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Identification and characterization of relapse-initiating cells in MLL-rearranged infant ALL by single-cell transcriptomics. Leukemia 2021; 36:58-67. [PMID: 34304246 PMCID: PMC8727302 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-021-01341-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Infants with MLL-rearranged infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (MLL-r iALL) undergo intense therapy to counter a highly aggressive malignancy with survival rates of only 30–40%. The majority of patients initially show therapy response, but in two-thirds of cases the leukemia returns, typically during treatment. The glucocorticoid drug prednisone is established as a major player in the treatment of leukemia and the in vivo response to prednisone monotreatment is currently the best indicator of risk for MLL-r iALL. We used two different single-cell RNA sequencing technologies to analyze the expression of a prednisone-dependent signature, derived from an independent study, in diagnostic bone marrow and peripheral blood biopsies. This allowed us to classify individual leukemic cells as either resistant or sensitive to treatment and show that quantification of these two groups can be used to better predict the occurrence of future relapse in individual patients. This work also sheds light on the nature of the therapy-resistant subpopulation of relapse-initiating cells. Leukemic cells associated with high relapse risk are characterized by basal activation of glucocorticoid response, smaller size, and a quiescent gene expression program with cell stemness properties. These results improve current risk stratification and elucidate leukemic therapy-resistant subpopulations at diagnosis.
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2
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Láng JA, Balogh ZC, Nyitrai MF, Juhász C, Gilicze AKB, Iliás A, Zólyomi Z, Bodor C, Rábai E. In vitro functional characterization of biosimilar therapeutic antibodies. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2020; 37:41-50. [PMID: 34895654 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2020.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The key factor in successful development and marketing of biosimilar antibodies is a deep understanding of their critical quality attributes and the ability to control them. Comprehensive functional characterization is therefore at the heart of the process and is a crucial part of regulatory requirements. Establishment of a scientifically sound molecule-specific functional in vitro assay panel requires diligent planning and high flexibility in order to respond to both regulatory requirements and the ever-changing demands relevant to the different stages of the development and production process. Relevance of the chosen assays to the in vivo mechanism of action is of key importance to the stepwise evidence-based demonstration of biosimilarity. Use of a sound interdisciplinary approach and orthogonal state-of-the-art techniques is also unavoidable for gaining in-depth understanding of the biosimilar candidate. The aim of the present review is to give a snapshot on the methodic landscape as depicted by the available literature discussing the in vitro techniques used for the functional characterization of approved biosimilar therapeutic antibodies. Emerging hot topics of the field and relevant structure-function relationships are also highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Anna Láng
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
| | - Zsófia Cselovszkiné Balogh
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary.
| | - Mónika Fizilné Nyitrai
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
| | - Cintia Juhász
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
| | - Anna Katalin Baráné Gilicze
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
| | - Attila Iliás
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
| | - Zsolt Zólyomi
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
| | - Csaba Bodor
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
| | - Erzsébet Rábai
- Biotechnology Research & Development Division/Bioassay Development Group, Gedeon Richter Plc, Gyömrői Street 19-21 1103 Budapest Hungary
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3
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The Role of Complement in the Mechanism of Action of Therapeutic Anti-Cancer mAbs. Antibodies (Basel) 2020; 9:antib9040058. [PMID: 33126570 PMCID: PMC7709112 DOI: 10.3390/antib9040058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Unconjugated anti-cancer IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) activate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by natural killer (NK) cells and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) by macrophages, and these activities are thought to be important mechanisms of action for many of these mAbs in vivo. Several mAbs also activate the classical complement pathway and promote complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), although with very different levels of efficacy, depending on the mAb, the target antigen, and the tumor type. Recent studies have unraveled the various structural factors that define why some IgG1 mAbs are strong mediators of CDC, whereas others are not. The role of complement activation and membrane inhibitors expressed by tumor cells, most notably CD55 and CD59, has also been quite extensively studied, but how much these affect the resistance of tumors in vivo to IgG1 therapeutic mAbs still remains incompletely understood. Recent studies have demonstrated that complement activation has multiple effects beyond target cell lysis, affecting both innate and adaptive immunity mediated by soluble complement fragments, such as C3a and C5a, and by stimulating complement receptors expressed by immune cells, including NK cells, neutrophils, macrophages, T cells, and dendritic cells. Complement activation can enhance ADCC and ADCP and may contribute to the vaccine effect of mAbs. These different aspects of complement are also briefly reviewed in the specific context of FDA-approved therapeutic anti-cancer IgG1 mAbs.
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Overdijk MB, Strumane K, Beurskens FJ, Ortiz Buijsse A, Vermot-Desroches C, Vuillermoz BS, Kroes T, de Jong B, Hoevenaars N, Hibbert RG, Lingnau A, Forssmann U, Schuurman J, Parren PWHI, de Jong RN, Breij ECW. Dual Epitope Targeting and Enhanced Hexamerization by DR5 Antibodies as a Novel Approach to Induce Potent Antitumor Activity Through DR5 Agonism. Mol Cancer Ther 2020; 19:2126-2138. [PMID: 32847982 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-20-0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Higher-order death receptor 5 (DR5) clustering can induce tumor cell death; however, therapeutic compounds targeting DR5 have achieved limited clinical efficacy. We describe HexaBody-DR5/DR5, an equimolar mixture of two DR5-specific IgG1 antibodies with an Fc-domain mutation that augments antibody hexamerization after cell surface target binding. The two antibodies do not compete for binding to DR5 as demonstrated using binding competition studies, and binding to distinct epitopes in the DR5 extracellular domain was confirmed by crystallography. The unique combination of dual epitope targeting and increased IgG hexamerization resulted in potent DR5 agonist activity by inducing efficient DR5 outside-in signaling and caspase-mediated cell death. Preclinical studies in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that maximal DR5 agonist activity could be achieved independent of Fc gamma receptor-mediated antibody crosslinking. Most optimal agonism was observed in the presence of complement complex C1, although without inducing complement-dependent cytotoxicity. It is hypothesized that C1 may stabilize IgG hexamers that are formed after binding of HexaBody-DR5/DR5 to DR5 on the plasma membrane, thereby strengthening DR5 clustering and subsequent outside-in signaling. We observed potent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo in large panels of patient-derived xenograft models representing various solid cancers. The results of our preclinical studies provided the basis for an ongoing clinical trial exploring the activity of HexaBody-DR5/DR5 (GEN1029) in patients with malignant solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristin Strumane
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | | | | | | | | | - Thessa Kroes
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | - Bart de Jong
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | - Naomi Hoevenaars
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | | | - Andreas Lingnau
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | - Ulf Forssmann
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | - Janine Schuurman
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | - Paul W H I Parren
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton.,Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Rob N de Jong
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton
| | - Esther C W Breij
- Genmab, Utrecht, the Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark, Princeton.
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Flow cytometry-based assessment of direct-targeting anti-cancer antibody immune effector functions. Methods Enzymol 2020; 632:431-456. [PMID: 32000909 PMCID: PMC7000137 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2019.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibody-based therapies are increasingly being used to treat cancer. Some mediate their therapeutic effects through modifying the function of immune cells globally, while others bind directly to tumor cells and can recruit immune effector cells through their Fc regions. As new direct-binding agents are developed, having the ability to test their Fc-mediated functions in a high-throughput manner is important for selecting antibodies with immune effector properties. Here, using monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab) as an example and the CD20+ Raji cell line as tumor target, we describe flow cytometry-based assays for determining an antibody's capacity for mediating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). These assays are sensitive, reliable, affordable and avoid the use of radioactivity.
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Loeff FC, van Egmond EH, Moes DJ, Wijnands C, Von Dem Borne PA, Veelken H, Falkenburg JF, Jedema I, Halkes CJ. Impact of alemtuzumab pharmacokinetics on T-cell dynamics, graft-versus-host disease and viral reactivation in patients receiving allogeneic stem cell transplantation with an alemtuzumab-based T-cell-depleted graft. Transpl Immunol 2019; 57:101209. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2019.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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7
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Loeff FC, Rijs K, van Egmond EHM, Zoutman WH, Qiao X, Kroes WGM, Veld SAJ, Griffioen M, Vermeer MH, Neefjes J, Frederik Falkenburg JH, Halkes CJM, Jedema I. Loss of the GPI-anchor in B-lymphoblastic leukemia by epigenetic downregulation of PIGH expression. Am J Hematol 2019; 94:93-102. [PMID: 30370942 PMCID: PMC6587464 DOI: 10.1002/ajh.25337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Adult B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a hematological malignancy characterized by genetic heterogeneity. Despite successful remission induction with classical chemotherapeutics and novel targeted agents, enduring remission is often hampered by disease relapse due to outgrowth of a pre-existing subclone resistant against the treatment. In this study, we show that small glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor deficient CD52-negative B-cell populations are frequently present already at diagnosis in B-ALL patients, but not in patients suffering from other B-cell malignancies. We demonstrate that the GPI-anchor negative phenotype results from loss of mRNA expression of the PIGH gene, which is involved in the first step of GPI-anchor synthesis. Loss of PIGH mRNA expression within these B-ALL cells follows epigenetic silencing rather than gene mutation or deletion. The coinciding loss of CD52 membrane expression may contribute to the development of resistance to alemtuzumab (ALM) treatment in B-ALL patients resulting in the outgrowth of CD52-negative escape variants. Additional treatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine may restore expression of CD52 and revert ALM resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floris C. Loeff
- Department of Hematology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Kevin Rijs
- Department of Hematology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | | | - Willem H. Zoutman
- Department of Dermatology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Xiaohang Qiao
- Division of Cell Biology; The Netherlands Cancer Institute; Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Wilhelmina G. M. Kroes
- Department of Clinical Genetics; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Sabrina A. J. Veld
- Department of Hematology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Marieke Griffioen
- Department of Hematology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Maarten H. Vermeer
- Department of Dermatology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Jacques Neefjes
- Division of Cell Biology; The Netherlands Cancer Institute; Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Department of Chemical Immunology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Inge Jedema
- Department of Hematology; Leiden University Medical Center; Leiden The Netherlands
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Kuhlmann L, Cummins E, Samudio I, Kislinger T. Cell-surface proteomics for the identification of novel therapeutic targets in cancer. Expert Rev Proteomics 2018; 15:259-275. [DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2018.1429924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kuhlmann
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Emma Cummins
- The Centre for Drug Research and Development, Division of Biologics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ismael Samudio
- The Centre for Drug Research and Development, Division of Biologics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Thomas Kislinger
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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