# Novel Tiancimycins (TNMs) Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) for Anticancer Therapeutics

> **NIH NIH F32** · SCRIPPS FLORIDA · 2020 · $65,310

## Abstract

Project Summary
The antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) field has emerged as the next-generation therapeutic option for targeting
and delivering highly cytotoxic drugs to tumors. The rapid growth in this area is seen in the more than 60 ADCs
currently in clinical trials and the four FDA-approved drugs Adcetris® in 2011, Kadcyla® in 2013, and most recently
Besponsa®, and Mylotarg® in 2017. Currently within the ADC field there are two major issues that need to be
overcome: (i) random conjugation and varying drug-to-antibody ratios (DAR), and (ii) small molecule drugs as
payloads. Nearly all the ADCs in clinical trials and the two approved drugs use random conjugation linking the
payload to lysine or cysteine residues present within the antibody. This results in heterogenous ADCs with DARs
between 0 and 8. The lack of uniformity leads to issues in pharmacokinetics and safety. One way to overcome
this is site-specific conjugation through specific residues within the antibody. Furthermore, the currently small
molecules being used as payloads for ADCs is limited and new, highly potent, and rapidly active small molecules
are needed. Our hypotheses are (i) production of tiancimycins (TNMs) and TNM analogs and structure-activity
relationship (SAR) studies, (ii) development of linker chemistry for site-specific conjugation of the TNMs, (iii)
evaluation of the panel of anti-HER and anti-ROR1 thiomab- and DVD-TNMs against HER2+/ROR1- and HER2-
/ROR1+ breast cancers cell lines for direct comparison of these novel enediyne-based ADCs to current
benchmarks as well as development into next-generation ADCs for breast cancer lacking current therapeutic
options. The specific aims for this application are (i) production, isolation, and fermentation of TNMs via
manipulation of TNM biosynthesis in Streptomyces sp. CB03234 and chemical diversification, (ii) development
and optimization of linker chemistry for site-specific conjugation of TNM to a panel of anti-HER2 and anti-ROR1
thiomabs and DVDs, and (iii) evaluation of potency and selectivity of TNM analogs and TNM conjugates against
HER2+/ROR1- and HER2-/ROR1+ breast cancer cells in vitro. The outcomes of this application include
advancements in the ADC field including new enediyne payloads, new site-specific conjugation techniques, and
new anti-HER2 and anti-ROR1 thiomab- and DVD-TNM ADCs for the development of next-generation ADC
therapies for breast cancer. The long-term goal of this research is to identify innovative cytotoxic natural products
to utilize as small molecule payloads for ADCs to afford novel anticancer drugs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9857476
- **Project number:** 5F32GM128345-02
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Christiana Nicole Teijaro
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $65,310
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9857476

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9857476, Novel Tiancimycins (TNMs) Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) for Anticancer Therapeutics (5F32GM128345-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9857476. Licensed CC0.

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