Design, expression and evaluation of a novel humanized single chain antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Various strategies have been attempted for targeting of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), as an essential biomarker in a variety of cancers. Several anti-EGFR antibodies including cetuximab are used in clinics for treatment of EGFR-overexpressing colorectal and head and neck cancers but the efficiency of these antibodies is threatened by their large size and chimeric nature. Humanized single chains antibodies (huscFv) are smaller generation of antibodies with lower immunogenicity may overcome these limitations. This article reports production and evaluation of a novel humanized anti-EGFR scFv. The CDRs of cetuximab heavy and light chains were grafted onto human antibody frameworks as framework donors. To maintain the antigen binding affinity of murine antibody, the murine vernier zone residues were retained in framework regions of huscFv. Additionally, two point mutations in CDR-L1 and CDR-L3 and three point mutations in CDR-H2 and CDR-H3 loops of the humanized scFv (huscFv) were introduced to increase affinity of the huscFv to EGFR. Analysis of results demonstrated that the humanness degree of resultant huscFv was increased as 19%. HuscFv was expressed in BL21 (DE3) and affinity purified via Ni-NTA column. The reactivity of huscFv with EGFR was evaluated by ELISA and dot blot techniques. Analysis by ELISA and dot blot showed that the huscFv was able to recognize and react with EGFR. Toxicity analysis by MTT assay indicated an inhibitory effect on growth of EGFR-overexpressing A431 cells. In conclusion, the huscFv produced in this study revealed decreased immunogenicity while retained growth inhibitory effect on EGFR-overexpressing tumor cells.

Gene therapy for colorectal cancer using adenovirus-mediated full-length antibody, cetuximab.

Cetuximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody, approved to treat patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for years. It functions by blocking the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) from receiving signals or interacting with other proteins. Although the demand for cetuximab for the treatment of cancer patients in clinics is increasing, the complicated techniques involved and its high cost limit its wide applications. Here, a new, cheaper form of cetuximab was generated for cancer gene therapy. This was achieved by cloning the full-length cetuximab antibody into two serotypes of adenoviral vectors, termed as AdC68-CTB and Hu5-CTB. In vivo studies showed that a single dose of AdC68-CTB or Hu5-CTB induced sustained cetuximab expression and dramatically suppressed tumor growth in NCI-H508- or DiFi-inoculated nude mice. In conclusion, gene therapy using adenovirus expressing full-length cetuximab could be a novel alternative method for the effective treatment of colorectal cancer.

Improving target cell specificity using a novel monovalent bispecific IgG design.

Monovalent bispecific IgGs cater to a distinct set of mechanisms of action but are difficult to engineer and manufacture because of complexities associated with correct heavy and light chain pairing. We have created a novel design, "DuetMab," for efficient production of these molecules. The platform uses knobs-into-holes (KIH) technology for heterodimerization of 2 distinct heavy chains and increases the efficiency of cognate heavy and light chain pairing by replacing the native disulfide bond in one of the CH1-CL interfaces with an engineered disulfide bond. Using two pairs of antibodies, cetuximab (anti-EGFR) and trastuzumab (anti-HER2), and anti-CD40 and anti-CD70 antibodies, we demonstrate that DuetMab antibodies can be produced in a highly purified and active form, and show for the first time that monovalent bispecific IgGs can concurrently bind both antigens on the same cell. This last property compensates for the loss of avidity brought about by monovalency and improves selectivity toward the target cell.