Publications by authors named "Nicole Justies"

The multifaceted IL-2/IL-2R biology and its modulation by promising therapeutic agents are highly relevant topics in the cancer immunotherapy field. A novel CD25-Treg-depleting antibody (Vopikitug, RG6292) has been engineered to preserve IL-2 signaling on effector T cells to enhance effector activation and antitumor immunity, and is currently being evaluated in the clinic. The Entry into Human-enabling framework described here investigated the characteristics of RG6292, from in vitro quantification of CD25 and RG6292 pharmacology using human tissues to in vivo assessment of PK/PD/safety relationships in cynomolgus monkeys as non-human primate species (NHP).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Although checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) have improved outcomes for patients with metastatic melanoma, those progressing on CPIs have limited therapeutic options. To address this unmet need and overcome CPI resistance mechanisms, novel immunotherapies, such as T-cell engaging agents, are being developed. The use of these agents has sometimes been limited by the immune response mounted against them in the form of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs), which is challenging to predict preclinically and can lead to neutralization of the drug and loss of efficacy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since 2011, the European Bioanalysis Forum has been discussing the topic of context-of-use for biomarker assays, in support of a cross-industry implementation of its principles. The discussions have led to the acknowledgement of the challenges that we face as an industry in implementing these principles. In addition to scientific recommendations, the European Bioanalysis Forum has addressed these challenges by providing recommendations on organizational design, and what works in both sponsor and contract research organizations, to support and enable context-of-use across biomarker strategies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The pharmacokinetics (PK) of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab was assessed after single intravenous dosing to cynomolgus monkeys. In addition, the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) relationship for B-cell depletion was characterized. The PKPD model was used to estimate the B-cell repopulation during the recovery phase of chronic toxicology studies, thereby supporting the study design, in particular planning the recovery phase duration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We previously showed that in mice infected with type I interferons (IFNs) initiate the innate immune response to the parasite at day 1 and 2 of infection. Here, we investigated which type I IFN subtypes are expressed during the first 8 weeks of infection and whether type I IFNs are essential for a protective immune response and clinical cure of the disease. In self-healing C57BL/6 mice infected with a high dose of , IFN-α4, IFN-α5, IFN-α11, IFN-α13, and IFN-β mRNA were most prominently regulated during the course of infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Leishmaniasis is the world's second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria, and current treatment of the different forms of this disease is far from satisfactory. Alkylphospholipid analogs (APLs) are a family of anticancer drugs that show antileishmanial activity, including the first oral drug (miltefosine) for leishmaniasis and drugs in preclinical/clinical oncology trials, but their precise mechanism of action remains to be elucidated.

Methodology/principal Findings: Here we show that the tumor cell apoptosis-inducer edelfosine was the most effective APL, as compared to miltefosine, perifosine and erucylphosphocholine, in killing Leishmania spp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High density lipoprotein (HDL)-targeted therapies, which promote cholesterol efflux from cells, are currently in development for reducing cardiovascular events in acute coronary syndrome. Human apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major HDL protein, was fused to the trimerization domain of tetranectin (TN) and complexed with phospholipids to generate a HDL mimetic (lipidated TN-ApoA-I) with reduced renal clearance and enhanced efficacy. Cynomolgus monkeys received 24-h intravenous infusions of control, 100 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg lipidated TN-ApoA-I every 4 days for 3 weeks, followed by a 6-week recovery period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Subcutaneous (SC) delivery is a common route of administration for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) properties requiring long-term or frequent drug administration. An ideal in vivo preclinical model for predicting human PK following SC administration may be one in which the skin and overall physiological characteristics are similar to that of humans. In this study, the PK properties of a series of therapeutic mAbs following intravenous (IV) and SC administration in Göttingen minipigs were compared with data obtained previously from humans.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The bile duct-cannulated (BDC) rat is a standard animal model used in ADME experiments. The aim of this study was to investigate post-surgical alterations that are relevant to ADME investigations in BDC rats compared with sham- and non-operated animals. Water and food intake was reduced in the animals' post-surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Edelfosine (1-O-octadecyl-2-O-methyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphocholine; ET-18-OCH(3)) is an antitumor alkyl-lysophospholipid analog that binds lipid rafts, altering their protein composition (J Exp Med 200:353-365). Because L-selectin locates in lipid rafts and plays a crucial role in the recruitment of leukocytes into inflamed tissues, we hypothesized that edelfosine might affect inflammation by modulating L-selectin and inflammatory cell migration. Here, we have found that edelfosine inhibited neutrophil-endothelium interaction through L-selectin shedding.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF