IMM47, a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets CD24, exhibits exceptional anti-tumor efficacy by blocking the CD24/Siglec-10 interaction and can be used as monotherapy or in combination with anti-PD1 antibodies for cancer immunotherapy.

This study evaluates the anti-tumor mechanism of IMM47, a humanized anti-CD24 mAb. Biolayer interferometry, ELISA and flow cytometry methods were used to measure the IMM47 binding, affinity, ADCC, ADCP, ADCT and CDC activities. In vivo therapeutical efficacy was measured in transplanted mouse models. IMM47 significantly binds granulocytes but not human erythrocytes and blocks CD24's ability to bind to Siglec-10. IMM47 has strong ADCC, ADCT and ADCP activity against REH cells. IMM47's in vivo pharmacodynamics showed that IMM47 has strong anti-tumor effects in human siglec-10 transgenic mouse models with a memory immune response. IMM47 also has powerful synergistic therapeutic efficacy when combined with Tislelizumab, Opdivo and Keytruda, by blocking CD24/Siglec-10 interaction through macrophage antigen presentation with strong ADCC, ADCP, ADCT and CDC activities and with a safe profile. IMM47 binding to CD24 is independent of N-glycosylation modification of the extracellular domain.

The novel high-affinity humanized antibody IMM40H targets CD70, eliminates tumors via Fc-mediated effector functions, and interrupts CD70/CD27 signaling.

Background: A significant level of CD70 can be detected in various types of tumor tissues and CD27 is expressed on Treg cells, but CD70 expression is low in normal tissues. The interaction between CD70 and CD27 can stimulate the proliferation and survival of cancer cells and increase the level of soluble CD27, which is associated with poor prognosis in patients with lymphoma and certain solid tumors. Thus, it is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of many major CD70+ cancer indications, including CD70+ lymphoma, RCC, NSCLC, HNSCC and OC. Methods: IMM40H was obtained through hybridoma screening and antibody humanization techniques. IMM40H was evaluated for its binding, blocking, Fc-dependent effector functions and antitumor activity characteristics in various in vitro and in vivo systems. The safety and tolerability profile of IMM40H were evaluated through single and repeated administration in cynomolgus monkeys. Results: In vitro cell-based assays demonstrated that IMM40H had considerably stronger CD70-binding affinity than competitor anti-CD70 antibodies, including cusatuzumab, which enabled it to block the interaction of between CD70 and CD27 more effectively. IMM40H also exhibited potent Fc-dependent effector functions (ADCC/CDC/ADCP), and could make a strong immune attack on tumor cells and enhance therapeutic efficacy. Preclinical findings showed that IMM40H had potent antitumor activity in multiple myeloma U266B1 xenograft model, and could eradicate subcutaneously established tumors at a low dose of 0.3 mg/kg. IMM40H (0.3 mg/kg) showed therapeutic effects faster than cusatuzumab (1 mg/kg). A strong synergistic effect between IMM01 (SIRPα-Fc fusion protein) and IMM40H was recorded in Burkitt's lymphoma Raji and renal carcinoma cell A498 tumor models. In cynomolgus monkeys, the highest non-severely toxic dose (HNSTD) for repeat-dose toxicity was up to 30 mg/kg, while the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for single-dose toxicity was up to 100 mg/kg, confirming that IMM40H had a good safety and tolerability profile. Conclusion: IMM40H is a high-affinity humanized IgG1 specifically targeting the CD70 monoclonal antibody with enhanced Fc-dependent activities. IMM40H has a dual mechanism of action: inducing cytotoxicity against CD70+ tumor cells via various effector functions (ADCC, ADCP and CDC) and obstructs the proliferation and activation of Tregs by inhibiting CD70/CD27 signaling.

Biomimetic supramolecular polyurethane with sliding polyrotaxane and disulfide bonds for strain sensors with wide sensing range and self-healing capability.

To prolong the service life of flexible electronic materials, polymeric matrixes with excellent self-healing capability and integrated mechanical properties are highly desirable, but the balance between the self-healing capability and mechanical properties is a grand challenge. Here, polyrotaxanes as sliding crosslinkers and dynamic disulfide bonds are incorporated into the main chains of polyurethane (PU) via one-pot synthesis, which endows the PU with polydisperse hard/soft segments, high density of self-healing points and energy dissipation. Based on this judicious molecular design, the PU elastomers exhibit exceptional mechanical properties, such as high stretchability (1167 % with a tensile strength of 3.49 MPa), high fracture energy (20,775 J m-2) and high puncture energy (200.70 mJ). Moreover, due to the presence of dynamic reversible hydrogen and disulfide bonds, the elastomer could achieve stress and strain repair efficiencies of 93.98 % and 99.21 % at 100 ℃ within 1 h, respectively. The above-mentioned superiorities enable the bioinspired strain sensors to possess a large sensing range (∼596 %), high sensitivity (∼79.98), short response time (∼128 ms), along with excellent reliability and self-healing ability. Besides, the strain sensor exhibits remarkable recyclability and prominent reprocessability, which nicely solves the pollution by discarded electronics.

SIRPα-Fc fusion protein IMM01 exhibits dual anti-tumor activities by targeting CD47/SIRPα signal pathway via blocking the "don't eat me" signal and activating the "eat me" signal.

A novel recombinant SIRPα-Fc fusion protein, IMM01, was constructed and produced using an in-house developed CHO-K1 cell expression system, and the anti-tumor mechanism of IMM01 targeting the CD47-SIRPα pathway was explored. The phagocytosis and in vitro anti-tumor activity of IMM01 were evaluated by antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assays. In vivo mouse tumor model studies were used to explore therapeutic efficacy as well as the mechanism of action. An in vitro binding assay revealed that IMM01 has a strong binding affinity to CD47 with an EC50 of 0.4967 nM. IMM01 can induce strong ADCP and moderate ADCC, but not CDC. IMM01-induced strong phagocytosis against tumor cells was attributed to dual activities of blocking the "don't eat me" signal and activating the "eat me" signal, and IMM01 exhibits strong and robust in vivo anti-tumor activities either as monotherapy on hematological malignancies, or in combination therapy with PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (mAb), PD-1 mAb, and HER-2 mAb on solid tumors. Finally, IMM01 demonstrated a favorable safety profile with no human RBC binding activity or hemagglutination induction. IMM01 inhibits the growth of tumor cells by the following three possible mechanisms: (1) directly activating macrophages to phagocytize tumor cells; (2) activated macrophages degrade phagocytized tumor cells and present tumor antigens to T cells through MHC molecules to activate T cells; (3) activated macrophages can convert "cold tumors" into "hot tumors" and increase the infiltration of immune cells through chemotaxis by secreting some cytokines and chemokines.

Crystal Structure of Human CD47 in Complex with Engineered SIRPα.D1(N80A).

Background: Targeting the CD47/SIRPα signaling pathway represents a novel approach to enhance anti-tumor immunity. However, the crystal structure of the CD47/SIRPα has not been fully studied. This study aims to analyze the structure interface of the complex of CD47 and IMM01, a novel recombinant SIRPα-Fc fusion protein. Methods: IMM01-Fab/CD47 complex was crystalized, and diffraction images were collected. The complex structure was determined by molecular replacement using the program PHASER with the CD47-SIRPαv2 structure (PDB code 2JJT) as a search model. The model was manually built using the COOT program and refined using TLS parameters in REFMAC from the CCP4 program suite. Results: Crystallization and structure determination analysis of the interface of IMM01/CD47 structure demonstrated CD47 surface buried by IMM01. Comparison with the literature structure (PDB ID 2JJT) showed that the interactions of IMM01/CD47 structure are the same. All the hydrogen bonds that appear in the literature structure are also present in the IMM01/CD47 structure. These common hydrogen bonds are stable under different crystal packing styles, suggesting that these hydrogen bonds are important for protein binding. In the structure of human CD47 in complex with human SIRPα, except SER66, the amino acids that form hydrogen bonds are all conserved. Furthermore, comparing with the structure of PDB ID 2JJT, the salt bridge interaction from IMM01/CD47 structure are very similar, except the salt bridge bond between LYS53 in IMM01 and GLU106 in CD47, which only occurs between the B and D chains. However, as the side chain conformation of LYS53 in chain A is slightly different, the salt bridge bond is absent between the A and C chains. At this site between chain A and chain C, there are a salt bridge bond between LYS53 (A) and GLU104 (C) and a salt bridge bond between HIS56 (A) and GLU106 (C) instead. According to the sequence alignment results of SIRPα, SIRPß and SIRPγ in the literature of PDB ID 2JJT, except ASP100, the amino acids that form common salt bridge bonds are all conserved. Conclusion: Our data demonstrated crystal structure of the IMM01/CD47 complex and provides a structural basis for the structural binding interface and future clinical applications.

Barbier Hyperbranching Polymerization-Induced Emission from an AB-Type Monomer.

Luminescent polymer materials have gained considerable research efforts in the past decades and are generally molecular designed by extending the π system of the polymer main chain or by incorporating chromophores into the polymer chain, which suffer from poor solubility, difficult synthesis, or multi-step procedures. Meanwhile, according to the step-growth polymerization theory, synthesis of hyperbranched polymers from an AB-type monomer is still challenging. Herein, we report a one-pot synthesis of nonconjugated luminescent hyperbranched polymer material via Barbier hyperbranching polymerization-induced emission (PIE) from an AB-type monomer. The key step in the realization of the hyperbranched polymer is bi-functionalization of a mono-functional group. Through a Barbier reaction between an organohalide and an ester group in one pot, bi-functionalization of mono-functional ester is realized through two-step nucleophilic additions, resulting in hyperbranched polytriphenylmethanols (HPTPM). Attributed to through-space conjugation and inter- and intramolecular charge-transfer effects induced by polymer chain, nonconjugated HPTPMs are PIEgens, which are tunable by monomer structure and polymerization time. When all phenyl groups are rotatable, HPTPM is aggregation-induced emission type PIEgen. Whereas, it is aggregation-caused quenching type PIEgen if some phenyl groups are rotation forbidden. Further potential applications of PIEgen are in the fields of explosive detection and artificial light harvesting systems. This work, therefore, expands the monomer library and molecular design library of hyperbranched polymers through "bi-functionalization of mono-functional group" strategy, which eventually expands the preparation library of nonconjugated luminescent polymer materials through one-pot PIE from nonemissive monomer.

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Encountering Tannic Acid: A Mild and Efficient Strategy for Interface Modification on Carbon Fiber Composites.

Designing and controlling the interfacial chemistry and microstructure of the carbon fiber is an important step in the surface modification and preparation of high-performance composites. To address this issue, a tannic acid (TA)/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) hybrid microstructure, similar to the topological structure, is designed on the fiber surface by one-pot synthesis under mild conditions. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) show that the functionality and surface roughness of the fiber are significantly broadened. Correspondingly, the tensile strength (TS) of CF-TA/POSS100 and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CF-TA/POSS100-based composites increased by 18 and 34%, respectively. Following that, a failure mechanism study is conducted to demonstrate the interphase structure containing TA/POSS, which is quite critical in optimizing the mechanical performance of the multiscale composites. Moreover, the strategy for the use of TA for constructing a robust coating to replace the traditional modification without affecting the fiber intrinsic strength is an improved design and provides a new idea for the development of high-performance composites.

Nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres with a wrinkled surface: their one-pot carbonization synthesis and supercapacitor properties.

Nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres with a wrinkled surface were rationally synthesized for the first time by using graphene oxide as a morphology controlling agent through direct pyrolysis of core-shell structured GO-resol@melamine formaldehyde composites, showing excellent rate performance towards supercapacitors, due to their unique structural and surface properties.

Interfacial Microstructure and Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber Composites Caused by Growing Generation 1-4 Dendritic Poly(amidoamine) on a Fiber Surface.

In an attempt to improve the mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites, propagation of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers by in situ polymerization on a carbon fiber surface was performed. During polymerization processes, PAMAM was grafted on carbon fiber by repeated Michael addition and amidation reactions. The changes in surface microstructure and the chemical composition of carbon fibers before and after modification were investigated by atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. All the results indicated that PAMAM was successfully grown on the carbon fiber surface. Such propagation could significantly increase the surface roughness and introduce sufficient polar groups onto the carbon fiber surface, enhancing the surface wettability of carbon fiber. The fractured surface of carbon fiber-reinforced composites showed a great enhancement of interfacial adhesion. Compared with those of desized fiber composites, the interlaminar shear strength and interfacial shear strength of PAMAM/fiber-reinforced composites showed increases of 55.49 and 110.94%, respectively.

A novel engineered VEGF blocker with an excellent pharmacokinetic profile and robust anti-tumor activity.

BACKGROUND: Relatively poor penetration and retention in tumor tissue has been documented for large molecule drugs including therapeutic antibodies and recombinant immunoglobulin constant region (Fc)-fusion proteins due to their large size, positive charge, and strong target binding affinity. Therefore, when designing a large molecular drug candidate, smaller size, neutral charge, and optimal affinity should be considered. METHODS: We engineered a recombinant protein by molecular engineering the second domain of VEGFR1 and a few flanking residues fused with the Fc fragment of human IgG1, which we named HB-002.1. This recombinant protein was extensively characterized both in vitro and in vivo for its target-binding and target-blocking activities, pharmacokinetic profile, angiogenesis inhibition activity, and anti-tumor therapeutic efficacy. RESULTS: HB-002.1 has a molecular weight of ~80 kDa, isoelectric point of ~6.7, and an optimal target binding affinity of <1 nM. The pharmacokinetic profile was excellent with a half-life of 5 days, maximal concentration of 20.27 µg/ml, and area under the curve of 81.46 µg·days/ml. When tested in a transgenic zebrafish embryonic angiogenesis model, dramatic inhibition in angiogenesis was exhibited by a markedly reduced number of subintestinal vessels. When tested for anti-tumor efficacy, HB-002.1 was confirmed in two xenograft tumor models (A549 and Colo-205) to have a robust tumor killing activity, showing a percentage of inhibition over 90% at the dose of 20 mg/kg. Most promisingly, HB-002.1 showed a superior therapeutic efficacy compared to bevacizumab in the A549 xenograft model (tumor inhibition: 84.7% for HB-002.1 versus 67.6% for bevacizumab, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: HB-002.1 is a strong angiogenesis inhibitor that has the potential to be a novel promising drug for angiogenesis-related diseases such as tumor neoplasms and age-related macular degeneration.

Expression and purification of bioactive high-purity human S100A6 in Escherichia coli.

S100A6, as a member of S100 protein family, have biological functions in cell proliferation, differentiation, morphology, cytoskeletal organization and apoptosis. In the last three decades, S100A6 has been caught more and more attention. Here, we introduced a simple and efficient method for producing high-purity recombinant human S100A6 from Escherichia coli culture with low level of endotoxin. We further demonstrated its biological activities for triggering SH-SY5Y cells apoptosis in vitro. These results can facilitate the study of physiological and pathological roles of S100A6 and other members of S100 family proteins.

Expression and purification of bioactive high-purity recombinant mouse CXCL14 in Escherichia coli.

Mouse CXCL14/BRAK is a monocyte-selective chemokine which is expressed in almost all normal tissues. A flood of reports on its new functions of tumor suppression and fat metabolism modulation has left CXCL14 a potential therapeutic candidate for these diseases. Therefore, a simple accessible method is on demand for large-scale production of recombinant mouse CXCL14 protein for in vivo animal studies. Here, we introduce an efficient method for large-scale production of recombinant mouse CXCL14, by which an 18-mg protein is produced from 2-L Escherichia coli culture with good bioactivity and low level of endotoxin.

[Properties of potassium loss from red soil slope land in different farming systems].

The properties of potassium loss in red soil slope field under six cultivations were studied. The results showed that potassium lost mainly with bed load and runoff on surface of soil. The potassium lost mostly with runoff in slope field under contour, contour dam cultivated ways with less sediment except the fallow, under which the loss of potassium with bed load equaled to the loss of potassium with runoff. The potassium lost mostly with bed load in slope field under straight, grass strip and contour ditch cultivated ways with more sediment, and particulate potassium was the main form of potassium lost in runoff. Compared with straight cultivated way, other cultivated ways reduced soil potassium loss significantly. Contour, fallow, and contour dam cultivated ways were better than straight and grass stripe cultivated ways on controlling potassium loss. In the year of 2000, the potassium loss was mainly occurred during May to August accounting for 87.24-100% of total annual lost.

[Characteristics of phosphorus losses from slope field in red soil area under different cultivated ways].

A study on the properties of phosphorus loss under different cultivated ways was conducted in Lanxi Water and Soil Supervision Conservation Station of Zhejiang Province in 2000. The results showed that the phosphorus lost mainly through bed load and runoff. Phosphorus lost through runoff accounted for 55.26% of total lost phosphorus in straight farming field, but in other farming field, phosphorus lost with runoff accounted for 67.59%-88.11%. Particle phosphorus was the major form of the lost phosphorus, which contributed to 57.79%-77.59% of total lost phosphorus. The runoff most phosphorus was available phosphorus. Comparing with the traditional cultivated ways in the local area(treatment 5, stright farming field), the alternative different cultivated ways reduced soil phosphorus loss by 40.73%-84.70%, the contour, contour dam and fallow had better effect on controlling loss of phosphorus than the contour ditch and contour grass strip. In a year of 2000 most of the lost phosphorus was occurred during May to August accounting for 89.15%-100% of total lost.

[Characteristics of nitrogen loss from sloping field in red soil area under different cultivation practices].

The characteristics of nitrogen loss under six types of cultivation practices were studied in Lanxi Water and Soil Conservation Supervision Station of Zhejiang Province. The results showed that compared with the traditional cultivation practice (treatment 5, straight farming), the other cultivation practices including grass strip, contour ditch, contour farming, contour dam, and fallow decreased soil nitrogen loss significantly, and the percentages of nitrogen loss under the 5 types of cultivation practices decreased by 43.46%, 46.55%, 71.36%, 77.05%, and 87.92%, respectively. Soil nitrogen lost mainly with runoff, and it accounted for 81.9-93.4% of total soil nitrogen loss. Dissolved nitrogen was the major form of lost nitrogen and accounted for 78-87.6% of total lost nitrogen in runoff. Nitrogen loss was occurred mainly during May to August, and it accounted for 85-100% of total annual nitrogen loss.