Improving tumour targeting and decreasing normal tissue uptake by optimizing the stoichiometry of a two-step biotinylated-antibody/streptavidin-based targeting strategy: Studies in a nude mouse xenograft model

We aimed to study in detail the in vivo stoichiometry of the individual elements of the 2-step streptavidin based approach to tumour targeting, in a nude mouse xenograft model, by the administration of a first step consisting of biotinylated anti-tumour specific antibody and a second step consisting of streptavidin. This process was undertaken to identify the optimum conditions for radiotherapeutic tumour targeting using this approach. Antibody was biotinylated to various degrees (1-25 biotins per antibody). Protein stoichiometry of the 2 steps was studied over a range of 2 logs. Both steps, i.e., the biotinylated-antibody (1st step) and streptavidin (2nd step) were radiolabelled (125I and 131I, respectively). A 24-hr interval between 1st and 2nd step was studied, animals being killed 24 hr after the 2nd step. Streptavidin excess led to a decrease in levels of monobiotinylated-antibody in the circulation and in the tumour. Biotinylated-antibody excess led to an increase in circulating levels of streptavidin, a decrease in renal uptake of streptavidin and increased targeting of streptavidin to tumour. At a constant protein molar ratio of biotinylated antibody to streptavidin of 10:1, increasing biotinylation density resulted in an increase in circulating levels, increase in tumour uptake, decrease in renal uptake and increase in liver uptake of streptavidin. As early as 24 hr, the tumour-to-blood ratios of streptavidin already exceeded 1 (max 1.27). Compared with antibody tumour-to-blood ratios, they were better by a factor of between 2 and 3. Tumour-to-normal tissue ratios of radiolabelled streptavidin (with the exception of liver) were also significantly improved when polybiotinylated-antibody was administered first. We have thus shown that the 2-step biotinylated antibody/streptavidin approach can lead to a significant increase in absolute amounts of activity in the tumour under appropriate stoichiometric conditions. This was accompanied by high levels of circulating streptavidin and relatively favourable tumour-to-blood and normal tissue ratios of streptavidin.