Combination of Camidanlumab Tesirine, a CD25-Targeted ADC, with Gemcitabine Elicits Synergistic Anti-Tumor Activity in Preclinical Tumor Models

Camidanlumab tesirine (ADCT-301) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) comprised of HuMax®-TAC, a monoclonal antibody directed against human CD25, conjugated to the pyrrolobenzodiazepine dimer payload tesirine[1]. Currently, camidanlumab tesirine is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) (NCT04052997) and in a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT03621982). In pre-clinical studies, camidanlumab tesirine demonstrated strong and durable single agent activity in CD25-expressing lymphoma xenograft models[1] and in vitro it synergised with selected targeted agents[2]. Moreover, CD25-ADC, a mouse CD25 cross-reactive surrogate of camidanlumab tesirine, induced potent anti-tumor immunity against established syngeneic solid tumor models by depleting CD25-positive tumor-infiltrating T regulatory cells (Tregs) and it showed synergistic activity when combined with PD-1 blockade[3].

Here, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity of camidanlumab tesirine combined with gemcitabine, a common standard-of-care chemotherapeutic agent used both in a hematological and solid tumor clinical setting.

In vitro, the combination of camidanlumab tesirine and gemcitabine was evaluated in three human-derived cancer cell lines (two HL and one anaplastic large cell lymphoma, ALCL) and resulted in synergistic activity as determined by the Chou-Talalay method.

In vivo, camidanlumab tesirine was tested either alone (0.05 or 0.1 mg/kg, single dose) or in combination with gemcitabine (80 mg/kg, q3dx4) in the CD25-expressing ALCL Karpas299 xenograft model. At both ADC dose levels, combination with gemcitabine resulted in synergistic anti-tumor activity (coefficient of drug interaction (CDI) 0.51 and 0.17, respectively), better response rates and increased survival compared to monotherapy with camidanlumab tesirine.

In order to extend the investigation to solid tumor models, CD25-ADC was tested in the CT26 syngeneic model, a colorectal cancer model with CD25-expressing tumor-infiltrating Tregs. CD25-ADC was administered either alone (0.1, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg, single dose) or in combination with gemcitabine (80 mg/kg, q3dx4). At the 0.1 mg/kg dose of CD25-ADC, combination with gemcitabine resulted in synergistic anti-tumor activity (CDI 0.68). Moreover, at 0.5 and 1 mg/kg, the combination of CD25-ADC and gemcitabine resulted in more durable anti-tumor activity and better response rates compared to both monotherapy treatments.

In conclusion, the combination of camidanlumab tesirine and gemcitabine was synergistic both in vitro and in vivo in lymphoma preclinical models. Synergistic anti-tumor activity was also demonstrated in a colorectal cancer model using CD25-ADC, a mouse-cross-reactive version of camidanlumab tesirine, in combination with gemcitabine. Altogether, these novel pre-clinical data warrant translation of the combination between camidanlumab tesirine and gemcitabine into the clinic.

1.Flynn, M.J., et al., ADCT-301, a Pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) Dimer-Containing Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) Targeting CD25-Expressing Hematological Malignancies. Mol Cancer Ther, 2016. 15(11): p. 2709-2721.

2.Spriano, F., et al., The anti-CD25 antibody-drug conjugate camidanlumab tesirine (ADCT-301) presents a strong preclinical activity both as single agent and in combination in lymphoma cell lines. Hematological Oncology, 2019. 37(S2): p. 323-324.

3.Zammarchi, F., et al., A CD25-targeted antibody-drug conjugate depletes regulatory T cells and eliminates established syngeneic tumors via antitumor immunity. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 2020. In press.