Bench to Bedside Flashcards
What are biomolecular (biologic) drugs?
Large biological molecules that have some therapeutic effect (mw>2KD)
What are the advantages of using biologics?
Large SA good for binding
Exquisite specifity- stronger/specific binding then small molecule techniques
What are the disadvantages of using biologics?
Not accessible by chemical synthesis
Not membrane permeable
Antigenic
Give 3 examples of biologics:
Insulin
mAbs
Erthroporetin
How are mAbs manufactured and what are the disadvantages of this?
In a unique living cell line, similar but not identical copies can be made
Difficult to fully characterise
Higher potential for immunogenicity
Describe recombinant production of therapeutic protein and give another name for it:
Heterologous expression of recombinant proteins
Introduction of a gene or cDNA coding for a protein of interest into a suitable producer organism
Heterologous because the protein of interest doesn’t occur naturally in the cell
What are the main steps in protein production by recombinant DNA technology?
Identification- amplification and isolation of the target gene
Introduction- of the vector into a host cell
Growth of the cell in vitro
Identification of cells containing the target protein
Isolation of purification of the target protein
What is the advantages of protein production by recombinant DNA technology?
Cleaner and efficient
Give examples of some suitable host organisms:
Microorganisms (Ecoli)
Yeast (S Cerevisiae)
Animal cell lines
What are the advantages of Ecoli being a host?
Molecular biology well characterised (well understood)
High expression levels of heterologous proteins are possible
Quick and cheap
Possible to scale up to large fermentation culture
What are the disatvantages of Ecoli being a host?
Heterologous proteins are intracellular (need to lyse cell and purify)
Inability to undertake post translational modifications (PTM)
Presence of LPS on E coli surface (pyrogenic)
Formation of inclusion bodies (insoluble aggregates of partially soluble heterologous proteins)
What is post translational modification (PTM) and give a major example?
Any covalent modification of peptide sequence that occurs after the peptide chain has been synthesised
Glycosylation
Describe what glycosylation is important for and its effects?
Is an important part of eukaryotic protein production, especially extracellular and cell surface proteins (glycocalyx)
Some proteins are unaffected by removal of glycosylated groups
IgG has one glycosylation site that strongly affects biological activity
What affect can glycosylation have for some proteins?
Increase solubility
Alter biological half life and activity
What are the 2 types of glycosolation?
N- linked glycosylation (most common)
O-linked glycosylation
Describe the steps in N-linked glycosylation:
Starts with a transfer of 14-merogliosaccharide donor to protein as it emerges from rough ER
Ogliosaccharide is anchored in ER membrane by dolichol by high energy phosphate bond
Transfer reaction is catalysed by oligosaccharyl transferase
Which sites can transfer occur in N-linked glycosylation?
Asn (N)-xxx-Ser/Thr (T/S) OR
Asn-xxx-Ser
Where xxx is any a.a except Pro
What occurs in N- linked glycosylation once the glycosyl chain has been added to peptide?
Other enzymes can trim bind off in different patterns, common trimming:
-3 glucose and 1 mannose are later removed in the ER by glucosidases
-Leaves (Man)3(GIcNAc)2 protein
Further saccharides are added and removed according but a core motif is always retained
This is thought to aid protein folding and transport through the cell
Describe O-linked glycosylation:
Occurs post-translationally in ER/Golgi (common in mucins)
Ser/Thr residues
Up to 8 different core structures (more differences)
Describe the assembly of ogliosaccharide chains:
Glycosylation requires a sugar donor (sugar-nucleotide e.g UDP-glucose) and an acceptor e.g nascent protein or ogliosaccharide
Glycosylation is not template driven
Proceeds according to donor/ enzyme availability
What are glycoforms?
Variations in glycosylation patterns
What can different glycoforms of one protein causes differences?
Stability
Solubility
Serum half life
Biological activity
Immunogenicity
When wouldn’t it be ideal to use recombinant protein production (using Ecoli)?
Prokaryotes do not have the necessary glycosylation machinery
Need to produce proteins for eukaryotes
Need to control production process- maintain consistent glycosylation
What alternative host can be used instead of Ecoli and why?
Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO)
They have all the enzymes necessary
Describe the process of hybridoma technology to produce mAbs:
Immunise mouse with specific antigen
IS of mouse produces Abs which produce plasma B cells (isolation of these)
Plasma cells mixed with immortal myeloma and fused with PEG
Cells grown in HAT medium, which only allows fused cells to grow
Cells are diluted to one cell per well
Fused cells showing high Ab production are expanded and grown in large number for Ab production
What are the problems and therefore solution with using hybridoma technologies?
Human anti-mouse antibody (HAMA) response
Solution is to use humanised and full human antibodies
Describe the large scale process of production of recombinant proteins:
Innoculate a liquid bacterial culture broth (thousands of litres) with bacteria harbouring recombinant gene of interest
Grow eukaryotic cells (1000L+) that carry a plasmid coding for the protein of interest
Describe the isolation process:
Treatment with chemicals (e.g detergent) or alkaline conditions
Sonication/ homogenisation
Agitation in the presence of abrasives
Describe the types of chromatographic purifaciton:
Affinity chromatography
Ion exchange chromatography
Gel filtration chromatography
How long is a patent for a biologic?
Around 20 years
Why can’t a biosimilar be generic?
As the new protein has the same sequence but may have different properties e.g different folding
What are liposomes?
Composition of primarily phospholipids
Describe the method of preparation of liposomes:
Lipid components are added to an organic solvent and freeze dried- forms a lipid cake
To make water soluble, lipid cake is added to aq solution
Then hydrated and mixed (agitation) with extra water to form large MLV (have multiple lipid bilayers within structure)
To get down to individual lipids with single layer, need sonication, extrusion, homogenisation= unilamella
Name the different classes of liposomes:
SUV- small unilamella vesicles
LUV- large unilamella vesicles
MLM- multilamella vesicles
Describe SUVs:
Single lipid bilayer enclosing aqueous component
25-100nm diameter
Describe LUVs:
100nm-1µm diameter
Describe MLMs:
More than 1µm diameter
What does it mean that phospholipids are amphiphatic?
They have a polar head and non polar tail
What is and describe the packing shape of a phospholipid?
Compare the size of head group to tail group
Cone (spherical molecule)= Less than 1/3
Cylinder (planar bilayer)= 1
Truncated cone (vesicles/liposomes)= 1/3-1
What is the function of cholesterol addition to phospholipids?
Extended planar group-hydrophobic
Occupies tail part of bilayer so decrease permeability (stiffen and rigidify) so increase drug retention inside liposome
What is the function of PEGulation of liposomes?
Polyethylene glycol
Disguise the liposome- as recognises PEG, stops liposome from coagulating
Stops repulsions
Describe which drugs can be placed where in a liposome:
Drug characteristics also determine which are suitable for liposomal formulation
Drugs with log P less than 1.7 (hydrophilic) can be incorporated into the aq compartment of liposome
Drugs with lop P more than 5 will be retained in the lipid bilayer
Drugs with intermediate log P ( between 1.7-5) can be difficult to incorporate as they partition between bilayer and compartment can be lost
What can be the resolution for drugs that have an intermediate log P that need to go into the liposome?
Use remote drug loading, rather than the older method of mixing drug and lipids
Describe active remote drug loading:
Make liposome without drug but include one or both in aq compartment something that gives a gradient->
perforin liposome, with pH, ionic strength, gel within the aq compartment (ammonium sulfate, citrate salts)
Drug travels up gradient, and/or forms complex with components of compartments
Capture drug and retains in liposome
What are the reasons for encapsulation of drugs within liposomes:
ADMET- more than 50% of drug failures
For altering the pharmacokinetics and bio-distribution of the drug
To function as a drug reservoir (sustained release)
For protecting new drugs from attack e.g peptide, nucleotide drugs
What are the problems with encapsulation?
Poor solubility- in lipid- comes out near target size
Tissue damage on extravasion
Rapid breakdown of drug in vivo
Unfavourable pharmacokinetics (rapidly cleared)- increase circulation time
Poor distribution-only have to deal with pharmacokinetic properties of liposome
Lack of selectivity of target tissue
How are liposomes used in cancer treatment?
IV- injected liposomes interact with blood opsonins
Opsonised liposomes enter the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS)
This results in a build up of drug containing liposomes at these sites, creates an MPS depot, for slow release of drug into circulation, mimicking slow transfusion
What is the alternative option when MPS deposition is not beneficial:
Surface modification (e.g PEGylation) creates hydrophilic surfaces that repel opsonins and maintain liposomes in circulation (stealth coating)
This enhances opportunities for liposomes to accumulate at pathogenic sites by Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR)
Remains longer in the blood stream
What does the opsonin mediated removal of liposomes depend on?
Opsonin-mediated removal of liposomes depends on liposome size (larger more cell like), lipid composition and surface charge
Why would MPS deposition not be beneficial?
Stability, clearance rates and tissue distribution of liposome is now important
Describe Myocet as a treatment for cancer:
Doxorubicin (antrhacycline antibiotic, intercalates into DNA strands and block) in egg phosphatidylcholine/ cholesterol liposomes
1st line treatment for metastatic breast cancer
Describe the structure and route into the body of Myocet:
LUV liposomes, around 180nm diameter
They will be recognised by opsonins- large liposomes without PEG to disguise them, will form MPS depots and slowly release drug into circulation
Describe Caelyx (aka Doxil) as a treatment for cancer:
Doxorubicin in liposomes containing PEG2000- distearoyphosphatidy ethanolamine (DSPE)
Treatment for advanced ovarian and breast cancer, Kaposi’s sarcoma