Abstract
Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, with monoclonal
antibodies targeting immune checkpoints, yielding promising clinical benefits. However,
with the advent of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in clinical
trials, developing next-generation antibodies with potentially increased efficacy
is critical. Here, we aimed to generate a recombinant bispecific monoclonal antibody
for dual inhibition of programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand
1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 axes. The plant system was used
as an alternative platform for bispecific monoclonal antibody production. Dual variable
domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 is a plant-derived bispecific monoclonal
antibody that combines both programmed cell death ligand 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated
protein 4 blockade into a single molecule. Dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab
× 2C8 was transiently expressed in
Nicotiana benthamiana and the expression level was determined to be the highest after 4 days of infiltration.
The size and assembly of the purified bispecific monoclonal antibody were determined,
and its function was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The molecular structures of plant-produced dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab
× 2C8 are as expected, and it was mostly present as a monomer. The plant-produced
dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 showed in vitro binding to programmed cell death ligand 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein
4 proteins. The antitumor activity of plant-produced bispecific monoclonal antibody
was tested in vivo by treating humanized Balb/c mice bearing a CT26 colorectal tumor. Plant-produced
dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 significantly inhibited tumor
growth by reducing tumor volume and weight. Body weight changes indicated that the
plant-produced
bispecific monoclonal antibody was safe and tolerable. Overall, this proof of concept
study demonstrated the viability of plants to produce functional plant-based bispecific
immunotherapy.
Key words
Nicotiana benthamiana
- Solanaceae - DVD-AT2C - bispecific antibody - checkpoint blockade - immunotherapy