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Baiu DC, Sharma A, Schehr JL, Basu J, Smith KA, Ohashi M, Johannsen EC, Kenney SC, Gumperz JE. Human CD4 + iNKT cell adoptive immunotherapy induces anti-tumour responses against CD1d-negative EBV-driven B lymphoma. Immunology 2024. [PMID: 38736328 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13799] [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: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a conserved population of innate T lymphocytes that are uniquely suitable as off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapies due to their lack of alloreactivity. Two major subpopulations of human iNKT cells have been delineated, a CD4- subset that has a TH1/cytolytic profile, and a CD4+ subset that appears polyfunctional and can produce both regulatory and immunostimulatory cytokines. Whether these two subsets differ in anti-tumour effects is not known. Using live cell imaging, we found that CD4- iNKT cells limited growth of CD1d+ Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected B-lymphoblastoid spheroids in vitro, whereas CD4+ iNKT cells showed little or no direct anti-tumour activity. However, the effects of the two subsets were reversed when we tested them as adoptive immunotherapies in vivo using a xenograft model of EBV-driven human B cell lymphoma. We found that EBV-infected B cells down-regulated CD1d in vivo, and administering CD4- iNKT cells had no discernable impact on tumour mass. In contrast, xenotransplanted mice bearing lymphomas showed rapid reduction in tumour mass after administering CD4+ iNKT cells. Immunotherapeutic CD4+ iNKT cells trafficked to both spleen and tumour and were associated with subsequently enhanced responses of xenotransplanted human T cells against EBV. CD4+ iNKT cells also had adjuvant-like effects on monocyte-derived DCs and promoted antigen-dependent responses of human T cells in vitro. These results show that allogeneic CD4+ iNKT cellular immunotherapy leads to marked anti-tumour activity through indirect pathways that do not require tumour cell CD1d expression and that are associated with enhanced activity of antigen-specific T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana C Baiu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Akshat Sharma
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jennifer L Schehr
- Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jayati Basu
- Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Kelsey A Smith
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Makoto Ohashi
- Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Eric C Johannsen
- Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Shannon C Kenney
- Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jenny E Gumperz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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2
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Zhu W, Zhang Z, Chen J, Chen X, Huang L, Zhang X, Huang X, Ma N, Xu W, Yi X, Lu X, Fu X, Li S, Mo G, Wang Y, Yuan G, Zang M, Li Q, Jiang X, He Y, Wu S, He Y, Li Y, Hou J. A novel engineered IL-21 receptor arms T-cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T cells) against hepatocellular carcinoma. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:101. [PMID: 38643203 PMCID: PMC11032311 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01792-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Strategies to improve T cell therapy efficacy in solid tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are urgently needed. The common cytokine receptor γ chain (γc) family cytokines such as IL-2, IL-7, IL-15 and IL-21 play fundamental roles in T cell development, differentiation and effector phases. This study aims to determine the combination effects of IL-21 in T cell therapy against HCC and investigate optimized strategies to utilize the effect of IL-21 signal in T cell therapy. The antitumor function of AFP-specific T cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T) was augmented by exogenous IL-21 in vitro and in vivo. IL-21 enhanced proliferation capacity, promoted memory differentiation, downregulated PD-1 expression and alleviated apoptosis in TCR-T after activation. A novel engineered IL-21 receptor was established, and TCR-T armed with the novel engineered IL-21 receptors (IL-21R-TCR-T) showed upregulated phosphorylated STAT3 expression without exogenous IL-21 ligand. IL-21R-TCR-T showed better proliferation upon activation and superior antitumor function in vitro and in vivo. IL-21R-TCR-T exhibited a less differentiated, exhausted and apoptotic phenotype than conventional TCR-T upon repetitive tumor antigen stimulation. The novel IL-21 receptor in our study programs powerful TCR-T and can avoid side effects induced by IL-21 systemic utilization. The novel IL-21 receptor creates new opportunities for next-generation TCR-T against HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinzhang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lei Huang
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle, UK
| | - Xiaoyong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Na Ma
- Department of Pathology, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Weikang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Siwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guoheng Mo
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiyue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guosheng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengya Zang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaotao Jiang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yajing He
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sha Wu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Microbiome Medicine Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Proteomics of Guangdong Province, Demonstration Center for Experimental Education of Basic Medical Sciences of China, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yukai He
- Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Yongyin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Jinlin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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3
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Landoni E, Woodcock MG, Barragan G, Casirati G, Cinella V, Stucchi S, Flick LM, Withers TA, Hudson H, Casorati G, Dellabona P, Genovese P, Savoldo B, Metelitsa LS, Dotti G. IL-12 reprograms CAR-expressing natural killer T cells to long-lived Th1-polarized cells with potent antitumor activity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:89. [PMID: 38167707 PMCID: PMC10762263 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44310-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Human natural killer T cells (NKTs) are innate-like T lymphocytes increasingly used for cancer immunotherapy. Here we show that human NKTs expressing the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12) undergo extensive and sustained molecular and functional reprogramming. Specifically, IL-12 instructs and maintains a Th1-polarization program in NKTs in vivo without causing their functional exhaustion. Furthermore, using CD62L as a marker of memory cells in human NKTs, we observe that IL-12 maintains long-term CD62L-expressing memory NKTs in vivo. Notably, IL-12 initiates a de novo programming of memory NKTs in CD62L-negative NKTs indicating that human NKTs circulating in the peripheral blood possess an intrinsic differentiation hierarchy, and that IL-12 plays a role in promoting their differentiation to long-lived Th1-polarized memory cells. Human NKTs engineered to co-express a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) coupled with the expression of IL-12 show enhanced antitumor activity in leukemia and neuroblastoma tumor models, persist long-term in vivo and conserve the molecular signature driven by the IL-12 expression. Thus IL-12 reveals an intrinsic plasticity of peripheral human NKTs that may play a crucial role in the development of cell therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Landoni
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Mark G Woodcock
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gabriel Barragan
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabriele Casirati
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, Boston, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Vincenzo Cinella
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, Boston, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Simone Stucchi
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Leah M Flick
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tracy A Withers
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hanna Hudson
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Giulia Casorati
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Dellabona
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Genovese
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorder Center, Boston, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Barbara Savoldo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Leonid S Metelitsa
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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4
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Bai H, Liang L, Qi X, Xu Y, Liu Y, Ren D, Cai Z, Mao W, Wang X, Qin H, Hu F, Shi B. Thymosin α1 modulated the immune landscape of COVID-19 patients revealed by single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 124:110983. [PMID: 37769533 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a serious threat to global health. Thymosin α1 (Tα1) was considered to be applied in COVID-19 therapy. However, the data remains limited. METHODS Participants with or without Tα1 treatment were recruited. Single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and T cell receptor-sequencing (TCR-seq) of the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples were done to analyze immune features. The differential expression analysis and functional enrichment analysis were performed to explore the mechanism of Tα1 therapy. RESULTS 33 symptomatic SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals (COV) and 11 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this study. The proportion of CD3+ KLRD1+ NKT, TBX21+ CD8+ NKT was observed to increase in COVID-19 patients with Tα1 treatment (COVT) than those without Tα1 (COV) (p = 0.024; p = 0.010). These two clusters were also significantly higher in Health controls with Tα1 treatment (HCT) than those without Tα1 (HC) (p = 0.016; p = 0.031). Besides, a series of genes and pathways related to immune responses were significantly higher enriched in Tα1 groups TBX21+ CD8+ NKT, such as KLRB1, PRF1, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, JAK-STAT signaling pathway. The increased TRBV9-TRBJ1-1 pair existed in both HCs and COVID-19 patients after Tα1 treatment. 1389 common complementarity determining region 3 nucleotides (CDR 3 nt) were found in COV and HC, while 0 CDR 3 nt was common in COVT and HCT. CONCLUSIONS Tα1 increased CD3+ KLRD1+ NKT, TBX21+ CD8+ NKT cell proportion and stimulated the diversity of TCR clones in COVT and HCT. And Tα1 could regulate the expression of genes associated with NKT activation or cytotoxicity to promote NKT cells. These data support the use of Tα1 in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Bai
- The MED-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Building 21, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Liyuan Liang
- The MED-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Building 21, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Xin Qi
- Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 Yanta West Road, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Yao Xu
- The MED-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Building 21, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Yijia Liu
- Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 Yanta West Road, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Doudou Ren
- The MED-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Building 21, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Zeqiong Cai
- The MED-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Building 21, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Weikang Mao
- LC-BIO TECHNOLOGIES (HANGZHOU) CO., LTD., Hangzhou 310000, China
| | - Xiaorui Wang
- Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 Yanta West Road, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Hongyu Qin
- Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 Yanta West Road, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Fang Hu
- Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 Yanta West Road, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Bingyin Shi
- The MED-X Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Building 21, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an 710000, China; Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 Yanta West Road, Xi'an 710061, China.
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5
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Bulliard Y, Andersson BS, Baysal MA, Damiano J, Tsimberidou AM. Reprogramming T cell differentiation and exhaustion in CAR-T cell therapy. J Hematol Oncol 2023; 16:108. [PMID: 37880715 PMCID: PMC10601191 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-023-01504-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell differentiation is a highly regulated, multi-step process necessary for the progressive establishment of effector functions, immunological memory, and long-term control of pathogens. In response to strong stimulation, as seen in severe or chronic infections or cancer, T cells acquire a state of hypo-responsiveness known as exhaustion, limiting their effector function. Recent advances in autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have revolutionized the treatment of hematologic malignancies by taking advantage of the basic principles of T cell biology to engineer products that promote long-lasting T cell response. However, many patients' malignancies remain unresponsive to treatment or are prone to recur. Discoveries in T cell biology, including the identification of key regulators of differentiation and exhaustion, offer novel opportunities to have a durable impact on the fate of CAR-T cells after infusion. Such next-generation CAR-T cell therapies and their clinical implementation may result in the next leap forward in cancer treatment for selected patients. In this context, this review summarizes the foundational principles of T cell differentiation and exhaustion and describes how they can be utilized and targeted to further improve the design and efficacy of CAR-T cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Borje S Andersson
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Mehmet A Baysal
- Unit 455, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jason Damiano
- Appia Bio, 6160 Bristol Pkwy, Culver City, CA, 90230, USA
| | - Apostolia M Tsimberidou
- Unit 455, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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6
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Heczey A, Xu X, Courtney AN, Tian G, Barragan GA, Guo L, Amador CM, Ghatwai N, Rathi P, Wood MS, Li Y, Zhang C, Demberg T, Di Pierro EJ, Sher AC, Zhang H, Mehta B, Thakkar SG, Grilley B, Wang T, Weiss BD, Montalbano A, Subramaniam M, Xu C, Sachar C, Wells DK, Dotti G, Metelitsa LS. Anti-GD2 CAR-NKT cells in relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma: updated phase 1 trial interim results. Nat Med 2023; 29:1379-1388. [PMID: 37188782 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02363-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Vα24-invariant natural killer T cells (NKTs) have anti-tumor properties that can be enhanced by chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Here we report updated interim results from the first-in-human phase 1 evaluation of autologous NKTs co-expressing a GD2-specific CAR with interleukin 15 (IL15) (GD2-CAR.15) in 12 children with neuroblastoma (NB). The primary objectives were safety and determination of maximum tolerated dose (MTD). The anti-tumor activity of GD2-CAR.15 NKTs was assessed as a secondary objective. Immune response evaluation was an additional objective. No dose-limiting toxicities occurred; one patient experienced grade 2 cytokine release syndrome that was resolved by tocilizumab. The MTD was not reached. The objective response rate was 25% (3/12), including two partial responses and one complete response. The frequency of CD62L+NKTs in products correlated with CAR-NKT expansion in patients and was higher in responders (n = 5; objective response or stable disease with reduction in tumor burden) than non-responders (n = 7). BTG1 (BTG anti-proliferation factor 1) expression was upregulated in peripheral GD2-CAR.15 NKTs and is a key driver of hyporesponsiveness in exhausted NKT and T cells. GD2-CAR.15 NKTs with BTG1 knockdown eliminated metastatic NB in a mouse model. We conclude that GD2-CAR.15 NKTs are safe and can mediate objective responses in patients with NB. Additionally, their anti-tumor activity may be enhanced by targeting BTG1. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT03294954 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Andras Heczey
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Amy N Courtney
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gengwen Tian
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabriel A Barragan
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Linjie Guo
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Claudia Martinez Amador
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nisha Ghatwai
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Purva Rathi
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael S Wood
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yanchuan Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chunchao Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Thorsten Demberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Erica J Di Pierro
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Andrew C Sher
- Department of Radiology, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Birju Mehta
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sachin G Thakkar
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bambi Grilley
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tao Wang
- Biostatistics and Data Management Resource, Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Brian D Weiss
- Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Leonid S Metelitsa
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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7
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Hadiloo K, Tahmasebi S, Esmaeilzadeh A. CAR-NKT cell therapy: a new promising paradigm of cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Cell Int 2023; 23:86. [PMID: 37158883 PMCID: PMC10165596 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-023-02923-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Today, cancer treatment is one of the fundamental problems facing clinicians and researchers worldwide. Efforts to find an excellent way to treat this illness continue, and new therapeutic strategies are developed quickly. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) is a practical approach that has been emerged to improve clinical outcomes in cancer patients. In the ACT, one of the best ways to arm the immune cells against tumors is by employing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) via genetic engineering. CAR equips cells to target specific antigens on tumor cells and selectively eradicate them. Researchers have achieved promising preclinical and clinical outcomes with different cells by using CARs. One of the potent immune cells that seems to be a good candidate for CAR-immune cell therapy is the Natural Killer-T (NKT) cell. NKT cells have multiple features that make them potent cells against tumors and would be a powerful replacement for T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. NKT cells are cytotoxic immune cells with various capabilities and no notable side effects on normal cells. The current study aimed to comprehensively provide the latest advances in CAR-NKT cell therapy for cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaveh Hadiloo
- Student Research Committee, Department of immunology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Safa Tahmasebi
- Student Research Committee, Department of immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Abdolreza Esmaeilzadeh
- Department of Immunology, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
- Cancer Gene Therapy Research Center (CGRC), Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
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