Conjugation site characterization of antibody–drug conjugates using electron-transfer/higher-energy collision dissociation (EThcD)

ABSTRACT: Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are formed by binding of cytotoxic drugs to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) through chemical linkers. A comprehensive evaluation of the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of ADCs is vital for drug development but remains challenging owing to ADC structural heterogeneity than mAbs. Drug conjugation sites can considerably affect ADC properties, such as stability and pharmacokinetics, however, few studies have focused on method development in this area owing to technical challenges. Hybrid electron-transfer/higher-energy collision dissociation (EThcD) produces more fragment ions than conventional high collision dissociation (HCD) fragmentation, which aid in identifying and localizing post-translational modifications (PTMs). Herein, we systematically employ EThcD to assess the fragmentation mode impact on conjugation site characterization for randomly conjugated and site-specific ADCs. EThcD generates more fragment ions in tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectra compared with HCD. Additional ions aid in pinpointing the correct conjugation sites that bear complex linker payload structures. Our study may contribute to the quality control of various preclinical and clinical ADCs.

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens

SUBMITTER: Hu Zhou  

PROVIDER: PXD040111 | iProX | Tue Feb 14 00:00:00 GMT 2023

REPOSITORIES: iProX