Antibody–Prodrug Conjugates with KSP Inhibitors and Legumain-Mediated Metabolite Formation

Many antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) have failed to achieve a sufficient therapeutic window in clinical studies either due to target-mediated or off-target toxicities. To achieve an additional safety level, a new class of antibody–prodrug conjugates (APDCs) directed against different targets in solid tumors is here described. The tumor-associated lysosomal endopeptidase legumain with a unique cleavage sequence was utilized for APDC metabolism. Legumain-activatable APDCs were as potent as their cathepsin B-activatable analogues. The peptide sequence susceptible to legumain cleavage was optimized for further discrimination of the formation of active metabolites within tumor cells versus healthy tissues, leveraging different tissue-specific legumain activities. Optimized APDCs with slow legumain-mediated conversion reduced preclinically the levels of active metabolite in healthy organs while retaining high activity against different TWEAKR- and B7H3-expressing tumors.