Integrin Alpha V Alpha 6 Is Expressed On Multiple Solid Tumors And Is A Potential Therapeutic Target For Auristatin-Based Antibody-Drug Conjugates

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are designed to deliver a targeted, potent payload directly to the tumor cell. This targeted cytoxicity can greatly augment the antitumor activity of a naked antibody and reduce the off target toxicity of free drug. Cancers of the head and neck, pancreas, bladder, lung, ovary and breast show frequent expression of integrin α6, suggesting they may be amenable to therapeutic targeting with an anti-integrin β6 ADC. We identified a therapeutic antibody that is optimal for drug delivery by screening a large panel of anti-integrin β6 ADCs on antigen-positive tumor lines. Monoclonal antibody 15H3 showed consistent potency as an ADC on solid tumor cell lines representative of the target indications. The ADC activity of 15H3 was detectable using either monomethyl auristatin E with a protease-cleavable linker (vcMMAE) or monomethyl auristatin F (mcMMAF), which requires antibody degradation. 15H3 was selected as the lead and humanized for in vivo testing. Humanized 15H3 (h15H3) retained all the properties of the mouse parental antibody, including the ability to cross-bind multiple species (human, monkey, rat, and mouse integrin α6). In vitro analysis showed that h15H3-vcMMAE and h15H3-mcMMAF internalize within a few hours and result in antigen-specific cytotoxicity of carcinoma lines. In vivo studies of integrin-α6 positive xenografts demonstrated antitumor activity. Our data suggest that integrin β6 is a promising potential ADC target for antigen-positive solid tumors. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4630. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4630