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Rolin C, Zimmer J, Seguin-Devaux C. Bridging the gap with multispecific immune cell engagers in cancer and infectious diseases. Cell Mol Immunol 2024:10.1038/s41423-024-01176-4. [PMID: 38789528 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-024-01176-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
By binding to multiple antigens simultaneously, multispecific antibodies are expected to substantially improve both the activity and long-term efficacy of antibody-based immunotherapy. Immune cell engagers, a subclass of antibody-based constructs, consist of engineered structures designed to bridge immune effector cells to their target, thereby redirecting the immune response toward the tumor cells or infected cells. The increasing number of recent clinical trials evaluating immune cell engagers reflects the important role of these molecules in new therapeutic approaches for cancer and infections. In this review, we discuss how different immune cell types (T and natural killer lymphocytes, as well as myeloid cells) can be bound by immune cell engagers in immunotherapy for cancer and infectious diseases. Furthermore, we explore the preclinical and clinical advancements of these constructs, and we discuss the challenges in translating the current knowledge from cancer to the virology field. Finally, we speculate on the promising future directions that immune cell engagers may take in cancer treatment and antiviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Rolin
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
- University of Luxembourg, 2 Place de l'Université, L-4365, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| | - Jacques Zimmer
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Carole Seguin-Devaux
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
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Marin ND, Becker-Hapak M, Song WM, Alayo QA, Marsala L, Sonnek N, Berrien-Elliott MM, Foster M, Foltz JA, Tran J, Wong P, Cubitt CC, Pence P, Hwang K, Zhou AY, Jacobs MT, Schappe T, Russler-Germain DA, Fields RC, Ciorba MA, Fehniger TA. Memory-like differentiation enhances NK cell responses against colorectal cancer. Oncoimmunology 2024; 13:2348254. [PMID: 38737793 PMCID: PMC11086027 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2024.2348254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Metastatic (m) colorectal cancer (CRC) is an incurable disease with a poor prognosis and thus remains an unmet clinical need. Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)-based immunotherapy is effective for mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) mCRC patients, but it does not benefit the majority of mCRC patients. NK cells are innate lymphoid cells with potent effector responses against a variety of tumor cells but are frequently dysfunctional in cancer patients. Memory-like (ML) NK cells differentiated after IL-12/IL-15/IL-18 activation overcome many challenges to effective NK cell anti-tumor responses, exhibiting enhanced recognition, function, and in vivo persistence. We hypothesized that ML differentiation enhances the NK cell responses to CRC. Compared to conventional (c) NK cells, ML NK cells displayed increased IFN-γ production against both CRC cell lines and primary patient-derived CRC spheroids. ML NK cells also exhibited improved killing of CRC target cells in vitro in short-term and sustained cytotoxicity assays, as well as in vivo in NSG mice. Mechanistically, enhanced ML NK cell responses were dependent on the activating receptor NKG2D as its blockade significantly decreased ML NK cell functions. Compared to cNK cells, ML NK cells exhibited greater antibody-dependent cytotoxicity when targeted against CRC by cetuximab. ML NK cells from healthy donors and mCRC patients exhibited increased anti-CRC responses. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that ML NK cells exhibit enhanced responses against CRC targets, warranting further investigation in clinical trials for mCRC patients, including those who have failed ICB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy D. Marin
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Wilbur M. Song
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Quazim A. Alayo
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lynne Marsala
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Naomi Sonnek
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Melissa M. Berrien-Elliott
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Mark Foster
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Foltz
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jennifer Tran
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Pamela Wong
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Celia C. Cubitt
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Patrick Pence
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kimberly Hwang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alice Y. Zhou
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Miriam T. Jacobs
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - David A. Russler-Germain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ryan C. Fields
- Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Matthew A. Ciorba
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Todd A. Fehniger
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Blunt MD, Khakoo SI. Harnessing natural killer cell effector function against cancer. IMMUNOTHERAPY ADVANCES 2023; 4:ltad031. [PMID: 38223411 PMCID: PMC10787374 DOI: 10.1093/immadv/ltad031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells that participate in anti-tumour and anti-viral immune responses. Their ability to rapidly destroy abnormal cells and to enhance the anti-cancer function of dendritic cells, CD8+ T cells, and macrophages makes them an attractive target for immunotherapeutic strategies. The development of approaches that augment NK-cell activation against cancer is currently under intense preclinical and clinical research and strategies include chimeric antigen receptor NK cells, NK-cell engagers, cytokines, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this review, we highlight recent advances in NK-cell therapeutic development and discuss their potential to add to our armamentarium against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Blunt
- School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Salim I Khakoo
- School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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