Talaromycosis (Penicilliosis) in a Cynomolgus Macaque.

A sexually mature Chinese-origin female Macaca fascicularis assigned to the high-dose group in a 26-week toxicology study with an experimental immunomodulatory therapeutic antibody (a CD40 L antagonist fusion protein) was euthanized at the scheduled terminal sacrifice on study day 192. The animal was healthy at study initiation and remained clinically normal throughout the study. On study day 141, abnormal clinical pathology changes were found during a scheduled evaluation; splenomegaly was detected on study day 149 and supported by ultrasound examination. At the scheduled necropsy, there was marked splenomegaly with a nodular and discolored appearance. Cytologic examination of a splenic impression smear revealed yeast-like organisms within macrophages. Histologically, there was disseminated systemic granulomatous inflammation with 2- to 3-µm oval, intracytoplasmic yeast-like organisms in multiple organs identified as Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei. This organism, not previously reported as a pathogen in macaques, causes an important opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed humans in specific global geographic locations.

Interpreting and Integrating Clinical and Anatomic Pathology Results.

The continuing education course on integrating clinical and anatomical pathology data was designed to communicate the importance of using a weight of evidence approach to interpret safety findings in toxicology studies. This approach is necessary, as neither clinical nor anatomic pathology data can be relied upon in isolation to fully understand the relationship between study findings and the test article. Basic principles for correlating anatomic pathology and clinical pathology findings and for integrating these with other study end points were reviewed. To highlight these relationships, a series of case examples, presented jointly by a clinical pathologist and an anatomic pathologist, were used to illustrate the collaborative effort required between clinical and anatomical pathologists. In addition, the diagnostic utility of traditional liver biomarkers was discussed using results from a meta-analysis of rat hepatobiliary marker and histopathology data. This discussion also included examples of traditional and novel liver and renal biomarker data implementation in nonclinical toxicology studies to illustrate the relationship between discrete changes in biochemistry and tissue morphology.

Preclinical Characterization of an Antibody-Drug Conjugate Targeting CS-1 and the Identification of Uncharacterized Populations of CS-1-Positive Cells.

Multiple myeloma is a hematologic cancer that disrupts normal bone marrow function and has multiple lines of therapeutic options, but is incurable as patients ultimately relapse. We developed a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting CS-1, a protein that is highly expressed on multiple myeloma tumor cells. The anti-CS-1 mAb specifically bound to cells expressing CS-1 and, when conjugated to a cytotoxic pyrrolobenzodiazepine payload, reduced the viability of multiple myeloma cell lines in vitro In mouse models of multiple myeloma, a single administration of the CS-1 ADC caused durable regressions in disseminated models and complete regression in a subcutaneous model. In an exploratory study in cynomolgus monkeys, the CS-1 ADC demonstrated a half-life of 3 to 6 days; however, no highest nonseverely toxic dose was achieved, as bone marrow toxicity was dose limiting. Bone marrow from dosed monkeys showed reductions in progenitor cells as compared with normal marrow. In vitro cell killing assays demonstrated that the CS-1 ADC substantially reduced the number of progenitor cells in healthy bone marrow, leading us to identify previously unreported CS-1 expression on a small population of progenitor cells in the myeloid-erythroid lineage. This finding suggests that bone marrow toxicity is the result of both on-target and off-target killing by the ADC.

The Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Consortium as a Model for Advancing Research and Dialogue on Rare Severe Adverse Drug Reactions.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare but serious disease. Caused by the JC virus (JCV), it occurs in individuals with weakened immune systems and is a potential adverse reaction for certain immunomodulatory drugs. The PML Consortium was created to find better methods to predict, prevent, and treat PML. The Consortium brought together the pharmaceutical industry with academic, regulatory, and patient communities to advance research and dialogue on PML through a not-for-profit, collaborative approach involving a grant program, scientific workshops and conferences, and disease awareness efforts. Over nearly a decade, the Consortium contributed to the PML and JCV fields by advancing research, scientific exchange, and awareness of PML. In addition to advancing knowledge and helping to build cross-sector consensus on research priorities, the Consortium's grant program filled a funding gap and brought new investigators into PML and JCV research. Additionally, the Consortium's workshops and conferences created platforms for exchange that drove dialogue on knowledge gaps and future research directions. The Consortium also contributed to the scientific knowledge base with two literature reviews, one on PML treatment studies and a second on T cell deficiencies as a risk factor for PML and the brain as a site for conversion of harmless JCV into a pathogenic virus. Finally, the Consortium addressed a significant information gap with its disease awareness website for healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers. Beyond its impact on the PML and JCV fields, the PML Consortium is important because it provides a precedent for how the pharmaceutical industry, academic researchers, patient organizations, and government can work together to address rare diseases, in particular rare adverse events. This kind of collaboration could be replicated to speed progress in addressing other rare diseases and adverse events, with significant potential benefits for the scientific, medical, and patient communities. FUNDING: PML Consortium (PML Consortium, Washington, DC).

Evaluation of the duration of human factor VIII expression in nonhuman primates after systemic delivery of an adenoviral vector.

An E1/E2a/E3-deficient adenoviral vector encoding an epitope-tagged (flagged) human factor VIII (FVIII) cDNA was delivered systemically to four cynomolgus monkeys. Analysis of liver biopsy samples revealed the presence of vector DNA at all points in the study (day 7, 28, and 56), with vector copy number declining approximately 10-fold between day 7 and day 56. Immunoprecipitation/Western analyses detected human flagged FVIII in the plasma of all monkeys and expression persisted for 14-28 days. Peak plasma FVIII levels ranged from 50 to 100 ng/ml. Bethesda assays revealed no inhibitor in two animals, the development of a low-level transient inhibitor in one animal, and an inhibitor titer that continued to increase for the duration of the study in one animal. Other treatment-related changes included modest increases in liver enzymes, an increase in interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, and a transient decrease in platelets in all four animals. These data indicate that early generation adenoviral vectors do not support the long-term expression of FVIII in nonhuman primates.

Receptor interactions involved in adenoviral-mediated gene delivery after systemic administration in non-human primates.

Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-based vectors can bind at least three separate cell surface receptors for efficient cell entry: the coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR), alpha nu integrins, and heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (HSG). To address the role of each receptor involved in adenoviral cell entry, we mutated critical amino acids in fiber or penton to inhibit receptor interaction. A series of five adenoviral vectors was prepared and the biodistribution of each was previously characterized in mice. To evaluate possible species differences in Ad vector tropism, we characterized the effects of each detargeting mutation in non-human primates after systemic delivery to confirm our conclusions made in mice. In non-human primates, CAR was found to have minimal effects on vector delivery to all organs examined including liver and spleen. Cell-surface alpha nu integrins played a significant role in delivery of vector to the spleen, lung and kidney. The fiber shaft mutation S*, which presumably inhibits HSG binding, was found to significantly decrease delivery to all organs examined. The ability to detarget the liver corresponded with decreased elevations in liver serum enzymes (aspartate transferase [AST] and alanine transferase [ALT]) 24 hr after vector administration and also in serum interleukin (IL)-6 levels 6 hr after vector administration. The biodistribution data generated in cynomolgus monkeys correspond with those data derived from mice, demonstrating that CAR binding is not the major determinant of viral tropism in vivo. Vectors containing the fiber shaft modification may provide for a detargeted adenoviral vector on which to introduce new tropisms for the development of targeted, systemically deliverable adenoviral vectors for human clinical application.