Novel Quaternary Ammonium Salt-Linked STING Agonist Antibody-Drug Conjugate: Synergistic Activation of Tumor Immunity with Mitigated Off-Target Toxicity

Abstract

Immune-stimulating antibody conjugate (ISACs) incorporating STING agonists as payloads leverage both the targeting capability of the Fab region and the Fc region-mediated tumor antigen-dependent immune activation. Herein, a novel class of ISACs is reported, generated by engineering a quaternary ammonium-cleavable linker to conjugate diABZI STING agonist 3 (dSA3) with the HER2-targeting antibody Trastuzumab. The optimized ISAC (TZ-dSA3-12) demonstrated high potency, stability, enhanced solubility, and reduced off-target toxicity. The data showed that TZ-dSA3-12 potently activates the STING pathway in the tumor microenvironment through the synergistic action of the Fab and Fc regions of antibodies (activity switch-on). In contrast, TZ-dSA3-12 exhibited ≈75 fold lower activity than dSA3 in normal immune cells, where activation relies solely on the Fc region without Fab-mediated tumor antigen binding (activity switch-off). Furthermore, systemic administration of TZ-dSA3-12 at a dose (1 mg kg⁻¹) elicited robust and sustained antitumor effect in a manner dependent on the activation of innate immunity and adaptive immunity, including macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs) and CD8⁺ T cells, while minimizing systemic cytokine release. Notably, TZ-dSA3-12 also induced immunological memory to combat the growth of rechallenged tumors. This innovative quaternary ammonium-linked STING agonist-ISAC represents a promising avenue for the future development of STING-targeted immunotherapy.