Toward Drug-Like Multispecific Antibodies by Design
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International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Toward Drug-Like Multispecific Antibodies by Design 1,2, 1,2,3, 2,4 1,2,4,5, Manali S. Sawant y, Craig N. Streu y, Lina Wu and Peter M. Tessier * 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; [email protected] (M.S.S.); [email protected] (C.N.S.) 2 Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; [email protected] 3 Department of Chemistry, Albion College, Albion, MI 49224, USA 4 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA 5 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-734-763-1486 These authors contributed equally to this work. y Received: 1 September 2020; Accepted: 2 October 2020; Published: 12 October 2020 Abstract: The success of antibody therapeutics is strongly influenced by their multifunctional nature that couples antigen recognition mediated by their variable regions with effector functions and half-life extension mediated by a subset of their constant regions. Nevertheless, the monospecific IgG format is not optimal for many therapeutic applications, and this has led to the design of a vast number of unique multispecific antibody formats that enable targeting of multiple antigens or multiple epitopes on the same antigen. Despite the diversity of these formats, a common challenge in generating multispecific antibodies is that they display suboptimal physical and chemical properties relative to conventional IgGs and are more difficult to develop into therapeutics. Here we review advances in the design and engineering of multispecific antibodies with drug-like properties, including favorable stability, solubility, viscosity, specificity and pharmacokinetic properties. We also highlight emerging experimental and computational methods for improving the next generation of multispecific antibodies, as well as their constituent antibody fragments, with natural IgG-like properties. Finally, we identify several outstanding challenges that need to be addressed to increase the success of multispecific antibodies in the clinic. Keywords: bispecific; polyspecificity; pharmacokinetics; solubility; aggregation; viscosity; developability; stability; affinity; specificity; protein engineering; self-association; non-specific binding; immunogenicity 1. Introduction Antibodies are among the most well-established biologics and are widely employed as therapeutics. Their success as therapeutics is largely due to their unique combination of properties, including their favorable activities, safety profiles, and physical and chemical properties (also known as developability properties). The activity of antibodies is linked to their high binding affinities and specificities as well as their Fc-mediated interactions with receptors that enable extended half-lives and, in some cases, effector functions. The safety of antibodies is due to their low off-target binding, low immunogenicity (for human or humanized antibodies), and non-toxic breakdown products (amino acids). The desirable developability properties of antibodies are due to their high folding stabilities, high solubilities, low viscosities and high chemical stabilities. The combination of these key properties has led to >80 approved antibody drugs and hundreds more in clinical trials [1]. Nevertheless, most lead antibody (IgG) candidates do not have the required combination of activity, safety, and developability properties for therapeutic applications, and must be further engineered Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 7496; doi:10.3390/ijms21207496 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 43 Int. J. Mol.Nevertheless, Sci. 2020, 21, 7496most lead antibody (IgG) candidates do not have the required combination2 ofof 41 activity, safety, and developability properties for therapeutic applications, and must be further toengineered achieve drug-like to achieve molecules. drug-like Overcoming molecules. Overcomi these issuesng these is even issues more is challenging even more forchallenging multispecific for multispecific antibodies, a class of engineered antibodies that seeks to engage either two or more antibodies, a class of engineered antibodies that seeks to engage either two or more targets or two or targets or two or more epitopes on the same target. Generally, multispecifics are chimeric proteins more epitopes on the same target. Generally, multispecifics are chimeric proteins composed of IgGs composed of IgGs and smaller antibody fragments or multiple antibody fragments (Figure 1). Given and smaller antibody fragments or multiple antibody fragments (Figure1). Given their ability to bind their ability to bind more than one target, multispecific antibodies have functional advantages for more than one target, multispecific antibodies have functional advantages for applications in which it is applications in which it is necessary to bring together two targets in close proximity. This is a key necessary to bring together two targets in close proximity. This is a key feature of the two multispecific feature of the two multispecific antibodies blinatumomab and emicizumab that have been approved antibodies blinatumomab and emicizumab that have been approved for use in humans and are for use in humans and are currently being marketed [2–6]. Although the full potential of multispecific currently being marketed [2–6]. Although the full potential of multispecific antibodies is just beginning antibodies is just beginning to be tapped [7], one particularly notable therapeutic application has been to be tapped [7], one particularly notable therapeutic application has been the recruitment of immune the recruitment of immune effector cells, such as T cells [8–11] or natural killer (NK) cells [12–15], to effector cells, such as T cells [8–11] or natural killer (NK) cells [12–15], to tumor cells using multispecific tumor cells using multispecific formats that recognize antigens on both cell types. Still other potential formats that recognize antigens on both cell types. Still other potential advantages of binding multiple advantages of binding multiple targets include synergistic effects, improved specificity, and reduced targets include synergistic effects, improved specificity, and reduced incidence of drug-resistance. incidence of drug-resistance. FigureFigure 1. 1.Antigen-binding Antigen-binding regionsregions of monospecificmonospecific IgGs can be combined into into various various multispecific multispecific formatsformats that that havehave uniqueunique developability concerns, concerns, incl includinguding those those related related to to their their stability, stability, solubility, solubility, aggregation,aggregation, viscosity,viscosity, andand pharmacokinetics.pharmacokinetics. Th Thee abbreviations abbreviations are are scFv-IgG scFv-IgG for for single-chain single-chain variablevariable fragmentfragment immunoglobulin, DVD-Ig DVD-Ig for for du dualal variable variable domain domain immunoglobulin, immunoglobulin, FIT-Ig FIT-Ig for forfabs-in-tandem fabs-in-tandem immunoglobulin, immunoglobulin, BiTE BiTE for bispecific for bispecific T-cell T-cell engager engager and andDART DART for dual-affinity for dual-affi nityre- re-targetingtargeting antibody antibody fragment. fragment. DespiteDespite theirtheir impressiveimpressive therapeutictherapeutic potential, much much less less is is known known about about the the developability developability propertiesproperties of of multispecifics multispecifics withwith respectrespect toto conventional antibodies (IgGs), which which is is a a major major limitation limitation toto their their development development andand broadbroad adoptionadoption asas therapeutics.therapeutics. Further Further exacerba exacerbatingting the the knowledge knowledge gap gap isis the the sheer sheer number number ofof multispecificmultispecific antibodyantibody formatsformats that have have been been developed, developed, each each with with its its own own specificspecific advantagesadvantages andand liabilitiesliabilities asas therapeuticstherapeutics [16–18]. [16–18]. Recent Recent advances advances in in the the ability ability to to screen screen antibodiesantibodies forfor developabilitydevelopability parametersparameters earlier in the discovery discovery process process are are likely likely to to streamline streamline the the developmentdevelopment ofof antibodyantibody therapeuticstherapeutics but, to date, no such general general approach approach exists exists for for multispecific multispecific antibodies. Because many multispecific antibodies are composed of recombined antibody fragments, antibodies. Because many multispecific antibodies are composed of recombined antibody fragments, and stabilization of the individual fragments is a common component of multispecific design and stabilization of the individual fragments is a common component of multispecific design strategies, strategies, this review will focus on the latest methods for optimizing the drug-like properties of this review will focus on the latest methods for optimizing the drug-like properties of antibody antibody fragments in addition to strategies for optimizing multispecific antibodies. Here we divide fragments in addition to strategies for optimizing multispecific antibodies. Here we divide the the critical antibody properties into three broad categories, namely: (i) physical and chemical stability, critical antibody properties into three