Ublituximab (TGTX-1101), A Novel Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibody (mAb), Demonstrates Activity in Rituximab-Sensitive and Rituximab–resistant B Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL) Pre-Clinical In vitro and in Vivo models.

Abstract 2756

The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy regimens utilized in treating B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) has resulted in significant improvement in treatment response and clinical outcomes. On the other hand, the use of rituximab is changing the biology and response to second-line therapy in patients with relapsed/refractory disease. Novel anti-CD20 mAbs continue to be developed that may offer additional treatment options for relapsed/refractory rituximab-pre-treated patients. Ublituximab (TGTX-1101) is a novel, chimeric mAb targeting a unique epitope on the CD20 antigen. Ublituximab has been glycoengineered to enhance affinity for all variants of FcγRIIIa receptors. To further characterize the activity of ublituximab, we evaluated its anti-tumor activity in a panel of rituximab-sensitive (RSCL), rituximab–resistant (RRCL) cell lines, primary tumor cells isolated from patients with B-NHL by negative selection using magnetic beads, and in lymphoma SCID mice xenograft models. RSCL (Raji, RL, U2932, Granta, HBL-2, Jeko-1, Mino, Rec1 and Z-138), RRCL (Raji-2R, Raji 4RH, RL-4RH, and U2932-4RH); and cytarabine-resistant (AraCR) mantle cell lymphoma cell (MCL) lines (Granta-AraCR, HBL-2-AraCR, Jeko-AraCR, Mino-AraCR and Rec1-AraCR) were labeled with ⁵¹Cr. Subsequently, cells were exposed to ublituximab, rituximab or isotope control and human serum (25%) for complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assays or to effector cells isolated from healthy volunteers (effector:target ratio 40:1) for antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays, respectively. Antibody-induced direct anti-proliferative effects and induction of apoptosis were determined by alamar blue reduction assay and Annexin-V and propidium iodide staining, respectively. Primary tumor cells (n=11) were exposed to ublituximab, rituximab or isotype control +/− pooled human serum for 48 hr. Changes in ATP content were determined using the CellTiterGlo assay. For in vivo studies, 6–8 week old SCID mice were inoculated via tail vein injection with 1×10⁶ Raji cells on day 0 and assigned to rituximab (10mg/kg/dose), ublituximab (10mg/kg/dose) or control group. MAb was given via tail vein injection on days +3, +7, +10 and +14. Differences in survival were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves and p values calculated using log rank test. Ublituximab induced significantly higher ADCC when compared to rituximab in 13 out of 17 cell lines tested (including all RRCL and cytarabine resistant MCL cells): (Raji 44.4% vs. 19.8%; Raji 4RH 17.5% vs. 8.3%; Raji 2R 28.2% vs. 12%; RL 40.9% vs. 17.8%; RL-4RH 33.5% vs. 17.2%; U2932 46.9% vs. 28.8%; U2932-4RH 40.2% vs. 22.1%; HBL-2AraCR 30.7% vs. 16.6%; Jeko 34.8% vs. 18.4; Jeko-AraCR 23.8% vs. 9.6; Mino 47.4% vs. 11.6%; Mino-AraCR 32.5% vs. 15.5; Rec1 30.9% vs. 0%; p-values <0.05). There was no significant difference between ublituximab and rituximab in terms of CMC (including studies performed in primary tumor cells) or direct signaling (i.e. apoptosis or cell proliferation). While ublituximab therapy prolonged the survival of lymphoma-bearing SCID mice when compared to controls, the anti-tumor activity in vivo was similar to rituximab. Our results suggest that ublituximab exhibits higher ADCC than rituximab in vitro, including in RRCL and elicits similar CDC and direct anti-tumor effects. Despite this enhanced ADCC activity, initial in vivo experiments did not result in improved survival compared to rituximab, however additional in vivo experiments investigating the activity of ublituximab in RRCL and MCL mouse models, testing alternative dose/schedule regimens and/or in combination with other anti-lymphoma agents are planned. Updated research results will be presented at the annual meeting. A Phase I/II trial of ublituximab in patients with relapsed/refractory NHL is currently ongoing.