Pharmaceutical Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, SK10 2NA, UK.
Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Boston, MA, 02451, USA.
Commun Biol. 2021 Jan 25;4(1):112. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-01631-8.
Dual Bcl-2/Bcl-x inhibitors are expected to deliver therapeutic benefit in many haematological and solid malignancies, however, their use is limited by tolerability issues. AZD4320, a potent dual Bcl-2/Bcl-x inhibitor, has shown good efficacy however had dose limiting cardiovascular toxicity in preclinical species, coupled with challenging physicochemical properties, which prevented its clinical development. Here, we describe the design and development of AZD0466, a drug-dendrimer conjugate, where AZD4320 is chemically conjugated to a PEGylated poly-lysine dendrimer. Mathematical modelling was employed to determine the optimal release rate of the drug from the dendrimer for maximal therapeutic index in terms of preclinical anti-tumour efficacy and cardiovascular tolerability. The optimised candidate is shown to be efficacious and better tolerated in preclinical models compared with AZD4320 alone. The AZD4320-dendrimer conjugate (AZD0466) identified, through mathematical modelling, has resulted in an improved therapeutic index and thus enabled progression of this promising dual Bcl-2/Bcl-x inhibitor into clinical development.
双重 Bcl-2/Bcl-x 抑制剂有望在许多血液学和实体恶性肿瘤中提供治疗益处,然而,其使用受到耐受性问题的限制。AZD4320 是一种有效的双重 Bcl-2/Bcl-x 抑制剂,但其在临床前物种中具有剂量限制的心血管毒性,再加上具有挑战性的物理化学性质,这阻碍了其临床开发。在这里,我们描述了 AZD0466 的设计和开发,这是一种药物-树枝状大分子偶联物,其中 AZD4320 化学偶联到聚乙二醇化多聚赖氨酸树枝状大分子上。数学建模用于确定从树枝状大分子中释放药物的最佳速率,以获得最佳的治疗指数,即在临床前抗肿瘤疗效和心血管耐受性方面。与单独使用 AZD4320 相比,优化后的候选药物在临床前模型中表现出更好的疗效和耐受性。通过数学建模鉴定出的 AZD4320-树枝状大分子偶联物(AZD0466)具有改善的治疗指数,从而使这种有前途的双重 Bcl-2/Bcl-x 抑制剂得以进入临床开发。