Eradication of established tumors by a fully human monoclonal antibody to the epidermal growth factor receptor without concomitant hemotherapy

XD Yang, XC Jia, JRF Corvalan, P Wang, CG Davis… - Cancer research, 1999 - AACR
XD Yang, XC Jia, JRF Corvalan, P Wang, CG Davis, A Jakobovits
Cancer research, 1999AACR
A fully human IgG2κ monoclonal antibody (MAb), E7. 6.3, specific to the human epidermal
growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFr) was generated from human antibody-producing
XenoMouse strains engineered to be deficient in mouse antibody production and to contain
the majority of the human antibody gene repertoire on megabase-sized fragments from the
human heavy and κ light chain loci. The E7. 6.3 MAb exhibits high affinity (KD= 5× 10-11m)
to the receptor, blocks completely the binding of both EGF and transforming growth factor α …
Abstract
A fully human IgG2κ monoclonal antibody (MAb), E7.6.3, specific to the human epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFr) was generated from human antibody-producing XenoMouse strains engineered to be deficient in mouse antibody production and to contain the majority of the human antibody gene repertoire on megabase-sized fragments from the human heavy and κ light chain loci. The E7.6.3 MAb exhibits high affinity (KD = 5 × 10-11m) to the receptor, blocks completely the binding of both EGF and transforming growth factor α (TGF-α) to various EGFr-expressing human carcinoma cell lines, and abolishes EGF-dependent cell activation, including EGFr tyrosine phosphorylation, increased extracellular acidification rate, and cell proliferation. The antibody (0.2 mg i.p. twice a week for 3 weeks) prevents completely the formation of human epidermoid carcinoma A431 xenografts in athymic mice. More importantly, the administration of E7.6.3 without concomitant chemotherapy results in complete eradication of established tumors as large as 1.2 cm3. Tumor eradication of A431 xenografts was achieved in nearly all of the mice treated with total E7.6.3 doses as low as 3 mg, administered over the course of 3 weeks, and a total dose of 0.6 mg led to tumor elimination in 65% of the mice. No tumor recurrence was observed for more than 8 months after the last antibody injection, which further indicated complete tumor cell elimination by the antibody. The potency of E7.6.3 in eradicating well-established tumors without concomitant chemotherapy indicates its potential as a monotherapeutic agent for the treatment of multiple EGFr-expressing human solid tumors, including those for which no effective chemotherapy is available. Being a fully human antibody, E7.6.3 is expected to exhibit minimal immunogenicity and a longer half-life as compared with mouse or mouse-derivatized MAbs, thus allowing repeated antibody administration, including in immunocompetent patients. These results suggest E7.6.3 as a good candidate for assessing the full therapeutic potential of anti-EGFr antibody in the therapy of multiple patient populations with EGFr-expressing solid tumors.
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