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Abstract 1143: ATG-022, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting Claudin 18.2, demonstrated potent in vivo efficacy in gastric cancer patient-derived xenografts


 Background: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have become promising antitumor agents in recent years. ADCs are comprised of a monoclonal antibody, targeting antigens expressed at higher levels on tumor cells than on normal cells, cross-linked to small molecule payloads with cytotoxic activity. Human Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2) is overexpressed in a large proportion of gastric and pancreatic cancers, with restricted normal tissue expression. The monoclonal antibody targeting CLDN18.2 (IMAB362) has demonstrated promising clinical benefit in combination with chemotherapies for gastric cancer patients. However, the same antibody shows suboptimal efficacy in patients with low CLDN18.2 expression. Here we report the potent in vivo efficacy of ATG-022, a CLDN18.2 ADC, in multiple gastric cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, including those with low CLDN18.2 expression.
 Methods: The binding affinity of ATG-022 with CLDN18.2 was detected by SPR and FACs analysis. The in vitro 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of ATG-022 was determined in CLDN18.2 positive cell lines using CellTiter-Glo luminescent cell viability assay. In vivo efficacy of ATG-022 was evaluated in a series of gastric cancer PDX models with different expression level of CLDN18.2 The expression level of CLDN18.2 was determined using IHC staining. ATG-022 was dosed twice at 1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg every two weeks.
 Results: ATG-022 binds to CLDN18.2 protein with sub-nM affinity. It induced potent in vitro cytotoxicity in CHOK1 cells overexpressing CLDN18.2, with an IC50 of 5-7nM. Bystander killing by ATG-022 was observed. ATG-022 demonstrated potent in vivo antitumor efficacy in a gastric cancer PDX model with high CLDN18.2 expression. Intravenous dosing of 1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg ATG-022 induced 35.41%, 71.56% tumor growth inhibition (%TGI) and tumor regression respectively. In a PDX model with low CLDN18.2 expression, 3 mg/kg ATG-022 or 10 mg/kg clinical benchmark CLDN18.2-ADC did not inhibit tumor growth, while 10 mg/kg ATG-022 induced tumor regression.
 Conclusions: ATG-022 demonstrated potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects, with in vivo efficacy observed in CLDN18.2-low expression PDX models, suggesting a promising therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer patients with a broad range of CLDN18.2 expression levels.
 Citation Format: Peng Chen, Yun Liu, Min Deng, Linjie Tian, Kevin Lynch, Bo Shan, Jay Mei, Bing Hou. ATG-022, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting Claudin 18.2, demonstrated potent in vivo efficacy in gastric cancer patient-derived xenografts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1143.