Cross-Reactive Polyclonal Antibodies Raised Against GalNAc-Conjugated siRNA Recognize Mostly the GalNAc Moiety
Abstract
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is gaining momentum as a therapeutic modality with six approved products. Since siRNA has the potential to elicit undesired immune responses in patients, immunogenicity assessment is required during clinical development by regulatory authorities. In this study, anti-siRNA polyclonal antibodies were generated through animal immunization. These cross-reactive polyclonal antibodies recognized mostly the N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) moiety with a small fraction against sequence-independent epitopes. We demonstrate that the polyclonal antibodies can be utilized as immunogenicity assay positive controls for the same class of GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs. In addition, anti-GalNAc mAbs showed desired sensitivity and drug tolerance, supporting their use as alternative surrogate positive controls. These findings can guide positive control selection and immunogenicity assay development for GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs and other oligonucleotide therapeutics.
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Consistent LDL-C suppression among antibody-positive individuals suggests limited clinical impact of the detected antibodies.
“Consistent LDL-C suppression among antibody-positive individuals suggests limited clinical impact of the detected antibodies [53, 54].”
In many cases antibodies recognize the GalNAc moiety or otherwise non-neutralizing epitopes, and in-vitro neutralization does not necessarily predict in-vivo functional loss.
“In many cases antibodies recognize the GalNAc moiety or otherwise non-neutralizing epitopes; in-vitro neutralization does not necessarily predict in-vivo functional loss.”
The siRNA delivery platform eliminates the chance of immune responses that affect protein-based medications because no anti-drug antibodies developed in trial participants.
“The siRNA delivery platform eliminates the chance of immune responses which affect protein-based medications because no anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) developed in trial participants [53, 54].”
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- Authors
- Ballman, K. K., Peek, V. L., Sloan, J. H., Li, J., Konrad, R. J., & Wen, Y.
- Affiliations
- Eli Lilly (United States) (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wen, Yi
- Venue
- The AAPS Journal
- Published
- 2024-04-03
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 41-41
- ISSN
- 1550-7416 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4393859273
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 0.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- The AAPS Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Biosimilars and Bioanalytical Methods
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
- Keywords
- GalNAc-conjugated siRNA, N-acetylgalactosamine, immunogenicity assessment, positive control, monoclonal antibodies, oligonucleotide therapeutics, siRNA therapeutics, cross-reactivity
- MeSH terms
- Acetylgalactosamine, Animals, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humans, Oligonucleotides, RNA, Small Interfering
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