Allelic Variation in HLA-DRB1 is Associated with Development ofAnti-Drug Antibodies in Cancer Patients Treated with Atezolizumab that are Neutralizing in Vitro

Evaluating the Immunogenicity Risk of Protein Therapeutics by Augmenting T Cell Epitope Prediction with Clinical Factors

Protein-based therapeutics may elicit undesired immune responses in a subset of patients, leading to the production of anti-drug antibodies (ADA). In some cases, ADAs have been reported to affect the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and/or safety of the drug. Accurate prediction of the ADA response can help drug developers identify the immunogenicity risk of the drug candidates, thereby allowing them to make the necessary modifications to mitigate the immunogenicity. In this study, we leveraged the rich clinical study data collected by Roche/Genentech to identify factors that impact drug immunogenicity. We focused on conventional monoclonal antibodies, but have included a variety of additional drug modalities in the analysis. We show that the clinical ADA incidences are associated with the mechanism of action of the drugs, the mechanism of action of comedications, the routes of drug administration and the diseases of the patient cohort. By combining these clinical factors with the in silico epitope prediction, we improved the prediction accuracy of drug immunogenicity in clinical trials (AUC of cross validation improved from 0.72 to 0.93).

Comprehensive assessment of TECENTRIQ® and OPDIVO®: analyzing immunotherapy indications withdrawn in triple-negative breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma

Atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®) and nivolumab (OPDIVO®) are both immunotherapeutic indications targeting programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) and programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), respectively. These inhibitors hold promise as therapies for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and have demonstrated encouraging results in reducing the progression and spread of tumors. However, due to their adverse effects and low response rates, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn the approval of atezolizumab in TNBC and nivolumab in HCC treatment. The withdrawals of atezolizumab and nivolumab have raised concerns regarding their effectiveness and the ability to predict treatment responses. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate the immunotherapy withdrawal of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, specifically atezolizumab for TNBC and nivolumab for HCC. This study will examine both the structural and clinical aspects. This review provides detailed insights into the structure of the PD-1 receptor and its ligands, the interactions between PD-1 and PD-L1, and their interactions with the withdrawn antibodies (atezolizumab and nivolumab) as well as PD-1 and PD-L1 modifications. In addition, this review further assesses these antibodies in the context of TNBC and HCC. It seeks to elucidate the factors that contribute to diverse responses to PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in different types of cancer and propose approaches for predicting responses, mitigating the potential risks linked to therapy withdrawals, and optimizing patient outcomes. By better understanding the mechanisms underlying responses to PD-1/PD-L1 therapy and developing strategies to predict these responses, it is possible to create more efficient treatments for TNBC and HCC.

Intra-Articular Injection of Interleukin-8 Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody Effectively Attenuates Osteoarthritis Progression in Rabbits

OBJECTIVE

Cytokines are implicated in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA), and this study aims to assess the therapeutic potential of an IL-8 neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) for OA intervention.

DESIGN

The study employed a rabbit model of OA induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) surgery to investigate the effects of an interleukin (IL)-8 neutralizing mAb, with hyaluronic acid (HA) used as a positive control. Primary outcomes assessed in the rabbits included cartilage repair, synovitis, joint effusion, changes in footprints, and lower limb loading conditions.

RESULTS

Compared to HA, intra-articular injection of the IL-8 neutralizing mAb demonstrated a more pronounced attenuation of OA progression and enhancement of cartilage repair. We observed a reduction in synovitis and joint effusion, indications of bone marrow edema, as well as improvements in lower limb function. In knees treated with the neutralizing IL-8 mAb, there was a significant decrease in IL-8 levels within the synovial tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

The IL-8 neutralizing mAb exhibits promising therapeutic potential in the management of OA by attenuating inflammation and facilitating cartilage repair. However, further investigations are warranted to comprehensively elucidate the underlying mechanisms, optimize treatment protocols, and ensure the long-term safety and efficacy of this innovative therapeutic approach.

Immunoinformatic Risk Assessment of Host Cell Proteins During Process Development for Biologic Therapeutics

The identification and removal of host cell proteins (HCPs) from biologic products is a critical step in drug development. Despite recent improvements to purification processes, biologics such as monoclonal antibodies, enzyme replacement therapies, and vaccines that are manufactured in a range of cell lines and purified using diverse processes may contain HCP impurities, making it necessary for developers to identify and quantify impurities during process development for each drug product. HCPs that contain sequences that are less conserved with human homologs may be more immunogenic than those that are more conserved. We have developed a computational tool, ISPRI-HCP, that estimates the immunogenic potential of HCP sequences by evaluating and quantifying T cell epitope density and relative conservation with similar T cell epitopes in the human proteome. Here we describe several case studies that support the use of this method for classifying candidate HCP impurities according to their immunogenicity risk.

Could We Predict the Response of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma?

The use of anti-programmed cell-death protein (ligand)-1 (PD-[L]1) is an important strategy for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the treatment only benefits 10-20% of patients when used as a monotherapy. Therefore, the selection of patients for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment is crucial for both patients and clinicians. This review aimed to explore the existing literature on tissue or circulating markers for the identification of responders or non-responders to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 in HCC. For the clinically available markers, both etiological factors (viral versus non-viral) and disease extent (intra-hepatic vs. extrahepatic) impact the responses to anti-PD-1/PD-L1, warranting further studies. Preliminary data suggested that inflammatory indices (e.g., neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio) may be associated with clinical outcomes of HCC during the anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Finally, although PD-L1 expression in tumor tissues is a predictive marker for multiple cancer types, its clinical application is less clear in HCC due to the lack of a clear-cut association with responders to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Although all translational markers are not routinely measured in HCC, recent data suggest their potential roles in selecting patients for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Such markers, including the immune classification of HCC, selected signaling pathways, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and auto-antibodies, were discussed in this review.