A High Threshold of Biotherapeutic Aggregate Numbers is Needed to Induce an Immunogenic Response In Vitro, In Vivo, and in the Clinic.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is concern that subvisible aggregates in biotherapeutic drug products pose a risk to patient safety. We investigated the threshold of biotherapeutic aggregates needed to induce immunogenic responses. METHODS AND RESULTS: Highly aggregated samples were tested in cell-based assays and induced cellular responses in a manner that depended on the number of particles. The threshold of immune activation varied by disease state (cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, allergy), concomitant therapies, and particle number. Compared to healthy donors, disease state patients showed an equal or lower response at the late phase (7 days), suggesting they may not have a higher risk of responding to aggregates. Xeno-het mice were used to assess the threshold of immune activation in vivo. Although highly aggregated samples (~ 1,600,000 particles/mL) induced a weak and transient immunogenic response in mice, a 100-fold dilution of this sample (~ 16,000 particles/mL) did not induce immunogenicity. To confirm this result, subvisible particles (up to ~ 18,000 particles/mL, containing aggregates and silicone oil droplets) produced under representative administration practices (created upon infusion of a drug product through an IV catheter) did not induce a response in cell-based assays or appear to increase the rate of adverse events or immunogenicity during phase 3 clinical trials. CONCLUSION: The ability of biotherapeutic aggregates to elicit an immune response in vitro, in vivo, and in the clinic depends on high numbers of particles. This suggests that there is a high threshold for aggregates to induce an immunogenic response which is well beyond that seen in standard biotherapeutic drug products.

Measurement of Free Versus Total Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody in Pharmacokinetic Assessment is Modulated by Affinity, Incubation Time, and Bioanalytical Platform.

Decisions about efficacy and safety of therapeutic proteins (TP) designed to target soluble ligands are made in part by their ex vivo quantification. Ligand binding assays (LBAs) are critical tools in measuring serum TP levels in pharmacokinetic, toxicokinetic, and pharmacodynamic studies. This study evaluated the impact of reagent antibody affinities, assay incubation times, and analytical platform on free or total TP quantitation. An ELISA-based LBA that measures monoclonal anti-sclerostin antibody (TPx) was used as the model system. To determine whether the method measures free or total TPx, the effects of K on, K off, and K D were determined. An 8:1 molar ratio of sclerostin (Scl) to TPx compared to a 1:1 molar ratio produced by rabbit polyclonal antibodies to TPx was required to achieve IC50, a measure of TPx interference effectiveness, making it unclear whether the ELISA truly measured free TPx. Kinetic analysis revealed that Scl had a rapid dissociation rate (K off) from TPx and that capture and detection antibodies had significantly higher binding affinities (K D) to TPx. These kinetic limitations along with long ELISA incubation times lead to the higher molar ratios (8:1) required for achieving 50% inhibition of TPx. However, a microfluidic platform with the same reagent pairs required shorter incubations to achieve a lower Scl IC50 molar ratio (1:1). The findings from this study provide the bioanalytical community with a deeper understanding of how reagent and platform selection for LBAs can affect what a particular method measures, either free or total TP concentrations.

Serum sample stability in ligand-binding assays: challenges in assessments of long-term, bench-top and multiple freeze-thaw.

Chris Macaraeg has been a lead scientist for method development, validation, and study support intended for regulated pre-clinical/clinical studies within the Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism department at Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA. He joined Amgen in 2006. His expertise also includes automation and method transfer to CROs. Chris received his BS degree in Physiological Science and Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, CA and MS in Forensic Science from Pace University, New York, NY. Stability of therapeutic proteins in biological matrix is an important parameter to evaluate in bioanalytical support of regulated nonclinical or clinical studies. Despite industry guidance publications, many questions still arise as to how these practices are implemented to establish therapeutic protein stability in bioanalytical method validations. This article presents findings from long-term, bench-top and freeze-thaw stability assessments for three therapeutic monoclonal antibodies using either ELISA or electrochemiluminescent technology. Studies illustrate the principles and challenges in stability tests which represent scenarios that samples will likely encounter during sample analysis. Thoughtful consideration of each study requirements and a fit-for-purpose approach is essential in successful establishment of the sample stability parameters in method validation.

Investigation of the mechanism of clearance of AMG 386, a selective angiopoietin-1/2 neutralizing peptibody, in splenectomized, nephrectomized, and FcRn knockout rodent models.

PURPOSE: To investigate the mechanisms of clearance of AMG 386, an investigational recombinant peptide-Fc fusion protein (peptibody) that blocks tumor angiogenesis by neutralizing the interaction between angiopoietin-1 and -2 and the Tie2 receptor. METHODS: The role of the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) in AMG 386 clearance was assessed in wild-type and FcRn-knockout mice; the roles of the spleen and kidneys were assessed in splenectomized and 5/6th nephrectomized rats, respectively, compared with sham-operated rats. Animals were administered AMG 386 as a single intravenous dose of 3 or 10 mg/kg. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic analysis were collected periodically throughout a 504-hour postdose period. RESULTS: Compared with wild-type mice, AMG 386 clearance in FcRn-knockout mice was 18-fold faster at the 3-mg/kg dose (FcRn knockout, 13.2 mL/h/kg; wild-type, 0.728 mL/h/kg) and 14-fold faster at the 10-mg/kg dose (FcRn knockout, 10.7 mL/h/kg; wild-type, 0.777 mL/h/kg). Clearance in nephrectomized rats was slower than in sham-operated rats at both the 3-mg/kg dose (nephrectomized, 1.23 mL/h/kg; sham-operated, 1.75 mL/h/kg) and the 10-mg/kg dose (nephrectomized, 1.14 mL/h/kg; sham-operated, 1.65 mL/h/kg). Splenectomy had no apparent effect on the pharmacokinetics of AMG 386. CONCLUSIONS: The FcRn is integral to maintaining circulating levels of AMG 386 in mice. Renal clearance contributed approximately 30% to total AMG 386 clearance in rats.

Assessment of incurred sample reanalysis for macromolecules to evaluate bioanalytical method robustness: effects from imprecision.

Incurred sample reanalysis (ISR) is recommended by regulatory agencies to demonstrate reproducibility of validated methods and provide confidence that methods used in pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic assessments give reproducible results. For macromolecules to pass ISR, regulatory recommendations require that two thirds of ISR samples be within 30% of the average of original and reanalyzed values. A modified Bland-Altman (mBA) analysis was used to evaluate whether total error (TE), the sum of precision and accuracy, was predictive of a method's passing ISR and to identify potential contributing parameters for ISR success. Simulated studies determined minimum precision requirements for methods to have successful ISR and evaluated the relationship between precision and the probability of a method's passing ISR acceptance criteria. The present analysis evaluated ISRs conducted for 37 studies involving ligand-binding assays (LBAs), with TEs ranging from 15% to 30%. An mBA approach was used to assess accuracy and precision of ISR, each with a threshold of 30%. All ISR studies met current regulatory criteria; using mBA, all studies met the accuracy threshold of 30% or less, but two studies (5%) failed to meet the 30% precision threshold. Simulation results showed that when an LBA has ≤15% imprecision, the ISR criteria for both the regulatory recommendation and mBA would be met in 99.9% of studies. Approximately 71% of samples are expected to be within 1.5 times the method imprecision. Therefore, precision appears to be a critical parameter in LBA reproducibility and may also be useful in identifying methods that have difficulty passing ISR.

Bioanalytical method requirements and statistical considerations in incurred sample reanalysis for macromolecules.

BACKGROUND: Incurred sample reanalysis (ISR) is the most recent in-study validation parameter that regulatory agencies have mandated to ensure reproducibility of bioanalytical methods supporting pharmacokinetic/toxicokinetic and clinical studies. The present analysis describes five representative case studies for macromolecule therapeutics. METHOD: Single ISR acceptance criteria (within 30% of the averaged or original concentration) and a modified Bland-Altman (BA) approach were used to assess accuracy and precision of ISR results. General concordance between the two criteria was examined using simulation studies. RESULTS: All five methods met the ISR criteria. The results indicated that thorough method development and prestudy validation were prerequisites for a successful ISR. The overall agreement between the original and reanalyzed results as determined by BA was within 20%. Simulation studies indicated that concordance between the ISR criteria and BA was observed in 95% of the cases. Dilution factors had no significant impact on the ISR, even for C(max) samples where 1:100 or higher dilutions were used. CONCLUSION: The current ISR acceptance criteria for macromolecules was scientifically and statistically meaningful for methods with a total error of 25% or less.

Applications of a planar electrochemiluminescence platform to support regulated studies of macromolecules: benefits and limitations in assay range.

Development and validation of ligand binding methods that can measure therapeutic antibodies (TA) accurately and precisely are essential for bioanalysis that supports regulated pharmacokinetic (PK) and toxicokinetic (TK) studies. Non-bead (planar) electrochemiluminescence (ECL) methods are known to have high sensitivity and a wide assay range and are therefore potentially useful in supporting research studies in the early phases of development as well as for diagnostic fields and multiplex biomarker applications. Here, we demonstrate the applications for using ECL for regulated studies associated with protein drug development. Three planar ECL methods were developed, validated, and implemented to quantify three different TAs to support PK/TK studies. An automated liquid handler was used for the preparation of standards, quality controls, and validation samples to minimize assay variability. Robustness and ruggedness were tested during pre-study validations. During method optimization, the potential assay ranges were 3 log orders. To improve assay accuracy and precision, assay ranges in all 3 methods were truncated by at least 50% at the upper end before proceeding to pre-study validations. All 3 methods had assay ranges of about 2 logs during pre-study validations. The inter-assay accuracy and precision during pre-study validations were <6% and 8%, respectively. The total error of the assays was <15% for both in-study and pre-study validations in all 3 methods. With the incorporation of a robotic workstation we concluded that performance in all 3 planar ECL methods was extremely precise and accurate during pre-study and in-study validations, enabling >90% assay success during sample analyses. Although there were limitations in the assay ranges, the strength of this technology in assay accuracy, precision, and reproducibility can be beneficial for macromolecule analyses in support of PK and TK studies in a regulated environment.