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Jimeno A, Baranda J, Iams WT, Park JC, Mita M, Gordon MS, Taylor M, Dhani N, Leal AD, Neupane P, Eng C, Yeku O, Mita A, Moser JC, Butler M, Loughhead SM, Jennings J, Miselis NR, Ji RR, Nair N, Kornacker M, Zwirtes RF, Bernstein H, Sharei A. Phase 1 study to determine the safety and dosing of autologous PBMCs modified to present HPV16 antigens (SQZ-PBMC-HPV) in HLA-A*02+ patients with HPV16+ solid tumors. Invest New Drugs 2023; 41:284-295. [PMID: 36867316 PMCID: PMC10140074 DOI: 10.1007/s10637-023-01342-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
We conducted a dose escalation Phase 1 study of autologous PBMCs loaded by microfluidic squeezing (Cell Squeeze® technology) with HPV16 E6 and E7 antigens (SQZ-PBMC-HPV), in HLA-A*02+ patients with advanced/metastatic HPV16+ cancers. Preclinical studies in murine models had shown such cells resulted in stimulation and proliferation of antigen specific CD8+ cells, and demonstrated antitumor activity. Administration of SQZ-PBMC-HPV was every 3 weeks. Enrollment followed a modified 3+3 design with primary objectives to define safety, tolerability, and the recommended Phase 2 dose. Secondary and exploratory objectives were antitumor activity, manufacturing feasibility, and pharmacodynamic evaluation of immune responses. Eighteen patients were enrolled at doses ranging from 0.5 × 106 to 5.0 × 106 live cells/kg. Manufacture proved feasible and required < 24 h within the overall vein-to-vein time of 1 - 2 weeks; at the highest dose, a median of 4 doses were administered. No DLTs were observed. Most related TEAEs were Grade 1 - 2, and one Grade 2 cytokine release syndrome SAE was reported. Tumor biopsies in three patients showed 2 to 8-fold increases in CD8+ tissue infiltrating lymphocytes, including a case that exhibited increased MHC-I+ and PD-L1+ cell densities and reduced numbers of HPV+ cells. Clinical benefit was documented for the latter case. SQZ-PBMC-HPV was well tolerated; 5.0 × 106 live cells/kg with double priming was chosen as the recommended Phase 2 dose. Multiple participants exhibited pharmacodynamic changes consistent with immune responses supporting the proposed mechanism of action for SQZ-PBMC-HPV, including patients previously refractory to checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Jimeno
- University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center, 12801 East 17th Avenue, Room L18-8101B, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
| | | | - Wade T Iams
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Monica Mita
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Gordon
- Pinnacle Oncology Hematology, Arizona Center for Cancer Care, HonorHealth Research Institute Clinical Trials Program, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
| | | | - Neesha Dhani
- University Health Network Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alexis D Leal
- University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center, 12801 East 17th Avenue, Room L18-8101B, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | | | - Cathy Eng
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Alain Mita
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Justin C Moser
- Pinnacle Oncology Hematology, Arizona Center for Cancer Care, HonorHealth Research Institute Clinical Trials Program, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
| | - Marcus Butler
- University Health Network Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Rui-Ru Ji
- SQZ Biotechnologies, Watertown, MA, USA
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Jimeno A, Miselis N, Park J, Jennings J, Dhani N, Holtick U, Iams W, Rodabaugh K, Nair N, Kornacker M, Loughhead S, Bernstein H, Zwirtes R, Ji R, Warren M, Sharei A. 191P Preliminary biomarker and safety results of SQZ-PBMC-HPV at RP2D in monotherapy and combination with checkpoint inhibitors in HLA A*02+ patients with recurrent, locally advanced, or metastatic HPV16+ solid tumors. Immuno-Oncology and Technology 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.iotech.2022.100303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Blagovic K, Smith CK, Ramakrishnan A, Moore L, Soto DR, Thompson Z, Stockmann AP, Kruszelnicki S, Thakkar A, Murray J, Torres S, Wondimagegnhu B, Yi R, Dadgar M, Paracha AM, Page C, Clear L, Chaudhry OA, Myint M, Bridgen DT, Gilbert JB, Seidl KJ, Sharei A, Loughhead S, Bernstein H, Yarar D. Engineered red blood cells (activating antigen carriers) drive potent T cell responses and tumor regression in mice. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1015585. [PMID: 36263022 PMCID: PMC9573954 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1015585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of T cell responses is essential for effective tumor clearance; however, inducing targeted, potent antigen presentation to stimulate T cell responses remains challenging. We generated Activating Antigen Carriers (AACs) by engineering red blood cells (RBCs) to encapsulate relevant tumor antigens and the adjuvant polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), for use as a tumor-specific cancer vaccine. The processing method and conditions used to create the AACs promote phosphatidylserine exposure on RBCs and thus harness the natural process of aged RBC clearance to enable targeting of the AACs to endogenous professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) without the use of chemicals or viral vectors. AAC uptake, antigen processing, and presentation by APCs drive antigen-specific activation of T cells, both in mouse in vivo and human in vitro systems, promoting polyfunctionality of CD8+ T cells and, in a tumor model, driving high levels of antigen-specific CD8+ T cell infiltration and tumor killing. The efficacy of AAC therapy was further enhanced by combination with the chemotherapeutic agent Cisplatin. In summary, these findings support AACs as a potential vector-free immunotherapy strategy to enable potent antigen presentation and T cell stimulation by endogenous APCs with broad therapeutic potential.
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Silver R, Silva M, Maloney M, Brate A, El-Sayes N, Ozay E, Parwanda D, Bartlett C, Sharei A, Loughhead S, Gilbert J, Bridgen D. 761P Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes expressing membrane-bound IL-2 and IL-12 exhibit enhanced proliferation, function, and persistence without requiring exogenous IL-2 support. Ann Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2022.07.887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
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Maloney MF, Ozay EI, Blagovic K, Smith C, Silva AA, Martin A, Manja S, Upadhyay M, Moore LJ, Stagg R, Mack H, Trumpfheller C, Umana P, Sharei A, Bernstein H, Loughhead SM. Abstract 2853: Co-delivery of antigen-encoding mRNA and signal 2/3 mRNAs to PBMCs by Cell Squeeze® technology generates SQZ™ eAPCs that prime CD8+T cells in a humanized mouse model. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-2853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Antigen-specific CD8+ T cells are critical for mounting an effective immune response against tumors. Generation of antigen-specific T cells require interactions with multiple signals produced by antigen presenting cells (APCs). These signals are comprised of three components: (signal 1) the peptide-MHC complex binding to the T cell receptor, (signal 2) costimulatory molecules on the surface of APCs, and (signal 3) inflammatory cytokines binding to cognate receptors on T cells. To engineer all major cell subsets of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to become enhanced APCs (eAPCs), we used Cell Squeeze® technology to deliver multiple mRNAs encoding for non-self-antigens (signal 1), CD86 (signal 2), and/or membrane-bound cytokines (signal 3). The signal 3 molecules, membrane-bound IL-12 (mbIL-12) and membrane-bound IL-2 (mbIL-2), are chimeric proteins designed to increase the localized concentration of the cytokines at the immune synapse and limit off-target effects. Flow cytometry confirmed translation of delivered signal 2/3 mRNAs by all major subsets within PBMCs: T cells, B cells, NK cells, and monocytes. The potency of these SQZ™ eAPCs was assessed in vitro by culturing the eAPCs with antigen-specific T cells for multiple days before measuring the functionality of antigen-specific T cells via intracellular cytokine staining or ELISA. Using this approach, we demonstrate that Cell Squeeze® co-delivery of antigen mRNA and signal 2/3 mRNAs significantly enhances CD8+ T cell responses to a variety of antigens, including CMV pp65, Influenza M1, HPV16 E6, and HPV16 E7. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SQZ™ eAPCs drive significant expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in a humanized mouse model. Thus, we demonstrate that Cell Squeeze® can deliver multiple mRNAs encoding for signals 1, 2, and 3 to human PBMCs and has the potential to generate enhanced APCs that drive strong CD8+ T cell responses against multiple antigens. The versatility of this approach
has the potential to enable rapid exchange of mRNA to encode for other antigens or T cell activation signals.
Citation Format: Michael F. Maloney, Emrah Ilker Ozay, Katarina Blagovic, Carolyne Smith, Andrea A. Silva, Amber Martin, Sanjana Manja, Madhav Upadhyay, Lindsay J. Moore, Ryan Stagg, Henry Mack, Christine Trumpfheller, Pablo Umana, Armon Sharei, Howard Bernstein, Scott M. Loughhead. Co-delivery of antigen-encoding mRNA and signal 2/3 mRNAs to PBMCs by Cell Squeeze® technology generates SQZ™ eAPCs that prime CD8+T cells in a humanized mouse model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2853.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Pablo Umana
- 2Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Schlieren, Switzerland
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Raposo CJ, Cserny JD, Serena G, Chow JN, Cho P, Liu H, Kotler D, Sharei A, Bernstein H, John S. Engineered RBCs Encapsulating Antigen Induce Multi-Modal Antigen-Specific Tolerance and Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes. Front Immunol 2022; 13:869669. [PMID: 35444659 PMCID: PMC9014265 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.869669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen-specific therapies that suppress autoreactive T cells without inducing systemic immunosuppression are a much-needed treatment for autoimmune diseases, yet effective strategies remain elusive. We describe a microfluidic Cell Squeeze® technology to engineer red blood cells (RBCs) encapsulating antigens to generate tolerizing antigen carriers (TACs). TACs exploit the natural route of RBC clearance enabling tolerogenic presentation of antigens. TAC treatment led to antigen-specific T cell tolerance towards exogenous and autoantigens in immunization and adoptive transfer mouse models of type 1 diabetes (T1D), respectively. Notably, in several accelerated models of T1D, TACs prevented hyperglycemia by blunting effector functions of pathogenic T cells, particularly in the pancreas. Mechanistically, TACs led to impaired trafficking of diabetogenic T cells to the pancreas, induced deletion of autoreactive CD8 T cells and expanded antigen specific Tregs that exerted bystander suppression. Our results highlight TACs as a novel approach for reinstating immune tolerance in CD4 and CD8 mediated autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Patricia Cho
- SQZ Biotechnologies, Watertown, MA, United States
| | - Hanyang Liu
- SQZ Biotechnologies, Watertown, MA, United States
| | - David Kotler
- SQZ Biotechnologies, Watertown, MA, United States
| | - Armon Sharei
- SQZ Biotechnologies, Watertown, MA, United States
| | | | - Shinu John
- SQZ Biotechnologies, Watertown, MA, United States
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Booty MG, Hlavaty KA, Stockmann A, Ozay EI, Smith C, Tian L, How E, Subramanya D, Venkitaraman A, Yee C, Pryor O, Volk K, Blagovic K, Vicente-Suarez I, Yarar D, Myint M, Merino A, Chow J, Abdeljawad T, An H, Liu S, Mao S, Heimann M, Talarico L, Jacques MK, Chong E, Pomerance L, Gonzalez JT, von Andrian UH, Jensen KF, Langer R, Knoetgen H, Trumpfheller C, Umaña P, Bernstein H, Sharei A, Loughhead SM. Microfluidic Squeezing Enables MHC Class I Antigen Presentation by Diverse Immune Cells to Elicit CD8 + T Cell Responses with Antitumor Activity. J Immunol 2022; 208:929-940. [PMID: 35091434 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
CD8+ T cell responses are the foundation of the recent clinical success of immunotherapy in oncologic indications. Although checkpoint inhibitors have enhanced the activity of existing CD8+ T cell responses, therapeutic approaches to generate Ag-specific CD8+ T cell responses have had limited success. Here, we demonstrate that cytosolic delivery of Ag through microfluidic squeezing enables MHC class I presentation to CD8+ T cells by diverse cell types. In murine dendritic cells (DCs), squeezed DCs were ∼1000-fold more potent at eliciting CD8+ T cell responses than DCs cross-presenting the same amount of protein Ag. The approach also enabled engineering of less conventional APCs, such as T cells, for effective priming of CD8+ T cells in vitro and in vivo. Mixtures of immune cells, such as murine splenocytes, also elicited CD8+ T cell responses in vivo when squeezed with Ag. We demonstrate that squeezing enables effective MHC class I presentation by human DCs, T cells, B cells, and PBMCs and that, in clinical scale formats, the system can squeeze up to 2 billion cells per minute. Using the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) murine model, TC-1, we demonstrate that squeezed B cells, T cells, and unfractionated splenocytes elicit antitumor immunity and correlate with an influx of HPV-specific CD8+ T cells such that >80% of CD8s in the tumor were HPV specific. Together, these findings demonstrate the potential of cytosolic Ag delivery to drive robust CD8+ T cell responses and illustrate the potential for an autologous cell-based vaccine with minimal turnaround time for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Harry An
- SQZ Biotechnologies, Watertown, MA
| | - Sophia Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Shirley Mao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Megan Heimann
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ulrich H von Andrian
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Boston, MA.,Center for Immune Imaging at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Klavs F Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.,David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Hendrik Knoetgen
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Basel, Switzerland; and
| | - Christine Trumpfheller
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Pablo Umaña
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Schlieren, Switzerland
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Blagovic K, Smith C, Moore L, Ozay EI, Sharei A, Bernstein H, Loughhead S. 156 RBC-derived, activating antigen carriers (SQZ AACs) prime potent T cell responses and drive tumor regression in vivo. J Immunother Cancer 2021. [DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundT cell responses are at the core of checkpoint inhibitor success in treating cancer; however, generating targeted antigen presentation to stimulate T cell responses remains challenging. Here, we take advantage of the natural process of eryptosis by professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) to drive antigen presentation and T cell activation in human and mouse models. Through the delivery of tumor antigen and adjuvant to red blood cells (RBCs) using the Cell Squeeze® platform, we generate activating antigen carriers (AACs) for use in tumor-specific cancer vaccines.MethodsFollowing intravenous AAC administration, we measured clearance kinetics of AACs and characterized the site and cell type of AAC uptake. We investigated upregulation of activation markers on phagocytes that engulf AACs, and the effect of priming and boosting on endogenous T cell responses. To determine the ability of AACs to control implanted tumors, we measured tumor growth rates in mice therapeutically treated with AACs. Tumor growth of AAC-treated mice in combination with a chemotherapy treatment was also assessed. Additionally, the in vitro uptake of adjuvant loaded human AACs and resultant maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) was measured to qualify adjuvant delivery. Peptide antigen delivery to human AACs was measured with flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy.ResultsSqueezing effectively loads AACs with antigen and adjuvant and leads to exposure of phosphatidylserine on the AAC membrane. When administered into a mouse, mouse AACs were cleared from circulation within one hour and were engulfed by professional phagocytes in both the spleen and liver. In vivo, AACs induced upregulation of maturation markers on endogenous dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages. Therapeutic AACs administration significantly slowed growth of the HPV-associated tumor, TC-1, and extended survival of treated animals. These anti-tumor responses correlated with >500-fold increase in antigen-specific CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes compared to untreated mice. Boosting enhanced endogenous T cell responses and enhanced the efficacy of low dose vaccinations in a tumor model. Combination with early (days 7 and 9) or late (days 17 and 24) treatment with a chemotherapeutic agent cleared tumors in treated animals. In an in vitro human system, the intracellular delivery of peptide antigen and adjuvant to human AACs induced MoDC maturation and stimulated E7-specific CD8+ T cell responses.ConclusionsAACs loaded with antigen and adjuvant can effectively drive antigen presentation and prime a potent anti-tumor response in mice. These preclinical data support the further study of SQZ AACs as an immunotherapy for cancer treatment.Ethics ApprovalAll methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. Animal studies were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at SQZ Biotechnologies, using the recommendations from the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health and the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. All activities were also conducted in accordance with Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Use and Care of Laboratory Animals.
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Maloney M, Ozay EI, Merino A, Silva A, Martin A, Manja S, Upadhyay M, Trumpfheller C, Umana P, Sharei A, Bernstein H, Loughhead S. 211 SQZ™ eAPCs generated from PBMCs by delivery of multiple mRNAs encoding for antigens, costimulatory proteins, and engineered cytokines. J Immunother Cancer 2021. [DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundAntigen-specific CD8+ T cells are critical components of mounting an effective immune response against tumors. Generation of antigen-specific T cells require interactions with multiple signals produced by antigen presenting cells (APCs). These signals are comprised of three components: (signal 1) the peptide-MHC complex binding to the T cell receptor, (signal 2) costimulatory molecules on the surface of APCs, and (signal 3) inflammatory cytokines binding to cognate receptors on T cells.MethodsTo engineer all major cell subsets of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to become enhanced APCs (eAPCs), we used Cell Squeeze® technology to deliver multiple mRNA encoding for non-self-antigens (signal 1), CD86 (signal 2), and/or membrane-bound cytokines (signal 3). The signal 3 molecules, membrane-bound IL-12 (mbIL-12) and membrane-bound IL-2 (mbIL-2), are chimeric proteins designed to increase the localized concentration of the cytokines and limit off-target effects. Flow cytometry and western blots were used to confirm the translation of each of the delivered mRNA. The increased capabilities of these enhanced APCs were assessed in vitro by culturing the APCs with antigen-specific T cells for multiple days before measuring the functionality of antigen-specific T cells via intracellular cytokine staining or ELISA.ResultsWe demonstrate that Cell Squeeze® processing of PBMCs with mRNA encoding for signals 1, 2, and 3 results in highly effective enhanced APCs in vitro. In a single squeeze process, efficient delivery and translation of up to five mRNA is observed in all major PBMC cell subsets including T cells, B cells, NK cells, and monocytes. Once translated, the chimeric mbIL-2 and mbIL-12 can bind to their cognate receptors and exhibit minimal shedding from the surface. We show that enhanced APCs can present antigenic peptides derived from mRNA encoding for a foreign antigen on MHC complexes in an HLA agnostic manner, which drives antigen-specific T cell responses. The addition of CD86, mbIL-2, and mbIL-12 further enhance the activation and potency of antigen-specific T cells, as measured by an increase in the secretion of inflammatory cytokines upon restimulation (i.e. IFNγ).ConclusionsCell squeezing of human PBMCs with mRNA encoding for signals 1, 2, and 3 has the potential to generate enhanced APCs that drive robust CD8+ T cell response against multiple targets across several disease areas. The versatility of the Cell Squeeze® technology potentially enables rapid exchange of mRNA to other antigens or T cell activation signals.
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Bridgen D, Bhattacharjee A, Thalhofer C, Montler R, Weinberg A, Sharei A, Gilbert J. 165 Generating enhanced tumor infiltrating lymphocytes through microfluidic cell squeezing. J Immunother Cancer 2021. [DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundTumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapies have shown significant solid tumor activity in patients, but current TIL compositions require patient lymphodepletion and high dose IL-2 after cell infusion to support clinical activity. Removing this requirement through ex vivo engineering of the TIL product with mRNA could enhance potency, expand the potential patient population, and potentially allow for repeat dosing and concomitant treatment with checkpoint therapies.MethodsTo transiently overexpress both membrane-bound cytokines and costimulatory molecules, we used microfluidic cell squeezing (Cell Squeeze®) to deliver mRNA directly to the cytosol of expanded tumor reactive CD8 human TILs (AGX-148). After mRNA delivery, the TILs were cultured in media with varying levels of exogenous IL-2 and characterized by flow cytometry.ResultsWe demonstrated that multiple mRNA constructs delivered simultaneously by microfluidic cell squeezing to human TILs are highly expressed (>80% of cells) for multiple days while maintaining high viability (>80%) in vitro. Membrane bound cytokines are able to support cell expansion in the absence of exogenous IL-2 at rates comparable to control cells incubated with a high concentration of IL-2 for up to 3 days. Furthermore, we have identified a membrane-bound cytokine that alters the TIL phenotype as quantified by multiple markers, including increased L-selectin (CD62L), which is an indicator of central memory T cells.ConclusionsThrough microfluidic cell squeeze delivery of mRNAs, we have created enhanced TILs with high levels of membrane-bound cytokines and/or costimulatory molecules in vitro. These cells are able to proliferate without exogenous IL-2 and have an improved phenotype.
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Cassereau L, Cole JM, Yi R, Hanson JL, Bugge J, DiTommaso T, Bernstein H, Sharei A. Abstract 1445: Tumor-specific T cell engineering for enhanced effector function via microfluidic delivery of bioactive molecules. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-1445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Tumor-specific T cells possess unique potential for cancer therapy but are limited by T cell exhaustion and anergy induced in the tumor microenvironment. Ex vivo manipulation of these T cells to maintain their full function is critical to their success clinically. Yet, limitations of existing ex vivo delivery approaches dramatically restrict their function and thus limit their therapeutic use.
Methods: Genome-wide profiling was used to identify the impact of optimized electroporation treatment and the SQZ cell therapy platform on gene expression in human T cells. The profiling was paired with a 42 key T cell cytokine-multiplex analysis comprised of to assess perturbation of cytokine secretion. We then compared the in vivo functionality of immune checkpoint deleted antigen-specific T cells, modified by either electroporation or SQZ delivery of CRISPR/Cas9, and adoptively transferred into tumor bearing mice. Finally, genomic editing of tumor infiltrating leukocyte (TIL) derived T cells was compared using either electroporation or SQZ and subsequent effector response upon re-exposure to tumor cells.
Results: Impactful disruptions in transcript expression after treatment with electroporation (17% of genes mis-regulated, FDR q <0.1) we identified, whereas cells treated with SQZ had similar expression profiles to untreated control cells (0% of genes mis-regulated, FDR q <0.1). These genetic disruptions result in concomitant perturbation of cytokine secretion and effector response. Ultimately, the effects at the transcript and protein level resulted in functional deficiencies in vitro and in vivo with electroporated antigen-specific and TIL derived T cells failing to demonstrate sustained antigen-specific effector responses and tumor control with or without immune checkpoint editing.
Conclusions: This work demonstrates that functional modifications to tumor-specific T cells ex vivo can restore and improve their function upon re-exposure to tumor cells but that the delivery mechanism used is critical to the desired phenotype. The significant differences in outcomes from the two techniques tested here underscores the importance of understanding the impact of intracellular delivery methods on cell function for research and clinical applications. For both research and therapeutic applications with primary T cells, the functional consequences of the selected intracellular delivery technique and its impact on cell phenotype should be carefully evaluated.
Citation Format: Luke Cassereau, Julie M. Cole, Roslyn Yi, Jacquelyn L. Hanson, Josh Bugge, Tia DiTommaso, Howard Bernstein, Armon Sharei. Tumor-specific T cell engineering for enhanced effector function via microfluidic delivery of bioactive molecules [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1445.
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Hlavaty KA, Booty MG, Loughhead S, Blagovic K, Vicente-Suarez A, Yarar D, Bernstein H, Sharei A. Abstract 3187: Engineering a new generation of cell therapies for solid tumor oncology using the SQZ platform. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-3187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Effective T cell priming is crucial to induce anti-tumor CD8+ T cell responses and requires the efficient presentation of antigen on major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) by antigen presenting cells (APCs). Previous efforts using dendritic cells to prime CD8+ T cell responses have proven difficult due to limited cell availability in the blood and challenges delivering antigen to the APC cytosol, a necessary step for MHC-I presentation and CD8+ T cell activation. To overcome this limitation, we deliver antigen directly to the cytosol of target APCs using the microfluidics-based SQZ platform. SQZ uniquely facilitates antigen loading into both professional and unconventional APCs, including B cells, T cells, and heterogenous populations of cells, which can be easily obtained directly from the blood. Protein and peptide antigens are delivered using SQZ to each of these APCs effectively, leading to efficient presentation of immunogenic epitopes on MHC-I. Here, we demonstrate that murine SQZ-APCs can stimulate antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses in vitro and in vivo as measured by expansion of antigen-specific T cells and production of IFNγ. In the TC-1 tumor model for HPV-associated cancers, antigen-loaded SQZ-APCs have strong anti-tumor effects both prophylactically and therapeutically. Following therapeutic immunization, the anti-tumor responses correlate with an increase in antigen-specific CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes compared to untreated mice. In addition, compared to a traditional subcutaneous peptide vaccine, SQZ-APCs elicit a five-fold greater intratumoral CD8+ T cell response and drive significantly more tumor growth inhibition. Importantly, this SQZ-enabled cancer cell therapy translates to human B cells, T cells, and heterogenous populations of cells engineered to function as APCs. When a peptide is delivered to the cytosol using SQZ, all of these primary human cells activate antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses in vitro by stimulation of IFNγ from antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responders. In comparison to cells incubated in the presence of peptide antigen, SQZ-APCs stimulate a 10-fold increase in IFNγ production from antigen-specific CD8+ responder T cells (n=13 donors). Finally, the SQZ process has been scaled to engineer human SQZ-APCs in preparation for clinical trials with a throughput of greater than 4 billion cells SQZ’d per minute. Collectively, these findings highlight the significant clinical potential of the SQZ platform to engineer potent APCs for a new generation of cancer cell therapies.
Citation Format: Kelan A. Hlavaty, Matthew G. Booty, Scott Loughhead, Katarina Blagovic, Alfonso Vicente-Suarez, Defne Yarar, Howard Bernstein, Armon Sharei. Engineering a new generation of cell therapies for solid tumor oncology using the SQZ platform [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3187.
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Hanson J, Cole J, Cassereau L, Bugge J, Ditommaso T, Gilbert J, Bernstein H, Sharei A. A comparative study elucidating the substantial functional defects of electroporated T cells relative to a mechanical SQZ-based approach. Ann Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy485.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Loughhead S, Booty M, Hlavaty K, Vicente-Suarez A, Blagovic K, Myint M, Stokes B, Yarar D, Bernstein H, Sharei A. SQZing cells to rapidly generate antigen presenting cells (APC) for solid tumor immune therapies with efficient, scalable manufacturing. Ann Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy485.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Cassereau L, DiTommaso T, Loughhead S, Gilbert J, Bernstein H, Sharei A. Abstract A55: Vector-free genome editing of immune cells for cell therapy. Cancer Immunol Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/2326-6074.tumimm17-a55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The ex vivo manipulation of primary cells is critical to an emerging generation of cell-based therapies, such as chimeric antigen receptor systems and CRISPR mediated genomic editing. However, the limitations of existing methods for delivering desired material to cells of interest could dramatically hinder the development and impact of these therapies. To overcome the challenges associated with conventional cell delivery and engineering systems, we have developed a microfluidic approach, CellSqueeze®, where cells are mechanically deformed as they pass through constricting channels. This process disrupts the cell membrane resulting in the diffusion of material from the surrounding buffer directly into the cytosol. The CellSqueeze® system has demonstrated efficacy in patient-derived cells, such as stem cells and immune cells and with a variety of target molecules that are difficult to address with alternative methods. Moreover, by eliminating the need for electrical fields or exogenous materials such as viral vectors and plasmids, it minimizes the potential for cell toxicity and off-target effects. Here, we present evidence detailing our ability to deliver functional material for gene editing to primary human T cells via membrane deformation with little detectable perturbation in baseline gene expression, cell function, and viability.
To determine the effect of membrane deformation on gene expression and to compare to other delivery systems, human T cells were subjected to membrane deformation or electroporation and gene expression changes were compared to unmanipulated control cells using microarray analysis. We performed differential gene expression analysis and found that 6 hours post transfection, electroporation induced statistically significant changes in 33% (7944/23786) of all genes as compared to untreated control cells, whereas cell squeeze treatment significantly changed expression of 0% (0/23786) of genes (FDR q<0.25.) To determine the functional impact of this differential gene expression, we compared T cell homing post electroporation or CellSqueeze®. Briefly, CD45.1 mice were subjected to CellSqueeze® while T cells from CD90.1 mice were electroporated, the cells were mixed at a 1:1 ratio, and injected into mice. After 1 day the blood, spleen, and lymph nodes were harvested and FACS analysis was performed on recovered T cells. Despite being injected at a 1:1 ratio, over 80% of the T cells recovered from the target homing organs had been treated with CellSqueeze® as opposed to electroporation, indicating T cells more effectively home to tissues after CellSqueeze®.
Subsequently, we designed a series of experiments to manipulate gene expression with the CRISPR-CAS9 system using membrane deformation to deliver CAS9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs; recombinant CAS9 protein complexed with a single-guide RNA). Here, we show efficacious editing of several clinically relevant loci (including B2M-up to 50% editing, CCR5-up to 80% editing, and checkpoint proteins-up to 60% editing) Taken together, these data suggest that membrane deformation is a viable delivery method for genetic engineering of primary human cells with little off target effects on baseline gene expression. Indeed, the ability to deliver structurally diverse materials to difficult-to-transfect primary cells indicate that this method could potentially enable many novel clinical applications.
Citation Format: Luke Cassereau, Tia DiTommaso, Scott Loughhead, Jonathan Gilbert, Howard Bernstein, Armon Sharei. Vector-free genome editing of immune cells for cell therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2017 Oct 1-4; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2018;6(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A55.
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Li J, Wang B, Juba BM, Vazquez M, Kortum SW, Pierce BS, Pacheco M, Roberts L, Strohbach JW, Jones LH, Hett E, Thorarensen A, Telliez JB, Sharei A, Bunnage M, Gilbert JB. Microfluidic-Enabled Intracellular Delivery of Membrane Impermeable Inhibitors to Study Target Engagement in Human Primary Cells. ACS Chem Biol 2017; 12:2970-2974. [PMID: 29088528 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.7b00683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Biochemical screening is a major source of lead generation for novel targets. However, during the process of small molecule lead optimization, compounds with excellent biochemical activity may show poor cellular potency, making structure-activity relationships difficult to decipher. This may be due to low membrane permeability of the molecule, resulting in insufficient intracellular drug concentration. The Cell Squeeze platform increases permeability regardless of compound structure by mechanically disrupting the membrane, which can overcome permeability limitations and bridge the gap between biochemical and cellular studies. In this study, we show that poorly permeable Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are delivered into primary cells using Cell Squeeze, inhibiting up to 90% of the JAK pathway, while incubation of JAK inhibitors with or without electroporation had no significant effect. We believe this robust intracellular delivery approach could enable more effective lead optimization and deepen our understanding of target engagement by small molecules and functional probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Bu Wang
- SQZ Biotechnologies, 134 Coolidge Avenue, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472, United States
| | - Brian M. Juba
- Inflammation and Immunology Research Unit, Pfizer Inc, 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michael Vazquez
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Steve W. Kortum
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Eastern
Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Betsy S. Pierce
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Eastern
Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Michael Pacheco
- Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc, Eastern
Point Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
| | - Lee Roberts
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Joseph W. Strohbach
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Lyn H. Jones
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Erik Hett
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Atli Thorarensen
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jean-Baptiste Telliez
- Inflammation and Immunology Research Unit, Pfizer Inc, 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Armon Sharei
- SQZ Biotechnologies, 134 Coolidge Avenue, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472, United States
| | - Mark Bunnage
- Medicine Design, Pfizer, Inc., 1 Portland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Myint M, Loughhead S, Merino A, Tian L, Bernstein H, Sharei A. Vector-Free Engineering of Antigen Presenting Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapies for the Treatment of Cancer. The Journal of Immunology 2017. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.198.supp.73.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
In recent years, ex vivo manipulation of primary cells has shown immense clinical potential with the advent of adoptive T cell therapies. Conventional methods for ex vivo manipulation, however, are not without limitations. They typically rely on the application of electrical fields or exogenous materials such as viral vectors and plasmids, which can increase the potential for cellular toxicity and off-target effects. To overcome such limitations, we have developed an approach using our CellSqueeze Technology that causes temporary membrane disruption as cells are passed through a microfluidic constriction. While the membrane is disrupted, material in the surrounding buffer can diffuse directly into the cytosol. This system has demonstrated efficacy in patient-derived cells, such as stem cells and immune cells, and with a variety of molecules that are difficult to address with alternative methods.
In this work, we describe the use of our vector-free technology to deliver antigens directly to the cytoplasm of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to drive potent antigen-specific CD8 T cell responses. Conventional methods for eliciting T cell responses with APCs typically rely on cross-presentation, which can be inefficient and require lengthy cultures. Our results show that murine APCs processed with our CellSqueeze Technology can stimulate enhanced antigen-specific T cell responses in vitro and in vivo by at least 3-fold, when compared to responses stimulated by endocytosis controls. Additionally, we show translation of these significant advantages of the CellSqueeze Technology to human APCs, reinforcing the exciting clinical potential of CellSqueeze for adoptive cell therapy.
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Ding X, Stewart M, Sharei A, Weaver JC, Langer RS, Jensen KF. High-throughput Nuclear Delivery and Rapid Expression of DNA via Mechanical and Electrical Cell-Membrane Disruption. Nat Biomed Eng 2017; 1. [PMID: 28932622 PMCID: PMC5602535 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-017-0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear transfection of DNA into mammalian cells is challenging yet critical for many biological and medical studies. Here, by combining cell squeezing and electric-field-driven transport in a device that integrates microfluidic channels with constrictions and microelectrodes, we demonstrate nuclear delivery of plasmid DNA within 1 hour after treatment, the most rapid DNA expression in a high-throughput setting (up to millions of cells per minute per device). Passing cells at high speed through microfluidic constrictions smaller than the cell diameter mechanically disrupts the cell membrane, allowing a subsequent electric field to further disrupt the nuclear envelope and drive DNA molecules into the cytoplasm and nucleus. By tracking the localization of the ESCRT-III (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport) protein CHMP4B, we show that the integrity of the nuclear envelope is recovered within 15 minutes of treatment. We also provide insight into subcellular delivery by comparing the performance of the disruption-and-field-enhanced method with those of conventional chemical, electroporation, and manual-injection systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyun Ding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,The David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Martin Stewart
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,The David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Armon Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,The David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - James C Weaver
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Robert S Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,The David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Klavs F Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Saung MT, Sharei A, Adalsteinsson VA, Cho N, Kamath T, Ruiz C, Kirkpatrick J, Patel N, Mino-Kenudson M, Thayer SP, Langer R, Jensen KF, Liss AS, Love JC. A Size-Selective Intracellular Delivery Platform. Small 2016; 12:5873-5881. [PMID: 27594517 PMCID: PMC5337179 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201601155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Identifying and separating a subpopulation of cells from a heterogeneous mixture are essential elements of biological research. Current approaches require detailed knowledge of unique cell surface properties of the target cell population. A method is described that exploits size differences of cells to facilitate selective intracellular delivery using a high throughput microfluidic device. Cells traversing a constriction within this device undergo a transient disruption of the cell membrane that allows for cytoplasmic delivery of cargo. Unique constriction widths allow for optimization of delivery to cells of different sizes. For example, a 4 μm wide constriction is effective for delivery of cargo to primary human T-cells that have an average diameter of 6.7 μm. In contrast, a 6 or 7 μm wide constriction is best for large pancreatic cancer cell lines BxPc3 (10.8 μm) and PANC-1 (12.3 μm). These small differences in cell diameter are sufficient to allow for selective delivery of cargo to pancreatic cancer cells within a heterogeneous mixture containing T-cells. The application of this approach is demonstrated by selectively delivering dextran-conjugated fluorophores to circulating tumor cells in patient blood allowing for their subsequent isolation and genomic characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- May Tun Saung
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Hospital Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Armon Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Viktor A Adalsteinsson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Nahyun Cho
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Tushar Kamath
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Camilo Ruiz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Jesse Kirkpatrick
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Nehal Patel
- Advanced Tissue Resources Core, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Mari Mino-Kenudson
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Sarah P Thayer
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Klavs F Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Andrew S Liss
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - J Christopher Love
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
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Stewart MP, Sharei A, Ding X, Sahay G, Langer R, Jensen KF. In vitro and ex vivo strategies for intracellular delivery. Nature 2016; 538:183-192. [DOI: 10.1038/nature19764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 537] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Sharei A, Gilbert J, Irvine D, Jensen K, Langer R. Abstract 2293: Vector-free engineering of immune cells for adoptive cell therapy. Cancer Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-2293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Ex vivo manipulation of the immune system for therapeutic purposes has shown incredible clinical promise with the advent of cell therapies such as Chimeric Antigen Receptor modified T-Cell Therapies (CAR-T). However expanding methods to manipulate cells beyond using plasmids and viruses requires a new delivery paradigm. Here we describe a microfluidic approach discovered at MIT where cells are mechanically deformed as they pass through a constriction smaller than the cell diameter. The resulting controlled application of compression and shear forces results in the formation of transient holes that enable the diffusion of material from the surrounding buffer directly into the cytosol. The method was recognized as one of the World Changing Ideas of 2014 by Scientific American since it has demonstrated the ability to deliver a range of material, such as nanoparticles and proteins to primary cells including embryonic stem cells and immune cells. This is in contrast to existing vector-based and physical methods that have limitations, including their reliance on exogenous materials or electrical fields, which can lead to toxicity or oncogenic off-target effects. Supporting the enabling potential of the new deformation based method, we previously reported that delivering protein transcription factors to primary fibroblasts produces a 10-fold improvement in induced pluripotent stem cell colony formation relative to electroporation and cell-penetrating peptides.
In this work we describe the use of the vector-free technology to deliver antigen protein directly to the cytoplasm of antigen presenting cells to drive a powerful antigen specific T-cell response. Current efforts to use antigen presenting cells to drive T-cell responses rely on an inefficient process called cross-presentation that relies on material escaping the endosome and entering the cytoplasm. We believe that by delivering antigen directly to the cytoplasm of antigen presenting cells we can overcome this long standing barrier and drive powerful and specific T-cell responses. Our results show that by adoptively transferring antigen presenting cells that have antigen delivered into them we can drive a significant T-cell response. Specifically, we found that this results in a ∼50x increase in antigen specific T-cells in vivo when compared to endocytosis. This advance has the potential to dramatically enhance the therapeutic potential of therapeutic vaccination with antigenic material for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. Indeed, the ability to deliver structurally diverse materials to difficult-to-transfect primary cells indicate that this method could potentially enable many novel clinical applications.
Citation Format: Armon Sharei, Jonathan Gilbert, Darrell Irvine, Klavs Jensen, Robert Langer. Vector-free engineering of immune cells for adoptive cell therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2293.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Klavs Jensen
- 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Robert Langer
- 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
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Kollmannsperger A, Sharei A, Raulf A, Heilemann M, Langer R, Jensen KF, Wieneke R, Tampé R. Live-cell protein labelling with nanometre precision by cell squeezing. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10372. [PMID: 26822409 PMCID: PMC4740111 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Live-cell labelling techniques to visualize proteins with minimal disturbance are important; however, the currently available methods are limited in their labelling efficiency, specificity and cell permeability. We describe high-throughput protein labelling facilitated by minimalistic probes delivered to mammalian cells by microfluidic cell squeezing. High-affinity and target-specific tracing of proteins in various subcellular compartments is demonstrated, culminating in photoinduced labelling within live cells. Both the fine-tuned delivery of subnanomolar concentrations and the minimal size of the probe allow for live-cell super-resolution imaging with very low background and nanometre precision. This method is fast in probe delivery (∼ 1,000,000 cells per second), versatile across cell types and can be readily transferred to a multitude of proteins. Moreover, the technique succeeds in combination with well-established methods to gain multiplexed labelling and has demonstrated potential to precisely trace target proteins, in live mammalian cells, by super-resolution microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Kollmannsperger
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Armon Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 500 Main Street, Building 76-661, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Anika Raulf
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 7, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Mike Heilemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 7, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 500 Main Street, Building 76-661, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Klavs F. Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 500 Main Street, Building 76-661, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Ralph Wieneke
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Robert Tampé
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence—Macromolecular Complexes, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
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Griesbeck M, Ziegler S, Laffont S, Smith N, Chauveau L, Tomezsko P, Sharei A, Kourjian G, Porichis F, Hart M, Palmer CD, Sirignano M, Beisel C, Hildebrandt H, Cénac C, Villani AC, Diefenbach TJ, Le Gall S, Schwartz O, Herbeuval JP, Autran B, Guéry JC, Chang JJ, Altfeld M. Sex Differences in Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Levels of IRF5 Drive Higher IFN-α Production in Women. J Immunol 2015; 195:5327-36. [PMID: 26519527 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Increased IFN-α production contributes to the pathogenesis of infectious and autoimmune diseases. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) from females produce more IFN-α upon TLR7 stimulation than pDCs from males, yet the mechanisms underlying this difference remain unclear. In this article, we show that basal levels of IFN regulatory factor (IRF) 5 in pDCs were significantly higher in females compared with males and positively correlated with the percentage of IFN-α-secreting pDCs. Delivery of recombinant IRF5 protein into human primary pDCs increased TLR7-mediated IFN-α secretion. In mice, genetic ablation of the estrogen receptor 1 (Esr1) gene in the hematopoietic compartment or DC lineage reduced Irf5 mRNA expression in pDCs and IFN-α production. IRF5 mRNA levels furthermore correlated with ESR1 mRNA levels in human pDCs, consistent with IRF5 regulation at the transcriptional level by ESR1. Taken together, these data demonstrate a critical mechanism by which sex differences in basal pDC IRF5 expression lead to higher IFN-α production upon TLR7 stimulation in females and provide novel targets for the modulation of immune responses and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Griesbeck
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139; Centre d'Immunonologie et des Maladies Infectieuses-Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie/INSERM U1135, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Susanne Ziegler
- Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Sophie Laffont
- INSERM U1043, Toulouse F-31300, France; CNRS, U5282, Toulouse F-31300, France; Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Toulouse F-31300, France
| | - Nikaïa Smith
- Chemistry and Biology, Nucleotides and Immunology for Therapy, CNRS UMR-8601, Université Paris Descartes, Paris 75270, France
| | - Lise Chauveau
- Institut Pasteur, Unité de recherche associée CNRS 3015, Unite Virus et Immunité, Paris 75015, France
| | | | - Armon Sharei
- The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | | | | | - Meghan Hart
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | | | | | - Claudia Beisel
- Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg 20246, Germany; Medical Department, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Heike Hildebrandt
- Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Claire Cénac
- INSERM U1043, Toulouse F-31300, France; CNRS, U5282, Toulouse F-31300, France; Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Toulouse F-31300, France
| | | | | | - Sylvie Le Gall
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Olivier Schwartz
- Institut Pasteur, Unité de recherche associée CNRS 3015, Unite Virus et Immunité, Paris 75015, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Herbeuval
- Chemistry and Biology, Nucleotides and Immunology for Therapy, CNRS UMR-8601, Université Paris Descartes, Paris 75270, France
| | - Brigitte Autran
- Centre d'Immunonologie et des Maladies Infectieuses-Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie/INSERM U1135, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Jean-Charles Guéry
- INSERM U1043, Toulouse F-31300, France; CNRS, U5282, Toulouse F-31300, France; Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Toulouse F-31300, France
| | - J Judy Chang
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139; Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Marcus Altfeld
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139; Heinrich Pette Institute-Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg 20246, Germany;
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Saung MT, Sharei A, Adalsteinsson V, Liss A, Cho N, Kamath T, Ruiz C, Kirkpatrick J, Langer R, Love C, Jensen K. Abstract 5538A: Cell size-specific intracellular delivery. Cancer Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2015-5538a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Among the many methods of intracellular delivery, cell size-selective delivery is particularly applicable to cancer research and therapeutics where tumor cells tend to be larger than blood cells and selective manipulation of a single cell-type while minimally affecting the other cells in a heterogeneous mixture is important. In this study, cell size-selective delivery is achieved using a novel microfluidic device with 75 parallel channels through which cells are pushed under nitrogen pressure. The cells undergo deformation as they transit through the channels, which results in temporary disruption of the cell membrane to facilitate delivery of material into the cytoplasm. For each cell size, there is a specific channel width for which optimal cell viability and fluorophore delivery is achieved, with smaller cells requiring narrower channels. When two cells of different sizes are mixed in solution, the channel width for optimal cell viability and fluorophore delivery for each cell type remains the same, and larger cells can achieve fluorophore delivery at a significantly higher percentage than smaller cells at the former's optimal channel width. One possible application for this technology is tagging circulating tumor cells, and we have been able to selectively deliver fluorophores into tumor cells when spiked into whole human blood with 91% specificity. We were also able to isolate pancreatic tumors cells from a patient's blood sample that matched the genotype of the patient's primary pancreatic tumor. Intracellular delivery of materials has become increasingly important as we delve deeper into understanding cellular processes and developing targeted therapies, and with this device, selective delivery can be achieved in a vector-free environment and without dependence on cell-surface receptors.
Citation Format: May Tun Saung, Armon Sharei, Viktor Adalsteinsson, Andrew Liss, Nahyun Cho, Tushar Kamath, Camilo Ruiz, Jesse Kirkpatrick, Robert Langer, Christopher Love, Klavs Jensen. Cell size-specific intracellular delivery. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5538A. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5538A
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Armon Sharei
- 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
| | | | | | - Nahyun Cho
- 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
| | | | - Camilo Ruiz
- 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
| | | | | | | | - Klavs Jensen
- 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
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Szeto GL, Van Egeren D, Worku H, Sharei A, Alejandro B, Park C, Frew K, Brefo M, Mao S, Heimann M, Langer R, Jensen K, Irvine DJ. Microfluidic squeezing for intracellular antigen loading in polyclonal B-cells as cellular vaccines. Sci Rep 2015; 5:10276. [PMID: 25999171 PMCID: PMC4441198 DOI: 10.1038/srep10276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
B-cells are promising candidate autologous antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to prime antigen-specific T-cells both in vitro and in vivo. However to date, a significant barrier to utilizing B-cells as APCs is their low capacity for non-specific antigen uptake compared to “professional” APCs such as dendritic cells. Here we utilize a microfluidic device that employs many parallel channels to pass single cells through narrow constrictions in high throughput. This microscale “cell squeezing” process creates transient pores in the plasma membrane, enabling intracellular delivery of whole proteins from the surrounding medium into B-cells via mechano-poration. We demonstrate that both resting and activated B-cells process and present antigens delivered via mechano-poration exclusively to antigen-specific CD8+T-cells, and not CD4+T-cells. Squeezed B-cells primed and expanded large numbers of effector CD8+T-cells in vitro that produced effector cytokines critical to cytolytic function, including granzyme B and interferon-γ. Finally, antigen-loaded B-cells were also able to prime antigen-specific CD8+T-cells in vivo when adoptively transferred into mice. Altogether, these data demonstrate crucial proof-of-concept for mechano-poration as an enabling technology for B-cell antigen loading, priming of antigen-specific CD8+T-cells, and decoupling of antigen uptake from B-cell activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Lee Szeto
- 1] Department of Materials Science &Engineering, MIT [2] Department of Biological Engineering, MIT [3] David. H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT [4] The Ragon Institute of Harvard, MIT, and MGH
| | | | | | - Armon Sharei
- 1] David. H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT [2] Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT [3] The Ragon Institute of Harvard, MIT, and MGH
| | | | - Clara Park
- Department of Biological Engineering, MIT
| | | | - Mavis Brefo
- Department of Materials Science &Engineering, MIT
| | | | - Megan Heimann
- David. H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT
| | - Robert Langer
- 1] David. H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT [2] Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT
| | | | - Darrell J Irvine
- 1] Department of Materials Science &Engineering, MIT [2] Department of Biological Engineering, MIT [3] David. H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT [4] The Ragon Institute of Harvard, MIT, and MGH [5] Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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Sharei A, Poceviciute R, Jackson E, Cho N, Mao S, Hartoularos GC, Jang DY, Jhunjhunwala S, Eyerman A, Schoettle T, Langer R, Jensen KF. Plasma membrane recovery kinetics of a microfluidic intracellular delivery platform. Integr Biol (Camb) 2014; 6:470-5. [PMID: 24496115 PMCID: PMC3966949 DOI: 10.1039/c3ib40215k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular delivery of materials is a challenge in research and therapeutic applications. Physical methods of plasma membrane disruption have recently emerged as an approach to facilitate the delivery of a variety of macromolecules to a range of cell types. We use the microfluidic CellSqueeze delivery platform to examine the kinetics of plasma membrane recovery after disruption and its dependence on the calcium content of the surrounding buffer (recovery time ∼ 5 min without calcium vs. ∼ 30 s with calcium). Moreover, we illustrate that manipulation of the membrane repair kinetics can yield up to 5× improvement in delivery efficiency without significantly impacting cell viability. Membrane repair characteristics initially observed in HeLa cells are shown to translate to primary naïve murine T cells. Subsequent manipulation of membrane repair kinetics also enables the delivery of larger materials, such as antibodies, to these difficult to manipulate cells. This work provides insight into the membrane repair process in response to mechanical delivery and could potentially enable the development of improved delivery methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armon Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Roberta Poceviciute
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Emily Jackson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Nahyun Cho
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Shirley Mao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - George C. Hartoularos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Derek Y. Jang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Siddharth Jhunjhunwala
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Alexandra Eyerman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Taylor Schoettle
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Klavs F. Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
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Poceviciute R, Sharei A, Jensen K, Langer R. Plasma membrane recovery kinetics of a microfluidic intracellular delivery platform (1013.2). FASEB J 2014. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.1013.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Poceviciute
- Chemical Engineering CaltechPasadenaCAUnited States
- Chemical Engineering MITCambridgeMAUnited States
| | - Armon Sharei
- Chemical Engineering MITCambridgeMAUnited States
| | - Klavs Jensen
- Chemical Engineering MITCambridgeMAUnited States
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Sharei A, Cho N, Mao S, Jackson E, Poceviciute R, Adamo A, Zoldan J, Langer R, Jensen KF. Cell squeezing as a robust, microfluidic intracellular delivery platform. J Vis Exp 2013:e50980. [PMID: 24300077 DOI: 10.3791/50980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid mechanical deformation of cells has emerged as a promising, vector-free method for intracellular delivery of macromolecules and nanomaterials. This technology has shown potential in addressing previously challenging applications; including, delivery to primary immune cells, cell reprogramming, carbon nanotube, and quantum dot delivery. This vector-free microfluidic platform relies on mechanical disruption of the cell membrane to facilitate cytosolic delivery of the target material. Herein, we describe the detailed method of use for these microfluidic devices including, device assembly, cell preparation, and system operation. This delivery approach requires a brief optimization of device type and operating conditions for previously unreported applications. The provided instructions are generalizable to most cell types and delivery materials as this system does not require specialized buffers or chemical modification/conjugation steps. This work also provides recommendations on how to improve device performance and trouble-shoot potential issues related to clogging, low delivery efficiencies, and cell viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armon Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Abstract
We present a microfluidic based injection system designed to achieve intracellular delivery of macromolecules by directing a picoliter-jet of a solution towards individual cells. After discussing the concept, we present design specification and criteria, elucidate performance and discuss results. The method has the potential to be quantitative and high throughput, overcoming limitations of current intracellular delivery protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Adamo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - O. Roushdy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - R. Dokov
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - A. Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - K.F. Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Abstract
We present a microfluidic electroporation device with a comb electrode layout fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PMDS) and glass. Characterization experiments with HeLa cells and fluorescent dextran show efficient delivery (∼95%) with low toxicity (cell viability ∼85%) as well as rapid pore closure after electroporation. The activity of delivered molecules is also verified by silencing RNA (siRNA) studies that demonstrate gene knockdown in GFP expressing cells. This simple, scalable approach to microfluidic, flow-through electroporation could facilitate the integration of electroporation modules within cell analysis devices that perform multiple operations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Adamo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Lee J, Sharei A, Sim WY, Adamo A, Langer R, Jensen KF, Bawendi MG. Nonendocytic delivery of functional engineered nanoparticles into the cytoplasm of live cells using a novel, high-throughput microfluidic device. Nano Lett 2012; 12:6322-7. [PMID: 23145796 PMCID: PMC3521073 DOI: 10.1021/nl303421h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The ability to straightforwardly deliver engineered nanoparticles into the cell cytosol with high viability will vastly expand the range of biological applications. Nanoparticles could potentially be used as delivery vehicles or as fluorescent sensors to probe the cell. In particular, quantum dots (QDs) may be used to illuminate cytosolic proteins for long-term microscopy studies. Whereas recent advances have been successful in specifically labeling proteins with QDs on the cell membrane, cytosolic delivery of QDs into live cells has remained challenging. In this report, we demonstrate high throughput delivery of QDs into live cell cytoplasm using an uncomplicated microfluidic device while maintaining cell viabilities of 80-90%. We verify that the nanoparticle surface interacts with the cytosolic environment and that the QDs remain nonaggregated so that single QDs can be observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungmin Lee
- Department of Chemistry, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Armon Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Woo Young Sim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Andrea Adamo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Klavs F. Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Moungi G. Bawendi
- Department of Chemistry, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
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Abstract
Mechanical properties of cells have been shown to have a significant role in disease, as in many instances cell stiffness changes when a cell is no longer healthy. We present a high-throughput microfluidics-based approach that exploits the connection between travel time of a cell through a narrow passage and cell stiffness. The system resolves both cell travel time and relative cell diameter while retaining information on the cell level. We show that stiffer cells have longer transit times than less stiff ones and that cell size significantly influences travel times. Experiments with untreated HeLa cells and cells made compliant with latrunculin A and cytochalasin B further demonstrate that travel time is influenced by cell stiffness, with the compliant cells having faster transit time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Adamo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Armon Sharei
- Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Luigi Adamo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine St Louis, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - ByungKun Lee
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Shirley Mao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Klavs F. Jensen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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