Domain-resolved epitope mapping of B7-H3-targeting VHH-Fcs defines isoform-selective binders for antibody-drug conjugate development

Abstract

The immune checkpoint molecule B7-H3 has emerged as one of the most actively pursued therapeutic targets in solid tumors, and multiple B7-H3-targeting antibody-drug conjugates have entered clinical evaluation. B7-H3 occurs as a 2Ig isoform carrying a single IgV-IgC domain pair and a predominant 4Ig isoform carrying two tandem pairs of near-identical sequence in their extracellular domains. Resolving which pair an antibody engages, or how antibodies distinguish the two isoforms, requires epitope mapping at residue level. Here we generated a panel of six B7-H3-targeting VHH-Fcs and characterized them by surface plasmon resonance, epitope binning, domain-resolved deep mutational scanning and receptor internalization, benchmarked against the clinically advanced antibodies ifinatamab, mirzotamab and vobramitamab. Most VHH-Fcs bound the membrane-proximal pair more tightly than the distal pair, and 4Ig 10- to 100-fold more tightly than 2Ig, whereas the three clinical antibodies showed no such discrimination. Displaying each domain pair independently on yeast identified the residues that account for this selectivity. Internalization varied several-fold among binders, including between VHH-Fc 620 and 636, which have near-identical footprints and comparable affinities. VHH-Fc 620 internalized most efficiently, also compared to ifinatamab, and was conjugated to exatecan through a protease-cleavable linker. The conjugate showed B7-H3-dependent cytotoxicity that scaled with B7-H3 cell surface density, though it was less potent than ifinatamab-exatecan. Affinity, epitope and internalization therefore behaved as independent characteristics rather than integrating to predict antibody-drug conjugate potency. Together, these results define the molecular basis for isoform-selective recognition of B7-H3 and identify VHH-Fc 620 as a starting point for isoform-selective targeting.