1
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Abstract
The homeostasis of cellular activities is essential for the normal functioning of living organisms. Hence, the ability to regulate the fates of cells is of great significance for both fundamental chemical biology studies and therapeutic development. Despite the notable success of small-molecule drugs that normally act on cellular protein functions, current clinical challenges have highlighted the use of macromolecules to tune cell function for improved therapeutic outcomes. As a class of hybrid biomacromolecules gaining rapidly increasing attention, protein conjugates have exhibited great potential as versatile tools to manipulate cell function for therapeutic applications, including cancer treatment, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Therefore, recent progress in the design and assembly of protein conjugates used to regulate cell function is discussed in this review. The protein conjugates covered here are classified into three different categories based on their mechanisms of action and relevant applications: (1) regulation of intercellular interactions; (2) intervention in intracellular biological pathways; (3) termination of cell proliferation. Within each genre, a variety of protein conjugate scaffolds are discussed, which contain a diverse array of grafted molecules, such as lipids, oligonucleotides, synthetic polymers, and small molecules, with an emphasis on their conjugation methodologies and potential biomedical applications. While the current generation of protein conjugates is focused largely on delivery, the next generation is expected to address issues of site-specific conjugation, in vivo stability, controllability, target selectivity, and biocompatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiao Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Carston R Wagner
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Mark D Distefano
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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Krzyscik MA, Opaliński Ł, Szymczyk J, Otlewski J. Cyclic and dimeric fibroblast growth factor 2 variants with high biomedical potential. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 218:243-258. [PMID: 35878661 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.07.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is a pleiotropic protein engaged in the regulation of key cellular processes in a wide spectrum of cells. FGF2 is an important object of basic research as well as a molecule used in regenerative medicine, in vitro cell culture maintenance, and as an anticancer drug carrier. However, the unsatisfactory stability and pleiotropic activities of the wild-type FGF2 largely limit its use as a medical product. To overcome these limitations, we have designed a set of FGF2-based macromolecules via sortase A-mediated cyclization and oligomerization. We obtained heparin-switchable FGF2 variants with enhanced stability and improved ability to stimulate cell proliferation and migration. We have shown that stimulation of glucose uptake by adipocytes is modulated by the architecture of FGF2 oligomers. Moreover, we used hyper-stable FGF2 variants for the construction of highly effective drug carriers for selective killing of FGFR1-overproducing cancer cells. The strategy for FGF2 engineering presented in this work provides novel insights into the design of growth factor variants for regenerative and anti-cancer precise medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz A Krzyscik
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Łukasz Opaliński
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Szymczyk
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Otlewski
- University of Wroclaw, Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, 50-383 Wroclaw, Poland.
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3
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Jendryczko K, Rzeszotko J, Krzyscik MA, Kocyła A, Szymczyk J, Otlewski J, Szlachcic A. Drug Conjugation via Maleimide-Thiol Chemistry Does Not Affect Targeting Properties of Cysteine-Containing Anti-FGFR1 Peptibodies. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:1422-1433. [PMID: 35389227 PMCID: PMC9066409 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
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With a wide range
of available cytotoxic therapeutics, the main
focus of current cancer research is to deliver them specifically to
the cancer cells, minimizing toxicity against healthy tissues. Targeted
therapy utilizes different carriers for cytotoxic drugs, combining
a targeting molecule, typically an antibody, and a highly toxic payload.
For the effective delivery of such cytotoxic conjugates, a molecular
target on the cancer cell is required. Various proteins are exclusively
or abundantly expressed in cancer cells, making them a possible target
for drug carriers. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) overexpression
has been reported in different types of cancer, but no FGFR1-targeting
cytotoxic conjugate has been approved for therapy so far. In this
study, the FGFR1-targeting peptide previously described in the literature
was reformatted into a peptibody–peptide fusion with the fragment
crystallizable (Fc) domain of IgG1. PeptibodyC19 can be effectively
internalized into FGFR1-overexpressing cells and does not induce cells’
proliferation. The main challenge for its use as a cytotoxic conjugate
is a cysteine residue located within the targeting peptide. A standard
drug-conjugation strategy based on the maleimide–thiol reaction
involves modification of cysteines within the Fc domain hinge region.
Applied here, however, may easily result in the modification of the
targeting peptide with the drug, limiting its affinity to the target
and therefore the potential for specific drug delivery. To investigate
if this is the case, we have performed conjugation reactions with
different auristatin derivatives (PEGylated and unmodified) under
various conditions. By controlling the reduction conditions and the
type of cytotoxic payload, different numbers of cysteines were substituted,
allowing us to avoid conjugating the drug to the targeting peptide,
which could affect its binding to FGFR1. The optimized protocol with
PEGylated auristatin yielded doubly substituted peptibodyC19, showing
specific cytotoxicity toward the FGFR1-expressing lung cancer cells,
with no effect on cells with low FGFR1 levels. Indeed, additional
cysteine poses a risk of unwanted modification, but changes in the
type of cytotoxic payload and reaction conditions allow the use of
standard thiol–maleimide-based conjugation to achieve standard
Fc hinge region cysteine modification, analogously to antibody–drug
conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Jendryczko
- Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Jakub Rzeszotko
- Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | | | - Anna Kocyła
- Department of Chemical Biology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Jakub Szymczyk
- Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Jacek Otlewski
- Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Anna Szlachcic
- Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
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Porębska N, Knapik A, Poźniak M, Krzyścik MA, Zakrzewska M, Otlewski J, Opaliński Ł. Intrinsically Fluorescent Oligomeric Cytotoxic Conjugates Toxic for FGFR1-Overproducing Cancers. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:5349-5362. [PMID: 34855396 PMCID: PMC8672352 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
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Fibroblast growth
factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) is an integral membrane
protein that transmits prolife signals through the plasma membrane.
Overexpression of FGFR1 has been reported in various tumor types,
and therefore, this receptor constitutes an attractive molecular target
for selective anticancer therapies. Here, we present a novel system
for generation of intrinsically fluorescent, self-assembling, oligomeric
cytotoxic conjugates with high affinity and efficient internalization
targeting FGFR1. In our approach, we employed FGF1 as an FGFR1 recognizing
molecule and genetically fused it to green fluorescent protein polygons
(GFPp), a fluorescent oligomerization scaffold, resulting in a set
of GFPp_FGF1 oligomers with largely improved receptor binding. To
validate the applicability of using GFPp_FGF1 oligomers as cancer
probes and drug carriers in targeted therapy of cancers with aberrant
FGFR1, we selected a trimeric variant from generated GFPp_FGF1 oligomers
and further engineered it by introducing FGF1-stabilizing mutations
and by incorporating the cytotoxic drug monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE)
in a site-specific manner. The resulting intrinsically fluorescent,
trimeric cytotoxic conjugate 3xGFPp_FGF1E_LPET_MMAE exhibits nanomolar
affinity for the receptor and very high stability. Notably, the intrinsic
fluorescence of 3xGFPp_FGF1E_LPET_MMAE allows for tracking the cellular
transport of the conjugate, demonstrating that 3xGFPp_FGF1E_LPET_MMAE
is efficiently and selectively internalized into cells expressing
FGFR1. Importantly, we show that 3xGFPp_FGF1E_LPET_MMAE displays very
high cytotoxicity against a panel of different cancer cells overproducing
FGFR1 while remaining neutral toward cells devoid of FGFR1 expression.
Our data implicate that the engineered fluorescent conjugates can
be used for imaging and targeted therapy of FGFR1-overproducing cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Porębska
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Agata Knapik
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Marta Poźniak
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Mateusz Adam Krzyścik
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Zakrzewska
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Jacek Otlewski
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Łukasz Opaliński
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
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Krzyscik MA, Zakrzewska M, Sørensen V, Øy GF, Brunheim S, Haugsten EM, Mælandsmo GM, Wiedlocha A, Otlewski J. Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 Conjugated with Monomethyl Auristatin E Inhibits Tumor Growth in a Mouse Model. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:4169-4180. [PMID: 34542998 PMCID: PMC8512659 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
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Worldwide, cancer
is the second leading cause of death. Regardless
of the continuous progress in medicine, we still do not have a fully
effective anti-cancer therapy. Therefore, the search for new targeted
anti-cancer drugs is still an unmet need. Here, we present novel protein–drug
conjugates that inhibit tumor growth in a mouse model of human breast
cancer. We developed conjugates based on fibroblast growth factor
(FGF2) with improved biophysical and biological properties for the
efficient killing of cancer cells overproducing fibroblast growth
factor receptor 1 (FGFR1). We used hydrophilic and biocompatible PEG4
or PEG27 molecules as a spacer between FGF2 and the toxic agent monomethyl
auristatin E. All conjugates exhibited a cytotoxic effect on FGFR1-positive
cancer cell lines. The conjugate with the highest hydrodynamic size
(42 kDa) and cytotoxicity was found to efficiently inhibit tumor growth
in a mouse model of human breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz A Krzyscik
- Department of Protein Engineering, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Zakrzewska
- Department of Protein Engineering, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
| | - Vigdis Sørensen
- Advanced Light Microscopy Core Facility, Dept. Core Facilities, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway.,Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway
| | - Geir Frode Øy
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway
| | - Skjalg Brunheim
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway
| | - Ellen M Haugsten
- Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway.,Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway
| | - Gunhild M Mælandsmo
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway.,University in Tromso - Arctic University of Norway, Tromso 9019, Norway
| | - Antoni Wiedlocha
- Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway.,Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, Montebello, Oslo 0379, Norway.,Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw 01-163, Poland
| | - Jacek Otlewski
- Department of Protein Engineering, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, Wroclaw 50-383, Poland
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Nita A, Abraham SP, Krejci P, Bosakova M. Oncogenic FGFR Fusions Produce Centrosome and Cilia Defects by Ectopic Signaling. Cells 2021; 10:1445. [PMID: 34207779 PMCID: PMC8227969 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A single primary cilium projects from most vertebrate cells to guide cell fate decisions. A growing list of signaling molecules is found to function through cilia and control ciliogenesis, including the fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR). Aberrant FGFR activity produces abnormal cilia with deregulated signaling, which contributes to pathogenesis of the FGFR-mediated genetic disorders. FGFR lesions are also found in cancer, raising a possibility of cilia involvement in the neoplastic transformation and tumor progression. Here, we focus on FGFR gene fusions, and discuss the possible mechanisms by which they function as oncogenic drivers. We show that a substantial portion of the FGFR fusion partners are proteins associated with the centrosome cycle, including organization of the mitotic spindle and ciliogenesis. The functions of centrosome proteins are often lost with the gene fusion, leading to haploinsufficiency that induces cilia loss and deregulated cell division. We speculate that this complements the ectopic FGFR activity and drives the FGFR fusion cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru Nita
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
| | - Sara P. Abraham
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
| | - Pavel Krejci
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the CAS, 60200 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, 65691 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Bosakova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (A.N.); (S.P.A.); (P.K.)
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the CAS, 60200 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital, 65691 Brno, Czech Republic
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7
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Poźniak M, Porębska N, Krzyścik MA, Sokołowska-Wędzina A, Jastrzębski K, Sochacka M, Szymczyk J, Zakrzewska M, Otlewski J, Opaliński Ł. The cytotoxic conjugate of highly internalizing tetravalent antibody for targeting FGFR1-overproducing cancer cells. Mol Med 2021; 27:46. [PMID: 33962559 PMCID: PMC8103757 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-021-00306-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) represent one of the most promising approaches in the current immuno-oncology research. The precise delivery of cytotoxic drugs to the cancer cells using ADCs specific for tumor-associated antigens enables sparing the healthy cells and thereby reduces unwanted side effects. Overexpression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) has been demonstrated in numerous tumors and thereby constitutes a convenient molecular target for selective cancer treatment. We have recently engineered tetravalent anti-FGFR1 antibody, T-Fc, and have demonstrated that it displays extremely efficient internalization into FGFR1 producing cells, a feature highly desirable in the ADC approach. We have revealed that T-Fc mediates clustering of FGFR1, largely enhancing the uptake of FGFR1-T-Fc complexes by induction of clathrin-independent endocytic routes. The aim of this study was to obtain highly internalizing cytotoxic conjugate of the T-Fc for specific delivery of drugs into FGFR1-positive cancer cells. METHODS Conjugation of the T-Fc to a cytotoxic payload, vcMMAE, was carried out via maleimide chemistry, yielding the T-Fc-vcMMAE. The specific binding of the T-Fc-vcMMAE conjugate to FGFR1 was confirmed in vitro with BLI technique. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry were applied to determine FGFR1-dependence of the T-Fc-vcMMAE internalization. Western blot analyses of FGFR1-dependent signaling were conducted to assess the impact of the T-Fc-vcMMAE on FGFR1 activation and initiation of downstream signaling cascades. Finally, using FGFR1-negative and FGFR1-possitive cell lines, the cytotoxic potential of the T-Fc-vcMMAE was evaluated. RESULTS We have performed the efficient conjugation of the tetravalent engineered antibody with a cytotoxic drug and generated FGFR1-specific ADC molecule, T-Fc-vcMMAE. We have demonstrated that T-Fc-vcMMAE conjugate exhibits high selectivity and affinity for FGFR1, similarly to T-Fc. Furthermore, we have shown that T-Fc constitutes an effective drug delivery vehicle as T-Fc-vcMMAE was efficiently and selectively internalized by FGFR1-producing cells leading to their death. Interestingly, we show that the efficiency of the uptake of T-Fc-vcMMAE corresponds well with the cytotoxicity of the conjugate, but doesn't correlate with the FGFR1expression level. CONCLUSION Our results show that T-Fc-vcMMAE fulfills the key criteria for the successful cytotoxic drug carrier in a targeted approach against FGFR1-positive cancer cells. Furthermore, our data implicate that not solely expression level of the receptor, but rather its cellular trafficking should be taken into account for selection of suitable molecular targets and cancer models for successful ADC approach.
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MESH Headings
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/chemistry
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/pharmacology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Survival/drug effects
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique
- Gene Expression
- Genetic Engineering
- Humans
- Immunoconjugates/chemistry
- Immunoconjugates/pharmacology
- Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1/genetics
- Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Poźniak
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Natalia Porębska
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Mateusz Adam Krzyścik
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Sokołowska-Wędzina
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Kamil Jastrzębski
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Martyna Sochacka
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Szymczyk
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Zakrzewska
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jacek Otlewski
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Łukasz Opaliński
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Department of Protein Engineering, University of Wroclaw, Joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland.
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Deonarain MP, Yahioglu G. Current strategies for the discovery and bioconjugation of smaller, targetable drug conjugates tailored for solid tumor therapy. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2021; 16:613-624. [PMID: 33275475 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2021.1858050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) have undergone a recent resurgence with 5 product approvals over the last 2 years but for those close to the field, it's been repeated cycles of setbacks and new innovations. A new wave of innovation is in the type of format used to deliver the cytotoxic payloads, with smaller bio-molecules being designed to have more optimal penetration and elimination properties tailored for solid tumors.Areas covered: In this review, the authors cover many of the recently described smaller-format drug conjugates (including formats such as diabodies, Fabs, scFvs, domain antibodies) with an emphasis on the types of conjugation technologies used to attach the chemical linker-payload.Expert opinion: Smaller formats are highly influenced by the structure of the linker-payload, arguably more-so than larger ADCs, so careful consideration is needed where solublising and pharmacokinetic modulation is required. High-quality conjugates are being developed with in vivo tumor efficacy and tolerability properties competitive with ADCs and with a few formats already in clinical development, we expect the pipeline to expand and to reach the market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahendra P Deonarain
- Antikor Biopharma Ltd, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Hertfordshire, UK.,Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Gokhan Yahioglu
- Antikor Biopharma Ltd, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Hertfordshire, UK.,Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London, UK
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