Site-specific labeling of affinity molecules for in vitro and in vivo studies

Abstract: The thesis is focused on site-specific labeling of affinity molecules for different applications where two types of binding proteins, Affibody molecules and antibodies, have been used. For the purpose of improving the properties of Affibody molecules for in vivo imaging, novel bi-functional chelators for radiolabeling using the radionuclide 111In were evaluated. In a first study, two chelators denoted NOTA and DOTA, respectively, were separately conjugated via maleimide chemistry to a C-terminal cysteine residue in a HER2-binding Affibody molecule (ZHER2:2395). In vivo evaluation using mice with prostate carcinoma cell line xenografts showed that the 111In-NOTA-MMA-ZHER2:2395 tracer exhibited faster clearance from blood than the 111In-DOTA-MMA-ZHER2:2395 counterpart,resulting in improved tumor-to-organ ratios. In a second study the in vivo imaging properties of a third tracer, 111In-NODAGA-MMA-ZHER2:2395, was investigated in tumor-bearing mice. While the tumor uptake was lower than seen for the 111In-DOTA-MMA-ZHER2:2395 tracer, a low uptake in non-targeted organs and a fast clearance from blood resulted in higher tumor-to-organ ratios for 111In-NODAGA-MMA-ZHER2:2395 compared to the DOTA variant.In a following study, a synthetically produced HER2-targeting affibody variant, denoted ZHER2:S1, was used where NODAGA, NOTA and DOTA chelators instead were conjugated via an amide bond to the N-terminus. In vivo evaluation in mice showed an unfavorable uptake in liver for 111In-NOTA-ZHER2:S1, resulting in a discontinuation. The study showed faster clearance of 111In-NODAGA-ZHER2:S1 from blood, but also an increased uptake in bone in comparison to 111In-DOTA-ZHER2:S1. As bone is a common metastatic site in prostate cancer, the favorable tumor-to-bone ratio for 111In-DOTA-ZHER2:S1 suggests it as the tracer of choice for prostate cancer. Further, the DOTA chelator was also evaluated as conjugated to either N- or C-terminus or to the back of helix 3 via an amide bond, where the in vivo evaluation showed that that C-terminal conjugation resulted in the highest contrast.Site specificity is also of great importance for labeling antibodies, as conjugation in the antigen-binding regions might influence the affinity. A method for site-specific labeling of antibodies using an IgG-binding domain that becomes covalently attached to the Fc-region of an antibody by photoconjugation was optimized. By investigation of positions most suitable for incorporation of the photoreactive probe, the conjugation efficiencies were increased for antibody subclasses important for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In addition, optimized variants were used in combination with an incorporated click-reactive handle for selective labeling of the antibody with a detection molecule.