Investigation of Hydrophilic Auristatin Derivatives for Use in Antibody Drug Conjugates

Antibody drug conjugates offer a targeted cancer treatment for the delivery of potent cytotoxic drugs. Derivatives of the natural product dolastatin 10 containing pyridines and other basic amines were examined with the objective of determining if a more hydrophilic auristatin derivative would be potent enough for use as part of an ADC. This may be advantageous if a less hydrophobic drug makes a better ADC. A pyridine derivative, monomethyl auristatin PYE, showed the greatest potency when tested in vivo. While only a modest tumor growth inhibition was observed when the HCC1954 human breast cancer xenografts were treated withnon-cleavable linker ADCs, tumor regression was seen when treated with an enzymatically degradable cleavable linker ADC when conjugated to trastuzumab. Based on these studies, monomethyl auristatin PYE shows promise for use as an ADC payload.