Antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates or AOCs belong to a class of chimeric molecules combining in their structure two important families of biomolecules: monoclonal antibodies and oligonucleotides. [1]
Combination of exceptional targeting capabilities of monoclonal antibodies with numerous functional modalities of oligonucleotides has been fruitful for a variety of applications with AOC including imaging, detection and targeted therapeutics. [1] [2] [3]
Cell uptake/internalisation still represents the biggest hurdle towards successful ON therapeutics. A straightforward uptake, like for most small-molecule drugs, is hindered by the polyanionic backbone and the molecular size of ONs. Being adapted from the broad and successful class of Antibody-Drug conjugates, antibodies and antibody analogues are more and more used in research in order to overcome hurdles related to delivery and internalisation of ON therapeutics. By exploiting bioconjugation methodology several conjugates have been obtained.
The first AOC was reported in 1995 where the lysines of a transferrin-antibody were connected using a SMCC bifunctional linker (NHS ester and maleimide moiety) to radiolabelled and cys-bearing ASOs targeting HIV mRNA. [4] Marcin and his colleagues developed a different construct using the same chemistry, but they utilized siRNA instead of an ASO in 2011. [5] In 2013, MYERS and coworkers then unspecifically labelled an anti-CD19 antibody with N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyl-dithio) propionate to form disulphide bonds with cys-modified ASO targeting the mRNA of oncoprotein E2A–PBX1. [6] Ultimately, they could prove in-vivo antitumour effects which in contrast were not obtained with the single entities. [7] In the same timeframe, several antibodies were exploited for ON delivery in combination with nanoparticles and in non-covalent strategies. [8] [9] [10]
Only recently the first examples for a site-selective conjugation between an ON therapeutic and a mAb was published: in 2015 Genentech exploited the SMCC linker to conjugate siRNA to several engineered mAb based on their proprietary Thiomab technology, which allows site-specific introduction of a cysteine into the antibody sequence[32]. [11] They could prove the functionality of both entities in the construct and by screening different antibodies, they validated their importance for an effective antisense effect. [11] The main obstacle encountered was a limited endosomal escape but ultimately a functional construct which shows antisense effect in-vivo was reported. [11] After development of the SMCC based conjugates, there were two constructs reported in literature based on strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloadditions: an MXD3 mRNA targeting gapmer (cEt and PS modified) linked to an anti-CD22 antibody targeting preB cells leads to in-vitro apoptosis of targeted cells and in-vivo increased length of mouse survival in xenograft models. Notably, the dose required for the same therapeutic effect was 20 times lower for the developed conjugate (vs. naked mAb). [12] Another reported conjugate, exploiting the same unselective conjugation chemistry, employs an CD44 respectively EphA2 targeting antibody which covalently carries a therapeutically irrelevant “sense-carrier” oligonucleotide. [13] This oligonucleotide base pairs with the actual antisense oligonucleotide (gapmer bearing phosphorothioate linkages and 2’-deoxy-2’-fluoro-beta-D-arabinonucleic acid modifications and a terminal fluorophor) aiming for an increased RNaseH activity. [14] [15] [16]
Despite their tremendous potential, ADCs and AOCs suffer from the physical size of the antibody (mAb) entity (150 kDa) which limits solid tumour penetration (at least at low concentrations). Moreover, the site-selective modification of the antibody is hardly achievable: due to the difficult production of mAbs the selective introduction of an unnatural amino acid into the protein is not easily possible. [17]
Thats why there is intensive research to exploit antibody analogues and antibody fragments which retain a high target specificity but combined with a smaller size and a greater possibility of modification. Nanobodies for example are natural single-domain antibodies found in camelids with an average mass of 15kDa. They bear an increased stability, solubility and tissue penetration compared to mAbs. [18] [19] [20]
One conjugate, consisting out of an EGFR Nanobody and a siRNA being combined through maleimide bioconjugation, proves the possibility of successful delivery of ONs by nanobodies. [21]
Another example consists out of an anti-CD71 Fab fragment which was conjugated to a maleimide bearing siRNA (itself having 2’OMe/2’F modifications and phosphorothioate linkages). Several (cleavable and uncleavable) linkers between the maleimide moiety and the siRNA were screened revealing only a small influence on silencing efficacy (uncleavable linkers leading to the best results). To play out the small size of the Fab fragment, subcutaneous administration was investigated in mouse models leading to equivalent silencing results compared to intravenous administration. By comparison with other mAb-siRNA conjugates the authors even speculate that endosomal escape is largely facilitated by the smaller size of the Fab (vs. mAb). [22]
Moreover, Nanobody-ON conjugates are intensively used for imaging purposes exploiting the small nanobody size to reduce imaging displacement. [23] [24]
Oligonucleotides are short DNA or RNA molecules, oligomers, that have a wide range of applications in genetic testing, research, and forensics. Commonly made in the laboratory by solid-phase chemical synthesis, these small fragments of nucleic acids can be manufactured as single-stranded molecules with any user-specified sequence, and so are vital for artificial gene synthesis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing, molecular cloning and as molecular probes. In nature, oligonucleotides are usually found as small RNA molecules that function in the regulation of gene expression, or are degradation intermediates derived from the breakdown of larger nucleic acid molecules.
Gene silencing is the regulation of gene expression in a cell to prevent the expression of a certain gene. Gene silencing can occur during either transcription or translation and is often used in research. In particular, methods used to silence genes are being increasingly used to produce therapeutics to combat cancer and other diseases, such as infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders.
Gene knockdown is an experimental technique by which the expression of one or more of an organism's genes is reduced. The reduction can occur either through genetic modification or by treatment with a reagent such as a short DNA or RNA oligonucleotide that has a sequence complementary to either gene or an mRNA transcript.
Small interfering RNA (siRNA), sometimes known as short interfering RNA or silencing RNA, is a class of double-stranded RNA at first non-coding RNA molecules, typically 20–24 base pairs in length, similar to miRNA, and operating within the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. It interferes with the expression of specific genes with complementary nucleotide sequences by degrading mRNA after transcription, preventing translation.
A Morpholino, also known as a Morpholino oligomer and as a phosphorodiamidate Morpholino oligomer (PMO), is a type of oligomer molecule used in molecular biology to modify gene expression. Its molecular structure contains DNA bases attached to a backbone of methylenemorpholine rings linked through phosphorodiamidate groups. Morpholinos block access of other molecules to small specific sequences of the base-pairing surfaces of ribonucleic acid (RNA). Morpholinos are used as research tools for reverse genetics by knocking down gene function.
Antisense therapy is a form of treatment that uses antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to target messenger RNA (mRNA). ASOs are capable of altering mRNA expression through a variety of mechanisms, including ribonuclease H mediated decay of the pre-mRNA, direct steric blockage, and exon content modulation through splicing site binding on pre-mRNA. Several ASOs have been approved in the United States, the European Union, and elsewhere.
Antisense RNA (asRNA), also referred to as antisense transcript, natural antisense transcript (NAT) or antisense oligonucleotide, is a single stranded RNA that is complementary to a protein coding messenger RNA (mRNA) with which it hybridizes, and thereby blocks its translation into protein. The asRNAs have been found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and can be classified into short and long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). The primary function of asRNA is regulating gene expression. asRNAs may also be produced synthetically and have found wide spread use as research tools for gene knockdown. They may also have therapeutic applications.
Aptamers are short sequences of artificial DNA, RNA, XNA, or peptide that bind a specific target molecule, or family of target molecules. They exhibit a range of affinities, with variable levels of off-target binding and are sometimes classified as chemical antibodies. Aptamers and antibodies can be used in many of the same applications, but the nucleic acid-based structure of aptamers, which are mostly oligonucleotides, is very different from the amino acid-based structure of antibodies, which are proteins. This difference can make aptamers a better choice than antibodies for some purposes.
A single-domain antibody (sdAb), also known as a Nanobody, is an antibody fragment consisting of a single monomeric variable antibody domain. Like a whole antibody, it is able to bind selectively to a specific antigen. With a molecular weight of only 12–15 kDa, single-domain antibodies are much smaller than common antibodies which are composed of two heavy protein chains and two light chains, and even smaller than Fab fragments and single-chain variable fragments.
Maleimide is a chemical compound with the formula H2C2(CO)2NH (see diagram). This unsaturated imide is an important building block in organic synthesis. The name is a contraction of maleic acid and imide, the -C(O)NHC(O)- functional group. Maleimides also describes a class of derivatives of the parent maleimide where the NH group is replaced with alkyl or aryl groups such as a methyl or phenyl, respectively. The substituent can also be a small molecule (such as biotin, a fluorescent dye, an oligosaccharide, or a nucleic acid), a reactive group, or a synthetic polymer such as polyethylene glycol. Human hemoglobin chemically modified with maleimide-polyethylene glycol is a blood substitute called MP4.
Therapeutic gene modulation refers to the practice of altering the expression of a gene at one of various stages, with a view to alleviate some form of ailment. It differs from gene therapy in that gene modulation seeks to alter the expression of an endogenous gene whereas gene therapy concerns the introduction of a gene whose product aids the recipient directly.
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptides that facilitate cellular intake and uptake of molecules ranging from nanosize particles to small chemical compounds to large fragments of DNA. The "cargo" is associated with the peptides either through chemical linkage via covalent bonds or through non-covalent interactions.
Magnetofection is a transfection method that uses magnetic fields to concentrate particles containing vectors to target cells in the body. Magnetofection has been adapted to a variety of vectors, including nucleic acids, non-viral transfection systems, and viruses. This method offers advantages such as high transfection efficiency and biocompatibility which are balanced with limitations.
Therapeutic Target Database (TTD) is a pharmaceutical and medical repository constructed by the Innovative Drug Research and Bioinformatics Group (IDRB) at Zhejiang University, China and the Bioinformatics and Drug Design Group at the National University of Singapore. It provides information about known and explored therapeutic protein and nucleic acid targets, the targeted disease, pathway information and the corresponding drugs directed at each of these targets. Detailed knowledge about target function, sequence, 3D structure, ligand binding properties, enzyme nomenclature and drug structure, therapeutic class, and clinical development status. TTD is freely accessible without any login requirement at https://idrblab.org/ttd/.
Antibody–drug conjugates or ADCs are a class of biopharmaceutical drugs designed as a targeted therapy for treating cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, ADCs are intended to target and kill tumor cells while sparing healthy cells. As of 2019, some 56 pharmaceutical companies were developing ADCs.
Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is an oncological treatment that combines photodynamic therapy of tumor with immunotherapy treatment. Combining photodynamic therapy with immunotherapy enhances the immunostimulating response and has synergistic effects for metastatic cancer treatment.
RNA therapeutics are a new class of medications based on ribonucleic acid (RNA). Research has been working on clinical use since the 1990s, with significant success in cancer therapy in the early 2010s. In 2020 and 2021, mRNA vaccines have been developed globally for use in combating the coronavirus disease. The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was the first mRNA vaccine approved by a medicines regulator, followed by the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and others.
Gapmers are short DNA antisense oligonucleotide structures with RNA-like segments on both sides of the sequence. These linear pieces of genetic information are designed to hybridize to a target piece of RNA and silence the gene through the induction of RNase H cleavage. Binding of the gapmer to the target has a higher affinity due to the modified RNA flanking regions, as well as resistance to degradation by nucleases. Gapmers are currently being developed as therapeutics for a variety of cancers, viruses, and other chronic genetic disorders.
A majority of the human genome is made up of non-protein coding DNA. It infers that such sequences are not commonly employed to encode for a protein. However, even though these regions do not code for protein, they have other functions and carry necessary regulatory information.They can be classified based on the size of the ncRNA. Small noncoding RNA is usually categorized as being under 200 bp in length, whereas long noncoding RNA is greater than 200bp. In addition, they can be categorized by their function within the cell; Infrastructural and Regulatory ncRNAs. Infrastructural ncRNAs seem to have a housekeeping role in translation and splicing and include species such as rRNA, tRNA, snRNA.Regulatory ncRNAs are involved in the modification of other RNAs.
Intracellular delivery is the process of introducing external materials into living cells. Materials that are delivered into cells include nucleic acids, proteins, peptides, impermeable small molecules, synthetic nanomaterials, organelles, and micron-scale tracers, devices and objects. Such molecules and materials can be used to investigate cellular behavior, engineer cell operations or correct a pathological function.
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