Discovery of a Novel Cabazitaxel Nanoparticle-Drug Conjugate (CRLX522) with Improved Pharmacokinetic Properties and Anticancer Effects Using a ß-Cyclodextrin-PEG Copolymer Based Delivery Platform.

Novel nanoparticle-drug conjugates (NDCs) containing diverse, clinically relevant anticancer drug payloads (docetaxel, cabazitaxel, and gemcitabine) were successfully generated and tested in drug discovery studies. The NDCs utilized structurally varied linkers that attached the drug payloads to a ß-cyclodextrin-PEG copolymer to form self-assembled nanoparticles. In vitro release studies revealed a diversity of release rates driven by linker structure-activity relationships (SARs). Improved in vivo pharmacokinetics (PK) for the cabazitaxel (CBTX) NDCs with glycinate-containing (1c) and hexanoate-containing linkers (2c) were demonstrated, along with high and sustained tumor levels (>168 h of released drug in tumor tissues). This led to potent efficacy and survival in both taxane- and docetaxel-resistant in vivo anticancer mouse efficacy models. Overall, the CBTX-hexanoate NDC 2c (CRLX522), demonstrated optimal and improved in vivo PK (plasma and tumor) and efficacy profile versus those of the parent drug, and the results support the potential therapeutic use of CRLX522 as a new anticancer agent.

Tumor Selective Silencing Using an RNAi-Conjugated Polymeric Nanopharmaceutical.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics have potential advantages over traditional small molecule drugs such as high specificity and the ability to inhibit otherwise "undruggable" targets. However, siRNAs have short plasma half-lives in vivo, can induce a cytokine response, and show poor cellular uptake. Formulating siRNA into nanoparticles offers two advantages: enhanced siRNA stability against nuclease degradation beyond what chemical modification alone can provide; and improved site-specific delivery that takes advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Existing delivery systems generally suffer from poor delivery to tumors. Here we describe the formation and biological activity of polymeric nanopharmaceuticals (PNPs) based on biocompatible and biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) conjugated to siRNA via an intracellular cleavable disulfide linker (PLGA-siRNA). Additionally, these PNPs contain (1) PLGA conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG) for enhanced pharmacokinetics of the nanocarrier; (2) a cation for complexation of siRNA and charge compensation to avoid high negative zeta potential; and (3) neutral poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to stabilize the PNPs and support the PEG shell to prevent particle aggregation and protein adsorption. The biological data demonstrate that these PNPs achieve prolonged circulation, tumor accumulation that is uniform throughout the tumor, and prolonged tumor-specific knockdown. PNPs employed in this study had no effect on body weight, blood cell count, serum chemistry, or cytokine response at doses >10 times the effective dose. PNPs, therefore, constitute a promising solution for achieving durable siRNA delivery and gene silencing in tumors.

Correlating preclinical animal studies and human clinical trials of a multifunctional, polymeric nanoparticle.

Nanoparticles are currently being investigated in a number of human clinical trials. As information on how nanoparticles function in humans is difficult to obtain, animal studies that can be correlative to human behavior are needed to provide guidance for human clinical trials. Here, we report correlative studies on animals and humans for CRLX101, a 20- to 30-nm-diameter, multifunctional, polymeric nanoparticle containing camptothecin (CPT). CRLX101 is currently in phase 2 clinical trials, and human data from several of the clinical investigations are compared with results from multispecies animal studies. The pharmacokinetics of polymer-conjugated CPT (indicative of the CRLX101 nanoparticles) in mice, rats, dogs, and humans reveal that the area under the curve scales linearly with milligrams of CPT per square meter for all species. Plasma concentrations of unconjugated CPT released from CRLX101 in animals and humans are consistent with each other after accounting for differences in serum albumin binding of CPT. Urinary excretion of polymer-conjugated CPT occurs primarily within the initial 24 h after dosing in animals and humans. The urinary excretion dynamics of polymer-conjugated and unconjugated CPT appear similar between animals and humans. CRLX101 accumulates into solid tumors and releases CPT over a period of several days to give inhibition of its target in animal xenograft models of cancer and in the tumors of humans. Taken in total, the evidence provided from animal models on the CRLX101 mechanism of action suggests that the behavior of CRLX101 in animals is translatable to humans.