Antibody engineering for the development of therapeutic antibodies

Therapeutic antibodies represent one of the fastest growing areas of the pharmaceutical industry. There are currently 19 monoclonal antibodies in the market that have been approved by the FDA and over 150 in clinical developments. Driven by innovation and technological developments, therapeutic antibodies are the second largest biopharmaceutical product category after vaccines. Antibodies have been engineered by a variety of methods to suit a particular therapeutic use. This review describes the structural and functional characteristics of antibody and the antibody engineering for the generation and optimization of therapeutic antibodies.     

The biotechnology and applications of antibody engineering

The exquisite specificity of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) has long provided the potential for creating new reagents for the in vivo delivery of therapeutic drugs or toxins to defined cellular target sites or improved methods of diagnosis. However, many difficulties associated with their production, affinity, specificity, and use in vivo have largely confined their application to research or in vitro diagnostics. This situation is beginning to change with the recent developments in the applied molecular techniques that allow the engineering of the genes that encode antibodies rather than the manipulation of the intact antibodies themselves. Techniques, such as the polymerase chain reaction, have provided essential methods with which to generate and modify the genetic constituents of antibodies, allow their conjugation to toxins or drugs, provide ways of humanizing murine antibodies, and allow discrete modular antigen binding components to be produced. More recent developments of in vitro expression systems and powerful phage surface display technologies will without doubt play a major role in future antibody engineering and in the successful development of new diagnostic and therapeutic antibody-based reagents.     

Monoclonal antibodies, act two: new molecules for new challenges

After early difficulties due in part to their mouse origin and questionable selection criteria, monoclonal antibodies have become major therapeutic tools thanks to more and more sophisticated molecular engineering. They are now used in a growing number of therapeutic areas. Molecular engineering has focused on the improvement of antibody affinity, the reduction of immunogenicity due to the murine origin of the first generation of monoclonal antibodies and on the increase of antibody effector properties, initially limited by their murine origin. The current success of antibodies raises new challenges that the scientific and medical communities are taking up: design of antibodies with optimized functional properties, with lower side effects, design of new molecular formats (drug-coupled antibodies, bi-specific antibodies, antibodies with optimized half-lives), detection and selection of "responder" patients. As a new antibody generation is quickly emerging, the future of antibodies is already at sight: development of oligoclonal strategies where cocktails of monoclonal antibodies are used, rationale selection of eligible patients, bulk production at lower costs. To date, twenty-three monoclonal antibodies have received an approval in the United States and/or in Europe and more than two hundred and fifty are currently evaluated in clinical trials. A new wave is coming...     

Recombinant antibodies: engineering and production in yeast and bacterial hosts

After the appearance of the first FDA-approved antibody 25 years ago, antibodies have become major therapeutic agents in the treatment of many human diseases, including cancer and infectious diseases, and the use of antibodies as therapeutic/diagnostic agents is expected to increase in the future. So far, a variety of strategies have been devised for engineering of these fascinating molecules to develop superior properties and functions. Recent progress in systems biology has provided more information about the structures and cellular networks of antibodies, and, in addition, recent development of biotechnology tools, particularly in regard to high-throughput screening, has made it possible to perform more intensive engineering on these substances. Based on a sound understanding and new technologies, antibodies are now being developed as more powerful drugs. In this review, we highlight the recent, significant progress that has been made in antibody engineering, with a particular focus on Fc engineering and glycoengineering for improved functions, and cellular engineering for enhanced production of antibodies in yeast and bacterial hosts.     

Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins

Cytokines are key players in stimulating and regulating immune responses in physiological and pathophysiological processes. Various cytokines have been approved for therapy of cancer and other diseases and many more are under development. However, therapeutic efficacy is often hampered by severe side effects and poor pharmacokinetic properties. Fusion of cytokines to antibodies or antibody fragments allows for a targeted delivery and should, therefore, improve efficacy and pharmacokinetics. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the developments in the field of targeted cytokine delivery by genetic engineering of antibody-cytokine fusion proteins.     

pH-dependent antigen-binding antibodies as a novel therapeutic modality

Monoclonal antibodies have become a general modality in therapeutic development. However, even with infinite binding affinity to an antigen, a conventional antibody is limited in that it can bind to the antigen only once, and this results in antigen-mediated antibody clearance when the a membrane-bound antigen is targeted, or in antibody-mediated antigen accumulation when a soluble antigen is targeted. Recently, a pH-dependent antigen-binding antibody that binds to an antigen in plasma at neutral pH and dissociates from the antigen in endosome at acidic pH has been reported to overcome this limitation and to reduce antigen-mediated antibody clearance and antibody-mediated antigen accumulation. A pH-dependent binding antibody against a soluble antigen can be further improved by Fc engineering to enhance the Fc receptor binding. Various approaches, including histidine-based engineering, direct cloning from immunized animals, and synthetic and combinatorial libraries, have been successfully applied to generate pH-dependent binding antibodies against various antigens. This review discusses the features, approaches, advantages, and challenges of developing a pH-dependent binding antibody as a novel therapeutic modality. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Recent advances in molecular engineering of antibody.     

双特异性抗体在肿瘤治疗中的研究

双特异性抗体(bispecific antibody,BsAb)有两个抗原结合位点,其中一个位点可与靶细胞表面抗原结合,另一个位点则可与载荷物(如效应细胞,分子等)结合。将BsAb应用于肿瘤治疗,发挥抗肿瘤效应的思想已有二十多年历史,随着对效应细胞生物学了解的加深和抗体工程的飞速发展,各种形式的BsAb相继出现,多种BsAb药物已进入临床初期试验或治疗使用阶段。本文就BsAb的各种新形式及其在肿瘤治疗中的应用新进展作简要概述。     

Protein engineering of antibodies.

This article reviews the technical advances in antibody engineering and the clinical applications of these molecules. Recombinant DNA technology facilitates the construction and expression of engineered antibodies. These novel molecules are designed to meet specific applications. Although genomic and cDNA cloning have been used widely in the past to isolate the relevant antibody V domains, at present, the PCR-based cloning is the preferred system. Bacterial and mammalian expression systems are used commonly for the production of antibodies, antibody fragments, and antibody fusion proteins. A range of chimeric antibodies with murine V domains joined to C regions from human and other species have been produced and found to exhibit the expected binding characteristics and effector functions. Humanized antibodies have been developed to minimize the HAMA response, and bifunctional immunoglobulins are being used in tumor therapy and diagnosis. Single chain antibodies and fusion proteins with antibody specificities jointed to nonimmunoglobulin sequences provide a source of antibody-like molecules with novel properties. The potential applications of minimal recognition units and antigenized antibodies are described. Combinatorial libraries produced in bacteriophage present an alternative to hybridomas for the production of antibodies with the desired antigen binding specificities. Future developments in this field are discussed also.     

噬菌体抗体库研究进展

治疗性抗体的发展经历了异源抗体、人源化抗体和人源性抗体几个阶段。目前,人源性抗体是治疗性抗体发展的主要方向,而噬菌体抗体库技术的出现为人源性抗体的制备提供了良好的技术平台,并且逐渐成为目前获得人源性抗体的主要手段之一。噬菌体抗体库技术是20世纪90年代初期抗体工程领域的一项重大进展,它是噬菌体展示和抗体库2种技术的集成,目前广泛应用于生物医学领域。本文对该技术的原理、类型、特点及研究进展进行了综述。     

Engineering the variable region of therapeutic IgG antibodies

Since the first generation of humanized IgG1 antibodies reached the market in the late 1990s, IgG antibody molecules have been extensively engineered. The success of antibody therapeutics has introduced severe competition in developing novel therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, especially for promising or clinically validated targets. Such competition has led researchers to generate so-called second or third generation antibodies with clinical differentiation utilizing various engineering and optimization technologies. Parent IgG antibodies can be engineered to have improved antigen binding properties, effector functions, pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical properties and safety issues. Although the primary role of the antibody variable region is to bind to the antigen, it is also the main source of antibody diversity and its sequence affects various properties important for developing antibody therapeutics. Here we review recent research activity in variable region engineering to generate superior antibody therapeutics.Key words: antibody therapeutics, variable region, engineering, affinity, pharmacokinetics, stability, immunogenicity     

The role of therapeutic antibodies in drug discovery

The last 5 years have seen a major upturn in the fortune of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), with nine mAbs approved for clinical use during this period and more than 70 now in clinical trials beyond phase II. Sales are expected to reach $4 billion per annum worldwide in 2002 and $15 billion by 2010. This success can be related to the engineering of mouse mAbs into mouse/human chimaeric antibodies or humanized antibodies, which have had a major effect on immunogenicity, effector function and half-life. The issue of repeated antibody dosing at high levels with limited toxicity was essential for successful clinical applications. Emerging technologies (phage display, human antibody-engineered mice) have created a vast range of novel, antibody-based therapeutics, which specifically target clinical biomarkers of disease. Modified recombinant antibodies have been designed to be more cytotoxic (toxin delivery), to enhance effector functions (bivalent mAbs) and to be fused with enzymes for prodrug therapy and cancer treatment. Antibody fragments have also been engineered to retain specificity and have increased the penetrability of solid tumours (single-chain variable fragments). Radiolabelling of antibodies has now been shown to be effective for cancer imaging and targeting. This article focuses on developments in the design and clinical use of recombinant antibodies for cancer therapy.     

Protein Engineering of Antibodies

Abstract

This article reviews the technical advances in antibody engineering and the clinical applications of these molecules. Recombinant DNA technology facilitates the construction and expression of engineered antibodies. These novel molecules are designed to meet specific applications. Although genomic and cDNA cloning have been used widely in the past to isolate the relevant antibody V domains, at present, the PCR-based cloning is the preferred system. Bacterial and mammalian expression systems are used commonly for the production of antibodies, antibody fragments, and antibody fusion proteins. A range of chimeric antibodies with murine V domains joined to C regions from human and other species have been produced and found to exhibit the expected binding characteristics and effector functions. Humanized antibodies have been developed to minimize the HAMA response, and bifunctional immunoglobulins are being used in tumor therapy and diagnosis. Single chain antibodies and fusion proteins with antibody specificities joined to nonimmunoglobulin sequences provide a source of antibody-like molecules with novel properties. The potential applications of minimal recognition units and antigenized antibodies are described. Combinatorial libraries produced in bacteriophage present an alternative to hybridomas for the production of antibodies with the desired antigen binding specificities. Future developments in this field are discussed also.     

Production of therapeutic antibodies with controlled fucosylation

The clinical success of therapeutic antibodies is demonstrated by the number of antibody therapeutics that have been brought to market and the increasing number of therapeutic antibodies in development. Recombinant antibodies are molecular-targeted therapeutic agents and represent a major new class of drugs. However, it is still very important to optimize and maximize the clinical efficacy of therapeutic antibodies, in part to help lower the cost of therapeutic antibodies by potentially reducing the dose or the duration of treatment. Clinical trials using therapeutic antibodies fully lacking core fucose residue in the Fc oligosaccharides are currently underway, and their remarkable physiological activities in humans in vivo have attracted attention as next-generation therapeutic antibody approaches with improved efficacy. Thus, an industrially applicable antibody production process that provides consistent yields of fully non-fucosylated antibody therapeutics with fixed quality has become a key goal in the successful development of next-generation therapeutic agents. In this article, we review the current technologies for production of therapeutic antibodies with control of fucosylation of the Fc N-glycans.Key words: fucose, non-fucosylated, therapeutic antibodies, ADCC, FcγRIIIa     

Molecular engineering of antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes

During the past ten years, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have taken center stage in the field of targeted therapy and diagnosis. This increased interest in mAbs is due to their binding accuracy (affinity and specificity) together with the original molecular and structural rules that govern interactions with their cognate antigen. In addition, the effector properties of antibodies constitute a second major advantage associated with their clinical use. The development of molecular and structural engineering and more recently of in vitro evolution of antibodies has opened up new perspectives in the de novo design of antibodies more adapted to clinical and diagnostic use. Thus, efforts are regularly made by researchers to improve or modulate antibody recognition properties, to adapt their pharmacokinetics, engineer their stability, and control their immunogenicity. This review presents the latest molecular engineering results on mAbs with therapeutic and diagnostic applications.     

Molecular engineering of antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes

During the past ten years, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have taken center stage in the field of targeted therapy and diagnosis. This increased interest in mAbs is due to their binding accuracy (affinity and specificity) together with the original molecular and structural rules that govern interactions with their cognate antigen. In addition, the effector properties of antibodies constitute a second major advantage associated with their clinical use. The development of molecular and structural engineering and more recently of in vitro evolution of antibodies has opened up new perspectives in the de novo design of antibodies more adapted to clinical and diagnostic use. Thus, efforts are regularly made by researchers to improve or modulate antibody recognition properties, to adapt their pharmacokinetics, engineer their stability, and control their immunogenicity. This review presents the latest molecular engineering results on mAbs with therapeutic and diagnostic applications.     

Engineering the variable region of therapeutic IgG antibodies

Since the first generation of humanized IgG1 antibodies reached the market in the late 1990s, IgG antibody molecules have been extensively engineered. The success of antibody therapeutics has introduced severe competition in developing novel therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, especially for promising or clinically validated targets. Such competition has led researchers to generate so-called second or third generation antibodies with clinical differentiation utilizing various engineering and optimization technologies. Parent IgG antibodies can be engineered to have improved antigen binding properties, effector functions, pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical properties and safety issues. Although the primary role of the antibody variable region is to bind to the antigen, it is also the main source of antibody diversity and its sequence affects various properties important for developing antibody therapeutics. Here we review recent research activity in variable region engineering to generate superior antibody therapeutics.     

Monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics in oncology

The specificity of antibodies has been harnessed to target cancer cells and the first therapeutic antibodies for use in oncology are now finding application in the clinic. Studies are currently under way to develop new and improved antibodies. Recent developments have been made in the identification of novel targets, including the use of genomic and proteomic technologies. Several methods are also being developed to enhance antibody efficacy.     

Human antibodies as next generation therapeutics

Antibodies and antibody derivatives constitute twenty five percent of therapeutics currently in development, and a number of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies have recently reached the market. All antibodies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, however, contain mouse protein sequences. These partially murine antibodies, therefore, have the potential to elicit allergic or other complications when used in human patients. Recent developments aim to reduce or eliminate murine components, and fully human antibodies are rapidly becoming the norm. A number of technologies exist which enable the development of 100% human antibodies.     

Unlocking the potential of agonist antibodies for treating cancer using antibody engineering

Agonist antibodies that target immune checkpoints, such as those in the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily, are an important class of emerging therapeutics due to their ability to regulate immune cell activity, especially for treating cancer. Despite their potential, to date, they have shown limited clinical utility and further antibody optimization is urgently needed to improve their therapeutic potential. Here, we discuss key antibody engineering approaches for improving the activity of antibody agonists by optimizing their valency, specificity for different receptors (e.g., bispecific antibodies) and epitopes (e.g., biepitopic or biparatopic antibodies), and Fc affinity for Fcγ receptors (FcγRs). These powerful approaches are being used to develop the next generation of cancer immunotherapeutics with improved efficacy and safety.     

Antibody production by molecular farming in plants

"Molecular farming" is the production of pharmaceutical proteins in transgenic plants and has great potential for the production of therapeutic anti-cancer antibodies and recombinant therapeutic proteins. Plants make fully functional recombinant human or animal antibodies. Cultivating transgenic plants on an agricultural scale will produce almost unlimited supplies of recombinant proteins for uses in medicine. Combinatorial library technology is a key tool for the generation and optimisation of therapeutic antibodies ahead of their expression in plants. Optimised antibody expression can be rapidly verified using transient expression assays in plants before creation of transgenic suspension cells or plant lines. Subcellular targeting signals that increase expression levels and optimise protein stability can be identified and exploited using transient expression to create high expresser plant lines. When high expresser lines have been selected, the final step is the development of efficient purification methods to retrieve functional antibody. Antibody production on an industrial scale is then possible using plant suspension cell culture in fermenters, or by the propagation of stably transformed plant lines in the field. Recombinant proteins can be produced either in whole plants or in seeds and tubers, which can be used for the long-term storage of both the protein and its production system. The review will discuss these developments and how we are moving toward the molecular farming of therapeutic antibodies becoming an economic and clinical reality.