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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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Adhikari AS, Macauley J, Johnson Y, Connolly M, Coleman T, Heiland T. Development and Characterization of an HCMV Multi-Antigen Therapeutic Vaccine for Glioblastoma Using the UNITE Platform. Front Oncol 2022; 12:850546. [PMID: 35651802 PMCID: PMC9149224 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.850546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive form of brain cancer with a median survival of 15 months that has remained unchanged despite advances in the standard of care. GBM cells express human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) proteins, providing a unique opportunity for targeted therapy. We utilized our UNITE (UNiversal Intracellular Targeted Expression) platform to develop a multi-antigen DNA vaccine (ITI-1001) that codes for the HCMV proteins pp65, gB, and IE-1. The UNITE platform involves lysosomal targeting technology, fusing lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) with target ntigens. We demonstrate evidence of increased antigen presentation by both MHC-I and -II, delivering a robust antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cell response in addition to a strong humoral response. Using a syngeneic orthotopic GBM mouse model, therapeutic treatment with the ITI-1001 vaccine resulted in ~56% survival of tumor-bearing mice. Investigation of the tumor microenvironment showed significant CD4 infiltration as well as enhanced Th1 and cytotoxic CD8 T activation. Regulatory T cells were also upregulated after ITI-1001 vaccination. In addition, tumor burden negatively correlated with activated interferon (IFN)γ+ CD4 T cells, reiterating the importance of CD4 activation in ITI-1001 efficacy and in identifying treatment responders and non-responders. Further characterization of these two groups showed high infiltration of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells in responders compared to non-responders. Thus, we show that vaccination with HCMV antigens using the ITI-1001-UNITE platform generates strong cellular and humoral immune responses, triggering significant antitumor activity, leading to enhanced survival in a mouse model of GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mike Connolly
- Immunomic Therapeutics, Rockville, MD, United States
| | | | - Teri Heiland
- Immunomic Therapeutics, Rockville, MD, United States
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Kubica P, Lara-Velazquez M, Bam M, Siraj S, Ong I, Liu P, Priya R, Salamat S, Brutkiewicz RR, Dey M. MR1 overexpression correlates with poor clinical prognosis in glioma patients. Neurooncol Adv 2021; 3:vdab034. [PMID: 33948562 PMCID: PMC8080245 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioblastoma is the most common adult primary brain tumor with near-universal fatality. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules are important mediators of CD8 activation and can be downregulated by cancer cells to escape immune surveillance. MR1 is a nonclassical MHC-I-like molecule responsible for the activation of a subset of T cells. Although high levels of MR1 expression should enhance cancer cell recognition, various tumors demonstrate MR1 overexpression with unknown implications. Here, we study the role of MR1 in glioma. METHODS Using multi-omics data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we studied MR1 expression patterns and its impact on survival for various solid tumors. In glioma specifically, we validated MR1 expression by histology, elucidate transcriptomic profiles of MR1 high versus low gliomas. To understand MR1 expression, we analyzed the methylation status of the MR1 gene and MR1 gene-related transcription factor (TF) expression. RESULTS MR1 is overexpressed in all grades of glioma and many other solid cancers. However, only in glioma, MR1 overexpression correlated with poor overall survival and demonstrated global dysregulation of many immune-related genes in an MR1-dependent manner. MR1 overexpression correlated with decreased MR1 gene methylation and upregulation of predicted MR1 promoter binding TFs, implying MR1 gene methylation might regulate MR1 expression in glioma. CONCLUSIONS Our in silico analysis shows that MR1 expression is a predictor of clinical outcome in glioma patients and is potentially regulated at the epigenetic level, resulting in immune-related genes dysregulation. These findings need to be validated using independent in vitro and in vivo functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Kubica
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Montserrat Lara-Velazquez
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Marpe Bam
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Seema Siraj
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Irene Ong
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Peng Liu
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Raj Priya
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Shahriar Salamat
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Randy R Brutkiewicz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Mahua Dey
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Luzzi S, Giotta Lucifero A, Brambilla I, Magistrali M, Mosconi M, Savasta S, Foiadelli T. Adoptive immunotherapies in neuro-oncology: classification, recent advances, and translational challenges. ACTA BIO-MEDICA : ATENEI PARMENSIS 2020; 91:18-31. [PMID: 32608373 PMCID: PMC7975830 DOI: 10.23750/abm.v91i7-s.9952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Adoptive immunotherapies are among the pillars of ongoing biological breakthroughs in neuro-oncology, as their potential applications are tremendously wide. The present literature review comprehensively classified adoptive immunotherapies in neuro-oncology, provides an update, and overviews the main translational challenges of this approach. Methods: The PubMed/MEDLINE platform, Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) database, and ClinicalTrials.gov website were the sources. The MeSH terms “Immunotherapy, Adoptive,” “Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy,” “Tissue Engineering,” and “Cell Engineering” were combined with “Central Nervous System,” and “Brain.” “Brain tumors” and “adoptive immunotherapy” were used for a further unrestricted search. Only articles published in the last 5 years were selected and further sorted based on the best match and relevance. The search terms “Central Nervous System Tumor,” “Malignant Brain Tumor,” “Brain Cancer,” “Brain Neoplasms,” and “Brain Tumor” were used on the ClinicalTrials.gov website. Results: A total of 79 relevant articles and 16 trials were selected. T therapies include chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cell therapy and T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic therapy. Natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies are another approach; combinations are also possible. Trials in phase 1 and 2 comprised 69% and 31% of the studies, respectively, 8 of which were concluded. CAR T cell therapy targeting epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) was demonstrated to reduce the recurrence rate of glioblastoma after standard-of-care treatment. Conclusion: Adoptive immunotherapies can be classified as T, NK, and NKT cell-based. CAR T cell therapy redirected against EGFRvIII has been shown to be the most promising treatment for glioblastoma. Overcoming immune tolerance and immune escape are the main translational challenges in the near future of neuro-oncology. (www.actabiomedica.it)
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabino Luzzi
- Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Alice Giotta Lucifero
- Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Brambilla
- Pediatric Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Uni-versity of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Mariasole Magistrali
- Pediatric Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Uni-versity of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Mario Mosconi
- Orthopaedic and Traumatology Unit, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Salvatore Savasta
- Pediatric Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Uni-versity of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Thomas Foiadelli
- Pediatric Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Uni-versity of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
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Abstract
Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a unique subset of T lymphocytes with the expression of T cell receptor (TCR) and NK cell lineage receptors. These cells can rapidly release large quantities of cytokines and function as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. To date, multiple reports have investigated the role of NKT cells under various pathological conditions, such as cancer, autoimmune disease, and infection. Knowledge about NKT cells in neurological diseases is increasing, albeit limited. Here, we review evidence for the involvement of NKT cells in neurological diseases, and discuss immunotherapeutic potential and future study goals. As the development and function of NKT cells become increasingly well understood, the next few years should yield many new insights into NKT cell function, and mechanistic regulation in neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Cui
- Institute of Neuroregeneration and Neurorehabilitation, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qi Wan
- Institute of Neuroregeneration and Neurorehabilitation, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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