Abstract 2620: BCG016, a first-in-class bispecific antibody-drug conjugate targeting 5T4 and MUC1, demonstrates potent preclinical anti-tumor activity

Abstract 5T4 is a highly expressed tumor-associated antigen associated with adverse clinical outcomes in solid tumors, and is an attractive therapeutic target due to low expression on normal adult tissues. While several therapeutic agents targeting 5T4 antigen are currently being evaluated in human clinical trials, none have yet entered the market. Another target, MUC1, is currently under clinical investigation, with most drugs in clinical trials showing limited efficacy due to shedding of the target antigen MUC1-N. 5T4 and MUC1 are commonly co-expressed in various solid tumors, including lung, breast, colorectal and pancreatic cancers, suggesting that targeting both antigens with a single drug could be a promising therapeutic strategy. We previously identified and evaluated antibodies targeting human 5T4 and MUC1-C (cleaved MUC1) using RenLite® fully human common light chain mice. Here, selected antibodies were constructed into 5T4 × MUC1 bispecific antibodies (bsAb). The 5T4-MUC1 bsAb demonstrated high avidity in multiple human tumor cell lines by flow cytometry. Notably, the parental 5T4 antibody also binds strongly to many tumor cell lines. Internalization assays demonstrate that the internalization of 5T4-MUC1 bsAb in breast cancer cells was enhanced compared to the parental anti-5T4 and anti-MUC1 monoclonal antibodies, as measured by Incucyte® live cell imaging. Subsequently, the 5T4-MUC1 bsAb was then conjugated with monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) to generate 5T4 x MUC1 bsADC (BCG016). Cytotoxicity assays indicate that BCG016 improved tumor cell killing in vitro compared to benchmark ADCs, and in vivo efficacy studies showed superior anti-tumor efficacy of BCG016 in patient-derived NSCLC xenografts compared to benchmark ADCs and parental ADC combination therapy. In summary, we have generated a novel bispecific ADC targeting 5T4 and the cleaved MUC1-C protein, which remains membrane-bound on tumor cells. The 5T4-MUC1 bsADC showed superior anti-tumor efficacy in PDX models and has the potential to be a novel therapeutic for 5T4 and MUC1 co-expressing tumors. Citation Format: Zhenyan Han, Chengzhang Shang, Yifu Zhang, Gao An, Chaoshe Guo, W. Frank An, Yi Yang. BCG016, a first-in-class bispecific antibody-drug conjugate targeting 5T4 and MUC1, demonstrates potent preclinical anti-tumor activity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2620.