of approved, Ab-based novel cancer immunotherapeutics, namely immune checkpoint (IC)-targeting Abs, bispecific Abs (BsAbs) and Ab-drug-conjugates (ADCs), highlighting the significance of harmonization in preclinical assay development for safety assessment of Ab-based biotherapeutics as an approach to support and refine clinical translation.

Therapeutic prospects of nectin-4 in cancer: applications and value

Nectin-4 is a Ca2+-independent immunoglobulin-like protein that exhibits significantly elevated expression in malignant tumors while maintaining extremely low levels in healthy adult tissues. In recent years, overexpression of Nectin-4 has been implicated in tumor occurrence and development of various cancers, including breast cancer, urothelial cancer, and lung cancer. In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration approved enfortumab vedotin, the first antibody-drug conjugate targeting Nectin-4, for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma. This has emphasized the value of Nectin-4 in tumor targeted therapy and promoted the implementation of more clinical trials of enfortumab vedotin. In addition, many new drugs targeting Nectin-4 for the treatment of malignant tumors have entered clinical trials, with the aim of exploring potential new indications. However, the exact mechanisms by which Nectin-4 affects tumorigenesis and progression are still unclear, and the emergence of drug resistance and treatment-related adverse reactions poses challenges. This article reviews the diagnostic potential, prognostic significance, and molecular role of Nectin-4 in tumors, with a focus on clinical trials in the field of Nectin-4-related tumor treatment and the development of new drugs targeting Nectin-4.