Andrew J. Bessire

Optimization of Tubulysin Antibody–Drug Conjugates: A Case Study in Addressing ADC Metabolism

As part of our efforts to develop new classes of tubulin inhibitor payloads for antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) programs, we developed a tubulysin ADC that demonstrated excellent in vitro activity but suffered from rapid metabolism of a critical acetate ester. A two-pronged strategy was employed to address this metabolism. First, the hydrolytically labile ester was replaced by a carbamate functional group resulting in a more stable ADC that retained potency in cellular assays. Second, site-specific conjugation was employed in order to design ADCs with reduced metabolic liabilities. Using the later approach, we were able to identify a conjugate at the 334C position of the heavy chain that resulted in an ADC with considerably reduced metabolism and improved efficacy. The examples discussed herein provide one of the clearest demonstrations to-date that site of conjugation can play a critical role in addressing metabolic and PK liabilities of an ADC. Moreover, a clear correlation was identified between the hydrophobicity of an ADC and its susceptibility to metabolic enzymes. Importantly, this study demonstrates that traditional medicinal chemistry strategies can be effectively applied to ADC programs.

Deconstruction of activity-dependent covalent modification of heme in human neutrophil myeloperoxidase by multistage mass spectrometry (MS(4)).

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is known to be inactivated and covalently modified by treatment with hydrogen peroxide and agents similar to 3-(2-ethoxypropyl)-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-purin-6(9H)-one (1), a 254.08 Da derivative of 2-thioxanthine. Peptide mapping by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry detected modification by 1 in a labile peptide-heme-peptide fragment of the enzyme, accompanied by a mass increase of 252.08 Da. The loss of two hydrogen atoms was consistent with mechanism-based oxidative coupling. Multistage mass spectrometry (MS(4)) of the modified fragment in an ion trap/Orbitrap spectrometer demonstrated that 1 was coupled directly to heme. Use of a 10 amu window delivered the full isotopic envelope of each precursor ion to collision-induced dissociation, preserving definitive isotopic profiles for iron-containing fragments through successive steps of multistage mass spectrometry. Iron isotope signatures and accurate mass measurements supported the structural assignments. Crystallographic analysis confirmed linkage between the methyl substituent of the heme pyrrole D ring and the sulfur atom of 1. The final orientation of 1 perpendicular to the plane of the heme ring suggested a mechanism consisting of two consecutive one-electron oxidations of 1 by MPO. Multistage mass spectrometry using stage-specific collision energies permits stepwise deconstruction of modifications of heme enzymes containing covalent links between the heme group and the polypeptide chain.

Use of high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate a metabolite interference during liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric quantification of a small molecule in toxicokinetic study samples

During routine liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) bioanalysis of a small molecule analyte in rat serum samples from a toxicokinetic study, an unexpected interfering peak was observed in the extracted ion chromatogram of the internal standard. No interfering peaks were observed in the extracted ion chromatogram of the analyte. The dose-dependent peak area response and peak area response versus time profiles of the interfering peak suggested that it might have been related to a metabolite of the dosed compound. Further investigation using high-resolution mass spectrometry led to unequivocal identification of the interfering peak as an N-desmethyl metabolite of the parent analyte. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was also used to demonstrate that the interfering response of the metabolite in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) channel of the internal standard was due to an isobaric relationship between the (13)C-isotope of the metabolite and the internal standard (i.e., common precursor ion mass), coupled with a metabolite product ion with identical mass to the product ion used in the MRM transition of the internal standard. These results emphasize (1) the need to carefully evaluate internal standard candidates with regard to potential interferences from metabolites during LC/MS/MS method development, validation and bioanalysis of small molecule analytes in biological matrices; (2) the value of HRMS as a tool to investigate unexpected interferences encountered during LC/MS/MS analysis of small molecules in biological matrices; and (3) the potential for interference regardless of choice of IS and therefore the importance of conducting assay robustness on incurred in vitro or in vivo study samples.

Dirlotapide as a model substrate to refine structure-based drug design strategies on CYP3A4-catalyzed metabolism

Multiple crystal structures of CYP3A4 bound with various substrates or inhibitors have been used as templates for docking of new chemical entities to predict sites of metabolism and molecular interactions for drug design. Herein, modeling studies with dirlotapide, a CYP3A4 substrate, indicated that a substantial conformational change of CYP3A4 was necessary to accommodate it within the active site cavity, which is in good agreement with a new published CYP3A4 ritonavir co-crystal structure. Thus, the importance of considering the substrate-induced conformational change in CYP3A4, thermochemical properties of reaction centers, and essential in vitro experimental data support were analyzed for the refinement of computational models.

Determination of Antibody–Drug Conjugate Released Payload Species Using Directed in Vitro Assays and Mass Spectrometric Interrogation

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) are currently an active area of research, focused primarily on oncology therapeutics, but also to a limited extent on other areas such as infectious disease. The success of this type of targeted drug delivery is dependent upon many factors, one of which is the performance of the linker in releasing an active drug moiety under the appropriate conditions. As a tool in the development of linker/payload chemistry, we have developed an in vitro method for the identification of payload species released from ADCs in the presence of lysosomal enzymes. This method utilizes commercially available human liver S9 fraction as the source of these enzymes, and this has certain advantages over lysosomal fractions or purified enzymes. This article describes the characterization and performance of this assay with multiple ADCs composed of known and novel linkers and payloads. Additionally, we report the observation of incomplete degradation of mAb protein chains by lysosomal enzymes in vitro, believed to be the first report of this phenomenon involving an ADC therapeutic.

A tag‐free collisionally induced fragmentation approach to detect drug‐adducted proteins by mass spectrometry

RATIONALE The covalent modification of proteins by toxicants, new chemical entities or drug molecules, either by metabolic activation or the presence of inherently reactive functional groups, is commonly implicated in organ toxicity and idiosyncratic reactions. In efforts to better prosecute protein modifications, we investigated a tag-free technique capable of detecting protein-small molecule adducts based solely on the collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the protein-small molecule complex. Detection of proteins using unique CID small molecule (SM) product ions would mitigate common issues associated with tagging technologies (e.g., altered reactivity/affinity of the protein-SM complex). METHODS A Waters SYNAPT G2 mass spectrometer (MS) was operated in MS(e) mode with appropriate collision energy conditions during the MS(2) acquisition for fragmentation of protein-small molecule adducts to generate characteristic small molecule product ions. RESULTS Ibrutinib, an acrylamide-containing small molecule drug, was shown to form adducts with rat serum albumin in ex vivo experiments and these adducts were detected by relying solely on the CID product ions generated from ibrutinib. Additionally, ibrutinib produced three CID product ions, one of which was a selective protein-ibrutinib fragment ion not produced by the compound alone. CONCLUSIONS Herein we describe a tag-free mass spectral detection technique for protein-small molecule conjugates that relies on the unique product ion fragmentation profile of the small molecule. This technique allows the detection of macromolecular ions containing the adducted small molecule from complex protein matrices through mass range selection for the unique product ions in the CID spectra.

A rapid and specific derivatization procedure to identify acyl-glucuronides by mass spectrometry

A simple procedure is described to identify acyl-glucuronides by coupled liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry after derivatization to a hydroxamic acid with hydroxylamine. The reaction specificity obviates the need for isolation of the acyl-glucuronide from an extract. Glucuronides derived from carbamic acids, and alkyl- and aromatic amines, are inert to the derivatization reaction conditions, making the hydroxamic acid derivative a fingerprint for acyl-glucuronides.

The use of 18O‐exchange and base‐catalyzed N‐dealkylation with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry to identify carbinolamide metabolites

Oxidation of N-alkyl-substituted amides is a common transformation observed in metabolism studies of drugs and other chemicals. Metabolism at the alpha carbon atom can produce stable carbinolamide compounds, which may be abundant enough to require complete confidence in structural assignments. In a drug discovery setting, rapid structural elucidation of test compounds is critical to inform the compound selection process. Traditional approaches to the analysis of carbinolamides have relied upon the time-consuming synthesis of authentic standards or purification of large enough quantities for characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). We describe a simple technique used in conjunction with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) which demonstrates the chemical identity of a carbinolamide by its distinctive ability to reversibly exchange [(18)O]water through an imine intermediate. A key advantage of the technique is that the chromatographic retention times of metabolites are preserved, allowing direct comparisons of mass chromatograms from non-treated and [(18)O]water-treated samples. Metabolites susceptible to the treatment are clearly indicated by the addition of 2 mass units to their original mass. An additional test which can be used in conjunction with (18)O-exchange is base-catalyzed N-dealkylation of N-(alpha-hydroxy)alkyl compounds. The use of the technique is described for carbinolamide metabolites of dirlotapide, loperamide, and a proprietary compound.