BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins1 RCA Assays and Clinical Data For a rAd-p53 in Cancer Patients Beth Hutchins, Ph.D. Director, Process Sciences Canji, Inc. (subsidiary of Schering Plough)
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins2 RCA Assays and Clinical Data Overview of RCA Sources & Assays Details of the SPRI RCA Bioassay rAd-p53 Clinical Lot RCA Information Monitoring rAd-p53 Clinical Subjects for Shed RCA Summary Points
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins3 Two Sources of RCA 1) Created during large fragment method of rAd construction where recombination to create construct occurs in production cell line (293 or PER.C6) –Serial viral plaquing does not eliminate multiple viral constructs contained in initial plaque –Use of newer E.coli plasmid construction methods where only final plasmid transfects production cell line eliminates this source of RCA
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins4 RCA Sources – Cont’d. 2) Created during production –Recombination frequency is dependent on the amount of overlap between cell line’s E1 gene cassette and rAd backbone –Frequency of recombination must be estimated for each combination
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins5 RCA Testing by Field Today Bioassay involving one or two cell lines Indicator cell line most commonly A549 cells (lung carcinoma) Detection via CPE, immunostaining, or PCR –Positives confirmed if CPE is readout Set up and qualified to be sensitive to 1 pfu or IU of RCA at a certain confidence level “+/-” assay Results reported based on sample size tested
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins6 RCA Bioassay is Quantal Quantification estimated through assays of different amounts of sample Example: –Testing at 5 x 10 8, 1 x 10 9, 5 x 10 9, 1 x vp –Negative results at 5 x 10 8, 1 x 10 9 vp –Positive results at 5 x 10 9, 1 x vp –Estimated amount of RCA is 1 RCA in 5 x 10 9 vp –If clinical dose is 1 x vp, then dose contains between 1,000 and 5,000 pfu RCA
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins7 SCH rAd-p53 Construct Recombinant adenovirus achieves transient expression of p53 in target cells rAd backbone is E1a, E1b, E3 and protein IX deleted –Deletions allow for p53 expression cassette insert –pIX deletion decreases overlap of rAd-p53 backbone with 293 cell E1 region to 200 bp
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins8 Phase I/II Clinical Trials rAd-p53
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins9 Specifics of SP RCA Bioassay Quantal bioassay method with CPE readout –2 cell line (HeLa S3, then A549) –28 days long –PCR confirmation of positive results –sensitive to 1 pfu RCA Validated to detect 4 pfu of Ad5 WT spike with 95% confidence based on triplicate tests Only RCAs detected are dl327 backbone –E1 region replaces p53 expression cassette
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins10 Testing SCH rAd-p53 for RCA Specification for clinical product: –< 40 pfu RCA in 7.5 x vp rAd-p53 Each batch tested at 2 x 10 9 p in triplicate or tested at 3 different particle amounts –2 x 10 8 p, 2 x 10 9 p, and 2 x p Based on assay confidence levels for triplicate test at 2 x 10 9 p: If # Positives = 0 or 1, then batch meets specification If # Positives = 2 or 3, then batch fails specification as amount of RCA > 40 pfu in 7.5 x vp rAd-p53
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins11 Confidence in Detecting RCA No. of Positives (Triplicate 2 x 10 9 vp) Probability of <4 pfu RCA in 7.5 x vp Probability of <40 pfu RCA in 7.5 x vp pfu RCA Detection 95% CL in 7.5 x vp ~ ~ ~155
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins12 Amount of RCA in Clinical Materials % Clinical Batches RCA Level in 7.5 x vp (Specification Level) RCA Level in 7.5 x vp (Highest Clinical Dose) ~45%< 4 RCA pfu< 4,000 RCA pfu ~45%< 40 RCA pfu< 40,000 RCA pfu ~10% Fail Specifications < 400 RCA pfu< 400,000 RCA pfu (< 4 x 10 5 RCA)
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins13 Analytical Testing Methods for Adenoviral Shedding ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay) –Detects hexon antigen –Does not distinguish intact virus from protein FACS (“Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter”) – 293 Cells –Detects infectious Ad w/o distinguishing type FACS (“Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter”) – A549 Cells –Detects infectious WT Ad or RCA; not product PCR ( Polymerase Chain Reaction) –Detects DNA; does not distinguish intact virus –Specific for RCA and WT Ad
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins14 SCH Clinical Subjects Positive for Adenoviral Shedding StudyELISAFACS-IFACS-R (RCA) PCR Skin – IT0/60/2 Head/Neck – IT0/140/2 Ph I NSCLC – IT2/15NA Ph II NSCLC – IT1/251/24 a 0/170/1 Colorectal – IHA1/530/310/221/1 b Ovarian – IP0/530/380/200/6 TOTAL4/1661/970/631/12
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins15 SCH Clinical Subject Population Cancer patients All subjects were initially selected to be anti-adenovirus positive prior to entry onto studies reported Neutralizing anti-adenovirus titers varied prior to SCH administration and increased with SCH administration For subjects where Ad shedding was detected, no adverse clinical sequelae were identified
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins16 Serological Monitoring Serum Anti-Adenovirus Titer
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins17 Summary Points Quantal bioassays allow sensitive & reliable detection of RCA More precise quantitation impractical using bioassay due to the amount of testing required –Quantitative PCR (real-time PCR) is option No viral shedding of replication competent adenovirus from clinical subjects detected –No PCR + for RCA (only SCH 58500), No FACS-R + No adverse sequelae identified in clinical subjects where Ad shedding was detected –Very low viral shedding of infectious SCH –1.0% by FACS-I assay
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins18 Backup Slides
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins19 SCH rAd-p53 Vector
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins20 How the PCR Assay Discriminates between SCH58500-Encoded p53 and WT p53 SCH PCR Primers PCR Amplification NO PCR Amplification Human Cell
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins21 ELISA Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay Purpose rapid on-site assay used for patient discharge from hospital qualified for urine, stool, sputum and additional body fluids as requested Characteristics colorimetric assay detects hexon coat protein of adenovirus does not discriminate between hexon on intact virus and free hexon from dissociated virus
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins22 FACS-Infectivity “Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter” infectivity assay Purpose measures infectious adenovirus qualified for urine, stool, sputum and additional body fluids as requested Characteristics detects hexon coat protein of adenovirus that is made as a result of the infection of permissive cells (HEK 293 cell line) Single replication cycle (2 day) LOD particles/mL (matrix dependent) does not discriminate infectious SCH from wild- type adenovirus or RCA
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins23 FACS-RCA “Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter” RCA assay Purpose measures infectious RCA qualified for urine, stool, sputum and additional body fluids as requested Characteristics detects hexon coat protein of adenovirus that is made as a result of the infection of non-permissive cells (A549 cell line) Multi-replication cycles (7-day) discriminates between infectious wild-type & RCA adenovirus and clinical product
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins24 PCR for RCA Purpose highly specific for SCH encoded p53 DNA vs. wild-type or homologous recombinant (RCA) qualified for urine, stool, sputum and additional body fluids as requested Characteristics highly specific for identity high sensitivity (matrix dependent) 3 assays: TPL (SCH 58500), E1a, and E3 does not discriminate between intact virus and free viral DNA
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins25 Possible Sequence Analysis Results for Plaque-Purified Isolates from RCA Testing dl327 E1a E1b E2 E4 SCH58500 CMV/TPL/p53 E2 E4 Ad5 E1a E1b E2 E3 E4 ??? E2 E3?? E4 Other Recombinants All RCA to date
BRMAC Jul-01/Hutchins26 Expected Results from PCR Assays