Tumor targeted alpha particle therapy with an actinium-225 labelled antibody for carbonic anhydrase IX

Abstract

Selective antibody targeted delivery of α particle emitting actinium-225 to tumors has significant therapeutic potential. This work highlights the design and synthesis of a new bifunctional macrocyclic diazacrown ether chelator, H₂MacropaSqOEt, that can be conjugated to antibodies and forms stable complexes with actinium-225. The macrocyclic diazacrown ether chelator incorporates a linker comprised of a short polyethylene glycol fragment and a squaramide ester that allows selective reaction with lysine residues on antibodies to form stable vinylogous amide linkages. This new H₂MacropaSqOEt chelator was used to modify a monoclonal antibody, girentuximab (hG250), that binds to carbonic anhydrase IX, an enzyme that is overexpressed on the surface of cancers such as clear cell renal cell carcinoma. This new antibody conjugate (H₂MacropaSq-hG250) had an average chelator to antibody ratio of 4 : 1 and retained high affinity for carbonic anhydrase IX. H₂MacropaSq-hG250 was radiolabeled quantitatively with [²²⁵Ac]Ac^III within one minute at room temperature with micromolar concentrations of antibody and the radioactive complex is stable in human serum for >7 days. Evaluation of [²²⁵Ac]Ac(MacropaSq-hG250) in a mouse xenograft model, that overexpresses carbonic anhydrase IX, demonstrated a highly significant therapeutic response. It is likely that H₂MacropaSqOEt could be used to modify other antibodies providing a readily adaptable platform for other actinium-225 based therapeutics.