Patent Application
20220332848
The present invention relates to the field of antibodies, and specifically, to a bispecific antibody, a preparation method thereof, and use thereof. The bispecific antibody includes a first antigen binding portion that specifically binds to CD47 and a second antigen binding portion that specifically binds to CTLA-4.
The mammalian immune system is a host defense system that protects a mammal from microbial infections and cancers (Chen et al., Frontiers Immunol. 9:320 (2018)). The immune system all over the body is an extremely complex network system. Different immune cells and specific tissues and organs exert a synergistic effect to form the immune system. When the immune system is functioning normally, diseased cells in the host body will be recognized from healthy cells and eliminated, thereby ensuring the stability of the body's environment. Therefore, maintaining the integrity of the immune system is essential to maintaining our own health. Conversely, loss of control of the immune system will cause autoimmune diseases, inflammation, cancers, etc (Ribas et al., Cancer Discovery 5:915-9 (2015); Yao and Chen, Eur. J. Immunol. 43:576-9 (2013)). The immune system can be divided into two categories, namely humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity. Antibodies and other biological macromolecules regulate humoral immunity. In contrast, cell-mediated immunity is regulated at the cellular level, involving the activation of macrophages, natural killer cells, and antigen-specific killer T cells.
Activation and suppression of immune response are mainly regulated by two independent signaling pathways (Gorentla and Zhong, J. Clin. Cell. Immunol. (2012); Huse, J. Cell Sci. 122:1269-73 (2009); Mizota et al., J. Anesthesia 27:80-7 (2013)). The first signal is antigen-mediated. The first signal is generated when the T-cell receptor specifically recognizes and binds to the antigen peptide presented by the MHC on the surface of the antigen-presenting cell (APC). The second signal is provided by the interaction between the APCs and costimulators expressed on the surface of T cells. T cells can kill tumors only when the first and second signals are activated in turn. If the second signal is lacking, T cells will enter a state of unresponsiveness or will be immune tolerance, and even cause programmed cell death. As described above, the second signaling pathway is very important to the activation of immune cells. Specifically, co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory receptors participate in the second signaling pathway to perform immune response and regulation on antigen-receptor presentation and balance positive and negative signals while maintaining immune tolerance to autoantigens, maximizing the immune response to invaders (Chen and Flies, Nat. Rev. Immunol. 13:227-42 (2013); Ewing et al., Int. J. Cardiol. 168:1965-74 (2013); Liu et al., Immunol. Invest. 45:813-31 (2016); Shen et al., Frontiers in Biosci. 24:96-132 (2019); Zhang and Vignali, Immunity 44:1034-51 (2016)).
CD28 is a member of the CD28 family and is a major T-cell co-stimulatory receptor, constitutively expressed on initial CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) molecule is also a member of the CD28 receptor family, but it is a co-inhibitory receptor, this molecule is constitutively expressed on regulatory T cells (Tregs) or produced after activation of T cells by CD28. Both CD28 and CTLA-4 can bind to the B7.1 (CD80) or B7.2 (CD86) ligand to transmit activation or suppression signals in T cells. Therefore, blocking the immune checkpoint B7/CTLA-4 can prevent the generation of T cell suppression signals and enhance the specific anti-tumor immune response. At present, the only CTLA-4 antibody approved for marketing is Ipilimumab (the brand name Yervoy) of BMS, and it is used for melanoma immunotherapy. However, in view of clinical adverse effects of the Ipilimumab antibody, the immunotherapy against the CTLA-4 target needs to be further optimized.
CD47, also known as integrin associated protein, is a transmembrane protein that is encoded by the CD47 gene, and belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily CD47 is widely expressed on the surface of normal cells and can interact with signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα), thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), and integrin to mediate cell apoptosis, proliferation, and immunity responses, and the like. CD47, as an innate immune checkpoint receptor, binds to SIRPα mainly expressed on macrophages and dendritic cells and then releases a “don't eat me” signal to the macrophages to inhibit phagocytosis, thereby avoiding the attack of the body's immune system. Cancer cells escape phagocytosis by upregulating the expression of CD47, thereby evading immune surveillance. The overexpression of CD47 in blood and solid tumors is highly correlated with the poor prognosis of clinical treatment. Therefore, the use of anti-CD47 antibodies or high-affinity SIRPα variants to block the CD47-SIRPα signaling pathway has become a potential strategy to promote the phagocytosis of tumor cells by macrophages. However, in view of the wide expression of CD47, the anti-CD47 antibodies have a high risk of binding to healthy cells, especially red blood cells, which will increase the risk of blood toxicity. In addition, more and more studies have shown that blocking CD47 alone is not sufficient to generate anti-tumor immunity in immunocompetent hosts. Moreover, researchers at Stanford University reported that the interference in the CD47/SIRPα pathway by SIRPα treatment cannot induce phagocytosis (Sockolosky et al., PNAS 113:E2646-2654 (2016)). Therefore, considering the effectiveness and safety of cancer treatment, the anti-CD47 antibodies need to be further optimized to improve tumor targeting specificity.
According to an aspect, the present invention provides an isolated bispecific binding protein, and the protein includes a first antigen binding portion that specifically binds to CD47 and a second antigen binding portion that specifically binds to CTLA-4. Specifically, the present invention provides an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof, including (a) a first antigen binding portion including a heavy chain variable region (VH) and a light chain variable region (VL), VH and VL forming an antigen binding site that specifically binds to CD47; and (b) a second antigen binding portion including a single-domain antibody (sdAb) that specifically binds to CTLA-4, where the first antigen binding portion and the second antigen binding portion are fused to each other.
In some embodiments, the VH of the first antigen binding portion includes heavy chain complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3, and the amino acid sequences of the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:22, and SEQ ID NO:23, or the sequences respectively including at most three (three, two, or one) amino acid mutations thereto; and the VL of the first antigen binding portion includes light chain CDRs LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3, the amino acid sequences of the LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, and SEQ ID NO:26, or the sequences respectively including at most three (three, two, or one) amino acid mutations thereto. In some embodiments, the VH of the first antigen binding portion includes heavy chain CDRs HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3, the amino acid sequences of the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:22, and SEQ ID NO:23, or the sequences respectively including at most three (three, two, or one) amino acid substitutions thereto; and the VL of the first antigen binding portion includes light chain CDRs LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3, the amino acid sequences of the LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, and SEQ ID NO:26, or the sequences respectively including at most three (three, two, or one) amino acid substitutions thereto. In some embodiments, the VH of the first antigen binding portion includes heavy chain CDRs HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3, and the amino acid sequences of the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:22, and SEQ ID NO:23; and the VL of the first antigen binding portion includes light chain CDRs LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3, and the amino acid sequences of the LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, and SEQ ID NO:26.
In some embodiments, sdAb of the second antigen binding portion includes CDRs CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3, the amino acid sequences of the CDRs CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:30, and SEQ ID NO:31, or the sequences respectively including at most three (three, two, or one) amino acid mutations thereto.
In some embodiments, sdAb of the second antigen binding portion includes CDRs CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3, the amino acid sequences of the CDRs CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:30, and SEQ ID NO:31, or the sequences respectively including at most three (three, two, or one) amino acid substitutions thereto. In some specific embodiments, sdAb of the second antigen binding portion includes CDRs CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3, and the amino acid sequences of the CDRs CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 are respectively as set forth in SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:30, and SEQ ID NO:31.
In some embodiments, the first antigen binding portion is a full-length antibody including two heavy chains and two light chains, the heavy chain includes VH, and the light chain includes VL.
In some embodiments, the first antigen binding portion and the second antigen binding portion are fused. In some embodiments, the C-terminus of the second antigen binding portion is fused to the N-terminus of at least one heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion or the N-terminus of at least one light chain of the first antigen binding portion. In some embodiments, the N-terminus of the second antigen binding portion is fused to the C-terminus of at least one heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion or the C-terminus of at least one light chain of the first antigen binding portion.
In some embodiments, the first antigen binding portion and the second antigen binding portion are fused by a peptide bond or a peptide linker. In some embodiments, the peptide linker is selected from a mutated human IgG1 hinge region or a GS linker. In some preferred embodiments, the amino acid sequence of the peptide linker is as set forth in SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, or SEQ ID NO:37.
In some embodiments, the heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4, and the light chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some embodiments, the heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4, and the light chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some specific embodiments, the heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4, and the light chain of the first antigen binding portion includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6.
In some embodiments, the second antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:28. In some embodiments, the second antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:28. In some specific embodiments, the second antigen binding portion includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:28.
In some embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, the heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4, and the light chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6; and the second antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:28. In some embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided; the heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4, and the light chain of the first antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6; and the second antigen binding portion includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:28. In some embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided; the heavy chain of the first antigen binding portion includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4, and the light chain of the first antigen binding portion includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6; and the second antigen binding portion includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:28.
In some embodiments, the first antigen binding portion includes a human, humanized, or chimeric antibody or a fragment thereof. In some embodiments, the second antigen binding portion includes sdAb that specifically binds to CTLA-4, and the sdAb is a camelid, chimeric, humanized, or human antibody.
In some embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the N-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the C-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:8 or SEQ ID NO:12, and the light chain polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the N-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the C-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:8 or SEQ ID NO:12, and the light chain polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the N-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the C-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:8 or SEQ ID NO:12, and the light chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the N-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the C-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:8, and the light chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the N-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the C-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:12, and the light chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6.
In some embodiments, another isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:10 or SEQ ID NO:14, and the light chain polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some embodiments, another isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:10 or SEQ ID NO:14, and the light chain polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:10 or SEQ ID NO:14, and the light chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:10, and the light chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two heavy chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the heavy chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:14, and the light chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:6.
In some embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two light chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the light chain fusion polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:18, and the heavy chain polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4. In some embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two light chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the light chain fusion polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:18, and the heavy chain polypeptide includes a sequence that is at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two light chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the light chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:18, and the heavy chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4. In some other specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two light chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the light chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:16, and the heavy chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4. In some specific embodiments, an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof is provided, including an anti-CD47 antibody and an anti-CTLA-4 sdAb, with the C-terminus of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb fused to the N-terminus of two light chains of the anti-CD47 antibody, wherein the light chain fusion polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:18, and the heavy chain polypeptide includes the amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide encoding the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof. It can be commonly known to those skilled in the art that the change (such as replacement or deletion) of sequences encoding the protein does not change the amino acid of the protein. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide encoding the heavy chain fusion protein of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:13, and the polynucleotide encoding the light chain polypeptide of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:5. In some specific embodiments, the polynucleotide encoding the heavy chain fusion protein of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:13, and the polynucleotide encoding the light chain polypeptide of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:5. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide encoding the light chain fusion protein of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:17, and the polynucleotide encoding the heavy chain of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes a sequence that is at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:3. In some specific embodiments, the polynucleotide encoding the light chain fusion protein of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:17, and the polynucleotide encoding the heavy chain polypeptide of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof includes the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:3.
Further, a vector including the isolated polynucleotide encoding the isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof is provided. It can be commonly known to those skilled in the art that a vector is a plasmid, a phage vector, or a viral vector. In some specific embodiments, the vector is a recombinant expression vector, for example, a plasmid. These vectors include various elements to support the functions thereof as conventional expression vectors, for example, including promoters, ribosome binding elements, terminators, enhancers, selective markers, and origins of replication. The promoters may be conventional promoters, inducible promoters, or repressible promoters. It can be commonly known in the art that many expression vectors can deliver nucleic acids into cells and can be used to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof in cells. According to the method in the examples of the present invention, conventional cloning techniques or artificial gene synthesis can be used to produce recombinant expression vectors.
Further, a host cell including the isolated polynucleotide or the vector is provided. In the present invention, any host cell conventional in the art can be used for the expression of antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof. In some embodiments, the host cell is E. coli TG1 or BL21 (used to express scFv or Fab antibodies), CHO-DG44, CHO-3E7, CHO-K1, or HEK293. According to specific examples, the recombinant expression vector is transfected into the host cell by a conventional method (such as chemical transfection, thermal transfection, or electro-transfection), and is stably integrated into the host cell genome, so that the recombinant nucleic acids can be effectively expressed.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing an isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or a fragment thereof, including culturing the host cell including the polynucleotide encoding the bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof in the present invention under proper conditions, and recovering an antibody or a fragment thereof from the cell or a cell culture medium. The expression antibody or the fragment thereof may be obtained from cells or extracted and purified by using conventional methods in the art.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition, including the isolated anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The “pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” refers to a solid or liquid diluent, a filler, an antioxidant, a stabilizer, or other substances that can be administered safely. These substances are suitable for human and/or animal administration without excessive side effects, and are suitable for maintaining the activity of drugs or active agents therein. Different carriers well known in the art may be administered according to the route of administration, including, but not limited to, carbohydrates, starch, cellulose and derivatives thereof, maltose, gelatin, talc, calcium sulfate, vegetable oils, synthetic oils, polyols, alginic acid, phosphate buffers, emulsifiers, isotonic saline, and/or pyrogen-free water. The pharmaceutical composition provided in the present invention may be prepared into clinically acceptable dosage forms such as powders and injections. Any proper route may be used to administer the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention to subjects, for example, it may be administered by oral, intravenous infusion, intramuscular injection, subcutaneous injection, subperitoneal, rectal, sublingual, inhalation, or transdermal.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method for treating subjects suffering from or at risk of suffering from diseases related to abnormal expression of CD47 and/or CTLA-4, including administering the pharmaceutical composition with an effective amount to the subjects.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides use of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antigen-binding protein or the fragment thereof, the polynucleotide, the vector, and the host cell in preparing medicines for diseases related to abnormal expression of CD47 and/or CTLA-4.
In some embodiments, the cancers are solid tumors, such as colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, renal cell cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, bladder cancer, esophageal cancer, mesothelioma, melanoma, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, advanced kidney cancer, thyroid cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, urothelial carcinoma, and cervical cancer. In a preferred embodiment, the cancers are solid tumors, such as pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, advanced kidney cancer, thyroid cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, urothelial carcinoma, and cervical cancer.
In some embodiments, the method further includes administering additional tumor treatment to the subjects, such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, or a combination thereof.
In the present invention, the CTLA-4 sdAb is linked to the end of the heavy chain/light chain of the anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody in a specific way, and the produced anti-CD47/anti-PD-1 bispecific antigen-binding protein can block two ways of tumor immune escape. Compared with the anti-CD47 antibody, the bispecific antigen-binding protein with the sdAb linked to the N-terminus of the antibody has reduced affinity to the CD47 antigen, which may reduce the clinical red blood cell toxicity caused by binding to normal red blood cells to a certain extent.
An “antigen-binding protein fragment” means a fragment of an antibody and an antibody mimetic, generally including at least part of the antigen binding regions or variable regions (for example, one or more CDRs) of a parental antibody. The antibody fragment retains at least some of the binding specificity of the parental antibody. For example, the antigen-binding protein fragment that can bind to CD47 or part of it includes, but is not limited to, sdAb, Fab (for example, obtained by papain digestion of antibodies), F(ab′)2 (for example, obtained by pepsin digestion), and Fv or scFv (for example, obtained by molecular biology techniques).
“sdAb” refers to single antigen-binding polypeptide with three CDRs. The sdAb can bind to the antigen independently without pairing with corresponding CDR-containing polypeptide. In some cases, sdAb is artificially engineered from camelid heavy chain antibodies and is referred to as a “VHH domain”. Cartilaginous fishes also have heavy chain antibodies (immunoglobulin new antigen receptor (IgNAR)), and sdAb referred to as a “VNAR domain” may also be produced from this class of antibodies. Camelid sdAb is a smallest known antigen-binding antibody fragment (Refer to e.g., Hamers-Casterman et al., Nature 363:446-8 (1993); Greenberg et al., Nature 374:168-73 (1995); Hassanzadeh-Ghassabeh et al., Nanomedicine (Lond), 8:1013-26 (2013)). The basic VHH has the following structure from the N-terminus to the C-terminus: FR1-CDR1-FR2-CDR2-FR3-CDR3-FR4, where FR1 to FR4 are framework regions 1 to 4, and CDR1 to CDR3 are CDRs 1 to 3. The anti-CTLA-4 sdAb in the present invention refers to sdAb that can specifically bind to CTLA-4, in particular, sdAb that can bind to human CTLA-4. The anti-CTLA-4 sdAb in the present invention may be selected from the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb specifically described in the patent application WO2018068695A1. The construction, expression, extraction, and purification methods of the anti-CTLA-4 sdAb in the present invention may refer to the patent application WO2018068695A1.
A “full-length antibody” refers to an antibody having four full-length chains, including heavy chains and light chains containing Fc regions. The anti-CD47 antibody in the present invention refers to an antibody that can specifically bind to CD47, in particular, an antibody that can bind to human CD47. The anti-CD47 antibody in the present invention may be selected from the anti-CD47 antibody specifically described in PCT/CN2019/072929. The construction, expression, extraction, and purification methods of the anti-CD47 antibody in the present invention may refer to the patent application PCT/CN2019/072929.
A “mutation” is an alteration of one or more (several) amino acid residues at one or more (several) locations included in an antigen-binding protein or a protein fragment, that is, the substitution, insertion, and/or deletion of polypeptide. The substitution refers to substituting different amino acids for the amino acid occupying a certain location. The deletion refers to deleting the amino acid occupying a certain location. The insertion refers to refers to inserting 1 to 5 amino acids after the amino acid occupying a certain location.
The “amino acid sequence identity” is defined as the percentage of amino acid residues in a candidate sequence identical to the amino acid residues in a specific peptide or polypeptide sequence after the sequences are compared and gaps are introduced when necessary to obtain the maximum percent sequence identity without considering any conservative substitutions as part of the sequence identity. Sequence comparison can be performed in a variety of ways within the skill of the art to determine percent amino acid sequence identity, for example, publicly available computer software such as BLAST, BLAST-2, ALIGN or Megalign (DNASTAR) software is used. Those skilled in the art can determine appropriate parameters for measuring the comparison, including any algorithm required to obtain the maximum comparison over the full length of the compared sequences.
A “GS linker” refers to the GS combination of glycine (G) and serine (S), and is used to link a plurality of proteins together to form a fusion protein. The commonly used GS combination is (GGGGS)n, which changes the length of the linker sequence by changing n, and most of the GS combination is (GGGGS)3. In addition, glycine and serine may also produce different linker sequences through other combinations, for example, the GS combination of G15-linker used in the present invention is GGGGSGGGSGGGGS, and the GS combination of G9-linker is GGGGSGGGS.
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to specific implementations. It should be understood that these implementations are merely intended to describe the present invention rather than to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that, after reading the teaching of the present invention, those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the appended claims of this application. Unless otherwise specified, the methods and materials in the examples described below are commercially available and conventional products.
A series of anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antibodies were designed by using an anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody (mAb) (the CDR, full-length nucleotide, and amino acid sequence of the antibody are shown in Table 1) and a CTLA-4 sdAb (the CDR, full-length nucleotide, and amino acid sequence of the antibody are shown in Table 2). The CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus or C-terminus of the heavy chain or light chain of the anti-CD47 mAb by using three linker sequences (E-linker: EPKSSDKTHTSPPSP, G15-linker: GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS, or G9-linker: GGGGSGGGS). Each bispecific antibody structure was composed of two identical fused polypeptide chains and two identical natural polypeptide chains, the DNA sequence expressing each polypeptide chain was inserted into the pTT5 vector between EcoRI and HindIII restriction sites. Each plasmid also includes a secretion signal sequence of a protein secreted into a growth medium. The CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus of IGg4-Fc with site mutation (S28P and L235E), as a control for biological activity measurement in vitro. The plasmids expressing the bispecific antibody protein are shown in Table 3.
After the expression plasmids were transfected into CHO-3E7 host cells, the resulting host cells were cultured in an incubator at 37° C. and 100 rpm for 6 days. A supernatant was extracted by centrifugation, and a bispecific antibody protein was purified with a Protein A column.
As described above, the CD47 mAb is composed of the heavy chain H0 and the light chain L0. The CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus or C-terminus of the heavy chain or light chain of the CD47 mAb by three linker sequences (E-linker: EPKSSDKTHTSPPSP, G15-linker: GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS, or G9-linker: GGGGSGGGS) to produce a series of different bispecific antibodies. First, the E-linker sequence was used to construct the following fusion proteins: (1). the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the C-terminus of the heavy chain H0 to produce a new polypeptide referred to as H1; and (2). the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus of the heavy chain H0 to produce a new polypeptide referred to as H2. Similarly, the G15-linker sequence was used to construct the following fusion proteins: (1). the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the C-terminus of the heavy chain H0 to produce a new polypeptide referred to as H3; (2). the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus of the heavy chain H0 to produce a new polypeptide referred to as H4; and (3). the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus of the light chain L0 to produce a new polypeptide referred to as L1. Then, by using the G9-linker sequence, the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus of the light chain L0 to produce a new polypeptide referred to as L2.
These constructed heavy chain fusion proteins H1, H2, H3, and H4 were separately combined with the unmodified parental light chain polypeptide chain L0, or these constructed light chain fusion proteins L1 and L2 were separately combined with the unmodified heavy chain polypeptide chain H0, to produce a series of bispecific antibodies. The heavy chain fusion protein H1 was combined with the parental light chain L0 to produce a bispecific antibody CTLA4-E-HC. The heavy chain fusion protein H2 was combined with the parental light chain L0 to produce a bispecific antibody CTLA4-E-HN. The heavy chain fusion protein H3 was combined with the parental light chain L0 to produce a bispecific antibody CTLA4-G15-HC. The heavy chain fusion protein H4 was combined with the parental light chain L0 to produce a bispecific antibody CTLA4-G15-HN. The light chain fusion protein L1 was combined with the parental heavy chain H0 to produce a bispecific antibody CTLA4-G15-LN. The light chain fusion protein L2 was combined with the parental heavy chain H0 to produce a bispecific antibody CTLA4-G9-LN.
The human IGg4-Fc was modified by site mutation (S228P and L235E), and then the CTLA-4 sdAb was linked to the N-terminus of the modified IGg4-Fc, to produce a new fusion protein H5, to further construct the Fc fusion protein sdAb-CTLA4-IgG4PE.
For the constructed series of bispecific antibodies, the affinity of these samples with antigens was measured by using a flow cytometer. A sample with an initial concentration of 300 nM undergone serial dilution by 3 times, and then the affinities between samples with different concentrations and CTLA-4 antigens or CD47 antigens expressed on CHO-K1 cells were separately tested. Then, an antibody-antigen binding curve was generated based on the geometric mean, raw data of four parameters was plotted by using the GRAPHPAD Prism V6.02 software, and a best fitted value program was compiled to analyze EC50.
For the affinity analysis of the CTLA-4 antigen, after the bispecific antibody produced when the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus or C-terminus of the heavy chain or light chain of the anti-CD47 mAb was incubated on the CHO-K1 cells expressing the CTLA-4 antigen, it was found through FACS detection that, considering the EC50 value and the Y-axis response value, compared with a control of the CTLA-4 sdAb fused to IgG4 Fc (sdAb-CTLA4-IgG4PE), the affinity between the CTLA-4 antigen and the bispecific antibody that was produced when the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus of the heavy chain or light chain of the anti-CD47 mAb was higher than that of the sdAb control. The affinity between the CTLA-4 antigen and the bispecific antibody that was produced when the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the C-terminus of the heavy chain of the anti-CD47 mAb was lower than that of the sdAb control (shown in
For the affinity analysis of the CD47 antigen, after the bispecific antibody produced when the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the terminus of the heavy chain or light chain of the anti-CD47 mAb was incubated on the CHO-K1 cells expressing the CD47 antigen, it was found through FACS detection that, compared with a control of the anti-CD47 mAb, the affinity between the CD47 antigen and the bispecific antibody that was produced when the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the C-terminus of the heavy chain of the anti-CD47 mAb was close to the affinity between the CD47 antigen and the control of the anti-CD47 mAb. The affinity between the CD47 antigen and the bispecific antibody that was produced when the CTLA-4 sdAb was fused to the N-terminus of the heavy chain or light chain of the anti-CD47 mAb was lower than the affinity between the CD47 antigen and the control of the anti-CD47 mAb (shown in
For the biological activity measurement in vitro of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antibody, there is no analytical system that can detect both CD47 and CTLA-4 blockers at the same time. Therefore, the bioassay of the CTLA-4 blocker is carried out by using the Promega test kit, and then the activity of the bispecific antibody is tested through a cell phagocytosis experiment of the anti-CD47 antibody.
The Promega CTLA-4 blocking function reporter gene kit (CTLA4 Blockade Bioassay, Promega kit product number JA3001) is used in the experiment for testing the in vitro function of anti-CTLA-4 mAb samples. The kit detection system consists of two genetically engineered cell lines. The stimulating cell line is aAPC/Raji cells, which express an engineered cell surface protein (the protein can activate the homologous TCR in an antigen-independent manner), and endogenously express the CTLA-4 ligands CD80 and CD86. The effector cell line is the Jurkat T cell line, which stably expresses human CTLA4 and a luciferase reporter gene driven by a natural promoter that responds to TCR/CD28 activation. When the two types of cells are co-cultured, CTLA-4 competes with CD28 for their shared ligands CD80 and CD86, and therefore inhibits CD28 pathway activation and promoter-mediated luminescence. The addition of the anti-CTLA-4 antibody can block the interaction between CTLA-4 and its ligands CD80 and CD86, thereby restoring promoter-mediated chemiluminescence.
The effector cell line Jurkat T cells were first plated in a 96-well plate, and the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antibody and the stimulating cell line aAPC/Raji cells were then added. The resulting system was incubated at 37° C. for 6 h. Next, the Bio-Glo™ fluorescence detection reagent was added to the system, and then incubated for 5-10 min at room temperature. Finally, fluorescence signals in the 96-well plate were read by using a chemical fluorescence signal plate reader. The experiment used the form of eight concentrations and triplicated wells, used the relative fluorescence value as the y-axis, and used the concentration of antibody samples as the x-axis, to plot a four-parameter curve. The curve was analyzed by using the GraphPad Prism software to obtain the EC50 value of the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antibody sample.
For the cell phagocytosis experiment of the anti-CD47 antibody, PBMCs were first extracted from human peripheral blood by the concentration gradient method. Monocytes were then isolated from the PBMCs by using the whole monocyte isolation kit (Miltenyi Biotech). These monocytes were stimulated into macrophages with GM-CSF within 14 days. On day 14, HL60 cells were stained with the PKH26 dye and then seeded in a 96-well culture plate, MDM was digested from a Petri dish by using Accutase and then added into the culture plate in which HL60 cells stained with PKH26 were seeded, then the anti-CD47/anti-CTLA-4 bispecific antibody sample after serial dilution was added, and incubated at 37° C. for 1 h to carry out the cell phagocytosis reaction. One hour later, MDM was digested from the cell culture plate and stained with the fluorescently labeled anti-CD11b antibody. The cells in the cell culture plate were then analyzed by using the BD FACSCalibur flow cytometer. The phagocytic percentage was calculated by dividing the number of PKH26 and CD11b double-positive cells by the number of PKH26 single-positive cells. A dose-response curve used the phagocytic percentage as the y-axis and used the concentration of antibody samples as the x-axis, and the GraphPad Prism software was used for analysis to obtain the EC50 value and other curve parameters.
It was indicated based on the biological activity measurement result of the CTLA-4 blocker that the biological activity of the bispecific antibody CTLA4-G15-HC was lower than that of the CTLA-4 sdAb control (sdAb-CTLA4-IgG4PE), and was also lower than that of the CTLA-4 mAb control (Yervoy) (shown in
It was indicated based on the cell phagocytosis experiment result of the anti-CD47 antibody that the EC50 value of the bispecific antibody CTLA4-G15-HC was slightly lower than that of the CD47 antibody control (shown in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201910640002.X | Jul 2019 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2020/102324 | 7/16/2020 | WO |
