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Dreyzin A, Rankin AW, Luciani K, Gavrilova T, Shah NN. Overcoming the challenges of primary resistance and relapse after CAR-T cell therapy. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38739466 DOI: 10.1080/1744666x.2024.2349738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION While CAR T-cell therapy has led to remarkable responses in relapsed B-cell hematologic malignancies, only 50% of patients ultimately have a complete, sustained response. Understanding the mechanisms of resistance and relapse after CAR T-cell therapy is crucial to future development and improving outcomes. AREAS COVERED We review reasons for both primary resistance and relapse after CAR T-cell therapies. Reasons for primary failure include CAR T-cell manufacturing problems, suboptimal fitness of autologous T-cells themselves, and intrinsic features of the underlying cancer and tumor microenvironment. Relapse after initial response to CAR T-cell therapy may be antigen-positive, due to CAR T-cell exhaustion or limited persistence, or antigen-negative, due to antigen-modulation on the target cells. Finally, we discuss ongoing efforts to overcome resistance to CAR T-cell therapy with enhanced CAR constructs, manufacturing methods, alternate cell types, combinatorial strategies, and optimization of both pre-infusion conditioning regimens and post-infusion consolidative strategies. EXPERT OPINION There is a continued need for novel approaches to CAR T-cell therapy for both hematologic and solid malignancies to obtain sustained remissions. Opportunities for improvement include development of new targets, optimally combining existing CAR T-cell therapies, and defining the role for adjunctive immune modulators and stem cell transplant in enhancing long-term survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Dreyzin
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Division of Pediatric Oncology, Children's National Hospital, Washington DC, USA
| | - Alexander W Rankin
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Katia Luciani
- School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | | | - Nirali N Shah
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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2
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Ghaffari S, Saleh M, Akbari B, Ramezani F, Mirzaei HR. Applications of single-cell omics for chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy. Immunology 2024; 171:339-364. [PMID: 38009707 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a promising cancer treatment modality. The breakthroughs in CAR T cell therapy were, in part, possible with the help of cell analysis methods, such as single-cell analysis. Bulk analyses have provided invaluable information regarding the complex molecular dynamics of CAR T cells, but their results are an average of thousands of signals in CAR T or tumour cells. Since cancer is a heterogeneous disease where each minute detail of a subclone could change the outcome of the treatment, single-cell analysis could prove to be a powerful instrument in deciphering the secrets of tumour microenvironment for cancer immunotherapy. With the recent studies in all aspects of adoptive cell therapy making use of single-cell analysis, a comprehensive review of the recent preclinical and clinical findings in CAR T cell therapy was needed. Here, we categorized and summarized the key points of the studies in which single-cell analysis provided insights into the genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics and proteomics as well as their respective multi-omics of CAR T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasan Ghaffari
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Mahshid Saleh
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin Graduate School, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Behnia Akbari
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Faezeh Ramezani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Hamid Reza Mirzaei
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Molecular Imaging and Therapy Service, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
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3
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Aminov S, Giricz O, Melnekoff DT, Sica RA, Polishchuk V, Papazoglu C, Yates B, Wang HW, Sahu S, Wang Y, Gordon-Mitchell S, Leshchenko VV, Schinke C, Pradhan K, Aluri S, Sohn M, Barta SK, Agarwal B, Goldfinger M, Mantzaris I, Shastri A, Matsui W, Steidl U, Brody JD, Shah NN, Parekh S, Verma A. Immunotherapy-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells exhibit reduced CD19 and CD22 expression and BTK pathway dependency. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e175199. [PMID: 38376944 PMCID: PMC11014656 DOI: 10.1172/jci175199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
While therapies targeting CD19 by antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), and T cell engagers have improved the response rates in B cell malignancies, the emergence of resistant cell populations with low CD19 expression can lead to relapsed disease. We developed an in vitro model of adaptive resistance facilitated by chronic exposure of leukemia cells to a CD19 immunotoxin. Single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq) showed an increase in transcriptionally distinct CD19lo populations among resistant cells. Mass cytometry demonstrated that CD22 was also decreased in these CD19lo-resistant cells. An assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-Seq) showed decreased chromatin accessibility at promoters of both CD19 and CD22 in the resistant cell populations. Combined loss of both CD19 and CD22 antigens was validated in samples from pediatric and young adult patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) that relapsed after CD19 CAR-T-targeted therapy. Functionally, resistant cells were characterized by slower growth and lower basal levels of MEK activation. CD19lo resistant cells exhibited preserved B cell receptor signaling and were more sensitive to both Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and MEK inhibition. These data demonstrate that resistance to CD19 immunotherapies can result in decreased expression of both CD19 and CD22 and can result in dependency on BTK pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Aminov
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Orsi Giricz
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - David T. Melnekoff
- Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - R. Alejandro Sica
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Veronika Polishchuk
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Cristian Papazoglu
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Bonnie Yates
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research and
| | - Hao-Wei Wang
- Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Srabani Sahu
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Yanhua Wang
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Shanisha Gordon-Mitchell
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Violetta V. Leshchenko
- Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Carolina Schinke
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Kith Pradhan
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Srinivas Aluri
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Moah Sohn
- Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Stefan K. Barta
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Mendel Goldfinger
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Ioannis Mantzaris
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Aditi Shastri
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - William Matsui
- Department of Oncology, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Ulrich Steidl
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Joshua D. Brody
- Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nirali N. Shah
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research and
| | - Samir Parekh
- Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Amit Verma
- Department of Oncology, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, USA
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Liao YM, Hsu SH, Chiou SS. Harnessing the Transcriptional Signatures of CAR-T-Cells and Leukemia/Lymphoma Using Single-Cell Sequencing Technologies. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2416. [PMID: 38397092 PMCID: PMC10889174 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy has greatly improved outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory hematological malignancies. However, challenges such as treatment resistance, relapse, and severe toxicity still hinder its widespread clinical application. Traditional transcriptome analysis has provided limited insights into the complex transcriptional landscape of both leukemia cells and engineered CAR-T-cells, as well as their interactions within the tumor microenvironment. However, with the advent of single-cell sequencing techniques, a paradigm shift has occurred, providing robust tools to unravel the complexities of these factors. These techniques enable an unbiased analysis of cellular heterogeneity and molecular patterns. These insights are invaluable for precise receptor design, guiding gene-based T-cell modification, and optimizing manufacturing conditions. Consequently, this review utilizes modern single-cell sequencing techniques to clarify the transcriptional intricacies of leukemia cells and CAR-Ts. The aim of this manuscript is to discuss the potential mechanisms that contribute to the clinical failures of CAR-T immunotherapy. We examine the biological characteristics of CAR-Ts, the mechanisms that govern clinical responses, and the intricacies of adverse events. By exploring these aspects, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of CAR-T therapy, which will ultimately lead to improved clinical outcomes and broader therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Mei Liao
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
| | - Shih-Hsien Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center of Applied Genomics, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Shyh-Shin Chiou
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center of Applied Genomics, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
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Testa U, Sica S, Pelosi E, Castelli G, Leone G. CAR-T Cell Therapy in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2024; 16:e2024010. [PMID: 38223477 PMCID: PMC10786140 DOI: 10.4084/mjhid.2024.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Treatment of refractory and relapsed (R/R) B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is an unmet medical need in both children and adults. Studies carried out in the last two decades have shown that autologous T cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) represent an effective technique for treating these patients. Antigens expressed on B-cells, such as CD19, CD20, and CD22, represent targets suitable for treating patients with R/R B-ALL. CD19 CAR-T cells induce a high rate (80-90%) of complete remissions in both pediatric and adult R/R B-ALL patients. However, despite this impressive rate of responses, about half of responding patients relapse within 1-2 years after CAR-T cell therapy. Allo-HSCT after CAR-T cell therapy might consolidate the therapeutic efficacy of CAR-T and increase long-term outcomes; however, not all the studies that have adopted allo-HSCT as a consolidative treatment strategy have shown a benefit deriving from transplantation. For B-ALL patients who relapse early after allo-HSCT or those with insufficient T-cell numbers for an autologous approach, using T cells from the original stem cell donor offers the opportunity for the successful generation of CAR-T cells and for an effective therapeutic approach. Finally, recent studies have introduced allogeneic CAR-T cells generated from healthy donors or unmatched, which are opportunely manipulated with gene editing to reduce the risk of immunological incompatibility, with promising therapeutic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Simona Sica
- Dipartimento Di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica Ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy. Sezione Di Ematologia
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Radiologiche Ed Ematologiche, Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy
| | | | | | - Giuseppe Leone
- Dipartimento Di Scienze Radiologiche Ed Ematologiche, Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy
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Webster JA, Luznik L. This CAR won't start: predicting nonresponse in ALL. Blood Adv 2023; 7:4215-4217. [PMID: 37552511 PMCID: PMC10440401 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023009776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A Webster
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Leo Luznik
- Department of Oncology and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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Salma M, Andrieu-Soler C, Deleuze V, Soler E. High-throughput methods for the analysis of transcription factors and chromatin modifications: Low input, single cell and spatial genomic technologies. Blood Cells Mol Dis 2023; 101:102745. [PMID: 37121019 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcmd.2023.102745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide analysis of transcription factors and epigenomic features is instrumental to shed light on DNA-templated regulatory processes such as transcription, cellular differentiation or to monitor cellular responses to environmental cues. Two decades of technological developments have led to a rich set of approaches progressively pushing the limits of epigenetic profiling towards single cells. More recently, disruptive technologies using innovative biochemistry came into play. Assays such as CUT&RUN, CUT&Tag and variations thereof show considerable potential to survey multiple TFs or histone modifications in parallel from a single experiment and in native conditions. These are in the path to become the dominant assays for genome-wide analysis of TFs and chromatin modifications in bulk, single-cell, and spatial genomic applications. The principles together with pros and cons are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Salma
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France; Université de Paris, Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, France
| | - Charlotte Andrieu-Soler
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France; Université de Paris, Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, France
| | - Virginie Deleuze
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France; Université de Paris, Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, France
| | - Eric Soler
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France; Université de Paris, Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, France.
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