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Edri A, Ben-Haim N, Hailu A, Brycman N, Berhani-Zipori O, Rifman J, Cohen S, Yackoubov D, Rosenberg M, Simantov R, Teru H, Kurata K, Anderson KC, Hendel A, Pato A, Geffen Y. Nicotinamide-Expanded Allogeneic Natural Killer Cells with CD38 Deletion, Expressing an Enhanced CD38 Chimeric Antigen Receptor, Target Multiple Myeloma Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17231. [PMID: 38139060 PMCID: PMC10743602 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are a vital component of cancer immune surveillance. They provide a rapid and potent immune response, including direct cytotoxicity and mobilization of the immune system, without the need for antigen processing and presentation. NK cells may also be better tolerated than T cell therapy approaches and are susceptible to various gene manipulations. Therefore, NK cells have become the focus of extensive translational research. Gamida Cell's nicotinamide (NAM) platform for cultured NK cells provides an opportunity to enhance the therapeutic potential of NK cells. CD38 is an ectoenzyme ubiquitously expressed on the surface of various hematologic cells, including multiple myeloma (MM). It has been selected as a lead target for numerous monoclonal therapeutic antibodies against MM. Monoclonal antibodies target CD38, resulting in the lysis of MM plasma cells through various antibody-mediated mechanisms such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement-dependent cytotoxicity, and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, significantly improving the outcomes of patients with relapsed or refractory MM. However, this therapeutic strategy has inherent limitations, such as the anti-CD38-induced depletion of CD38-expressing NK cells, thus hindering ADCC. We have developed genetically engineered NK cells tailored to treat MM, in which CD38 was knocked-out using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and an enhanced chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD38 was introduced using mRNA electroporation. This combined genetic approach allows for an improved cytotoxic activity directed against CD38-expressing MM cells without self-inflicted NK-cell-mediated fratricide. Preliminary results show near-complete abolition of fratricide with a 24-fold reduction in self-lysis from 19% in mock-transfected and untreated NK cells to 0.8% of self-lysis in CD38 knock-out CAR NK cells. Furthermore, we have observed significant enhancements in CD38-mediated activity in vitro, resulting in increased lysis of MM target cell lines. CD38 knock-out CAR NK cells also demonstrated significantly higher levels of NK activation markers in co-cultures with both untreated and αCD38-treated MM cell lines. These NAM-cultured NK cells with the combined genetic approach of CD38 knockout and addition of CD38 CAR represent a promising immunotherapeutic tool to target MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avishay Edri
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Nimrod Ben-Haim
- Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel; (N.B.-H.); (M.R.)
| | - Astar Hailu
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Nurit Brycman
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Orit Berhani-Zipori
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Julia Rifman
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Sherri Cohen
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Dima Yackoubov
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Michael Rosenberg
- Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel; (N.B.-H.); (M.R.)
| | | | - Hideshima Teru
- Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, LeBow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.T.); (K.K.); (K.C.A.)
| | - Keiji Kurata
- Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, LeBow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.T.); (K.K.); (K.C.A.)
| | - Kenneth Carl Anderson
- Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, LeBow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; (H.T.); (K.K.); (K.C.A.)
| | - Ayal Hendel
- Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel; (N.B.-H.); (M.R.)
| | - Aviad Pato
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
| | - Yona Geffen
- Gamida-Cell, Jerusalem 34670, Israel; (A.E.); (A.H.); (N.B.); (O.B.-Z.); (J.R.); (S.C.); (D.Y.); (A.P.)
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