1. Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA;2. Bristol-Myers Squibb Research & Development, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
Abstract:
Macrocyclic pyrrolobenzodiazepine dimers were designed and evaluated for use as antibody-drug conjugate payloads. Initial structure–activity exploration established that macrocyclization could increase the potency of PBD dimers compared with non-macrocyclic analogs. Further optimization overcame activity-limiting solubility issues, leading to compounds with highly potent (picomolar) activity against several cancer cell lines. High levels of in vitro potency and specificity were demonstrated with an anti-mesothelin conjugate.