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Patel A, Rosenke K, Parzych EM, Feldmann F, Bharti S, Griffin AJ, Schouest B, Lewis M, Choi J, Chokkalingam N, Machado V, Smith BJ, Frase D, Ali AR, Lovaglio J, Nguyen B, Hanley PW, Walker SN, Gary EN, Kulkarni A, Generotti A, Francica JR, Rosenthal K, Kulp DW, Esser MT, Smith TRF, Shaia C, Weiner DB, Feldmann H. In vivo delivery of engineered synthetic DNA-encoded SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies for pre-exposure prophylaxis in non-human primates. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2294860. [PMID: 38165394 PMCID: PMC10903752 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2294860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
COVID-19 remains a major public health concern. Monoclonal antibodies have received emergency use authorization (EUA) for pre-exposure prophylaxis against COVID-19 among high-risk groups for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19. In addition to recombinant biologics, engineered synthetic DNA-encoded antibodies (DMAb) are an important strategy for direct in vivo delivery of protective mAb. A DMAb cocktail was synthetically engineered to encode the immunoglobulin heavy and light chains of two different two different Fc-engineered anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The DMAbs were designed to enhance in vivo expression and delivered intramuscularly to cynomolgus and rhesus macaques with a modified in vivo delivery regimen. Serum levels were detected in macaques, along with specific binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain protein and neutralization of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in pseudovirus and authentic live virus assays. Prophylactic administration was protective in rhesus macaques against signs of SARS-CoV-2 (USA-WA1/2020) associated disease in the lungs. Overall, the data support further study of DNA-encoded antibodies as an additional delivery mode for prevention of COVID-19 severe disease. These data have implications for human translation of gene-encoded mAbs for emerging infectious diseases and low dose mAb delivery against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kyle Rosenke
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Parzych
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Friederike Feldmann
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Suman Bharti
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Amanda J. Griffin
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | | | - Matt Lewis
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Jihae Choi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Neethu Chokkalingam
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Brian J. Smith
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Drew Frase
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ali R. Ali
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jamie Lovaglio
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Brian Nguyen
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Patrick W. Hanley
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Susanne N. Walker
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ebony N. Gary
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Abhijeet Kulkarni
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Joseph R. Francica
- Vaccines & Immune Therapies, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Kim Rosenthal
- Vaccines & Immune Therapies, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Daniel W. Kulp
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mark T. Esser
- Vaccines & Immune Therapies, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | | | - Carl Shaia
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Heinz Feldmann
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT, USA
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DeLuca JM, Blasi M, Jha S, Shen X, Pollara J, Kerkau M, Purwar M, Carnathan DG, Negri D, Cara A, Wollenberg K, Saunders KO, Lu S, Silvestri G, Weiner DB, Klotman ME, Ferrari G, Moody MA, Bonsignori M. B cell immunofocusing and repriming in two HIV-1 Env immunization regimens. Res Sq 2024:rs.3.rs-3895128. [PMID: 38659814 PMCID: PMC11042408 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3895128/v1] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Diverse and rapidly mutating viruses pose challenges to immunogen and vaccine design. In this study, we evaluated the ability of memory B-cells obtained from two independent NHP trials to cross-react with individual HIV-1 vaccine components of two different multivalent immunization strategies. We demonstrated that while an HIV-1 Env multiclade, multivalent immunization regimen resulted in a dominant memory B-cell response that converged toward shared epitopes, in a sequential immunization with clonally-related non-stabilized gp140 HIV-1 Envs followed by SOSIP-stabilized gp140 trimers, the change in immunogen format resulted in repriming of the B-cell response.
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3
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Yarchoan M, Gane EJ, Marron TU, Perales-Linares R, Yan J, Cooch N, Shu DH, Fertig EJ, Kagohara LT, Bartha G, Northcott J, Lyle J, Rochestie S, Peters J, Connor JT, Jaffee EM, Csiki I, Weiner DB, Perales-Puchalt A, Sardesai NY. Personalized neoantigen vaccine and pembrolizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a phase 1/2 trial. Nat Med 2024; 30:1044-1053. [PMID: 38584166 PMCID: PMC11031401 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02894-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors have modest efficacy as a monotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A personalized therapeutic cancer vaccine (PTCV) may enhance responses to PD-1 inhibitors through the induction of tumor-specific immunity. We present results from a single-arm, open-label, phase 1/2 study of a DNA plasmid PTCV (GNOS-PV02) encoding up to 40 neoantigens coadministered with plasmid-encoded interleukin-12 plus pembrolizumab in patients with advanced HCC previously treated with a multityrosine kinase inhibitor. Safety and immunogenicity were assessed as primary endpoints, and treatment efficacy and feasibility were evaluated as secondary endpoints. The most common treatment-related adverse events were injection-site reactions, observed in 15 of 36 (41.6%) patients. No dose-limiting toxicities or treatment-related grade ≥3 events were observed. The objective response rate (modified intention-to-treat) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 was 30.6% (11 of 36 patients), with 8.3% (3 of 36) of patients achieving a complete response. Clinical responses were associated with the number of neoantigens encoded in the vaccine. Neoantigen-specific T cell responses were confirmed in 19 of 22 (86.4%) evaluable patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays. Multiparametric cellular profiling revealed active, proliferative and cytolytic vaccine-specific CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cells. T cell receptor β-chain (TCRβ) bulk sequencing results demonstrated vaccination-enriched T cell clone expansion and tumor infiltration. Single-cell analysis revealed posttreatment T cell clonal expansion of cytotoxic T cell phenotypes. TCR complementarity-determining region cloning of expanded T cell clones in the tumors following vaccination confirmed reactivity against vaccine-encoded neoantigens. Our results support the PTCV's mechanism of action based on the induction of antitumor T cells and show that a PTCV plus pembrolizumab has clinical activity in advanced HCC. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04251117 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Yarchoan
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Edward J Gane
- New Zealand Liver Transplant Unit, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Thomas U Marron
- Early Phase Trials Unit, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Jian Yan
- Geneos Therapeutics, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Neil Cooch
- Geneos Therapeutics, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel H Shu
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elana J Fertig
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Luciane T Kagohara
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jason T Connor
- ConfluenceStat, Cooper City, FL, USA
- University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Jaffee
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Tursi NJ, Weiner DB. Modified messenger-RNA components alter the encoded protein. Nature 2024; 625:37-38. [PMID: 38093050 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-03787-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
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5
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Bordoloi D, Kulkarni AJ, Adeniji OS, Pampena MB, Bhojnagarwala PS, Zhao S, Ionescu C, Perales-Puchalt A, Parzych EM, Zhu X, Ali AR, Cassel J, Zhang R, Betts MR, Abdel-Mohsen M, Weiner DB. Siglec-7 glyco-immune binding mAbs or NK cell engager biologics induce potent antitumor immunity against ovarian cancers. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadh4379. [PMID: 37910620 PMCID: PMC10619929 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh4379] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is a lethal gynecologic malignancy, with modest responses to CPI. Engagement of additional immune arms, such as NK cells, may be of value. We focused on Siglec-7 as a surface antigen for engaging this population. Human antibodies against Siglec-7 were developed and characterized. Coculture of OC cells with PBMCs/NKs and Siglec-7 binding antibodies showed NK-mediated killing of OC lines. Anti-Siglec-7 mAb (DB7.2) enhanced survival in OC-challenged mice. In addition, the combination of DB7.2 and anti-PD-1 demonstrated further improved OC killing in vitro. To use Siglec-7 engagement as an OC-specific strategy, we engineered an NK cell engager (NKCE) to simultaneously engage NK cells through Siglec-7, and OC targets through FSHR. The NKCE demonstrated robust in vitro killing of FSHR+ OC, controlled tumors, and improved survival in OC-challenged mice. These studies support additional investigation of the Siglec-7 targeting approaches as important tools for OC and other recalcitrant cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devivasha Bordoloi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Opeyemi S. Adeniji
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - M. Betina Pampena
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Shushu Zhao
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Candice Ionescu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Xizhou Zhu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ali R. Ali
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joel Cassel
- Molecular Screening and Protein Expression facility, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rugang Zhang
- Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael R. Betts
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Nangarlia A, Hassen FF, Canziani G, Bandi P, Talukder C, Zhang F, Krauth D, Gary EN, Weiner DB, Bieniasz P, Navas-Martin S, O'Keefe BR, Ang CG, Chaiken I. Irreversible Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by Lectin Engagement with Two Glycan Clusters on the Spike Protein. Biochemistry 2023; 62:2115-2127. [PMID: 37341186 PMCID: PMC10663058 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00109] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Host cell infection by SARS-CoV-2, similar to that by HIV-1, is driven by a conformationally metastable and highly glycosylated surface entry protein complex, and infection by these viruses has been shown to be inhibited by the mannose-specific lectins cyanovirin-N (CV-N) and griffithsin (GRFT). We discovered in this study that CV-N not only inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection but also leads to irreversibly inactivated pseudovirus particles. The irreversibility effect was revealed by the observation that pseudoviruses first treated with CV-N and then washed to remove all soluble lectin did not recover infectivity. The infection inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus mutants with single-site glycan mutations in spike suggested that two glycan clusters in S1 are important for both CV-N and GRFT inhibition: one cluster associated with the RBD (receptor binding domain) and the second with the S1/S2 cleavage site. We observed lectin antiviral effects with several SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus variants, including the recently emerged omicron, as well as a fully infectious coronavirus, therein reflecting the breadth of lectin antiviral function and the potential for pan-coronavirus inactivation. Mechanistically, observations made in this work indicate that multivalent lectin interaction with S1 glycans is likely a driver of the lectin infection inhibition and irreversible inactivation effect and suggest the possibility that lectin inactivation is caused by an irreversible conformational effect on spike. Overall, lectins' irreversible inactivation of SARS-CoV-2, taken with their breadth of function, reflects the therapeutic potential of multivalent lectins targeting the vulnerable metastable spike before host cell encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aakansha Nangarlia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Farah Fazloon Hassen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Gabriela Canziani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Praneeta Bandi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Choya Talukder
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Fengwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Retrovirology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Douglas Krauth
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Ebony N Gary
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - David B Weiner
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Paul Bieniasz
- Laboratory of Retrovirology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Sonia Navas-Martin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Molecular Virology & Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine & Infectious Disease, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Barry R O'Keefe
- Molecular Targets Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
- Natural Products Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Charles G Ang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
| | - Irwin Chaiken
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
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Joshi LR, Gálvez NM, Ghosh S, Weiner DB, Balazs AB. Delivery platforms for broadly neutralizing antibodies. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2023; 18:191-208. [PMID: 37265268 PMCID: PMC10247185 DOI: 10.1097/coh.0000000000000803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Passive administration of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) is being evaluated as a therapeutic approach to prevent or treat HIV infections. However, a number of challenges face the widespread implementation of passive transfer for HIV. To reduce the need of recurrent administrations of bNAbs, gene-based delivery approaches have been developed which overcome the limitations of passive transfer. RECENT FINDINGS The use of DNA and mRNA for the delivery of bNAbs has made significant progress. DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies (DMAbs) have shown great promise in animal models of disease and the underlying DNA-based technology is now being tested in vaccine trials for a variety of indications. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated the development of mRNA-based technology to induce protective immunity. These advances are now being successfully applied to the delivery of monoclonal antibodies using mRNA in animal models. Delivery of bNAbs using viral vectors, primarily adeno-associated virus (AAV), has shown great promise in preclinical animal models and more recently in human studies. Most recently, advances in genome editing techniques have led to engineering of monoclonal antibody expression from B cells. These efforts aim to turn B cells into a source of evolving antibodies that can improve through repeated exposure to the respective antigen. SUMMARY The use of these different platforms for antibody delivery has been demonstrated across a wide range of animal models and disease indications, including HIV. Although each approach has unique strengths and weaknesses, additional advances in efficiency of gene delivery and reduced immunogenicity will be necessary to drive widespread implementation of these technologies. Considering the mounting clinical evidence of the potential of bNAbs for HIV treatment and prevention, overcoming the remaining technical challenges for gene-based bNAb delivery represents a relatively straightforward path towards practical interventions against HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lok R. Joshi
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Nicolás M.S. Gálvez
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sukanya Ghosh
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
| | - Alejandro B. Balazs
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Tursi NJ, Xu Z, Kulp DW, Weiner DB. Gene-encoded nanoparticle vaccine platforms for in vivo assembly of multimeric antigen to promote adaptive immunity. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2023; 15:e1880. [PMID: 36807845 PMCID: PMC10665986 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticle vaccines are a diverse category of vaccines for the prophylaxis or treatment of various diseases. Several strategies have been employed for their optimization, especially to enhance vaccine immunogenicity and generate potent B-cell responses. Two major modalities utilized for particulate antigen vaccines include using nanoscale structures for antigen delivery and nanoparticles that are themselves vaccines due to antigen display or scaffolding-the latter of which we will define as "nanovaccines." Multimeric antigen display has a variety of immunological benefits compared to monomeric vaccines mediated through potentiating antigen-presenting cell presentation and enhancing antigen-specific B-cell responses through B-cell activation. The majority of nanovaccine assembly is done in vitro using cell lines. However, in vivo assembly of scaffolded vaccines potentiated using nucleic acids or viral vectors is a burgeoning modality of nanovaccine delivery. Several advantages to in vivo assembly exist, including lower costs of production, fewer production barriers, as well as more rapid development of novel vaccine candidates for emerging diseases such as SARS-CoV-2. This review will characterize the methods for de novo assembly of nanovaccines in the host using methods of gene delivery including nucleic acid and viral vectored vaccines. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Nucleic Acid-Based Structures Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus-Based Structures Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Tursi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel W. Kulp
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Bordoloi D, Kulkarni AJ, Adeniji OS, Pampena MB, Bhojnagarwala PS, Zhao S, Parzych EM, Zhang R, Betts MR, Abdel-Mohsen M, Weiner DB. Abstract 4263: Anti-Siglec 7 antibody displays potent anti-tumor immunity and demonstrates improved tumor control in combination with anti-PD1 in ovarian cancer. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-4263] [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: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
High grade serous ovarian cancer (OC) and ovarian carcinosarcoma, referred as “Cold” tumors have restricted treatment choices and being associated with high mortality. Current immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) have had modest impact for OC treatment; with anti PD-1/PD-L1 single therapies reported response rates of 4-15%. Accordingly, additional approaches are important for these patients. Natural killer (NK) cells represent an important subset of effector lymphocytes with strategic approaches for maximizing NK reactivity to target OC are likely important. Of interest, an inhibitory receptor and glyco immune checkpoint- Siglec 7 is expressed on 100% of peripheral blood and umbilical cord NK cells. We have generated antibodies against Siglec 7 through an optimized human Siglec 7 DNA/protein immunization approach in humanized next generation transgenic mice. By high throughput flow screening, we identified several Siglec 7 antibodies and down selected relevant clones. A unique clone DB7.2 was highly specific for Siglec 7. We demonstrated the ability of DB7.2 (human IgG1) to activate NK cells and induce OC cell killing using xCELLigence RTCA for in vivo OC challenge studies. DB7.2 (1μg/ml) bound to >90% of NK cells including both CD56dim and CD56bright subsets, evaluated in the PBMCs of multiple donors. It showed strong binding to recombinant Siglec 7 and Siglec 7 transduced HEK293T but not to wild type 293T cells supporting specificity. DB7.2 induced specific killing of multiple OC lines (OVCAR3&10,TOV21G, CaOV3, OVISE, PEO4) carrying different mutations; BRCA1&2, AKT, TP53, PIK3CA, BRAF etc. and resistant against a wide array of cancer drug targets; HSP90, HDAC, MTORC, DNA alkylating agents, EGFR, PARP, PI3K, and WEE1. Tumor killing was indicated to be mediated via enhanced secretion of soluble Fas, perforin, granulysin as well as granzyme A. Of note, OVISE (BRCA1mutated) and PEO4 (BRCA2 mutated, PARPi resistant) were susceptible to DB7.2 killing with EC50- 82.67 and 68.67 nM respectively. A single dose of in vivo expressed DB7.2 significantly reduced the tumor burden in an OVISE challenged humanized mice model enhancing median survival by 57 days. As OCs are highly diverse in nature and likely to require combinatorial approaches for simultaneous targeting of immune pathways; we combined DB7.2 with anti-PD1 for further investigation. In xCELLigence assay, anti-PD1 demonstrated killing of PEO4 cells with EC50 680 nM. The combination of anti PD-1 with DB7.2 showed further enhancement of OC killing in the presence of human PBMCs. This is the first demonstration of the impact of Siglec 7 targeting mAb alone as well as in combination with anti-PD1 (NK and T cell CPIs) studied for targeting OC or any human tumor. These studies have important implications for tumor therapy and provide a novel non T cell CPI potential approach to augment current immune therapy strategies.
Citation Format: Devivasha Bordoloi, Abhijeet J. Kulkarni, Opeyemi S. Adeniji, M Betina Pampena, Pratik S. Bhojnagarwala, Shushu Zhao, Elizabeth M. Parzych, Rugang Zhang, Michael R. Betts, Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, David B. Weiner. Anti-Siglec 7 antibody displays potent anti-tumor immunity and demonstrates improved tumor control in combination with anti-PD1 in ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4263.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - M Betina Pampena
- 2Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | | | | | | | - Michael R. Betts
- 2Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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Park DH, Bhojnagarwala P, Liaw K, Bordoloi D, Gary EN, Weiner DB. Abstract 2976: A single administration of DNA-encoded tri-specific T cell engager (DTriTE) targeting EGFRvIII, IL13Ra2, and CD3 shows complete tumor clearance in an orthotopic challenge model of heterogeneous GBM. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-2976] [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: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal form of primary brain tumors in adults with a five-year survival rate less than 5%. In recent years, immunotherapeutic approaches that target a tumor-associated antigen (TAA), including EGFRvIII-targeted cancer vaccine and adoptive cell transfer, have been examined in clinical studies, which so far have shown limited efficacy in GBM patients. GBM is highly heterogeneous for targeting antigen expression. An immunotherapeutic agent that harnesses multiple TAAs simultaneously may mitigate tumor antigen escape and improve efficacy in GBM patients. Here, we describe a DNA-encoded tri-specific T cell engager
(DTriTE) that targets CD3 and two TAAs, EGFRvIII and IL13Ra2, which are expressed in up to 30% and 75% of GBM cases, respectively. We designed EGFRvIII-IL13Ra2-DTriTE to include single-chain variable fragments targeting IL13Ra2, CD3, and EGFRvIII in a series, fused with glycine-serine linkers. EGFRvIII-IL13Ra2-DTriTE exhibited robust binding activities to both EGFRvIII+ and IL13Ra2+ tumor cells and primary T cells, inducing robust T cell activation and anti-tumor cytotoxicity. EGFRvIII-IL13Ra2-DTriTE showed durable in vivo expression of over 10 weeks after a single IM injection in NSG mice. We developed an orthotopic challenge of a heterogeneous GBM model, wherein a mixture of EGFRvIII+ tumor cells and IL13Ra2+ tumor cells were planted in the brains of NSG mice and primary human T cells were peripherally delivered. A single IM administration of EGFRvIII-IL13Ra2-DTriTE resulted in complete tumor clearance. An administration of DNA-encoded bispecific T cell engager (DBTE) targeting EGFRvIII alone induced tumor clearance in 3 of 10 (30%) and limited tumor control in 5 of 10 (50%) animals. Similarly, mono-targeting of IL13Ra2 alone induced tumor clearance in 1 of 9 (11%) and limited tumor control in 4 of 9 (44%) animals. EGFRvIII-IL13Ra2-DTriTE treatment exhibited significantly improved survival with 8 of 8 (100%) animals survived, while treatments of single EGFRvIII-DBTE, IL13Ra2-DBTE or a vehicle control resulted in 4 of 10 (40%), 4 of 9 (44%), and 0 of 10 (0%) animals survived, respectively. This study shows that dual tumor-targeting approach using DTriTE is highly effective at treating antigenically heterogeneous GBM tumors. Further study of DTriTE multi-antigen approaches for GBM and other heterogeneous tumors appears important.
Citation Format: Daniel Hongil Park, Pratik Bhojnagarwala, Kevin Liaw, Devivasha Bordoloi, Ebony N. Gary, David B. Weiner. A single administration of DNA-encoded tri-specific T cell engager (DTriTE) targeting EGFRvIII, IL13Ra2, and CD3 shows complete tumor clearance in an orthotopic challenge model of heterogeneous GBM [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2976.
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11
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Park DH, Liaw K, Bhojnagarwala P, Zhu X, Choi J, Ali AR, Bordoloi D, Gary EN, O’Connell RP, Kulkarni A, Guimet D, Smith T, Perales-Puchalt A, Patel A, Weiner DB. Multivalent in vivo delivery of DNA-encoded bispecific T cell engagers effectively controls heterogeneous GBM tumors and mitigates immune escape. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2023; 28:249-263. [PMID: 36915911 PMCID: PMC10006507 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is among the most difficult cancers to treat with a 5-year survival rate less than 5%. An immunotherapeutic vaccine approach targeting GBM-specific antigen, EGFRvIII, previously demonstrated important clinical impact. However, immune escape variants were reported in the trial, suggesting that multivalent approaches targeting GBM-associated antigens may be of importance. Here we focused on multivalent in vivo delivery of synthetic DNA-encoded bispecific T cell engagers (DBTEs) targeting two GBM-associated antigens, EGFRvIII and HER2. We designed and optimized an EGFRvIII-DBTE that induced T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against EGFRvIII-expressing tumor cells. In vivo delivery in a single administration of EGFRvIII-DBTE resulted in durable expression over several months in NSG mice and potent tumor control and clearance in both peripheral and orthotopic animal models of GBM. Next, we combined delivery of EGFRvIII-DBTEs with an HER2-targeting DBTE to treat heterogeneous GBM tumors. In vivo delivery of dual DBTEs targeting these two GBM-associated antigens exhibited enhanced tumor control and clearance in a heterogeneous orthotopic GBM challenge, while treatment with single-target DBTE ultimately allowed for tumor escape. These studies support that combined delivery of DBTEs, targeting both EGFRvIII and HER2, can potentially improve outcomes of GBM immunotherapy, and such multivalent approaches deserve additional study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H. Park
- Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kevin Liaw
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Xizhou Zhu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jihae Choi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ali R. Ali
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Devivasha Bordoloi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ebony N. Gary
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan P. O’Connell
- Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Abhijeet Kulkarni
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Diana Guimet
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Trevor Smith
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | | | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David B. Weiner
- Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Corresponding author David B. Weiner, Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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12
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Gary EN, Tursi NJ, Warner BM, Cuismano G, Connors J, Parzych EM, Griffin BD, Bell MR, Ali AR, Frase D, Hojecki CE, Canziani GA, Chaiken I, Kannan T, Moffat E, Embury-Hyatt C, Wooton SK, Kossenkov A, Patel A, Kobasa D, Kutzler MA, Haddad EK, Weiner DB. Adenosine deaminase augments SARS-CoV-2 specific cellular and humoral responses in aged mouse models of immunization and challenge. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1138609. [PMID: 36999023 PMCID: PMC10043169 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1138609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite numerous clinically available vaccines and therapeutics, aged patients remain at increased risk for COVID-19 morbidity. Furthermore, various patient populations, including the aged can have suboptimal responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine antigens. Here, we characterized vaccine-induced responses to SARS-CoV-2 synthetic DNA vaccine antigens in aged mice. Aged mice exhibited altered cellular responses, including decreased IFNγ secretion and increased TNFα and IL-4 secretion suggestive of TH2-skewed responses. Aged mice exhibited decreased total binding and neutralizing antibodies in their serum but significantly increased TH2-type antigen-specific IgG1 antibody compared to their young counterparts. Strategies to enhance vaccine-induced immune responses are important, especially in aged patient populations. We observed that co-immunization with plasmid-encoded adenosine deaminase (pADA)enhanced immune responses in young animals. Ageing is associated with decreases in ADA function and expression. Here, we report that co-immunization with pADA enhanced IFNγ secretion while decreasing TNFα and IL-4 secretion. pADA expanded the breadth and affinity SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibodies while supporting TH1-type humoral responses in aged mice. scRNAseq analysis of aged lymph nodes revealed that pADA co-immunization supported a TH1 gene profile and decreased FoxP3 gene expression. Upon challenge, pADA co-immunization decreased viral loads in aged mice. These data support the use of mice as a model for age-associated decreased vaccine immunogenicity and infection-mediated morbidity and mortality in the context of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and provide support for the use of adenosine deaminase as a molecular adjuvant in immune-challenged populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebony N. Gary
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nicholas J. Tursi
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Bryce M. Warner
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Gina Cuismano
- The Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jennifer Connors
- The Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Elizabeth M. Parzych
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Bryan D. Griffin
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Matthew R. Bell
- The Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ali R. Ali
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Drew Frase
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Casey E. Hojecki
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Gabriela A. Canziani
- The Department of Biochemistry, Drexel University college of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Irwin Chaiken
- The Department of Biochemistry, Drexel University college of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Toshitha Kannan
- The Genomics Core, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Estella Moffat
- National Center for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Carissa Embury-Hyatt
- National Center for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Sarah K. Wooton
- Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Kossenkov
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- The Genomics Core, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ami Patel
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Darwyn Kobasa
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Michele A. Kutzler
- The Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Elias K. Haddad
- The Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David B. Weiner
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Jacobson JM, Zahrieh D, Strand CA, Cruz-Correa M, Pungpapong S, Roberts LR, Mandrekar SJ, Rodriguez LM, Boyer J, Marrero I, Kraynyak KA, Morrow MP, Sylvester AJ, Pawlicki JM, Gillespie E, Barranco E, Richmond E, Umar A, Weiner DB, Limburg PJ. Phase I Trial of a Therapeutic DNA Vaccine for Preventing Hepatocellular Carcinoma from Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2023; 16:163-173. [PMID: 36534786 PMCID: PMC9992130 DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.capr-22-0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We studied the safety and immunogenicity of a novel therapeutic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1a/1b consensus DNA vaccine, INO-8000, encoding HCV NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5A proteins alone or co-administered with DNA-encoding IL12 (INO-9012), a human cytokine that stimulates cellular immune function, in individuals with chronic hepatitis C. This was a phase I, multisite dose-escalation trial with an expansion cohort evaluating doses of 0, 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mg of INO-9012 (IL12 DNA) as an addition to 6.0 mg of (INO-8000; HCV DNA vaccine). Vaccines were administered by intramuscular injection followed by electroporation at study entry and at weeks 4, 12, and 24. HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell immune responses were measured by IFNγ ELISpot and flow cytometry-based assays. Transient, mild-to-moderate injection site reactions unrelated to IL12 DNA dose were common. Increases in HCV-specific IFNγ production occurred in 15/20 (75%) participants. Increases in the frequency of HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells occurred at all dose levels, with the greatest increases seen at 1.0 mg of INO-9012. HCV-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell activities increased in 16/18 (89%) and 14/17 (82%) participants with available data, respectively. The vaccine regimen was safe and induced HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ cellular immune responses of modest magnitude in most HCV-infected participants. The addition of 1.0 mg of IL12 DNA provided the best enhancement of immune responses. The vaccine regimen had little effect on controlling HCV viremia. PREVENTION RELEVANCE The administration of IL12 DNA along with a hepatitis C viral antigen DNA vaccine enhanced the HCV-specific immune responses induced by the vaccine in individuals with chronic hepatitis C, an important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. IL12 could be an effective adjuvant in vaccines targeting HCV and other oncogenic viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Luz Maria Rodriguez
- National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Prevention, Rockville, MD
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Bethesda, MD
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ellen Richmond
- National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Prevention, Rockville, MD
| | - Asad Umar
- National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Prevention, Rockville, MD
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Saini P, Adeniji OS, Bordoloi D, Kinslow J, Martinson J, Parent DM, Hong KY, Koshy J, Kulkarni AJ, Zilberstein NF, Balk RA, Moy JN, Giron LB, Tracy RP, Keshavarzian A, Muthumani K, Landay A, Weiner DB, Abdel-Mohsen M. Siglec-9 Restrains Antibody-Dependent Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity against SARS-CoV-2. mBio 2023; 14:e0339322. [PMID: 36728420 PMCID: PMC9973332 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03393-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection alters the immunological profiles of natural killer (NK) cells. However, whether NK antiviral functions are impaired during severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and what host factors modulate these functions remain unclear. We found that NK cells from hospitalized COVID-19 patients degranulate less against SARS-CoV-2 antigen-expressing cells (in direct cytolytic and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity [ADCC] assays) than NK cells from mild COVID-19 patients or negative controls. The lower NK degranulation was associated with higher plasma levels of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen. Phenotypic and functional analyses showed that NK cells expressing the glyco-immune checkpoint Siglec-9 elicited higher ADCC than Siglec-9- NK cells. Consistently, Siglec-9+ NK cells exhibit an activated and mature phenotype with higher expression of CD16 (FcγRIII; mediator of ADCC), CD57 (maturation marker), and NKG2C (activating receptor), along with lower expression of the inhibitory receptor NKG2A, than Siglec-9- CD56dim NK cells. These data are consistent with the concept that the NK cell subpopulation expressing Siglec-9 is highly activated and cytotoxic. However, the Siglec-9 molecule itself is an inhibitory receptor that restrains NK cytotoxicity during cancer and other viral infections. Indeed, blocking Siglec-9 significantly enhanced the ADCC-mediated NK degranulation and lysis of SARS-CoV-2-antigen-positive target cells. These data support a model in which the Siglec-9+ CD56dim NK subpopulation is cytotoxic even while it is restrained by the inhibitory effects of Siglec-9. Alleviating the Siglec-9-mediated restriction on NK cytotoxicity may further improve NK immune surveillance and presents an opportunity to develop novel immunotherapeutic tools against SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. IMPORTANCE One mechanism that cancer cells use to evade natural killer cell immune surveillance is by expressing high levels of sialoglycans, which bind to Siglec-9, a glyco-immune checkpoint molecule on NK cells. This binding inhibits NK cell cytotoxicity. Several viruses, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV, also use a similar mechanism to evade NK surveillance. We found that NK cells from SARS-CoV-2-hospitalized patients are less able to function against cells expressing SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein than NK cells from SARS-CoV-2 mild patients or uninfected controls. We also found that the cytotoxicity of the Siglec-9+ NK subpopulation is indeed restrained by the inhibitory nature of the Siglec-9 molecule and that blocking Siglec-9 can enhance the ability of NK cells to target cells expressing SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Our results suggest that a targetable glyco-immune checkpoint mechanism, Siglec-9/sialoglycan interaction, may contribute to the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to evade NK immune surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratima Saini
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kai Ying Hong
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jane Koshy
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kar Muthumani
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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15
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Tursi NJ, Xu Z, Helble M, Walker S, Liaw K, Chokkalingam N, Kannan T, Wu Y, Tello-Ruiz E, Park DH, Zhu X, Wise MC, Smith TRF, Majumdar S, Kossenkov A, Kulp DW, Weiner DB. Engineered antibody cytokine chimera synergizes with DNA-launched nanoparticle vaccines to potentiate melanoma suppression in vivo. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1072810. [PMID: 36911698 PMCID: PMC9997082 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1072810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has demonstrated great promise with several checkpoint inhibitors being approved as the first-line therapy for some types of cancer, and new engineered cytokines such as Neo2/15 now being evaluated in many studies. In this work, we designed antibody-cytokine chimera (ACC) scaffolding cytokine mimetics on a full-length tumor-specific antibody. We characterized the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) properties of first-generation ACC TA99-Neo2/15, which synergized with DLnano-vaccines to suppress in vivo melanoma proliferation and induced significant systemic cytokine activation. A novel second-generation ACC TA99-HL2-KOA1, with retained IL-2Rβ/γ binding and attenuated but preserved IL-2Rα binding, induced lower systemic cytokine activation with non-inferior protection in murine tumor studies. Transcriptomic analyses demonstrated an upregulation of Type I interferon responsive genes, particularly ISG15, in dendritic cells, macrophages and monocytes following TA99-HL2-KOA1 treatment. Characterization of additional ACCs in combination with cancer vaccines will likely be an important area of research for treating melanoma and other types of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Tursi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Michaela Helble
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Susanne Walker
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kevin Liaw
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Neethu Chokkalingam
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Toshitha Kannan
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Yuanhan Wu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Edgar Tello-Ruiz
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Daniel H Park
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Xizhou Zhu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Megan C Wise
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Bluebell, PA, United States
| | | | - Sonali Majumdar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Andrew Kossenkov
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Daniel W Kulp
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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16
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Jiang S, Wu S, Zhao G, He Y, Bao L, Liu J, Qin C, Hou J, Ding Y, Cheng A, Jiang B, Wu J, Yan J, Humeau L, Patella A, Weiner DB, Broderick K, Wang B. Comparison of Wild Type DNA Sequence of Spike Protein from SARS-CoV-2 with Optimized Sequence on The Induction of Protective Responses Against SARS-Cov-2 Challenge in Mouse Model. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2022; 18:2016201. [PMID: 35061975 PMCID: PMC8986195 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2021.2016201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic optimization of Nucleic Acid immunogens is important for potentially improving their immune potency. A COVID-19 DNA vaccine is in phase III clinical trial which is based on a promising highly developable technology platform. Here, we show optimization in mice generating a pGX-9501 DNA vaccine encoding full-length spike protein, which results in induction of potent humoral and cellular immune responses, including neutralizing antibodies, that block hACE2-RBD binding of live CoV2 virus in vitro. Optimization resulted in improved induction of cellular immunity by pGX-9501 as demonstrated by increased IFN-γ expression in both CD8+ and CD4 + T cells and this was associated with more robust antiviral CTL responses compared to unoptimized constructs. Vaccination with pGX-9501 induced subsequent protection against virus challenge in a rigorous hACE2 transgenic mouse model. Overall, pGX-9501 is a promising optimized COVID-19 DNA vaccine candidate inducing humoral and cellular immunity contributing to the vaccine's protective effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College (SHMC), Fudan University, Shanghai, China,National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuting Wu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College (SHMC), Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gan Zhao
- Biomedical Research Institute of Advaccine (BRIA), Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. LTD, Suzhou City, Jiangsu
| | - Yue He
- Biomedical Research Institute of Advaccine (BRIA), Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. LTD, Suzhou City, Jiangsu
| | - Linlin Bao
- Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Chinese Ministry of Health, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Models of Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Jiangning Liu
- Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Chinese Ministry of Health, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Models of Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Chuan Qin
- Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Chinese Ministry of Health, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Models of Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Center, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing, China
| | - Jiawang Hou
- Biomedical Research Institute of Advaccine (BRIA), Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. LTD, Suzhou City, Jiangsu
| | - Yuan Ding
- Biomedical Research Institute of Advaccine (BRIA), Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. LTD, Suzhou City, Jiangsu
| | - Alex Cheng
- Biomedical Research Institute of Advaccine (BRIA), Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. LTD, Suzhou City, Jiangsu
| | - Brian Jiang
- Biomedical Research Institute of Advaccine (BRIA), Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. LTD, Suzhou City, Jiangsu
| | - John Wu
- Biomedical Research Institute of Advaccine (BRIA), Advaccine Biopharmaceutics (Suzhou) Co. LTD, Suzhou City, Jiangsu
| | - Jian Yan
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | - Ami Patella
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Bin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College (SHMC), Fudan University, Shanghai, China,National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China,CONTACT Bin Wang School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, 131 Dong’an Road, 409 Fuxing Building, Shanghai200032, China
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17
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Bordoloi D, Bhojnagarwala PS, Perales-Puchalt A, Kulkarni AJ, Zhu X, Liaw K, O’Connell RP, Park DH, Kulp DW, Zhang R, Weiner DB. A mAb against surface-expressed FSHR engineered to engage adaptive immunity for ovarian cancer immunotherapy. JCI Insight 2022; 7:162553. [PMID: 36509287 PMCID: PMC9746812 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.162553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in ovarian cancer (OC) therapy, recurrent OC remains a poor-prognosis disease. Because of the close interaction between OC cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME), it is important to develop strategies that target tumor cells and engage components of the TME. A major obstacle in the development of OC therapies is the identification of targets with expression limited to tumor surface to avoid off-target interactions. The follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) has selective expression on ovarian granulosa cells and is expressed on 50%-70% of serous OCs. We generated mAbs targeting the external domain of FSHR using in vivo-expressed FSHR vector. By high-throughput flow analysis, we identified multiple clones and downselected D2AP11, a potent FSHR surface-targeted mAb. D2AP11 identifies important OC cell lines derived from tumors with different mutations, including BRCA1/2, and lines resistant to a wide range of therapies. We used D2AP11 to develop a bispecific T cell engager. In vitro addition of PBMCs and T cells to D2AP11-TCE induced specific and potent killing of different genetic and immune escape OC lines, with EC50s in the ng/ml range, and attenuated tumor burden in OC-challenged mouse models. These studies demonstrate the potential utility of biologics targeting FSHR for OC and perhaps other FSHR-positive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rugang Zhang
- Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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18
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Choi H, Kudchodkar SB, Xu Z, Ho M, Xiao P, Ramos S, Humeau L, Weiner DB, Muthumani K. Elicitation of immune responses against Nipah virus by an engineered synthetic DNA vaccine. Front Virol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fviro.2022.968338] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Nipah virus (NiV) is a re-emerging pathogen that causes severe disease in animals and humans. Current treatment measures for NiV infection are insufficient, and there is no approved vaccine against NiV for either humans or animals. Nipah virus is listed as a high-priority pathogen for vaccine and therapeutic research by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the present study, we employed synthetic enhanced DNA technologies developed to design and produce novel consensus NiV Fusion (NiV-F) and Glycoprotein (NiV-G) antigen sequences for inclusion in synthetic DNA vaccines for NiV. The expression of each vaccine antigen was confirmed in vitro using immune-binding assays. Electroporation-enhanced intramuscular injection of each NiV-F and NiV-G into mice induced potent cellular immune responses to multiple epitopes of NiV-G and NiV-F that included antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Both vaccines elicited high antibody titers in mice, with a single immunization sufficient to seroconvert 100% of immunized animals. Additionally, the NiV-F vaccine also induced antibodies to neutralize NiV-F-pseudotyped virus particles. These data support further study of these novel synthetic enhanced NiV nucleic acid-based antigens as potential components of an effective vaccine against the Nipah virus.
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19
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Tursi NJ, Reeder SM, Flores-Garcia Y, Bah MA, Mathis-Torres S, Salgado-Jimenez B, Esquivel R, Xu Z, Chu JD, Humeau L, Patel A, Zavala F, Weiner DB. Engineered DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies targeting Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein confer single dose protection in a murine malaria challenge model. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14313. [PMID: 35995959 PMCID: PMC9395511 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18375-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel approaches for malaria prophylaxis remain important. Synthetic DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies (DMAbs) are a promising approach to generate rapid, direct in vivo host-generated mAbs with potential benefits in production simplicity and distribution coupled with genetic engineering. Here, we explore this approach in a malaria challenge model. We engineered germline-reverted DMAbs based on human mAb clones CIS43, 317, and L9 which target a junctional epitope, major repeat, and minor repeat of the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP) respectively. DMAb variants were encoded into a plasmid vector backbone and their expression and binding profiles were characterized. We demonstrate long-term serological expression of DMAb constructs resulting in in vivo efficacy of CIS43 GL and 317 GL in a rigorous mosquito bite mouse challenge model. Additionally, we engineered an Fc modified variant of CIS43 and L9-based DMAbs to ablate binding to C1q to test the impact of complement-dependent Fc function on challenge outcomes. Complement knockout variant DMAbs demonstrated similar protection to that of WT Fc DMAbs supporting the notion that direct binding to the parasite is sufficient for the protection observed. Further investigation of DMAbs for malaria prophylaxis appears of importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Tursi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sophia M Reeder
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Yevel Flores-Garcia
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Mamadou A Bah
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Shamika Mathis-Torres
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Berenice Salgado-Jimenez
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Rianne Esquivel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jacqueline D Chu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Laurent Humeau
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, 19462, USA
| | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Fidel Zavala
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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20
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Gary EN, Tursi NJ, Warner B, Parzych EM, Ali AR, Frase D, Moffat E, Embury-Hyatt C, Smith TRF, Broderick KE, Humeau L, Kobasa D, Patel A, Kulp DW, Weiner DB. Mucosal chemokine adjuvant enhances synDNA vaccine-mediated responses to SARS-CoV-2 and provides heterologous protection in vivo. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100693. [PMID: 35839767 PMCID: PMC9237025 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed more than 5 million lives. Emerging variants of concern (VOCs) continually challenge viral control. Directing vaccine-induced humoral and cell-mediated responses to mucosal surfaces may enhance vaccine efficacy. Here we investigate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of optimized synthetic DNA plasmids encoding wild-type severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (pS) co-formulated with the plasmid-encoded mucosal chemokine cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (pCTACK; CCL27). pCTACK-co-immunized animals exhibit increased spike-specific antibodies at the mucosal surface and increased frequencies of interferon gamma (IFNγ)+ CD8+ T cells in the respiratory mucosa. pCTACK co-immunization confers 100% protection from heterologous Delta VOC challenge. This study shows that mucosal chemokine adjuvants can direct vaccine-induced responses to specific immunological sites and have significant effects on heterologous challenge. Further study of this unique chemokine-adjuvanted vaccine approach in the context of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is likely important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebony N Gary
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nicholas J Tursi
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Bryce Warner
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Elizabeth M Parzych
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ali R Ali
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Drew Frase
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Estella Moffat
- National Center for Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD), Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Carissa Embury-Hyatt
- National Center for Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD), Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Darwyn Kobasa
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Ami Patel
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel W Kulp
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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21
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Cusimano GM, Gary EN, Bell MR, Warner BM, Connors J, Tursi NJ, Ali AR, Zhang S, Canziani G, Taramangalam B, Gordon EA, Chaiken IM, Wootton SK, Smith T, Ramos S, Kobasa D, Weiner DB, Kutzler MA, Haddad EK. Improved Durability to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Immunity following Coimmunization with Molecular Adjuvant Adenosine Deaminase-1. J Immunol 2022; 209:118-127. [PMID: 35750334 PMCID: PMC9246991 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines have demonstrated strong immunogenicity and protection against severe disease, concerns about the duration and breadth of these responses remain. In this study, we show that codelivery of plasmid-encoded adenosine deaminase-1 (pADA) with SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein DNA enhances immune memory and durability in vivo. Coimmunized mice displayed increased spike-specific IgG of higher affinity and neutralizing capacity as compared with plasmid-encoded spike-only-immunized animals. Importantly, pADA significantly improved the longevity of these enhanced responses in vivo. This coincided with durable increases in frequencies of plasmablasts, receptor-binding domain-specific memory B cells, and SARS-CoV-2-specific T follicular helper cells. Increased spike-specific T cell polyfunctionality was also observed. Notably, animals coimmunized with pADA had significantly reduced viral loads compared with their nonadjuvanted counterparts in a SARS-CoV-2 infection model. These data suggest that pADA enhances immune memory and durability and supports further translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina M Cusimano
- Department of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ebony N Gary
- The Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Matthew R Bell
- Department of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Bryce M Warner
- Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Jennifer Connors
- Department of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Nicholas J Tursi
- The Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ali R Ali
- The Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Shiyu Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Gabriela Canziani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Emma A Gordon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Irwin M Chaiken
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Sarah K Wootton
- Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Darwyn Kobasa
- Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - David B Weiner
- The Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Michele A Kutzler
- Department of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Elias K Haddad
- Department of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
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22
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Bhojnagarwala PS, Ali AR, Frase D, Kulkarni A, Bordoloi D, Weiner DB. Abstract 2913: Personalized ovarian cancer therapy using in vivo assembled bi-specific antibodies targeting Her2 and FSHR. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-2913] [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
According to The American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer will cause ~14,000 deaths in the US in 2021. Despite recent advances in therapy, clinical outcomes remain poor and there is a great unmet need for newer therapies for ovarian cancer patients. Bispecific T cell engagers (BiTEs) consist of two single chain variable fragments (scFVs) linked via a peptide linker and are being studied as a tool against many different cancers. BiTEs redirect T cell activity towards tumor cells in an MHC independent manner by bringing T cells close to a tumor associated antigen (TAA). A BiTE targeting CD19 has been approved for treating ALL, however the success of BiTEs in treating solid tumor remains limited. Two reasons that reduce the efficacy of BiTEs in solid tumors are 1) their short half-life which drastically reduces their availability 2) tumor heterogeneity preventing targeting by a single BiTE. Tumors downregulate TAA expression in response to targeted therapy allowing treatment escape. Development of novel BiTEs with longer serum half-lives and in vivo delivery strategies which allow rapid customization of BiTEs is important. Here we describe a strategy for in vivo assembly using the Knob-in-hole (KIH) approach. We designed two different DNA encoded KIH (dKIH), targeting Her2 and FSHR, and studied their ability to be assembled in vivo into functional therapeutics. The knobs encoded full length antibodies engineered to target either Her2 or FSHR. We designed a third construct as the hole to target CD3. Following in vitro characterization, we injected NSG mice with KIH pairs for Her2+CD3 or FSHR+ CD3 and studied their expression and function. Sera from mice injected with Her2 or FSHR dKIH bound tumor cells expressing Her2 or FSHR respectively. Sera from mice from both groups also bound to T cells. We observed that both dKIH resulted in mouse sera with high potency (pg level) killing of ovarian cancer cell lines expressing Her2 and FSHR in an in vitro killing assay. A single injection of either dKIH allowed for in vivo expression and tumor killing for over a month post injection which is a significant improvement over delivery of protein KIH. This study demonstrates the potential of in vivo assembly of KIH. The patients produce their own therapy, which allows to skip complex bioprocessing steps and makes KIH delivery simpler and cheaper. This study illustrates the potential to improve immunotherapy outcomes for ovarian cancer patients via in vivo assembly of multiple BiTEs.
Citation Format: Pratik Sanjivkumar Bhojnagarwala, Ali Raza Ali, Drew Frase, Abhijeet Kulkarni, Devivasha Bordoloi, David B. Weiner. Personalized ovarian cancer therapy using in vivo assembled bi-specific antibodies targeting Her2 and FSHR [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 2913.
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23
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Zhu X, Perales-Puchalt A, Wojtak K, Xu Z, Yun K, Bhojnagarwala PS, Bordoloi D, Park DH, Liaw K, Bah MA, Lieberman PM, Gary EN, Patel A, Weiner DB. Abstract 3573: DNA immunotherapy targeting BARF1 demonstrates therapeutic impact in novel murine carcinoma models expressing EBV latent antigens. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-3573] [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
Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) latent infection is associated with multiple types of cancer. Several clinical studies have targeted EBV antigens as immune therapeutic targets with limited efficacy of EBV+ malignancies, suggesting additional targets might be important. BamHI-A rightward frame 1 (BARF1) is an EBV antigen that is highly expressed in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) and EBV+ nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and has not been evaluated as an antigen in the context of therapeutic immunization. Here, we developed a synthetic DNA-based expression cassette as immunotherapy targeting BARF1 (pBARF1). Immunization with pBARF1 induced potent antigen-specific humoral and polyfunctional effector T cell responses in vivo. We observed significant antigen-specific increases of IFN-γ+, IFN-γ+ TNF-α+, and IFN-γ+ TNF-α+ IL-2+ populations in CD8+ T cells from the pBARF1 immunized animals in both C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Novel BARF1 expressing carcinoma lines that grow in immune-competent animals were developed as surrogates for human EBV+ tumors. We confirmed that BARF1 expression in these new cancer cell lines, MC38-BARF1 and CT26-BARF1, was within the range of human EBV+ cancer cell lines, SNU719 and C666-1. Immunization with pBARF1 plasmid demonstrated impact of tumor progression through induction of CD8+ T cell in these BARF1+ carcinoma models. We also observed long-term antitumor immunity, at least up to 446 days, against BARF1 in a CT26-BARF1 rechallenge study. Using IVIS in vivo imaging, we observed that pBARF1 immunized animals rapidly controlled and cleared cancer cells. These studies demonstrate the potential for pBARF1 immunity to induce antigen-specific immune responses impacting tumor progression. Further study of this immune target and these EBV+ tumor models is likely important as part of therapeutic approaches for EBV+ malignancies.
Citation Format: Xizhou Zhu, Alfredo Perales-Puchalt, Krzysztof Wojtak, Ziyang Xu, Kun Yun, Pratik S. Bhojnagarwala, Devivasha Bordoloi, Daniel H. Park, Kevin Liaw, Mamadou A. Bah, Paul M. Lieberman, Ebony N. Gary, Ami Patel, David B. Weiner. DNA immunotherapy targeting BARF1 demonstrates therapeutic impact in novel murine carcinoma models expressing EBV latent antigens [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 3573.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xizhou Zhu
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Krzysztof Wojtak
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Kun Yun
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Devivasha Bordoloi
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Daniel H. Park
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Kevin Liaw
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Mamadou A. Bah
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Ebony N. Gary
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ami Patel
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
| | - David B. Weiner
- 1Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
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24
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Bordoloi D, Bhojnagarwala P, Kulkarni AJ, Adeniji OS, Perales-Puchalt A, O’Connell RP, Zhu X, Parzych EM, Zhang R, Abdel-Mohsen M, Weiner DB. Abstract 4262: Immunotherapy of ovarian cancer targeting FSHR by innate and adaptive immunity. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-4262] [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
Ovarian cancer (OC) represents the deadliest gynecologic malignancy. Despite important advances in the field of OC therapy, recurrent OC still has very poor prognosis with a median survival of 1 year. Due to the close interaction between the ovarian cancer cells and tumor microenvironment, development of treatment strategies which not only target the tumor cells but also the components of the tumor microenvironment hold significance. Notably, a prime obstacle in the development of therapies is to identify targets with specific expression limited to the tumor surface and not the healthy tissues. The follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) is one such target with selective expression in ovarian granulosa cells and thus, a potentially important therapeutic target in OC. Therefore, we developed monoclonal antibodies against FSHR and focused on studies of the most potent of these reagents. Anti-FSHR antibody bound to diverse FSHR expressing ovarian serous and clear cell adenocarcinoma cells suggesting these antibodies could be used to specifically target OC. We then designed a novel DNA encoded bispecific T cell engager targeting FSHR (FSHRxCD3) and evaluated this bispecific in therapeutic models for the treatment of OC. FSHRxCD3 bispecific in the presence of human PBMCs was highly specific in killing FSHR positive ovarian tumor lines. However, T cell approaches alone may not be fully effective in treating OC, referred as Immunologically “Cold” Tumors. Hence, we hypothesized that engaging the other components of immune system, would provide better tumor control. Increasing lines of evidence suggest that OC is receptive to Natural killer (NK) cell attack. We designed antibodies against human Siglec-7, an inhibitory receptor present on human NK cells and showed they could bind to NK cells. We then used these to create a novel class of bispecific NK engager (NKE) that simultaneously targets both Siglec-7 and FSHR (Siglec-7xFSHR). This NKE was potent at killing FSHR positive OC targets in both in vitro and in vivo assays. Multiple Ovarian tumors including BRCA mutated and PARPi resistant ovarian cancer cells could be targeted by this immune therapy. Our data demonstrate the therapeutic potential of these two novel bispecific molecules and initial studies suggest that their combination may be valuable in patients with OC.
Citation Format: Devivasha Bordoloi, Pratik Bhojnagarwala, Abhijeet J. Kulkarni, Opeyemi S. Adeniji, Alfredo Perales-Puchalt, Ryan P. O’Connell, Xizhou Zhu, Elizabeth M. Parzych, Rugang Zhang, Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, David B. Weiner. Immunotherapy of ovarian cancer targeting FSHR by innate and adaptive immunity [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 4262.
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25
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Aisenberg LK, Rousseau KE, Cascino K, Massaccesi G, Aisenberg WH, Luo W, Muthumani K, Weiner DB, Whitehead SS, Chattergoon MA, Durbin AP, Cox AL. Cross-reactive antibodies facilitate innate sensing of dengue and Zika viruses. JCI Insight 2022; 7:151782. [PMID: 35588060 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.151782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Aedes aegypti mosquito transmits both dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses. Individuals in endemic areas are at risk for infection with both viruses as well as repeated DENV infection. In the presence of anti-DENV antibodies, outcomes of secondary DENV infection range from mild to life-threatening. Further, the role of cross-reactive antibodies on the course of ZIKV infection remains unclear.We assessed the ability of cross-reactive DENV monoclonal antibodies or polyclonal immunoglobulin isolated after DENV vaccination to upregulate type I interferon (IFN) production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in response to both heterotypic DENV- and ZIKV- infected cells. We found a range in the ability of antibodies to increase pDC IFN production and a positive correlation between IFN production and the ability of an antibody to bind to the infected cell surface. Engagement of Fc receptors on the pDC and Fab binding of an epitope on infected cells was required to mediate increased IFN production by providing specificity to and promoting pDC sensing of DENV or ZIKV. This represents a mechanism independent of neutralization by which pre-existing cross-reactive DENV antibodies could protect a subset of individuals from severe outcomes during secondary heterotypic DENV or ZIKV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura K Aisenberg
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Kimberly E Rousseau
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Katherine Cascino
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Guido Massaccesi
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - William H Aisenberg
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Wensheng Luo
- International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Kar Muthumani
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute Cancer Center, Philadelphia, United States of America
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute Cancer Center, Philadelphia, United States of America
| | - Stephen S Whitehead
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, United States of America
| | - Michael A Chattergoon
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Anna P Durbin
- International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Andrea L Cox
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
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26
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He C, Malone MJ, Wendel BS, Ma KY, Del Alcazar D, Weiner DB, De Jager PL, Del Río-Estrada PM, Ablanedo-Terrazas Y, Reyes-Terán G, Su LF, Jiang N. Transcriptome and TCR Repertoire Measurements of CXCR3 + T Follicular Helper Cells Within HIV-Infected Human Lymph Nodes. Front Immunol 2022; 13:859070. [PMID: 35619703 PMCID: PMC9128546 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.859070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Follicular-helper T cells (TFH) are an essential arm of the adaptive immune system. Although TFH were first discovered through their ability to contribute to antibody affinity maturation through co-stimulatory interactions with B cells, new light has been shed on their ability to remain a complex and functionally plastic cell type. Due to a lack sample availability, however, many studies have been limited to characterizing TFH in mice or non-canonical tissue types, such as peripheral blood. Such constraints have resulted in a limited, and sometimes contradictory, understanding of this fundamental cell type. One subset of TFH receiving attention in chronic infection are CXCR3-expressing TFH cells (CXCR3+TFH) due to their abnormal accumulation in secondary lymphoid tissues. Their function and clonal relationship with other TFH subsets in lymphoid tissues during infection, however, remains largely unclear. We thus systematically investigated this and other subsets of TFH within untreated HIV-infected human lymph nodes using Mass CyTOF and a combination of RNA and TCR repertoire sequencing. We show an inflation of the CXCR3+TFH compartment during HIV infection that correlates with a lower HIV burden. Deeper analysis into this population revealed a functional shift of CXCR3+TFH away from germinal center TFH (GC-TFH), including the altered expression of several important transcription factors and cytokines. CXCR3+TFH also upregulated cell migration transcriptional programs and were clonally related to peripheral TFH populations. In combination, these data suggest that CXCR3+TFH have a greater tendency to enter circulation than their CXCR3- counterparts, potentially functioning through distinct modalities that may lead to enhanced defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenfeng He
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Michael J. Malone
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Ben S. Wendel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States,McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Ke-Yue Ma
- Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Daniel Del Alcazar
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Perelman School of Medicine, Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Corporal Michael J Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Philip L. De Jager
- Columbia University Medical Center, Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, New York, NY, United States
| | - Perla M. Del Río-Estrada
- Departamento de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Yuria Ablanedo-Terrazas
- Departamento de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Gustavo Reyes-Terán
- Comisión Coordinadora de Institutos Nacional de Salud y Hospitales de Alta Especialidad, Secretaría de Salud, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Laura F. Su
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Perelman School of Medicine, Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Corporal Michael J Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States,*Correspondence: Ning Jiang, ; Laura F. Su,
| | - Ning Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States,Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States,*Correspondence: Ning Jiang, ; Laura F. Su,
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27
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Daniell H, Nair SK, Esmaeili N, Wakade G, Shahid N, Ganesan PK, Islam MR, Shepley-McTaggart A, Feng S, Gary EN, Ali AR, Nuth M, Cruz SN, Graham-Wooten J, Streatfield SJ, Montoya-Lopez R, Kaznica P, Mawson M, Green BJ, Ricciardi R, Milone M, Harty RN, Wang P, Weiner DB, Margulies KB, Collman RG. Debulking SARS-CoV-2 in saliva using angiotensin converting enzyme 2 in chewing gum to decrease oral virus transmission and infection. Mol Ther 2022; 30:1966-1978. [PMID: 34774754 PMCID: PMC8580552 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
To advance a novel concept of debulking virus in the oral cavity, the primary site of viral replication, virus-trapping proteins CTB-ACE2 were expressed in chloroplasts and clinical-grade plant material was developed to meet FDA requirements. Chewing gum (2 g) containing plant cells expressed CTB-ACE2 up to 17.2 mg ACE2/g dry weight (11.7% leaf protein), have physical characteristics and taste/flavor like conventional gums, and no protein was lost during gum compression. CTB-ACE2 gum efficiently (>95%) inhibited entry of lentivirus spike or VSV-spike pseudovirus into Vero/CHO cells when quantified by luciferase or red fluorescence. Incubation of CTB-ACE2 microparticles reduced SARS-CoV-2 virus count in COVID-19 swab/saliva samples by >95% when evaluated by microbubbles (femtomolar concentration) or qPCR, demonstrating both virus trapping and blocking of cellular entry. COVID-19 saliva samples showed low or undetectable ACE2 activity when compared with healthy individuals (2,582 versus 50,126 ΔRFU; 27 versus 225 enzyme units), confirming greater susceptibility of infected patients for viral entry. CTB-ACE2 activity was completely inhibited by pre-incubation with SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain, offering an explanation for reduced saliva ACE2 activity among COVID-19 patients. Chewing gum with virus-trapping proteins offers a general affordable strategy to protect patients from most oral virus re-infections through debulking or minimizing transmission to others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Daniell
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Smruti K Nair
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Nardana Esmaeili
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Geetanjali Wakade
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Naila Shahid
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Prem Kumar Ganesan
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Md Reyazul Islam
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ariel Shepley-McTaggart
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sheng Feng
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ebony N Gary
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ali R Ali
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Manunya Nuth
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Selene Nunez Cruz
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jevon Graham-Wooten
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | | | - Paul Kaznica
- Fraunhofer USA, Center Mid-Atlantic, Newark, DE 19711, USA
| | | | - Brian J Green
- Fraunhofer USA, Center Mid-Atlantic, Newark, DE 19711, USA
| | - Robert Ricciardi
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael Milone
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ronald N Harty
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kenneth B Margulies
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ronald G Collman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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28
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Gary EN, Tursi NJ, Warner B, Parzych E, Ali A, Kobasa D, Patel A, Kulp D, Weiner DB. Peripheral co-immunization with CCL27 drives robust mucosal responses to SARS-CoV-2 synDNA antigens and provides heterologous protection against Delta variant challenge. The Journal of Immunology 2022. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.208.supp.65.02] [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
SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 has caused a global pandemic which has claimed over 5 million lives to date. Emerging variants of concern and waning vaccine-induced immunity continually challenge viral control measures. We previously reported on the immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine encoding the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, however directing vaccine-induced humoral and cell-mediated responses to mucosal surfaces such as the respiratory mucosa remains a challenge. We immunized mice with synthetic DNA (synDNA) plasmids expressing the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (pS) alone, or with the DNA-encoded molecular adjuvant cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (pCTACK) Mice co-immunized with pS and pCTACK had increased spike-specific IFNy T cell responses compared to those receiving pS alone. While groups had similar levels of spike receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific IgG in their serum, in the mucosa, co-immunization with pCTACK enhanced RBD-specific IgA and only the cecal extract from pCTACK co-immunized animals neutralized pseudotyped viruses. When ACE2 transgenic mice were immunized, rested, and challenged with the heterologous SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, co-immunization with pCTACK supported 100% survival while immunization with wild-type spike DNA antigens supported 60% survival. Importantly 100% of pCTACK co-immunized animals were protected from infection-induced weight loss. These studies demonstrate that chemokine adjuvants can direct vaccine-induced responses to specific immunological sites and that such responses can have significant impact on heterologous challenge outcomes and support the continued study of molecular chemokine adjuvants in the context of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
We would like to thank the Animal Facility staff at the Wistar Institute and the Public Health agency of Canada for providing care to the animals used in these studies and for additional financial support. We would also like to thank the flow cytometry core facility at the Wistar Institute. This work was supported by NIH NCI award T32 CA09171 (ENG) and NIH NIAID award T32-AI-055400 (EMP) with additional support from CEPI/Inovio Pharmaceuticals.
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29
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Walters JN, Schouest B, Patel A, Reuschel EL, Schultheis K, Parzych E, Maricic I, Gary EN, Purwar M, Andrade VM, Doan A, Elwood D, Eblimit Z, Nguyen B, Frase D, Zaidi FI, Kulkarni A, Generotti A, Joseph Kim J, Humeau LM, Ramos SJ, Smith TR, Weiner DB, Broderick KE. Prime-boost vaccination regimens with INO-4800 and INO-4802 augment and broaden immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in nonhuman primates. Vaccine 2022; 40:2960-2969. [PMID: 35428500 PMCID: PMC8977452 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.03.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The enhanced transmissibility and immune evasion associated with emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants demands the development of next-generation vaccines capable of inducing superior protection amid a shifting pandemic landscape. Since a portion of the global population harbors some level of immunity from vaccines based on the original Wuhan-Hu-1 SARS-CoV-2 sequence or natural infection, an important question going forward is whether this immunity can be boosted by next-generation vaccines that target emerging variants while simultaneously maintaining long-term protection against existing strains. Here, we evaluated the immunogenicity of INO-4800, our synthetic DNA vaccine candidate for COVID-19 currently in clinical evaluation, and INO-4802, a next-generation DNA vaccine designed to broadly target emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, as booster vaccines in nonhuman primates. Rhesus macaques primed over one year prior with the first-generation INO-4800 vaccine were boosted with either INO-4800 or INO-4802 in homologous or heterologous prime-boost regimens. Both boosting schedules led to an expansion of T cells and antibody responses which were characterized by improved neutralizing and ACE2 blocking activity across wild-type SARS-CoV-2 as well as multiple variants of concern. These data illustrate the durability of immunity following vaccination with INO-4800 and additionally support the use of either INO-4800 or INO-4802 in prime-boost regimens.
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30
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Zhu X, Perales-Puchalt A, Wojtak K, Xu Z, Yun K, Bhojnagarwala PS, Bordoloi D, Park DH, Liaw K, Bah MA, Lieberman PM, Gary EN, Patel A, Weiner DB. DNA immunotherapy targeting BARF1 induces potent anti-tumor responses against Epstein-Barr-virus-associated carcinomas. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2022; 24:218-229. [PMID: 35071745 PMCID: PMC8761958 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.12.017] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is associated with several types of cancer. Several clinical studies have targeted EBV antigens as immune therapeutic targets with limited efficacy of EBV malignancies, suggesting that additional targets might be important. BamHI-A rightward frame 1 (BARF1) is an EBV antigen that is highly expressed in EBV+ nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and EBV-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC). BARF1 antigen can transform human epithelial cells in vivo. BARF1-specific antibodies and cytotoxic T cells were detected in some EBV+ NPC patients. However, BARF1 has not been evaluated as an antigen in the context of therapeutic immunization. Its possible importance in this context is unclear. Here, we developed a synthetic-DNA-based expression cassette as immunotherapy targeting BARF1 (pBARF1). Immunization with pBARF1 induced potent antigen-specific humoral and T cell responses in vivo. Immunization with pBARF1 plasmid impacted tumor progression through the induction of CD8+ T cells in novel BARF1+ carcinoma models. Using an in vivo imaging system, we observed that pBARF1-immunized animals rapidly cleared cancer cells. We demonstrated that pBARF1 can induce antigen-specific immune responses that can impact cancer progression. Further study of this immune target is likely important as part of therapeutic approaches for EBV+ malignancies.
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31
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Xu Z, Walker S, Wise MC, Chokkalingam N, Purwar M, Moore A, Tello-Ruiz E, Wu Y, Majumdar S, Konrath KM, Kulkarni A, Tursi NJ, Zaidi FI, Reuschel EL, Patel I, Obeirne A, Du J, Schultheis K, Gites L, Smith T, Mendoza J, Broderick KE, Humeau L, Pallesen J, Weiner DB, Kulp DW. Induction of tier-2 neutralizing antibodies in mice with a DNA-encoded HIV envelope native like trimer. Nat Commun 2022; 13:695. [PMID: 35121758 PMCID: PMC8816947 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28363-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV Envelope (Env) is the main vaccine target for induction of neutralizing antibodies. Stabilizing Env into native-like trimer (NLT) conformations is required for recombinant protein immunogens to induce autologous neutralizing antibodies(nAbs) against difficult to neutralize HIV strains (tier-2) in rabbits and non-human primates. Immunizations of mice with NLTs have generally failed to induce tier-2 nAbs. Here, we show that DNA-encoded NLTs fold properly in vivo and induce autologous tier-2 nAbs in mice. DNA-encoded NLTs also uniquely induce both CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell responses as compared to corresponding protein immunizations. Murine neutralizing antibodies are identified with an advanced sequencing technology. The structure of an Env-Ab (C05) complex, as determined by cryo-EM, identifies a previously undescribed neutralizing Env C3/V5 epitope. Beyond potential functional immunity gains, DNA vaccines permit in vivo folding of structured antigens and provide significant cost and speed advantages for enabling rapid evaluation of new HIV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Susanne Walker
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Megan C Wise
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, 19462, USA
| | - Neethu Chokkalingam
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Mansi Purwar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Alan Moore
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Edgar Tello-Ruiz
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Yuanhan Wu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sonali Majumdar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kylie M Konrath
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Abhijeet Kulkarni
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Nicholas J Tursi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Faraz I Zaidi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Emma L Reuschel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Ishaan Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - April Obeirne
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jianqiu Du
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | | | - Lauren Gites
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, 19462, USA
| | - Trevor Smith
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, 19462, USA
| | - Janess Mendoza
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, 19462, USA
| | | | - Laurent Humeau
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, 19462, USA
| | - Jesper Pallesen
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Daniel W Kulp
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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32
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Kraynyak KA, Blackwood E, Agnes J, Tebas P, Giffear M, Amante D, Reuschel EL, Purwar M, Christensen-Quick A, Liu N, Andrade VM, Diehl MC, Wani S, Lupicka M, Sylvester A, Morrow MP, Pezzoli P, McMullan T, Kulkarni AJ, Zaidi FI, Frase D, Liaw K, Smith TRF, Ramos SJ, Ervin J, Adams M, Lee J, Dallas M, Brown AS, Shea JE, Kim JJ, Weiner DB, Broderick KE, Humeau LM, Boyer JD, Mammen MP. SARS-CoV-2 DNA Vaccine INO-4800 Induces Durable Immune Responses Capable of Being Boosted in a Phase 1 Open-Label Trial. J Infect Dis 2022; 225:1923-1932. [PMID: 35079784 PMCID: PMC8807286 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Additional SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that are safe and effective as primary vaccines and boosters remain urgently needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe the safety and durability of the immune responses following two primary doses and a homologous booster dose of an investigational DNA vaccine (INO-4800) targeting the full-length spike antigen.
Methods
Three dosage strengths of INO-4800 (0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, and 2.0 mg) were evaluated in 120 age-stratified healthy adults. Intradermal injection of INO-4800 followed by electroporation at 0 and 4 weeks preceded an optional booster 6-10.5 months after the second dose.
Results
INO-4800 appeared well tolerated, with no treatment-related serious adverse events. Most adverse events were mild and did not increase in frequency with age and subsequent dosing. A durable antibody response was observed 6 months following the second dose; a homologous booster dose significantly increased immune responses. Cytokine producing T cells and activated CD8+ T cells with lytic potential were significantly increased in the 2.0 mg dose group.
Conclusion
INO-4800 was well tolerated in a 2-dose primary series and as a homologous booster in all adults, including the elderly. These results support further development of INO-4800 for use as a primary vaccine and as a booster.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joseph Agnes
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Pablo Tebas
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mary Giffear
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Dinah Amante
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Emma L Reuschel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mansi Purwar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Neiman Liu
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Snehal Wani
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Faraz I Zaidi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Drew Frase
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kevin Liaw
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - John Ervin
- Alliance for Multispecialty Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Mark Adams
- Alliance for Multispecialty Research, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Jessica Lee
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - J Joseph Kim
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Jean D Boyer
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
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33
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Adeniji OS, Kuri-Cervantes L, Yu C, Xu Z, Ho M, Chew GM, Shikuma C, Tomescu C, George AF, Roan NR, Ndhlovu LC, Liu Q, Muthumani K, Weiner DB, Betts MR, Xiao H, Abdel-Mohsen M. Siglec-9 defines and restrains a natural killer subpopulation highly cytotoxic to HIV-infected cells. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1010034. [PMID: 34762717 PMCID: PMC8584986 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Siglec-9 is an MHC-independent inhibitory receptor expressed on a subset of natural killer (NK) cells. Siglec-9 restrains NK cytotoxicity by binding to sialoglycans (sialic acid-containing glycans) on target cells. Despite the importance of Siglec-9 interactions in tumor immune evasion, their role as an immune evasion mechanism during HIV infection has not been investigated. Using in vivo phenotypic analyses, we found that Siglec-9+ CD56dim NK cells, during HIV infection, exhibit an activated phenotype with higher expression of activating receptors and markers (NKp30, CD38, CD16, DNAM-1, perforin) and lower expression of the inhibitory receptor NKG2A, compared to Siglec-9- CD56dim NK cells. We also found that levels of Siglec-9+ CD56dim NK cells inversely correlate with viral load during viremic infection and CD4+ T cell-associated HIV DNA during suppressed infection. Using in vitro cytotoxicity assays, we confirmed that Siglec-9+ NK cells exhibit higher cytotoxicity towards HIV-infected cells compared to Siglec-9- NK cells. These data are consistent with the notion that Siglec-9+ NK cells are highly cytotoxic against HIV-infected cells. However, blocking Siglec-9 enhanced NK cells' ability to lyse HIV-infected cells, consistent with the known inhibitory function of the Siglec-9 molecule. Together, these data support a model in which the Siglec-9+ CD56dim NK subpopulation is highly cytotoxic against HIV-infected cells even whilst being restrained by the inhibitory effects of Siglec-9. To harness the cytotoxic capacity of the Siglec-9+ NK subpopulation, which is dampened by Siglec-9, we developed a proof-of-concept approach to selectively disrupt Siglec/sialoglycan interactions between NK and HIV-infected cells. We achieved this goal by conjugating Sialidase to several HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies. These conjugates selectively desialylated HIV-infected cells and enhanced NK cells' capacity to kill them. In summary, we identified a novel, glycan-based interaction that may contribute to HIV-infected cells' ability to evade NK immunosurveillance and developed an approach to break this interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Opeyemi S. Adeniji
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | - Chenfei Yu
- Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ziyang Xu
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michelle Ho
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Glen M. Chew
- University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Cecilia Shikuma
- University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Costin Tomescu
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ashley F. George
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Nadia R. Roan
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Lishomwa C. Ndhlovu
- University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
- Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Qin Liu
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Kar Muthumani
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - David B. Weiner
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michael R. Betts
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Han Xiao
- Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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34
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Andrade VM, Christensen-Quick A, Agnes J, Tur J, Reed C, Kalia R, Marrero I, Elwood D, Schultheis K, Purwar M, Reuschel E, McMullan T, Pezzoli P, Kraynyak K, Sylvester A, Mammen MP, Tebas P, Joseph Kim J, Weiner DB, Smith TRF, Ramos SJ, Humeau LM, Boyer JD, Broderick KE. INO-4800 DNA vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies and T cell activity against global SARS-CoV-2 variants. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:121. [PMID: 34650089 PMCID: PMC8516974 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00384-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [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: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Global surveillance has identified emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) associated with broadened host specificity, pathogenicity, and immune evasion to vaccine-induced immunity. Here we compared humoral and cellular responses against SARS-CoV-2 VOC in subjects immunized with the DNA vaccine, INO-4800. INO-4800 vaccination induced neutralizing antibodies against all variants tested, with reduced levels detected against B.1.351. IFNγ T cell responses were fully maintained against all variants tested.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joseph Agnes
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Jared Tur
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Charles Reed
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Richa Kalia
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Mansi Purwar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Emma Reuschel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Kim Kraynyak
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Pablo Tebas
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - J Joseph Kim
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jean D Boyer
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
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35
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Reeder SM, Bah MA, Tursi NJ, Brooks RC, Patel A, Esquivel R, Eaton A, Jhun H, Chu J, Kim K, Xu Z, Zavala F, Weiner DB. Strategic Variants of CSP Delivered as SynDNA Vaccines Demonstrate Heterogeneity of Immunogenicity and Protection from Plasmodium Infection in a Murine Model. Infect Immun 2021; 89:e0072820. [PMID: 34152830 PMCID: PMC8445182 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00728-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria infects millions of people every year, and despite recent advances in controlling disease spread, such as vaccination, it remains a global health concern. The circumsporozoite protein (CSP) has long been acknowledged as a key target in antimalarial immunity. Leveraging the DNA vaccine platform against this formidable pathogen, the following five synthetic DNA vaccines encoding variations of CSP were designed and studied: 3D7, GPI1, ΔGPI, TM, and DD2. Among the single CSP antigen constructs, a range of immunogenicity was observed with ΔGPI generating the most robust immunity. In an intravenous (i.v.) sporozoite challenge, the best protection among vaccinated mice was achieved by ΔGPI, which performed almost as well as the monoclonal antibody 311 (MAb 311) antibody control. Further analyses revealed that ΔGPI develops high-molecular-weight multimers in addition to monomeric CSP. We then compared the immunity generated by ΔGPI versus synDNA mimics for the antimalaria vaccines RTS,S and R21. The anti-CSP antibody responses induced were similar among these three immunogens. T cell responses demonstrated that ΔGPI induced a more focused anti-CSP response. In an infectious mosquito challenge, all three of these constructs generated inhibition of liver-stage infection as well as immunity from blood-stage parasitemia. This study demonstrates that synDNA mimics of complex malaria immunogens can provide substantial protection as can a novel synDNA vaccine ΔGPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia M. Reeder
- The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mamadou A. Bah
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Tursi
- The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rebekah C. Brooks
- The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ami Patel
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rianne Esquivel
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Alison Eaton
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hugo Jhun
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jacqueline Chu
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kevin Kim
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Fidel Zavala
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - David B. Weiner
- The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- The Vaccine Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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36
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Tebas P, Roberts CC, Muthumani K, Reuschel EL, Kudchodkar SB, Zaidi FI, White S, Khan AS, Racine T, Choi H, Boyer J, Park YK, Trottier S, Remigio C, Krieger D, Spruill SE, Kobinger GP, Weiner DB, Maslow JN. Safety and Immunogenicity of an Anti-Zika Virus DNA Vaccine. N Engl J Med 2021; 385:e35. [PMID: 34525286 PMCID: PMC6824915 DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa1708120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is typically self-limiting, other associated complications such as congenital birth defects and the Guillain-Barré syndrome are well described. There are no approved vaccines against ZIKV infection. METHODS In this phase 1, open-label clinical trial, we evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of a synthetic, consensus DNA vaccine (GLS-5700) encoding the ZIKV premembrane and envelope proteins in two groups of 20 participants each. The participants received either 1 mg or 2 mg of vaccine intradermally, with each injection followed by electroporation (the use of a pulsed electric field to introduce the DNA sequence into cells) at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks. RESULTS The median age of the participants was 38 years, and 60% were women; 78% were White and 22% Black; in addition, 30% were Hispanic. At the interim analysis at 14 weeks (i.e., after the third dose of vaccine), no serious adverse events were reported. Local reactions at the vaccination site (e.g., injection-site pain, redness, swelling, and itching) occurred in approximately 50% of the participants. After the third dose of vaccine, binding antibodies (as measured on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were detected in all the participants, with geometric mean titers of 1642 and 2871 in recipients of 1 mg and 2 mg of vaccine, respectively. Neutralizing antibodies developed in 62% of the samples on Vero-cell assay. On neuronal-cell assay, there was 90% inhibition of ZIKV infection in 70% of the serum samples and 50% inhibition in 95% of the samples. The intraperitoneal injection of postvaccination serum protected 103 of 112 IFNAR knockout mice (bred with deletion of genes encoding interferon-α and interferon-β receptors) (92%) that were challenged with a lethal dose of ZIKV-PR209 strain; none of the mice receiving baseline serum survived the challenge. Survival was independent of the neutralization titer. CONCLUSIONS In this phase 1, open-label clinical trial, a DNA vaccine elicited anti-ZIKV immune responses. Further studies are needed to better evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. (Funded by GeneOne Life Science and others; ZIKA-001 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02809443.).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Tebas
- Divison of Infectious Diseases, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Scott White
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA
| | | | - Trina Racine
- Infectious Diseases Research Centre-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | | | - Jean Boyer
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA
| | | | - Sylvie Trottier
- Infectious Diseases Research Centre-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Gary P. Kobinger
- Infectious Diseases Research Centre-Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | | | - Joel N. Maslow
- GeneOne Life Science Inc., Seoul, Korea
- Department of Medicine, Morristown Medical Center, Morristown NJ
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37
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Bordoloi D, Xu Z, Ho M, Purwar M, Bhojnagarwala P, Cassel J, Giron LB, Walker S, Kulkarni AJ, Ruiz ET, Choi J, Zaidi FI, Wu Y, Wang S, Patel A, Ramos S, Smith T, Kulp D, Ugen KE, Srinivasan A, Abdel-Mohsen M, Humeau L, Weiner DB, Muthumani K. Identification of Novel Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2021; 4:1349-1361. [PMID: 34396059 PMCID: PMC8353887 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.1c00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the newly emerged human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to the highly contagious nature of SARS-CoV-2, it has infected more than 137 million individuals and caused more than 2.9 million deaths globally as of April 13, 2021. There is an urgent need to develop effective novel therapeutic strategies to treat or prevent this infection. Toward this goal, we focused on the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (SARS-CoV-2 Spike) present on the surface of virus particles as well as virus-infected cells. We isolated anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike mAbs from animals immunized with a DNA vaccine. We then selected a highly potent set of mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and evaluated each candidate for their expression, target binding affinity, and neutralization potential using complementary ACE2-blocking and pseudovirus neutralization assays. We identified a total of 10 antibodies, which specifically and strongly bound to SARS-CoV-2 Spike, blocked the receptor binding domain (RBD) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) interaction, and neutralized SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, the glycomic profile of the antibodies suggested that they have high Fc-mediated effector functions. These antibodies should be further investigated for elucidating the neutralizing epitopes on Spike for the design of next-generation vaccines and for their potential in diagnostic as well as therapeutic utilities against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devivasha Bordoloi
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Michelle Ho
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Mansi Purwar
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Pratik Bhojnagarwala
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Joel Cassel
- Molecular
Screening Facility, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104,United States
| | - Leila B. Giron
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Susanne Walker
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Abhijeet J Kulkarni
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Edgar Tello Ruiz
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Jihae Choi
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Faraz I. Zaidi
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Yuanhan Wu
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Shaoying Wang
- Synbio
Technologies, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852, United States
| | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Stephanie Ramos
- Inovio
Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth
Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462, United States
| | - Trevor Smith
- Inovio
Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth
Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462, United States
| | - Daniel Kulp
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Kenneth E. Ugen
- Department
of Molecular Medicine, University of South
Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | | | - Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Laurent Humeau
- Inovio
Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth
Meeting, Pennsylvania 19462, United States
| | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
| | - Kar Muthumani
- Vaccine
& Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4205, United States
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38
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Bhojnagarwala PS, Perales-Puchalt A, Cooch N, Sardesai NY, Weiner DB. A synDNA vaccine delivering neoAg collections controls heterogenous, multifocal murine lung and ovarian tumors via robust T cell generation. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2021; 21:278-287. [PMID: 34141866 PMCID: PMC8166642 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neoantigens are tumor-specific antigens that arise due to somatic mutations in the DNA of tumor cells. They represent ideal targets for cancer immunotherapy since there is minimal risk for on-target, off-tumor toxicities. Additionally, these are foreign antigens that should be immunogenic due to lack of central immune tolerance. Tumor neoantigens are predominantly passenger mutations, which do not contribute to tumorigenesis. In cases of multi-focal or metastatic tumors, different foci can have significantly different mutation profiles. This suggests that it is important to target as many neoantigens as possible to better control tumors and target multi-focal tumors within the same patient. Herein, we report a study targeting up to 40 neoantigens using a single DNA plasmid. We observed significant plasticity in the epitope strings arranged in the vaccine with regard to immune induction and tumor control. Different vaccines elicited T cell responses against multiple epitopes on the vaccine string and controlled growth of multi-focal, heterogeneous tumors in a therapeutic tumor challenge. Additionally, the multi-epitope antigens induced long-term immunity and rejected a tumor re-challenge several weeks after the final vaccination. These data provide evidence that DNA-encoded long antigen strings can be an important tool for immunotherapeutic vaccination against neoantigens with implications for other in vivo-delivered antigen strings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Neil Cooch
- Geneos Therapeutics, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | | | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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39
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Gary EN, Warner BM, Parzych EM, Griffin BD, Zhu X, Tailor N, Tursi NJ, Chan M, Purwar M, Vendramelli R, Choi J, Frost KL, Reeder S, Liaw K, Tello E, Ali AR, Yun K, Pei Y, Thomas SP, Rghei AD, Guilleman MM, Muthumani K, Smith T, Wootton SK, Patel A, Weiner DB, Kobasa D. A novel mouse AAV6 hACE2 transduction model of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 infection studied using synDNA immunogens. iScience 2021; 24:102699. [PMID: 34124612 PMCID: PMC8186956 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 100 million people have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Common laboratory mice are not susceptible to wild-type SARS-CoV-2 infection, challenging the development and testing of effective interventions. Here, we describe the development and testing of a mouse model for SARS-CoV-2 infection based on transduction of the respiratory tract of laboratory mice with an adeno-associated virus vector (AAV6) expressing human ACE-2 (AAV6.2FF-hACE2). We validated this model using a previously described synthetic DNA vaccine plasmid, INO-4800 (pS). Intranasal instillation of AAV6.2FF-hACE2 resulted in robust hACE2 expression in the respiratory tract. pS induced robust cellular and humoral responses. Vaccinated animals were challenged with 105 TCID50 SARS-CoV-2 (hCoV-19/Canada/ON-VIDO-01/2020) and euthanized four days post-challenge to assess viral load. One immunization resulted in 50% protection and two immunizations were completely protective. Overall, the AAV6.2FF-hACE2 mouse transduction model represents an easily accessible, genetically diverse mouse model for wild-type SARS-CoV-2 infection and preclinical evaluation of potential interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebony N Gary
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth M Parzych
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Xizhou Zhu
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nikesh Tailor
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Nicholas J Tursi
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mable Chan
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Mansi Purwar
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Jihae Choi
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kathy L Frost
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Sophia Reeder
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kevin Liaw
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Edgar Tello
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ali R Ali
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kun Yun
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yanlong Pei
- Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Sylvia P Thomas
- Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Amira D Rghei
- Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | | | - Kar Muthumani
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Sarah K Wootton
- Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Ami Patel
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Darwyn Kobasa
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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40
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Patel A, Reuschel EL, Xu Z, Zaidi FI, Kim KY, Scott DP, Mendoza J, Ramos S, Stoltz R, Feldmann F, Okumura A, Meade-White K, Haddock E, Thomas T, Rosenke R, Lovaglio J, Hanley PW, Saturday G, Muthumani K, Feldmann H, Humeau LM, Broderick KE, Weiner DB. Intradermal delivery of a synthetic DNA vaccine protects macaques from Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. JCI Insight 2021; 6:146082. [PMID: 33886507 PMCID: PMC8262283 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.146082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging coronaviruses from zoonotic reservoirs, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have been associated with human-to-human transmission and significant morbidity and mortality. Here, we study both intradermal and intramuscular 2-dose delivery regimens of an advanced synthetic DNA vaccine candidate encoding a full-length MERS-CoV spike (S) protein, which induced potent binding and neutralizing antibodies as well as cellular immune responses in rhesus macaques. In a MERS-CoV challenge, all immunized rhesus macaques exhibited reduced clinical symptoms, lowered viral lung load, and decreased severity of pathological signs of disease compared with controls. Intradermal vaccination was dose sparing and more effective in this model at protecting animals from disease. The data support the further study of this vaccine for preventing MERS-CoV infection and transmission, including investigation of such vaccines and simplified delivery routes against emerging coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ami Patel
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Emma L. Reuschel
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Faraz I. Zaidi
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kevin Y. Kim
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Dana P. Scott
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Janess Mendoza
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc., Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephanie Ramos
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc., Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Regina Stoltz
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Friederike Feldmann
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Atsushi Okumura
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Kimberly Meade-White
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Elaine Haddock
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Tina Thomas
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Rebecca Rosenke
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Jamie Lovaglio
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Patrick W. Hanley
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Greg Saturday
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Kar Muthumani
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Heinz Feldmann
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | | | | | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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41
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Bordoloi D, Xiao P, Choi H, Ho M, Perales-Puchalt A, Khoshnejad M, Kim JJ, Humeau L, Srinivasan A, Weiner DB, Muthumani K. Immunotherapy of prostate cancer using novel synthetic DNA vaccines targeting multiple tumor antigens. Genes Cancer 2021; 12:51-64. [PMID: 33884106 PMCID: PMC8045963 DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer is a prevalent cancer in men and consists of both indolent and aggressive phenotypes. While active surveillance is recommended for the former, current treatments for the latter include surgery, radiation, chemo and hormonal therapy. It has been observed that the recurrence in the treated patients is high and results in castration resistant prostate cancer for which treatment options are limited. This scenario has prompted us to consider immunotherapy with synthetic DNA vaccines, as this approach can generate antigen-specific tumor-killing immune cells. Given the multifocal and heterogeneous nature of prostate cancer, we hypothesized that synthetic DNA vaccines targeting different prostate specific antigens are likely to induce broader and improved immunity who are at high risk as well as advanced clinical stage of prostate cancer, compared to a single antigen approach. Utilizing a bioinformatics approach, synthetic enhanced DNA vaccine (SEV) constructs were generated against STEAP1, PAP, PARM1, PSCA, PCTA and PSP94. Synthetic enhanced vaccines for prostate cancer antigens were shown to elicit antigen-specific immune responses in mice and the anti-tumor activity was evident in a prostate tumor challenge mouse model. These studies support further evaluation of the DNA tools for immunotherapy of prostate cancer and perhaps other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devivasha Bordoloi
- 1Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA,
USA,*authors contributed equally
| | - Peng Xiao
- 1Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA,
USA,*authors contributed equally
| | - Hyeree Choi
- 1Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA,
USA
| | - Michelle Ho
- 1Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA,
USA
| | | | - Makan Khoshnejad
- 1Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA,
USA
| | | | | | | | - David B. Weiner
- 1Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA,
USA
| | - Kar Muthumani
- 1Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA,
USA,4GeneOne Life Science Inc., Seoul, Korea
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42
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Tebas P, Yang S, Boyer JD, Reuschel EL, Patel A, Christensen-Quick A, Andrade VM, Morrow MP, Kraynyak K, Agnes J, Purwar M, Sylvester A, Pawlicki J, Gillespie E, Maricic I, Zaidi FI, Kim KY, Dia Y, Frase D, Pezzoli P, Schultheis K, Smith TR, Ramos SJ, McMullan T, Buttigieg K, Carroll MW, Ervin J, Diehl MC, Blackwood E, Mammen MP, Lee J, Dallas MJ, Brown AS, Shea JE, Kim J, Weiner DB, Broderick KE, Humeau LM. Safety and immunogenicity of INO-4800 DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: A preliminary report of an open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial. EClinicalMedicine 2021; 31:100689. [PMID: 33392485 PMCID: PMC7759123 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is of high urgency. Here the safety and immunogenicity induced by a DNA vaccine (INO-4800) targeting the full length spike antigen of SARS-CoV-2 are described. METHODS INO-4800 was evaluated in two groups of 20 participants, receiving either 1.0 mg or 2.0 mg of vaccine intradermally followed by CELLECTRA® EP at 0 and 4 weeks. Thirty-nine subjects completed both doses; one subject in the 2.0 mg group discontinued trial participation prior to receiving the second dose. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04336410. FINDINGS The median age was 34.5, 55% (22/40) were men and 82.5% (33/40) white. Through week 8, only 6 related Grade 1 adverse events in 5 subjects were observed. None of these increased in frequency with the second administration. No serious adverse events were reported. All 38 subjects evaluable for immunogenicity had cellular and/or humoral immune responses following the second dose of INO-4800. By week 6, 95% (36/38) of the participants seroconverted based on their responses by generating binding (ELISA) and/or neutralizing antibodies (PRNT IC50), with responder geometric mean binding antibody titers of 655.5 [95% CI (255.6, 1681.0)] and 994.2 [95% CI (395.3, 2500.3)] in the 1.0 mg and 2.0 mg groups, respectively. For neutralizing antibody, 78% (14/18) and 84% (16/19) generated a response with corresponding geometric mean titers of 102.3 [95% CI (37.4, 280.3)] and 63.5 [95% CI (39.6, 101.8)], in the respective groups. By week 8, 74% (14/19) and 100% (19/19) of subjects generated T cell responses by IFN-ɣ ELISpot assay with the median SFU per 106 PBMC of 46 [95% CI (21.1, 142.2)] and 71 [95% CI (32.2, 194.4)] in the 1.0 mg and 2.0 mg groups, respectively. Flow cytometry demonstrated a T cell response, dominated by CD8+ T cells co-producing IFN-ɣ and TNF-α, without increase in IL-4. INTERPRETATION INO-4800 demonstrated excellent safety and tolerability and was immunogenic in 100% (38/38) of the vaccinated subjects by eliciting either or both humoral or cellular immune responses. FUNDING Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Tebas
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - ShuPing Yang
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Jean D. Boyer
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Emma L. Reuschel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Joseph Agnes
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Mansi Purwar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Jan Pawlicki
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | | | - Igor Maricic
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Faraz I. Zaidi
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kevin Y. Kim
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yaya Dia
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Drew Frase
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - John Ervin
- Alliance for Multispecialty Research, Kansas City, MO 64114-4866
| | | | | | | | - Jessica Lee
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | | | | | | | - J.Joseph Kim
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - David B. Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Laurent M. Humeau
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
- Corresponding author.
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43
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Reardon DA, Brem S, Desai AS, Bagley SJ, Kurz SC, De La Fuente MI, Nagpal S, Welch MR, Hormigo A, Forsyth P, Mandell J, Khagi S, Aiken R, Walbert T, Lieberman F, Portnow J, Batiste J, Carroll N, Sylvester A, Campbell P, Lowy I, Dolgoter A, Boyer J, Kraynyak K, Morrow MP, McMullan T, Weiner DB, Skolnik J. LTBK-01. INO-5401 AND INO-9012 DELIVERED INTRAMUSCULARLY (IM) WITH ELECTROPORATION (EP) IN COMBINATION WITH CEMIPLIMAB (REGN2810) IN NEWLY DIAGNOSED GLIOBLASTOMA. Neuro Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa215.988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Novel T cell-enabling therapies, in combination with checkpoint inhibition, may improve OS in GBM. INO-5401 (synthetic DNA plasmids encoding hTERT, WT-1, PSMA) plus INO-9012 (synthetic DNA plasmid encoding IL-12), and the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor cemiplimab, is given to patients with newly diagnosed GBM to evaluate tolerability, efficacy and immunogenicity.
METHODS
Phase I/II, single arm, 2 cohort study (A: MGMT unmethylated, B: MGMT methylated). Primary endpoint is safety; efficacy and immunogenicity are secondary. Nine mg INO-5401 plus 1 mg INO-9012 (every 3 weeks x 4 doses, then Q9W) is given IM with EP by CELLECTRA® 2000 with cemiplimab (350 mg IV Q3W). RT is given as 40 Gy over 3 weeks. TMZ is given with radiation (all patients), and adjuvantly (Cohort B only).
RESULTS
Fifty-two subjects enrolled: 32 in Cohort A; 20 in Cohort B. 35% women; median age 60 years (19–78 years). The adverse event profile is consistent with single-agent (INO-5401, INO-9012, EP and cemiplimab) reported events. OS at 12 months was 84.4% (Cohort A) and 85% (Cohort B). OS at 18 months in Cohort A is 50% (95% CI 31.9 - 68.1); median OS is 17.9 months (14.5 - NR); Cohort B OS18 and median OS will be presented. Tumor gene transcripts at diagnosis confirmed expression of INO-5401 antigens. Peripheral immune responses following INO-5401 revealed antigen-specific T cell responses by Interferon gamma ELISpot and flow cytometry, including cytokine production and expansion of antigen specific CD8+T cells with lytic potential.
CONCLUSIONS
INO-5401 + INO-9012, a novel DNA plasmid immunotherapy, demonstrates acceptable risk/benefit and generates robust systemic immune responses to encoded tumor antigens when administered with cemiplimab and RT/TMZ in newly diagnosed GBM patients. Overall survival is encouraging. Clinical trial information: NCT03491683.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Reardon
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven Brem
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Adilia Hormigo
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Simon Khagi
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - James Batiste
- Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Chattanooga, TN, USA
| | | | | | | | - Israel Lowy
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | | | - Jean Boyer
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - David B Weiner
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
- The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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44
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Bhuyan PK, Dallas M, Kraynyak K, Herring T, Morrow M, Boyer J, Duff S, Kim J, Weiner DB. Durability of response to VGX-3100 treatment of HPV16/18 positive cervical HSIL. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 17:1288-1293. [PMID: 33175656 PMCID: PMC8078703 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1823778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
VGX-3100 is an investigational DNA-based immunotherapy being developed as an alternative to surgery and ablation for cervical High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL) with the aim of preserving reproductive health while treating precancerous disease. Response durability up to 1.5 y following dosing is now reported. Histologic regression and HPV16 and/or HPV 18 (HPV16/18) clearance were previously demonstrated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial and reported for 6 months after the last dose of VGX-3100 or placebo. The presence of HPV16/18, Pap smear diagnoses, and immunogenicity longer-term responses were assessed at 18 months after the last dose. 91% (32/35) VGX-3100-treated women, whose cervical HSIL regressed and avoided excision at 6 months following study treatment completion, had no detectable HPV16/18 at 18 months following treatment completion. These results were comparable to those for women who received placebo and then later underwent surgery. For VGX-3100 recipients who regressed at 6 months following study treatment completion and avoided excision during the trial, Pap testing showed no HSIL recurrence at 18 months following VGX-3100 treatment. VGX-3100-induced cellular immune responses specific for HPV 16/18 E6/E7 remained higher than for placebo control recipients at 18 months. In women with cervical HSIL who responded to VGX-3100 and were able to avoid surgery, clinical outcomes were comparable to the placebo control group which underwent conventional surgical treatment. These findings extend the understanding of the durability of the treatment effect of VGX-3100 up to 1.5 y and support that VGX-3100 could be used as an alternative to surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kim Kraynyak
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Jean Boyer
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Susan Duff
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
| | - Joseph Kim
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
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45
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Xu Z, Patel A, Tursi NJ, Zhu X, Muthumani K, Kulp DW, Weiner DB. Harnessing Recent Advances in Synthetic DNA and Electroporation Technologies for Rapid Vaccine Development Against COVID-19 and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases. Front Med Technol 2020; 2:571030. [PMID: 35047878 PMCID: PMC8757735 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2020.571030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA vaccines are considered as a third-generation vaccination approach in which antigenic materials are encoded as DNA plasmids for direct in vivo production to elicit adaptive immunity. As compared to other platforms, DNA vaccination is considered to have a strong safety profile, as DNA plasmids neither replicate nor elicit vector-directed immune responses in hosts. While earlier work found the immune responses induced by DNA vaccines to be sub-optimal in larger mammals and humans, recent developments in key synthetic DNA and electroporation delivery technologies have now allowed DNA vaccines to elicit significantly more potent and consistent responses in several clinical studies. This paper will review findings from the recent clinical and preclinical studies on DNA vaccines targeting emerging infectious diseases (EID) including COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and the technological advancements pivotal to the improved responses-including the use of the advanced delivery technology, DNA-encoded cytokine/mucosal adjuvants, and innovative concepts in immunogen design. With continuous advancement over the past three decades, the DNA approach is now poised to develop vaccines against COVID-19, as well as other EIDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Xu
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ami Patel
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nicholas J Tursi
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Xizhou Zhu
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kar Muthumani
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Daniel W Kulp
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David B Weiner
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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46
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Walker SN, Chokkalingam N, Reuschel EL, Purwar M, Xu Z, Gary EN, Kim KY, Helble M, Schultheis K, Walters J, Ramos S, Muthumani K, Smith TRF, Broderick KE, Tebas P, Patel A, Weiner DB, Kulp DW. SARS-CoV-2 Assays To Detect Functional Antibody Responses That Block ACE2 Recognition in Vaccinated Animals and Infected Patients. J Clin Microbiol 2020; 58:e01533-20. [PMID: 32855181 PMCID: PMC7587116 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01533-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic of COVID-19, resulting in cases of mild to severe respiratory distress and significant mortality. The global outbreak of this novel coronavirus has now infected >20 million people worldwide, with >5 million cases in the United States (11 August 2020). The development of diagnostic and research tools to determine infection and vaccine efficacy is critically needed. We have developed multiple serologic assays using newly designed SARS-CoV-2 reagents for detecting the presence of receptor-binding antibodies in sera. The first assay is surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based and can quantitate both antibody binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and blocking to the Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor in a single experiment. The second assay is enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based and can measure competition and blocking of the ACE2 receptor to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with antispike antibodies. The assay is highly versatile, and we demonstrate the broad utility of the assay by measuring antibody functionality of sera from small animals and nonhuman primates immunized with an experimental SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In addition, we employ the assay to measure receptor blocking of sera from SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. The assay is shown to correlate with pseudovirus neutralization titers. This type of rapid, surrogate neutralization diagnostic can be employed widely to help study SARS-CoV-2 infection and assess the efficacy of vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne N Walker
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Neethu Chokkalingam
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Emma L Reuschel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mansi Purwar
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ebony N Gary
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kevin Y Kim
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michaela Helble
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Jewell Walters
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Kar Muthumani
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Pablo Tebas
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel W Kulp
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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47
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Wise MC, Xu Z, Tello-Ruiz E, Beck C, Trautz A, Patel A, Elliott ST, Chokkalingam N, Kim S, Kerkau MG, Muthumani K, Jiang J, Fisher PD, Ramos SJ, Smith TR, Mendoza J, Broderick KE, Montefiori DC, Ferrari G, Kulp DW, Humeau LM, Weiner DB. In vivo delivery of synthetic DNA-encoded antibodies induces broad HIV-1-neutralizing activity. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:827-837. [PMID: 31697648 DOI: 10.1172/jci132779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Interventions to prevent HIV-1 infection and alternative tools in HIV cure therapy remain pressing goals. Recently, numerous broadly neutralizing HIV-1 monoclonal antibodies (bNAbs) have been developed that possess the characteristics necessary for potential prophylactic or therapeutic approaches. However, formulation complexities, especially for multiantibody deliveries, long infusion times, and production issues could limit the use of these bNAbs when deployed, globally affecting their potential application. Here, we describe an approach utilizing synthetic DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies (dmAbs) for direct in vivo production of prespecified neutralizing activity. We designed 16 different bNAbs as dmAb cassettes and studied their activity in small and large animals. Sera from animals administered dmAbs neutralized multiple HIV-1 isolates with activity similar to that of their parental recombinant mAbs. Delivery of multiple dmAbs to a single animal led to increased neutralization breadth. Two dmAbs, PGDM1400 and PGT121, were advanced into nonhuman primates for study. High peak-circulating levels (between 6 and 34 μg/ml) of these dmAbs were measured, and the sera of all animals displayed broad neutralizing activity. The dmAb approach provides an important local delivery platform for the in vivo generation of HIV-1 bNAbs and for other infectious disease antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan C Wise
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Edgar Tello-Ruiz
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Aspen Trautz
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sarah Tc Elliott
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Neethu Chokkalingam
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sophie Kim
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Kar Muthumani
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jingjing Jiang
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Paul D Fisher
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Janess Mendoza
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - David C Montefiori
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Daniel W Kulp
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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48
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Khoshnejad M, Dia Y, Patel A, Xu Z, Zhu X, Yun K, Wojtak K, Qureshi R, Humeau L, Muthumani K, Weiner DB. DNA-Encoded Glutamine Synthetase Enzyme as Ammonia-Lowering Therapeutic for Hyperammonemia. Nucleic Acid Ther 2020; 30:379-391. [PMID: 32907467 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2020.0886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperammonemia is a dangerous life-threatening metabolic complication characterized by markedly elevated ammonia levels that can lead to irreversible brain damage if not carefully monitored. Current pharmacological treatment strategies available for hyperammonemia patients are suboptimal and associated with major side effects. In this study, we focus on developing and evaluating the in vivo delivery of novel DNA-encoded glutamine synthetase (GS) enzymes for the treatment of hyperammonemia. Direct in vivo delivered DNA-encoded GS enzyme was evaluated in ammonium acetate-induced hyperammonemia and thioacetamide-induced acute liver injury (ALI) models in C57BL/6 mice. In ammonium acetate-induced hyperammonemia model, we achieved a 30.5% decrease in blood ammonia levels 15 min postadministration of ammonium acetate, with DNA-encoded GS-treated group. Significant increase in survival was observed in ALI model with the treated mice. A comparison of the secreted versus intracellular DNA-encoded GS enzyme demonstrated similar increases in survival in the ALI model, with 40% mortality in the secreted enzymes and 30% mortality in the intracellular enzymes, as compared with 90% mortality in the control group. Direct in vivo delivery of DNA-encoded GS demonstrated important ammonia-lowering potential. These results provide the initial steps toward development of delivered DNA as a potential new approach to ammonia-lowering therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makan Khoshnejad
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yaya Dia
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Xizhou Zhu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kun Yun
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Krzysztof Wojtak
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rehman Qureshi
- Center for Systems and Computational Biology, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Laurent Humeau
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kar Muthumani
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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49
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Khoshnejad M, Perales-Puchalt A, Dia Y, Xiao P, Patel A, Xu Z, Zhu X, Yun K, Baboo I, Qureshi R, Humeau L, Muthumani K, Weiner DB. Synthetic DNA Delivery of an Engineered Arginase Enzyme Can Modulate Specific Immunity In Vivo. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2020; 18:652-663. [PMID: 32802913 PMCID: PMC7406982 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Arginase is a complex and unique enzyme that plays diverse roles in health and disease. By metabolizing arginine, it can shape the outcome of innate and adaptive immune responses. The immunomodulatory capabilities of arginase could potentially be applied for local immunosuppression or induction of immune tolerance. With the use of an enhanced DNA delivery approach, we designed and studied a DNA-encoded secretable arginase enzyme as a tool for immune modulation and evaluated its immunomodulatory function in vivo. Strong immunosuppression of cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) and CD8 T cells, as well as macrophages and dendritic cells, was observed in vitro in the presence of an arginase-rich supernatant. To further evaluate the efficacy of DNA-encoded arginase on in vivo immunosuppression against an antigen, a cancer antigen vaccine model was used in the presence or absence of DNA-encoded arginase. Significant in vivo immunosuppression was observed in the presence of DNA-encoded arginase. The efficacy of this DNA-encoded arginase delivery was examined in a local, imiquimod-induced, psoriasis-like, skin-inflammation model. Pretreatment of animals with the synthetic DNA-encoded arginase led to significant decreases in skin acanthosis, proinflammatory cytokines, and costimulatory molecules in extracted macrophages and dendritic cells. These results draw attention to the potential of direct in vivo-delivered arginase to function as an immunomodulatory agent for treatment of local inflammation or autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makan Khoshnejad
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Alfredo Perales-Puchalt
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yaya Dia
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Peng Xiao
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ami Patel
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ziyang Xu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Xizhou Zhu
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kun Yun
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ishana Baboo
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Rehman Qureshi
- Center for Systems and Computational Biology, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Laurent Humeau
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Kar Muthumani
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Xu Z, Chokkalingam N, Tello-Ruiz E, Wise MC, Bah MA, Walker S, Tursi NJ, Fisher PD, Schultheis K, Broderick KE, Humeau L, Kulp DW, Weiner DB. A DNA-Launched Nanoparticle Vaccine Elicits CD8 + T-cell Immunity to Promote In Vivo Tumor Control. Cancer Immunol Res 2020; 8:1354-1364. [PMID: 32913042 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-20-0061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Cytolytic T cells (CTL) play a pivotal role in surveillance against tumors. Induction of CTL responses by vaccination may be challenging, as it requires direct transduction of target cells or special adjuvants to promote cross-presentation. Here, we observed induction of robust CTL responses through electroporation-facilitated, DNA-launched nanoparticle vaccination (DLnano-vaccines). Electroporation was observed to mediate transient tissue apoptosis and macrophage infiltration, which were deemed essential to the induction of CTLs by DLnano-vaccines through a systemic macrophage depletion study. Bolus delivery of protein nano-vaccines followed by electroporation, however, failed to induce CTLs, suggesting direct in vivo production of nano-vaccines may be required. Following these observations, new DLnano-vaccines scaffolding immunodominant melanoma Gp100 and Trp2 epitopes were designed and shown to induce more potent and consistent epitope-specific CTL responses than the corresponding DNA monomeric vaccines or CpG-adjuvanted peptide vaccines. DNA, but not recombinant protein, nano-vaccinations induced CTL responses to these epitopes and suppressed melanoma tumor growth in mouse models in a CD8+ T-cell-dependent fashion. Further studies to explore the use of DLnano-vaccines against other cancer targets and the biology with which they induce CTLs are important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Xu
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
| | - Neethu Chokkalingam
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Edgar Tello-Ruiz
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Megan C Wise
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
| | - Mamadou A Bah
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Susanne Walker
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nicholas J Tursi
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Paul D Fisher
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
| | | | | | | | - Daniel W Kulp
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
| | - David B Weiner
- The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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