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The LM609 antibody specifically recognizes αVβ3 integrin and inhibits angiogenesis, bone resorption, and viral infections in an arginine-glycine-aspartate-independent manner. LM609 entered phase II clinical trials for the treatment of several cancers and was also used for αVβ3-targeted radioimmunotherapy. To elucidate the mechanisms of recognition and inhibition of αVβ3 integrin, we solved the structure of the LM609 antigen-binding fragment by X-ray crystallography and determined its binding affinity for αVβ3. Using single-particle electron microscopy, we show that LM609 binds at the interface between the β-propeller domain of the αV chain and the βI domain of the β3 chain, near the RGD-binding site, of all observed integrin conformational states. Integrating these data with fluorescence size-exclusion chromatography, we demonstrate that LM609 sterically hinders access of large ligands to the RGD-binding pocket, without obstructing it. This work provides a structural framework to expedite future efforts utilizing LM609 as a diagnostic or therapeutic tool.

Background: Melanoma is one of the most aggressive cancers, and it is estimated that 76,250 men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma of the skin in the USA in 2012. Over the last few decades many drugs have been developed but only in 2011 have new drugs demonstrated an impact on survival in metastatic melanoma. Methods: A systematic search of literature was conducted, and studies providing data on the effectiveness of current and/or future drugs used in the treatment of metastatic melanoma were selected for review. This review discusses the advantages and limitations of these agents, evaluating past, current and future clinical trials designed to overcome such limitations. Results: To date, there are four drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for melanoma (dacarbazine, interleukin-2, ipilimumab and vemurafenib). Despite efforts to develop new drugs, few of them have demonstrated any clinical benefits. Approved in 1975, dacarbazine remains the gold standard in chemotherapy, although ipilimumab and vemurafenib have raised many hopes in the last few years. Combining dacarbazine or other chemotherapy agents with new pharmacological agents may be a new way to achieve better clinical responses in patients with metastatic melanoma. Discussion: Advances in the molecular knowledge of melanoma have led to major improvements in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma, providing new targets and insights. However, heterogeneity amongst study populations, different approaches to treatment and the different melanoma types and localisations included in the trials makes their comparison difficult. New studies focusing on drugs developed in recent decades are warranted.

AlphaVbeta3 (alphavbeta3) is an important molecule for tumor-induced angiogenesis and is upregulated in metastatic melanoma (MM). We proposed to study the mechanism of action of etaracizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting alphavbeta3, in MM. Patients with MM and biopsiable tumor were treated with etaracizumab in 3 dose cohorts starting from 8 mg/kg. Tumor saturation by etaracizumab using LM609 immunohistochemical staining of tumor sections was the primary endpoint. Subsequent dose cohorts were defined based on the tumor saturation by etaracizumab. Secondary end points were analysis of clinical benefit and changes from baseline of several tumor and peripheral blood biomarkers. Eighteen patients were enrolled at 3 dose levels. Etaracizumab showed better melanoma cell saturation at the 8mg/kg and 1 mg/kg dose compared with the 4 mg/kg dose and better vascular endothelial cell saturation at 8 mg/kg compared with lower dose groups. Etaracizumab demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. The optimal biologic dose out of those selected for investigation was 8 mg/kg. Patients treated at the highest dose may have had better clinical benefit secondary to suppression of the activated immediate downstream effector of alphavbeta3 signaling, FAK, in melanoma cells, but this alone did not ultimately affect melanoma cell proliferation or apoptosis. No apparent antiangiogenic or immunomodulatory effects of etaracizumab were noted.

BACKGROUND: The alpha v beta 3 (αvβ3) integrin is involved in intracellular signaling regulating cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation and is important for tumor-induced angiogenesis. METHODS: This phase 2, randomized, open-label, 2-arm study was designed to capture safety data and evaluate the antitumor efficacy of etaracizumab (Abegrin), an IgG1 humanized monoclonal antibody against the αvβ3 integrin, in patients with previously untreated metastatic melanoma. The objective was to evaluate whether etaracizumab ± dacarbazine had sufficient clinical activity to warrant further study in a phase 3 clinical trial. RESULTS: One hundred twelve patients were randomized to receive etaracizumab alone (N = 57) or etaracizumab + dacarbazine (N = 55). Safety of etaracizumab ± dacarbazine was acceptable with infusion-related, gastrointestinal, and metabolic reactions being the most common adverse events (AEs). The majority of AEs were grade 1 or 2 in severity in both study arms; most events were not considered serious, except for cardiovascular (myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation) and thromboembolic events, which occurred in 3 and 5 patients, respectively. None of the patients in the etaracizumab-alone study arm and 12.7% of patients in the etaracizumab + dacarbazine study arm achieved an objective response. The median duration of objective response in the etaracizumab + dacarbazine study arm was 4.2 months. Stable disease rate, time to progression (TTP), and progression-free survival (PFS) appeared to be similar between the 2 treatment arms. Stable disease occurred in 45.6% of patients in the etaracizumab-alone study arm and 40.0% of patients in the etaracizumab + dacarbazine study arm. Median TTP and median PFS were both 1.8 months in the etaracizumab-alone study arm and 2.5 and 2.6 months in the etaracizumab + dacarbazine study arm, respectively. Median overall survival was 12.6 months in the etaracizumab-alone study arm and 9.4 months in the etaracizumab + dacarbazine study arm. CONCLUSIONS: The survival results in both treatment arms of this study were considered unlikely to result in clinically meaningful improvement over dacarbazine alone. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.

Purpose: We tested the efficacy of dual targeting of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the alphavbeta3 integrin in orthotopic mouse models of ovarian cancer. Experimental Design: In vivo therapy experiments were conducted in chemo-sensitive (SKOV3ip1, HeyA8) and -resistant (SKOV3TRip2) ovarian cancer models. VEGF was targeted with bevacizumab and alphavbeta3 with etaracizumab. Mice were treated with each agent alone, together, or in combination with paclitaxel for assessment of tumor growth. Tumor specimens were tested for proliferative index, microvessel density, and apoptosis. Results: In the SKOV3ip1 model, both single-agent bevacizumab and etaracizumab reduced tumor growth by 52-63% (p

This study assessed the safety, immunogenicity, and pharmacokinetics of etaracizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the alphavbeta3 integrin, in patients with advanced malignancies. Four cohorts of four patients received escalating dose of etaracizumab as a 30-min intravenous infusion, first as a single test dose, followed-up 2-5 weeks later by weekly doses. Sixteen patients with advanced solid tumors received a total of 309 cycles of etaracizumab at doses ranging 1-6 mg/kg. The mean number of weekly infusions was 19 (ranging 5-53). Frequently reported adverse events were grades 1-2 asthenia (15 patients) and infusion reactions (9 patients). At 1 mg/kg, one patient experienced grade 3 chills with the first infusion. Other grade 3 toxicities included reversible hyponatremia, hypophosphatemia and hyponatremia in one patient each at 1, 4 and 6 mg/kg, respectively. No patient experienced treatment delay/discontinuation due to an adverse event. The half-life of etaracizumab ranged 49-180 h with a nonlinear increase in terminal half-life with increasing doses. There was no objective response but five patients experienced a stable disease of6-month duration. Etaracizumab was well-tolerated at doses up to 6 mg/kg with no evidence of immunogenicity. The safety profile of etaracizumab warrants further exploration in ongoing phase I/II trials.

Commentary to:Combined anti-angiogenic therapy against VEGF and integrin alphabeta in an orthotopic model of ovarian cancerTae Jin Kim, Charles N. Landen, Yvonne G. Lin, Lingegowda S. Mangala, Chunhua Lu, Alpa M. Nick, Rebecca L. Stone, William M. Merritt, Guillermo Armaiz-Pena, Nicholas B. Jennings, Robert L. Coleman, David A. Tice and Anil K. Sood