Austin Health

Title
Radiolabelling and preclinical characterization of 89Zr-Df-radiolabelled bispecific anti-PD-L1/TGF-βRII fusion protein bintrafusp alfa.
Publication Date
2021-09
Author(s)
Burvenich, Ingrid J G
Goh, Yit Wooi
Guo, Nancy
Gan, Hui K
Rigopoulos, Angela
Cao, Diana
Liu, Zhanqi
Ackermann, Uwe
Wichmann, Christian Werner
McDonald, Alexander Franklin
Huynh, Nhi
O'Keefe, Graeme Joseph
Gong, Sylvia Jie
Scott, Fiona Elizabeth
Li, Linghui
Geng, Wanping
Zutshi, Anup
Lan, Yan
Scott, Andrew M
Subject
Bintrafusp alfa
Immunotherapy
PD-L1
TGF-β
Zirconium-89
Type of document
Journal Article
OrcId
0000-0001-8384-2403
0000-0001-7319-8546
0000-0001-9259-2258
0000-0001-5341-8804
0000-0001-5261-8118
0000-0002-6656-295X
DOI
10.1007/s00259-021-05251-0
Abstract
Τhis study aimed to optimize the 89Zr-radiolabelling of bintrafusp alfa investigational drug product and controls, and perform the in vitro and in vivo characterization of 89Zr-Df-bintrafusp alfa and 89Zr-Df-control radioconjugates. Bintrafusp alfa (anti-PD-L1 human IgG1 antibody fused to TGF-β receptor II (TGF-βRII), avelumab (anti-PD-L1 human IgG1 control antibody), isotype control (mutated inactive anti-PD-L1 IgG1 control antibody), and trap control (mutated inactive anti-PD-L1 human IgG1 fused to active TGF-βRII) were chelated with p-isothiocyanatobenzyl-desferrioxamine (Df). After radiolabelling with zirconium-89 (89Zr), radioconjugates were assessed for radiochemical purity, immunoreactivity, antigen binding affinity, and serum stability in vitro. In vivo biodistribution and imaging studies were performed with PET/CT to identify and quantitate 89Zr-Df-bintrafusp alfa tumour uptake in a PD-L1/TGF-β-positive murine breast cancer model (EMT-6). Specificity of 89Zr-Df-bintrafusp alfa was assessed via a combined biodistribution and imaging experiment in the presence of competing cold bintrafusp alfa (1 mg/kg). Nanomolar affinities for PD-L1 were achieved with 89Zr-Df-bintrafusp alfa and 89Zr-avelumab. Biodistribution and imaging studies in PD-L1- and TGF-β-positive EMT-6 tumour-bearing BALB/c mice demonstrated the biologic similarity of 89Zr-Df-bintrafusp alfa and 89Zr-avelumab indicating the in vivo distribution pattern of bintrafusp alfa is driven by its PD-L1 binding arm. Competition study with 1 mg of unlabelled bintrafusp alfa or avelumab co-administered with trace dose of 89Zr-labelled bintrafusp alfa demonstrated the impact of dose and specificity of PD-L1 targeting in vivo. Molecular imaging of 89Zr-Df-bintrafusp alfa biodistribution was achievable and allows non-invasive quantitation of tumour uptake of 89Zr-Df-bintrafusp alfa, suitable for use in bioimaging clinical trials in cancer patients.
Link
Citation
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2021; 48(10): 3075-3088
Jornal Title
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

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