Targeting a proteolytic neo-epitope of CUB-domain containing protein 1 in RAS-driven cancer

A central challenge for any therapeutic is targeting diseased over normal cells. Proteolysis is frequently upregulated in disease and can generate proteoforms with unique neo-epitopes. We hypothesize that targeting proteolytic neo-epitopes can enable more effective and safer treatments, reflecting a conditional layer of disease-specific regulation. Here, we characterized the precise proteolytic isoforms of CUB domain containing protein 1 (CDCP1), a protein overexpressed and specifically cleaved in RAS-driven cancers. We validated that the N-terminal and C-terminal fragments of CDCP1 remain associated after proteolysis in vitro and on the surface of pancreatic cancer cells. Using a differential phage display strategy, we generated exquisitely selective recombinant antibodies that target cells harboring cleaved CDCP1 and not the full-length form using antibody-drug conjugates or a bi-specific T-cell engagers. We show tumor-specific localization and anti-tumor activity in a syngeneic pancreatic tumor model having superior safety profiles compared to a pan-CDCP1-targeting antibody. Our studies show proteolytic neo-epitopes can provide an orthogonal “AND” gate for disease-specific targeting.One-Sentence SummaryAntibody-based targeting of neo-epitopes generated by disease-associated proteolysis improves the therapeutic index