Preclinical Pharmacological Evaluation of Sacituzumab Govitecan (IMMU-132) in TROP2-Positive Colorectal Liver Metastasis Models.

Background/Objectives: Sacituzumab govitecan (SG, IMMU-132) is a TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate carrying SN-38. Patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) still have limited treatment options after first-line systemic therapy, and the preclinical pharmacological value of TROP2-directed SN-38 delivery in CRLM remains insufficiently defined. Methods: Public single-cell RNA-sequencing data were reanalyzed to explore the distribution of TACSTD2/TROP2-positive epithelial-associated cells in adjacent normal tissues, primary colorectal cancer, and CRLM. The prognostic relevance of TACSTD2 was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database. TROP2-knockdown and TROP2-overexpressing colorectal cancer models were used to assess IMMU-132 response in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacological antitumor activity was further evaluated using subcutaneous xenografts, syngeneic intrasplenic liver metastasis models, and CRLM patient-derived organoids (PDOs). Transcriptomic profiling and γ-H2AX immunofluorescence were used to explore treatment-associated molecular changes. Results: At the patient/sample level, TACSTD2/TROP2-positive epithelial-associated cells showed numerically higher proportions in primary colorectal tumors and liver metastases than in adjacent normal tissues, and high TACSTD2 expression was associated with inferior overall survival in a public survival database. TROP2 knockdown attenuated IMMU-132-induced growth inhibition, apoptosis, and suppression of colony formation. In vivo, IMMU-132 suppressed colorectal tumor growth and reduced liver metastatic burden, with more evident activity in human TROP2-overexpressing models. In a limited exploratory CRLM PDO cohort established after first-line therapy, liver metastasis-derived PDOs showed lower normalized AUC values than primary tumor-derived PDOs. Transcriptomic analysis and representative γ-H2AX immunofluorescence suggested that IMMU-132 treatment was associated with changes in adhesion/cytoskeletal-related pathways, Wnt/cancer-associated transcriptional programs, and DNA damage-associated signals. Conclusions: These in vitro, in vivo, and PDO-based findings support further preclinical pharmacological evaluation of TROP2-directed SN-38 delivery by IMMU-132 in biomarker-annotated CRLM models, particularly in the post-first-line systemic therapy setting.