1
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Wehrli M, Guinn S, Birocchi F, Kuo A, Sun Y, Larson RC, Almazan AJ, Scarfò I, Bouffard AA, Bailey SR, Anekal PV, Llopis PM, Nieman LT, Song Y, Xu KH, Berger TR, Kann MC, Leick MB, Silva H, Salas-Benito D, Kienka T, Grauwet K, Armstrong TD, Zhang R, Zhu Q, Fu J, Schmidts A, Korell F, Jan M, Choi BD, Liss AS, Boland GM, Ting DT, Burkhart RA, Jenkins RW, Zheng L, Jaffee EM, Zimmerman JW, Maus MV. Mesothelin CAR T Cells Secreting Anti-FAP/Anti-CD3 Molecules Efficiently Target Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma and its Stroma. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:1859-1877. [PMID: 38393682 PMCID: PMC11062832 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-3841] [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] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Targeting solid tumors with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells remains challenging due to heterogenous target antigen expression, antigen escape, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Pancreatic cancer is characterized by a thick stroma generated by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), which may contribute to the limited efficacy of mesothelin-directed CAR T cells in early-phase clinical trials. To provide a more favorable TME for CAR T cells to target pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), we generated T cells with an antimesothelin CAR and a secreted T-cell-engaging molecule (TEAM) that targets CAF through fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and engages T cells through CD3 (termed mesoFAP CAR-TEAM cells). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Using a suite of in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo patient-derived models containing cancer cells and CAF, we examined the ability of mesoFAP CAR-TEAM cells to target PDAC cells and CAF within the TME. We developed and used patient-derived ex vivo models, including patient-derived organoids with patient-matched CAF and patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids. RESULTS We demonstrated specific and significant binding of the TEAM to its respective antigens (CD3 and FAP) when released from mesothelin-targeting CAR T cells, leading to T-cell activation and cytotoxicity of the target cell. MesoFAP CAR-TEAM cells were superior in eliminating PDAC and CAF compared with T cells engineered to target either antigen alone in our ex vivo patient-derived models and in mouse models of PDAC with primary or metastatic liver tumors. CONCLUSIONS CAR-TEAM cells enable modification of tumor stroma, leading to increased elimination of PDAC tumors. This approach represents a promising treatment option for pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Wehrli
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samantha Guinn
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Filippo Birocchi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam Kuo
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yi Sun
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca C. Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonio J. Almazan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda A. Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefanie R. Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Linda T. Nieman
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yuhui Song
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katherine H. Xu
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Trisha R. Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael C. Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark B. Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Harrison Silva
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diego Salas-Benito
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tamina Kienka
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Korneel Grauwet
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Todd D. Armstrong
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rui Zhang
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Qingfeng Zhu
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Juan Fu
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Felix Korell
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bryan D. Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew S. Liss
- Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Genevieve M. Boland
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - David T. Ting
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Richard A. Burkhart
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Russell W. Jenkins
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lei Zheng
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Jaffee
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jacquelyn W. Zimmerman
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cancer Convergence Institute and Bloomberg Kimmel Institute at Johns Hopkins; University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marcela V. Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
- Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
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2
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Kann MC, Schneider EM, Almazan AJ, Lane IC, Bouffard AA, Supper VM, Takei HN, Tepper A, Leick MB, Larson RC, Ebert BL, Maus MV, Jan M. Chemical genetic control of cytokine signaling in CAR-T cells using lenalidomide-controlled membrane-bound degradable IL-7. Leukemia 2024; 38:590-600. [PMID: 38123696 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-02113-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
CAR-T cell therapy has emerged as a breakthrough therapy for the treatment of relapsed and refractory hematologic malignancies. However, insufficient CAR-T cell expansion and persistence is a leading cause of treatment failure. Exogenous or transgenic cytokines have great potential to enhance CAR-T cell potency but pose the risk of exacerbating toxicities. Here we present a chemical-genetic system for spatiotemporal control of cytokine function gated by the off-patent anti-cancer molecular glue degrader drug lenalidomide and its analogs. When co-delivered with a CAR, a membrane-bound, lenalidomide-degradable IL-7 fusion protein enforced a clinically favorable T cell phenotype, enhanced antigen-dependent proliferative capacity, and enhanced in vivo tumor control. Furthermore, cyclical pharmacologic combined control of CAR and cytokine abundance enabled the deployment of highly active, IL-7-augmented CAR-T cells in a dual model of antitumor potency and T cell hyperproliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily M Schneider
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonio J Almazan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isabel C Lane
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Valentina M Supper
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hana N Takei
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander Tepper
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin L Ebert
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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3
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Ramos A, Koch CE, Liu-Lupo Y, Hellinger RD, Kyung T, Abbott KL, Fröse J, Goulet D, Gordon KS, Eidell KP, Leclerc P, Whittaker CA, Larson RC, Muscato AJ, Yates KB, Dubrot J, Doench JG, Regev A, Vander Heiden MG, Maus MV, Manguso RT, Birnbaum ME, Hemann MT. Leukemia-intrinsic determinants of CAR-T response revealed by iterative in vivo genome-wide CRISPR screening. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8048. [PMID: 38052854 PMCID: PMC10698189 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43790-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
CAR-T therapy is a promising, novel treatment modality for B-cell malignancies and yet many patients relapse through a variety of means, including loss of CAR-T cells and antigen escape. To investigate leukemia-intrinsic CAR-T resistance mechanisms, we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens in an immunocompetent murine model of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) utilizing a modular guide RNA library. We identified IFNγR/JAK/STAT signaling and components of antigen processing and presentation pathway as key mediators of resistance to CAR-T therapy in vivo; intriguingly, loss of this pathway yielded the opposite effect in vitro (sensitized leukemia to CAR-T cells). Transcriptional characterization of this model demonstrated upregulation of these pathways in tumors relapsed after CAR-T treatment, and functional studies showed a surprising role for natural killer (NK) cells in engaging this resistance program. Finally, examination of data from B-ALL patients treated with CAR-T revealed an association between poor outcomes and increased expression of JAK/STAT and MHC-I in leukemia cells. Overall, our data identify an unexpected mechanism of resistance to CAR-T therapy in which tumor cell interaction with the in vivo tumor microenvironment, including NK cells, induces expression of an adaptive, therapy-induced, T-cell resistance program in tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azucena Ramos
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine E Koch
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yunpeng Liu-Lupo
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Riley D Hellinger
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Taeyoon Kyung
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Keene L Abbott
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julia Fröse
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Goulet
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Khloe S Gordon
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Keith P Eidell
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Paul Leclerc
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Charles A Whittaker
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Immunology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Audrey J Muscato
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - Kathleen B Yates
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - Juan Dubrot
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
- Solid Tumors Program, Division of Oncology, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - John G Doench
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Matthew G Vander Heiden
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Immunology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
- Ragon Institute of MIT, MGH, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Robert T Manguso
- Immunology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA
| | - Michael E Birnbaum
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael T Hemann
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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4
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Larson RC, Kann MC, Graham C, Mount CW, Castano AP, Lee WH, Bouffard AA, Takei HN, Almazan AJ, Scarfó I, Berger TR, Schmidts A, Frigault MJ, Gallagher KME, Maus MV. Anti-TACI single and dual-targeting CAR T cells overcome BCMA antigen loss in multiple myeloma. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7509. [PMID: 37980341 PMCID: PMC10657357 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43416-7] [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: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells directed to B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) mediate profound responses in patients with multiple myeloma, but most patients do not achieve long-term complete remissions. In addition, recent evidence suggests that high-affinity binding to BCMA can result in on-target, off-tumor activity in the basal ganglia and can lead to fatal Parkinsonian-like disease. Here we develop CAR T cells against multiple myeloma using a binder to targeting transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI) in mono and dual-specific formats with anti-BCMA. These CARs have robust, antigen-specific activity in vitro and in vivo. We also show that TACI RNA expression is limited in the basal ganglia, which may circumvent some of the toxicities recently reported with BCMA CARs. Thus, single-targeting TACI CARs may have a safer toxicity profile, whereas dual-specific BCMA-TACI CAR T cells have potential to avoid the antigen escape that can occur with single-antigen targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Charlotte Graham
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher W Mount
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ana P Castano
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Won-Ho Lee
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hana N Takei
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonio J Almazan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irene Scarfó
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Trisha R Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew J Frigault
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathleen M E Gallagher
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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5
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Bailey SR, Berger TR, Graham C, Larson RC, Maus MV. Four challenges to CAR T cells breaking the glass ceiling. Eur J Immunol 2023; 53:e2250039. [PMID: 36585889 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202250039] [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: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies using chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR T) have had dramatic efficacy in the clinic and can even mediate curative responses in patients with hematologic malignancies. As living drugs, engineered cells can still be detected in some patients even years after the original infusion. The excitement around the cell therapy field continues to expand as recent reports have shown that CAR T cells can induce remission in patients with autoimmune disease. While these promising advances in the field garner hope for wide-spread utility of CAR T therapies across diseases, several roadblocks exist that currently limit the access and efficacy of this therapy in the clinic. Herein, we will discuss four major obstacles that the CAR T field faces, including toxicity, identifying tumor-specific antigens, improving function in solid tumors, and reducing manufacturing complexity and cost. CAR T cells have potential for a multitude of diseases, but these glass ceilings will need to be broken in order to improve clinical responses and make this potentially life-saving therapy accessible to a larger patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Trisha R Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Charlotte Graham
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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6
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Korell F, Olson M, Salas-Benito D, Leick MB, Larson RC, Silva H, Gasparetto A, Berger TR, Bouffard A, Kann MC, Mergen M, Kienka T, Wehrli M, Bailey SR, Letai A, Maus MV. Abstract 4098: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells overexpressing Bcl-xL increase proliferation and antitumor activity alone and in combination with BH3 mimetics. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-4098] [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
Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have become a well-established treatment option for patients, with six products approved for different hematologic diseases and new approvals allowing for their therapeutic use as early as second line. However, relapse rates of around 50% have been observed in all patient subsets, with one major mechanism associated with CAR T failure being cancer cell resistance to apoptosis. A form of cancer therapeutic named BH3-mimetics has been designed to inhibit members of the anti-apoptotic B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family and, therefore, directly activate the apoptotic machinery in malignant cells. We hypothesized that integration of these anti-apoptotic molecules into CAR T cells would induce resistance towards the BH3 mimetics and allow combinational therapeutic approaches.
Methods: 4-1BB and CD28 CAR constructs were designed to overexpress one of four anti-apoptotic proteins: wildtype Bcl-2, a Venetoclax-resistant Bcl-2 variant (G101V), B cell extra-large (Bcl-xL), or myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1). CAR T cells made from these constructs were tested against leukemia (Nalm6) and lymphoma (JeKo-1) cell lines in combination with three different BH-3 mimetics: Venetoclax (ABT-199, an FDA-approved Bcl-2 inhibitor), Navitoclax (ABT-263, a Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor), and AZD5991 (an Mcl-1 inhibitor).
Results: CAR T cells with a 4-1BB costimulatory domain tended to have increased killing over CARs with CD28 and were less susceptible to apoptosis; therefore, 4-1BB CARs were used for all further testing. Integration of Bcl-2 family proteins into CAR T cells didn’t impair or even increase tumor cell clearance in vitro; however, in combination with Venetoclax, Navitoclax, or AZD5991, killing capacity significantly increased compared to control CAR T cells. Even without combination with drugs, CAR T cells overexpressing Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 (both wildtype and mutant) provided higher anti-tumor activity and prolonged survival against JeKo-1 cells in vivo, whereas only Bcl-xL overexpression showed increased tumor control compared to regular 4-1BB CARs against Nalm6 cells.
Conclusion: Of the tested antiapoptotic proteins, Bcl-xL overexpressing CAR T cells proved superior, having higher proliferation and increased anti-tumor activity in combination with or without BH3 mimetics, providing a new strategy to optimize CAR T cell function for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.
Citation Format: Felix Korell, Michael Olson, Diego Salas-Benito, Mark B. Leick, Rebecca C. Larson, Harrison Silva, Alessandro Gasparetto, Trisha R. Berger, Amanda Bouffard, Michael C. Kann, Markus Mergen, Tamina Kienka, Marc Wehrli, Stefanie R. Bailey, Anthony Letai, Marcela V. Maus. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells overexpressing Bcl-xL increase proliferation and antitumor activity alone and in combination with BH3 mimetics. [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 4098.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Korell
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Michael Olson
- 2Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Diego Salas-Benito
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Mark B. Leick
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Rebecca C. Larson
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Harrison Silva
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Alessandro Gasparetto
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Trisha R. Berger
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Amanda Bouffard
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Michael C. Kann
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Markus Mergen
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Tamina Kienka
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Marc Wehrli
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Stefanie R. Bailey
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Anthony Letai
- 2Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Marcela V. Maus
- 1Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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7
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Hagel KR, Arafeh R, Gang S, Arnoff TE, Larson RC, Doench JG, Mathewson ND, Wucherpfennig KW, Maus MV, Hahn WC. Systematic Interrogation of Tumor Cell Resistance to Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 2023; 83:613-625. [PMID: 36548402 PMCID: PMC9929516 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-2245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy can lead to dramatic clinical responses in B-cell malignancies. However, early clinical trials with CAR T-cell therapy in non-B-cell malignancies have been disappointing to date, suggesting that tumor-intrinsic features contribute to resistance. To investigate tumor-intrinsic modes of resistance, we performed genome scale CRISPR-Cas9 screens in mesothelin (MSLN)-expressing pancreatic cancer cells. Co-culture with MSLN-targeting CAR T cells identified both antigen-dependent and antigen-independent modes of resistance. In particular, loss of the majority of the genes involved in the pathway responsible for GPI-anchor biosynthesis and attachment abrogated the ability of CAR T cells to target pancreatic cancer cells, suggesting that disruption of this pathway may permit MSLN CAR T-cell evasion in the clinic. Antigen-independent mediators of CAR T-cell response included members of the death receptor pathway as well as genes that regulate tumor transcriptional responses, including TFAP4 and INTS12. TFAP4-mediated CAR T resistance depended on the NFκB transcription factor p65, indicating that tumor resistance to CAR T-cell therapy likely involves alterations in tumor-intrinsic states. Overall, this study uncovers multiple antigen-dependent and -independent mechanisms of CAR T-cell evasion by pancreatic cancer, paving the way for overcoming resistance in this disease that is notoriously refractory to immunotherapy. SIGNIFICANCE The identification and validation of key determinants of CAR T-cell response in pancreatic cancer provide insights into the landscape of tumor cell intrinsic resistance mechanisms and into approaches to improve therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly R Hagel
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Rand Arafeh
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Sydney Gang
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Taylor E Arnoff
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - John G Doench
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Nathan D Mathewson
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Kai W Wucherpfennig
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - William C Hahn
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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8
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Schmidts A, Srivastava AA, Ramapriyan R, Bailey SR, Bouffard AA, Cahill DP, Carter BS, Curry WT, Dunn GP, Frigault MJ, Gerstner ER, Ghannam JY, Kann MC, Larson RC, Leick MB, Nahed BV, Richardson LG, Scarfò I, Sun J, Wakimoto H, Maus MV, Choi BD. Tandem chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting EGFRvIII and IL-13Rα2 are effective against heterogeneous glioblastoma. Neurooncol Adv 2022; 5:vdac185. [PMID: 36751672 PMCID: PMC9896600 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdac185] [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] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have achieved remarkable responses in patients with hematological malignancies; however, the potential of this therapeutic platform for solid tumors like glioblastoma (GBM) has been limited, due in large part to the targeting of single antigens in a heterogeneous disease. Strategies that allow CAR T cells to engage multiple antigens concomitantly may broaden therapeutic responses and mitigate the effects of immune escape. Methods Here we have developed a novel, dual-specific, tandem CAR T (TanCART) cell with the ability to simultaneously target both EGFRvIII and IL-13Rα2, two well-characterized tumor antigens that are frequently found on the surface of GBM cells but completely absent from normal brain tissues. We employed both standard immunological assays and multiple orthotopic preclinical models including patient-derived xenograft to demonstrate efficacy of this approach against heterogeneous tumors. Results Tandem CAR T cells displayed enhanced cytotoxicity in vitro against heterogeneous GBM populations, including patient-derived brain tumor cultures (P < .05). Compared to CAR T cells targeting single antigens, dual antigen engagement through the tandem construct was necessary to achieve long-term, complete, and durable responses in orthotopic murine models of heterogeneous GBM, including patient-derived xenografts (P < .05). Conclusions We demonstrate that TanCART is effective against heterogeneous tumors in the brain. These data lend further credence to the development of multi-specific CAR T cells in the treatment of GBM and other cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ambike A Srivastava
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rishab Ramapriyan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel P Cahill
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bob S Carter
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - William T Curry
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew J Frigault
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Gerstner
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (E.R.G.)
| | - Jack Y Ghannam
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brian V Nahed
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Leland G Richardson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jing Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hiroaki Wakimoto
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bryan D Choi
- Corresponding Author: Bryan D. Choi, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, GRB 502, Boston, MA 02114, USA ()
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9
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Gallagher KME, Leick MB, Larson RC, Berger TR, Katsis K, Yam JY, Maus MV. Differential T-Cell Immunity to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in mRNA-1273- and BNT162b2-Vaccinated Individuals. Clin Infect Dis 2022; 75:e869-e873. [PMID: 35278306 PMCID: PMC9402689 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 breakthrough cases among vaccinated individuals demonstrate the value of measuring long-term immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. We demonstrate that anti-spike T-cell responses and IgG antibody levels are maintained but decrease over time and are lower in BNT162b2- versus mRNA-1273-vaccinated individuals. T-cell responses to the variants are relatively unaffected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M E Gallagher
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USAand
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Trisha R Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Katelin Katsis
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jennifer Y Yam
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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10
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Larson RC, Castano A, Bouffard AA, Kann MC, Schmidts A, Gallagher KM, Maus MV. Abstract 556: Novel anti-TACI single and dual-targeting CAR T cells overcome BCMA antigen loss in multiple myeloma. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-556] [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
Anti-BCMA CAR T cell therapy has had success clinically against multiple myeloma, recently leading to FDA approval. However, the median progression free survival is 8.8 months, suggesting that targeting BCMA alone may not be sufficient. Reports of BCMA-negative relapse have occurred, highlighting the need for therapeutics that can overcome antigen loss. We have generated a novel antibody against a second target in multiple myeloma, transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI). This antibody specifically recognizes TACI-positive cells (with either endogenous or exogenous expression) and has no recognition of non-B cell peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We designed novel second-generation CAR T cells based on the single chain variable fragment (scFv) from this antibody. We observe that anti-TACI CARs are cytotoxic in vitro at comparable levels to anti-BCMA CAR against multiple myeloma cell lines MM1S and RPMI-8226. Anti-TACI CARs are also functional in vivo and expand in peripheral blood of xenograft multiple myeloma models. We generated BCMA-knockout MM1S cells and observe that while anti-BCMA CAR treated mice have outgrowth of tumor, anti-TACI CAR treated animals retain anti-tumor activity. To overcome potential antigen loss of either BCMA or TACI, we designed tandem bispecific CAR T cells based on both single-targeting CAR designs. These BCMA and TACI dual-targeting CARs are functional in vitro and in vivo, even in the context of single antigen loss. We monitor the activation (CD69), exhaustion (PD-1, TIM-3, LAG-3), and memory (CCR7, CD45RA) phenotype over time to investigate the differences of single versus dual-targeting CAR T cells. We also study the ability of these CAR T cells to bind soluble antigen, as well as their binding avidity to tumor cells. We observe that the anti-TACI scFv more proximal to the CD3ζ signaling domain has a stronger effect on CAR functionality than when this scFv is more distal. Our studies provide a potential superior therapeutic option which remains efficacious in the context of BCMA antigen loss.
Citation Format: Rebecca C. Larson, Ana Castano, Amanda A. Bouffard, Michael C. Kann, Andrea Schmidts, Kathleen M. Gallagher, Marcela V. Maus. Novel anti-TACI single and dual-targeting CAR T cells overcome BCMA antigen loss in multiple myeloma [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 556.
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11
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Kann MC, Tepper A, Silva HJ, Lane IC, Bouffard AA, Larson RC, Ebert BL, Maus MV, Jan M. Abstract 3606: Lenalidomide switch control of CAR T-cell phenotype and function via degradable membrane-bound IL-7. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-3606] [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
CAR T cells have had marked success in the treatment of hematologic malignancies such as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma. However, some patients fail to have sustained responses, in large part to due limited persistence of their CAR T cells. Previous attempts to prolong CAR T cell survival have attempted to combine CAR T cell therapy and cytokine therapy (IL-2, IL-15) to increase persistence, but this combination of T cell activation and high levels of systemic cytokines can lead to toxicities. To enhance CAR T cell persistence and while mitigating potential cytokine toxicities, we present a bicistronic CAR T engineered to express a membrane-bound drug-degradable IL-7 (mbdIL7) on its surface in addition to a 2nd generation anti-CD19 CAR.
The mbdIL7 is composed of an IL-7 molecule anchored to the cell by a CD80 hinge/transmembrane domain and followed by a cytoplasmic super-degron tag and drives JAK/STAT5 signal transduction. Both mbdIL7 abundance and STAT5 phosphorylation can be efficiently suppressed with lenalidomide, an FDA approved drug, at sub-therapeutic doses. The mbdIL7 can supplant the requirement of exogenous cytokines during manufacturing and leads to a more central memory-biased T cell phenotype. mbdIL7 CAR T cell proliferation remains antigen-dependent. These novel mbdIL7 CAR T cells have similar in vitro effects to traditional CAR T against models of leukemia and lymphoma, but have distinct transcriptional profiles associated with lower levels of exhaustion. In an orthotopic xenograft lymphoma model, mbdIL7 CAR T cells demonstrate markedly enhanced anti-tumor activity compared to traditional anti-CD19 CAR T cells. In addition, mbdIL7 CAR T cells have increased expansion/persistence in the blood, bone marrow, and spleen. The inclusion of a membrane-bound degradable IL-7 into the backbone of a traditional anti-CD19 CAR allows for spatial and temporal control of a pro-persistence cytokine leading to a more effective CAR T treatment. This presents a potential controllable CAR T for patients that are currently not responding conventional FDA-approved products.
Citation Format: Michael C. Kann, Alexander Tepper, Harrison J. Silva, Isabel C. Lane, Amanda A. Bouffard, Rebecca C. Larson, Benjamin L. Ebert, Marcela V. Maus, Max Jan. Lenalidomide switch control of CAR T-cell phenotype and function via degradable membrane-bound IL-7 [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 3606.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Max Jan
- 1Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
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12
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Haradhvala NJ, Leick MB, Maurer K, Gohil S, Larson RC, Yao E, Frigault MJ, Li S, Livak KJ, Rhrissorrakrai K, Utro F, Levovitz C, Jacobs RA, Slowik K, Danysh BP, Parida L, Wu CJ, Getz G, Maus MV. Abstract 3575: Differential dynamics of response at single cell resolution between axi-cel and tisa-cel CAR-T therapy in refractory B-cell lymphomas. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-3575] [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
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Approximately half of patients with refractory large B-cell lymphomas achieve durable responses from CD19-targeting CAR-T treatment, across the commercially available CAR-T products with differing designs. Known failure mechanisms such as antigen loss account for only a fraction of cases without durable responses, and this knowledge gap has limited advances in CAR-T engineering and optimal targeting to patients.
We hypothesized that characterization of the transcriptional programs and temporal evolution of CAR-T and host immune cell populations could provide novel insights into the basis of clinical response to CAR-T cell therapy for B cell lymphoma. We performed 10X single-cell RNA sequencing on serial samples collected from 32 individuals with high grade B cell lymphoma treated with the two first FDA-approved CD19 CAR-T products: axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel, utilizing a CD28z costimulatory domain) and tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel, with a 4-1BB domain). We analyzed 106 samples, including pre-infusion blood samples, infusion product, and post-infusion T cells sorted by flow cytometry into CAR+ and CAR- populations. Analyzing 602,577 single-cell transcriptomes, we discerned major differences in the dynamics of response of the two products. Tisa-cel responders showed dramatic expansion of CD8+ T cells at day 7 after infusion, which represented less than 10% of cells in the product. Conversely, CD8+ T cells in products of non-responders failed to expand to the same degree post-infusion and had a more effector- than memory-like T cell phenotype. In one tisa-cel–treated patient who had no CD8+ T cell expansion after initial infusion and relapsed at 6 months post-infusion, re-treatment with a second dose of the same product led to a durable response and was associated with greater CD8+ T cell expansion as well as a shift in CD4+ T phenotype from cytotoxic to helper. In contrast, axi-cel responders had pre-expanded effector populations distributed more heterogeneously among CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Finally, we identified nominal elevations in CAR-T regulatory cells (CAR-Tregs) among both axi-cel and tisa-cel non-responders in our dataset, which we confirmed in an external dataset. These small increases in CAR-Tregs were sufficient to uniformly suppress conventional CAR-T cell expansion and drive late relapses in an in vivo mouse model of lymphoma after treatment with CARs with either CD28z or 4-1BB co-stimulatory domains. In summary, this represents the largest CAR-T scRNAseq cohort established thus far and provides important insights into (i) the temporal dynamics of a successful CAR-T response, (ii) the molecular phenotypes of CAR-T cells with different costimulatory domains, and (iii) the capacity for small increases in CAR-Tregs to drive relapse.
Citation Format: Nicholas J. Haradhvala, Mark B. Leick, Katie Maurer, Satyen Gohil, Rebecca C. Larson, Estelle Yao, Matthew J. Frigault, Shuqiang Li, Kenneth J. Livak, Kahn Rhrissorrakrai, Filippo Utro, Chaya Levovitz, Raquel A. Jacobs, Kara Slowik, Brian P. Danysh, Laxmi Parida, Catherine J. Wu, Gad Getz, Marcela V. Maus. Differential dynamics of response at single cell resolution between axi-cel and tisa-cel CAR-T therapy in refractory B-cell lymphomas [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 3575.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Estelle Yao
- 4Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Gad Getz
- 2Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
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13
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Katsis K, Leick MB, Larson RC, Berger TR, Elder EL, Maus MV, Gallagher KM. Differential T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 vaccinated individuals. The Journal of Immunology 2022. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.208.supp.65.30] [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: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
T-cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with either BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) or mRNA-1273 (Moderna) mRNA vaccines was quantified through a validated ELISpot assay at various time points. The magnitude and duration of response was compared between these two vaccine cohorts alongside the anti-spike IgG response.
Freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells were incubated with overlapping peptide pools covering the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in an IFNg ELISpot assay. Donors T cell responses to spike protein were assessed where possible at pre-vaccination, post second vaccination, and at long-term follow up. Anti-Spike IgG was quantified by serum ELISA.
Following the 2 dose regimens, all donors developed anti-spike T-cell responses. The median decline in T-cell response between the 2nd vaccine dose and long-term follow-up was 35.1%. At long-term follow-up, T-cell responses in BNT162b2 vaccinated individuals were lower than mRNA-1273. Median T-cell responses were 38.5 SFU/2.5×105 (BNT162b2 ) and 86 SFU/2.5×105 (mRNA-1273). Anti-spike IgG decreased by a median of 89.3% at long-term follow-up. Individuals receiving BNT162b2 had lower serum antibody levels long-term compared to mRNA-1273. The median antibody responses were 205.3 BAU/mL (BNT162b2 ) and 335 BAU/mL (mRNA-1273).
Both humoral and cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is decreased long-term post-vaccination with either mRNA vaccine, and both are significantly lower in BNT162b2-vaccinated compared to mRNA-1273-vaccinated individuals, with a greater magnitude of difference in the T cell response between vaccines compared to antibody levels. As breakthrough infections continue to rise, understanding the dynamics of these vaccine responses is crucial.
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14
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Larson RC, Kann MC, Bailey SR, Haradhvala NJ, Llopis PM, Bouffard AA, Scarfó I, Leick MB, Grauwet K, Berger TR, Stewart K, Anekal PV, Jan M, Joung J, Schmidts A, Ouspenskaia T, Law T, Regev A, Getz G, Maus MV. CAR T cell killing requires the IFNγR pathway in solid but not liquid tumours. Nature 2022; 604:563-570. [PMID: 35418687 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04585-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 65.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy has had a transformative effect on the treatment of haematologic malignancies1-6, but it has shown limited efficacy against solid tumours. Solid tumours may have cell-intrinsic resistance mechanisms to CAR T cell cytotoxicity. Here, to systematically identify potential resistance pathways in an unbiased manner, we conducted a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen in glioblastoma, a disease in which CAR T cells have had limited efficacy7,8. We found that the loss of genes in the interferon-γ receptor (IFNγR) signalling pathway (IFNGR1, JAK1 or JAK2) rendered glioblastoma and other solid tumours more resistant to killing by CAR T cells both in vitro and in vivo. However, loss of this pathway did not render leukaemia or lymphoma cell lines insensitive to CAR T cells. Using transcriptional profiling, we determined that glioblastoma cells lacking IFNγR1 had lower upregulation of cell-adhesion pathways after exposure to CAR T cells. We found that loss of IFNγR1 in glioblastoma cells reduced overall CAR T cell binding duration and avidity. The critical role of IFNγR signalling in susceptibility of solid tumours to CAR T cells is surprising, given that CAR T cells do not require traditional antigen-presentation pathways. Instead, in glioblastoma tumours, IFNγR signalling was required for sufficient adhesion of CAR T cells to mediate productive cytotoxicity. Our work demonstrates that liquid and solid tumours differ in their interactions with CAR T cells and suggests that enhancing binding interactions between T cells and tumour cells may yield improved responses in solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas J Haradhvala
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Harvard Graduate Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irene Scarfó
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Korneel Grauwet
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Trisha R Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kai Stewart
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julia Joung
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Travis Law
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Biology and Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gad Getz
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. .,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. .,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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15
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How J, Gallagher KME, Liu Y, Katsis K, Elder EL, Larson RC, Leick MB, Neuberg D, Maus MV, Hobbs GS. Antibody and T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in myeloproliferative neoplasm patients. Leukemia 2022; 36:1176-1179. [PMID: 35217807 PMCID: PMC8873343 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01533-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Joan How
- Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Kathleen M E Gallagher
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Yiwen Liu
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Katelin Katsis
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Eva L Elder
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Donna Neuberg
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Gabriela S Hobbs
- Department of Medical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
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16
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Bailey SR, Vatsa S, Larson RC, Bouffard AA, Scarfo I, Kann MC, Berger TR, Leick MB, Wehrli M, Schmidts A, Silva H, Lindell KA, Demato A, Gallagher KM, Frigault MJ, Maus MV. Blockade or deletion of IFNg reduces macrophage activation without compromising CAR-T function in hematologic malignancies. Blood Cancer Discov 2021; 3:136-153. [PMID: 35015685 PMCID: PMC9414118 DOI: 10.1158/2643-3230.bcd-21-0181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) induce impressive responses in patients with hematologic malignancies but can also trigger cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a systemic toxicity caused by activated CAR-T and innate immune cells. Although interferon-gamma (IFNg) production serves as a potency assay for CAR T cells, its biologic role in conferring responses in hematologic malignancies is not established. Here we show that pharmacologic blockade or genetic knockout of IFNg reduced immune checkpoint protein expression with no detrimental effect on anti-tumor efficacy against hematologic malignancies in vitro or in vivo. Furthermore, IFNg blockade reduced macrophage activation to a greater extent than currently used cytokine antagonists in immune cells from healthy donors and serum from CAR-T treated lymphoma patients who developed CRS. Collectively, these data show that IFNg is not required for CAR-T efficacy against hematologic malignancies, and blocking IFNg could simultaneously mitigate cytokine-related toxicities while preserving persistence and anti-tumor efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie R Bailey
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Sonika Vatsa
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Irene Scarfo
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | | | | | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
| | - Marc Wehrli
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Marcela V Maus
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
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17
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Gallagher KM, Leick MB, Larson RC, Berger TR, Katsis K, Yam JY, Brini G, Grauwet K, Maus MV. SARS -CoV-2 T-cell immunity to variants of concern following vaccination. bioRxiv 2021:2021.05.03.442455. [PMID: 33972942 PMCID: PMC8109204 DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.03.442455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recently, two mRNA vaccines to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have become available, but there is also an emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with increased transmissibility and virulence1-6. A major concern is whether the available vaccines will be equally effective against these variants. The vaccines are designed to induce an immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein7,8, which is required for viral entry to host cells9. Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is often evaluated by antibody production, while less is known about the T-cell response. Here we developed, characterized, and implemented two standardized, functional assays to measure T-cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in uninfected, convalescent, and vaccinated individuals. We found that vaccinated individuals had robust T-cell responses to the wild type spike and nucleocapsid proteins, even more so than convalescent patients. We also found detectable but diminished T-cell responses to spike variants (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and B.1.1.248) among vaccinated but otherwise healthy donors. Since decreases in antibody neutralization have also been observed with some variants10-12, investigation into the T-cell response to these variants as an alternative means of viral control is imperative. Standardized measurements of T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 are feasible and can be easily adjusted to determine changes in response to variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M.E. Gallagher
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark B. Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca C. Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Trisha R. Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Katelin Katsis
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jennifer Y. Yam
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gabrielle Brini
- Immune Monitoring Laboratory, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Korneel Grauwet
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Marcela V. Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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18
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Abstract
This Review discusses the major advances and changes made over the past 3 years to our understanding of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell efficacy and safety. Recently, the field has gained insight into how various molecular modules of the CAR influence signalling and function. We report on mechanisms of toxicity and resistance as well as novel engineering and pharmaceutical interventions to overcome these challenges. Looking forward, we discuss new targets and indications for CAR T cell therapy expected to reach the clinic in the next 1-2 years. We also consider some new studies that have implications for the future of CAR T cell therapies, including changes to manufacturing, allogeneic products and drug-regulatable CAR T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Immunology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Immunology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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19
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Jan M, Scarfò I, Larson RC, Walker A, Schmidts A, Guirguis AA, Gasser JA, Słabicki M, Bouffard AA, Castano AP, Kann MC, Cabral ML, Tepper A, Grinshpun DE, Sperling AS, Kyung T, Sievers QL, Birnbaum ME, Maus MV, Ebert BL. Reversible ON- and OFF-switch chimeric antigen receptors controlled by lenalidomide. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabb6295. [PMID: 33408186 PMCID: PMC8045771 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb6295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.7] [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: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies are emerging as effective agents against cancer and other diseases. As autonomous "living drugs," these therapies lack precise control. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells effectively target hematologic malignancies but can proliferate rapidly and cause toxicity. We developed ON and OFF switches for CAR T cells using the clinically approved drug lenalidomide, which mediates the proteasomal degradation of several target proteins by inducing interactions between the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase and a C2H2 zinc finger degron motif. We performed a systematic screen to identify "super-degron" tags with enhanced sensitivity to lenalidomide-induced degradation and used these degradable tags to generate OFF-switch degradable CARs. To create an ON switch, we engineered a lenalidomide-inducible dimerization system and developed split CARs that required both lenalidomide and target antigen for activation. Subtherapeutic lenalidomide concentrations controlled the effector functions of ON- and OFF-switch CAR T cells. In vivo, ON-switch split CARs demonstrated lenalidomide-dependent antitumor activity, and OFF-switch degradable CARs were depleted by drug treatment to limit inflammatory cytokine production while retaining antitumor efficacy. Together, the data showed that these lenalidomide-gated switches are rapid, reversible, and clinically suitable systems to control transgene function in diverse gene- and cell-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Jan
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Amanda Walker
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew A Guirguis
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jessica A Gasser
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mikołaj Słabicki
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ana P Castano
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Maria L Cabral
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alexander Tepper
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Daniel E Grinshpun
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Adam S Sperling
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Taeyoon Kyung
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | - Michael E Birnbaum
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Benjamin L Ebert
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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20
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Boroughs AC, Larson RC, Marjanovic ND, Gosik K, Castano AP, Porter CBM, Lorrey SJ, Ashenberg O, Jerby L, Hofree M, Smith-Rosario G, Morris R, Gould J, Riley LS, Berger TR, Riesenfeld SJ, Rozenblatt-Rosen O, Choi BD, Regev A, Maus MV. A Distinct Transcriptional Program in Human CAR T Cells Bearing the 4-1BB Signaling Domain Revealed by scRNA-Seq. Mol Ther 2020; 28:2577-2592. [PMID: 32755564 PMCID: PMC7704462 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [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: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) targeting CD19 have produced impressive outcomes for the treatment of B cell malignancies, but different products vary in kinetics, persistence, and toxicity profiles based on the co-stimulatory domains included in the CAR. In this study, we performed transcriptional profiling of bulk CAR T cell populations and single cells to characterize the transcriptional states of human T cells transduced with CD3ζ, 4-1BB-CD3ζ (BBζ), or CD28-CD3ζ (28ζ) co-stimulatory domains at rest and after activation by triggering their CAR or their endogenous T cell receptor (TCR). We identified a transcriptional signature common across CARs with the CD3ζ signaling domain, as well as a distinct program associated with the 4-1BB co-stimulatory domain at rest and after activation. CAR T cells bearing BBζ had increased expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genes, ENPP2, and interleukin (IL)-21 axis genes, and decreased PD1 compared to 28ζ CAR T cells. Similar to previous studies, we also found BBζ CAR CD8 T cells to be enriched in a central memory cell phenotype and fatty acid metabolism genes. Our data uncovered transcriptional signatures related to costimulatory domains and demonstrated that signaling domains included in CARs uniquely shape the transcriptional programs of T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela C Boroughs
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nemanja D Marjanovic
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kirk Gosik
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ana P Castano
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Caroline B M Porter
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Selena J Lorrey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Orr Ashenberg
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Livnat Jerby
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Matan Hofree
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Robert Morris
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA
| | - Joshua Gould
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Lauren S Riley
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Trisha R Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Samantha J Riesenfeld
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Orit Rozenblatt-Rosen
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Bryan D Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA.
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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21
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Schmidts A, Marsh LC, Srivastava AA, Bouffard AA, Boroughs AC, Scarfò I, Larson RC, Bedoya F, Choi BD, Frigault MJ, Bailey SR, Leick MB, Vatsa S, Kann MC, Prew MS, Kleinstiver BP, Joung JK, Maus MV. Cell-based artificial APC resistant to lentiviral transduction for efficient generation of CAR-T cells from various cell sources. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:jitc-2020-000990. [PMID: 32900862 PMCID: PMC7477986 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Adoptive cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) has become a standard treatment for patients with certain aggressive B cell malignancies and holds promise to improve the care of patients suffering from numerous other cancers in the future. However, the high manufacturing cost of CAR-T cell therapies poses a major barrier to their broader clinical application. Among the key cost drivers of CAR-T production are single-use reagents for T cell activation and clinical-grade viral vector. The presence of variable amounts of contaminating monocytes in the starting material poses an additional challenge to CAR-T manufacturing, since they can impede T cell stimulation and transduction, resulting in manufacturing failure. Methods We created K562-based artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPC) with genetically encoded T cell stimulation and costimulation that represent an inexhaustible source for T cell activation. We additionally disrupted endogenous expression of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) on these aAPC (aAPC-ΔLDLR) using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing nucleases to prevent inadvertent lentiviral transduction and avoid the sink effect on viral vector during transduction. Using various T cell sources, we produced CD19-directed CAR-T cells via aAPC-ΔLDLR-based activation and tested their in vitro and in vivo antitumor potency against B cell malignancies. Results We found that lack of LDLR expression on our aAPC-ΔLDLR conferred resistance to lentiviral transduction during CAR-T production. Using aAPC-ΔLDLR, we achieved efficient expansion of CAR-T cells even from unpurified starting material like peripheral blood mononuclear cells or unmanipulated leukapheresis product, containing substantial proportions of monocytes. CD19-directed CAR-T cells that we produced via aAPC-ΔLDLR-based expansion demonstrated potent antitumor responses in preclinical models of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B-cell lymphoma. Conclusions Our aAPC-ΔLDLR represent an attractive approach for manufacturing of lentivirally transduced T cells that may be simpler and more cost efficient than currently available methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Leah C Marsh
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ambike A Srivastava
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Angela C Boroughs
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Felipe Bedoya
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bryan D Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Department of Neurosurgery, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew J Frigault
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sonika Vatsa
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michelle S Prew
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Benjamin P Kleinstiver
- Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J Keith Joung
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA .,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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22
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Choi BD, Yu X, Castano AP, Darr H, Henderson DB, Bouffard AA, Larson RC, Scarfò I, Bailey SR, Gerhard GM, Frigault MJ, Leick MB, Schmidts A, Sagert JG, Curry WT, Carter BS, Maus MV. CRISPR-Cas9 disruption of PD-1 enhances activity of universal EGFRvIII CAR T cells in a preclinical model of human glioblastoma. J Immunother Cancer 2019; 7:304. [PMID: 31727131 PMCID: PMC6857271 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0806-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.6] [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: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite remarkable success in the treatment of hematological malignancies, CAR T-cell therapies for solid tumors have floundered, in large part due to local immune suppression and the effects of prolonged stimulation leading to T-cell dysfunction and exhaustion. One mechanism by which gliomas and other cancers can hamper CAR T cells is through surface expression of inhibitory ligands such as programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Using the CRIPSR-Cas9 system, we created universal CAR T cells resistant to PD-1 inhibition through multiplexed gene disruption of endogenous T-cell receptor (TRAC), beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) and PD-1 (PDCD1). Triple gene-edited CAR T cells demonstrated enhanced activity in preclinical glioma models. Prolonged survival in mice bearing intracranial tumors was achieved after intracerebral, but not intravenous administration. CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing not only provides a potential source of allogeneic, universal donor cells, but also enables simultaneous disruption of checkpoint signaling that otherwise impedes maximal antitumor functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan D Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xiaoling Yu
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Ana P Castano
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Henia Darr
- CRISPR Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Genevieve M Gerhard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Matthew J Frigault
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA.,Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA
| | | | - William T Curry
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bob S Carter
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 3.216, Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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23
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Ormhøj M, Scarfò I, Cabral ML, Bailey SR, Lorrey SJ, Bouffard AA, Castano AP, Larson RC, Riley LS, Schmidts A, Choi BD, Andersen RS, Cédile O, Nyvold CG, Christensen JH, Gjerstorff MF, Ditzel HJ, Weinstock DM, Barington T, Frigault MJ, Maus MV. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Targeting CD79b Show Efficacy in Lymphoma with or without Cotargeting CD19. Clin Cancer Res 2019; 25:7046-7057. [PMID: 31439577 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-1337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE T cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) against CD19 have recently been FDA approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. Despite the success and curative potential of CD19 CAR T cells, several reports describing disease relapse due to antigen loss are now emerging. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We developed a novel CAR construct directed against CD79b, a critical receptor for successful B-cell development that remains highly expressed in several subtypes of B-cell lymphoma, including mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We tested CAR T cells directed against CD79b alone or in combination with CD19 targeting in a single construct, against cell line- and patient-derived xenograft models. RESULTS We demonstrate CAR79b antigen-specific recognition and cytotoxicity against a panel of cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models of MCL. Importantly, we show that downregulation of CD19 does not influence surface expression of CD79b and that anti-CD79b CAR T cells alone or arranged in a dual-targeting format with a CD19 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) are able to recognize and eliminate CD19+, CD19-, and mixed CD19+/CD19-B-cell lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that CAR T cells targeting CD79b alone or in combination have promise for treating and preventing CD19 antigen escape in B-cell lymphomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ormhøj
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Maria L Cabral
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Selena J Lorrey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ana P Castano
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lauren S Riley
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Bryan D Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rikke S Andersen
- Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Oriane Cédile
- Haematology-Pathology Research Laboratory, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,OPEN, Odense Patient Data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Charlotte G Nyvold
- Haematology-Pathology Research Laboratory, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Pathology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,OPEN, Odense Patient Data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jacob H Christensen
- Department of Haematology, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Morten F Gjerstorff
- Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Henrik J Ditzel
- Department of Cancer and Inflammation Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - David M Weinstock
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Torben Barington
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,OPEN, Odense Patient Data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Matthew J Frigault
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. .,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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24
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Boroughs AC, Larson RC, Choi BD, Bouffard AA, Riley LS, Schiferle E, Kulkarni AS, Cetrulo CL, Ting D, Blazar BR, Demehri S, Maus MV. Chimeric antigen receptor costimulation domains modulate human regulatory T cell function. JCI Insight 2019; 5:126194. [PMID: 30869654 PMCID: PMC6538349 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.126194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [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: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are key modulators of inflammation and are important for the maintenance of peripheral tolerance. Adoptive immunotherapy with polyclonal Tregs holds promise in organ transplantation, graft-versus-host disease, and autoimmune diseases, but may be enhanced by antigen-specific, long-lived Treg cells. We modified primary human Tregs with chimeric antigen-receptors (CARs) bearing different costimulatory domains and performed in vitro analyses of their phenotype and function. While neither the presence of a CAR nor the type of costimulation domain influenced Foxp3 expression in Tregs, the costimulation domain of the CARs affected CAR Treg surface phenotype and functions such as cytokine production. Furthermore, signaling from the CD28 costimulation domain maintained CAR Treg suppressor function, whereas 4-1B costimulation did not. In vivo, CAR Tregs accumulated at sites expressing target antigen, and suppressed antigen specific effector T cell responses; however, only CAR Tregs with CD28 signaling domains were potent inhibitors of effector T cell mediated graft rejection in vivo. Our findings support the use of CD28 based CAR-Tregs for tissue specific immune suppression in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela C. Boroughs
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Immunology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca C. Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Immunology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bryan D. Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery and
| | - Amanda A. Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lauren S. Riley
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Erik Schiferle
- Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - David Ting
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bruce R. Blazar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Shadmehr Demehri
- Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marcela V. Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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25
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Larson RC, Sierra RJ, Sundaram M, Inwards C, Scully SP. Calcific myonecrosis: a unique presentation in the upper extremity. Skeletal Radiol 2004; 33:306-9. [PMID: 14991247 DOI: 10.1007/s00256-003-0740-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2003] [Revised: 12/02/2003] [Accepted: 12/05/2003] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Calcific myonecrosis is a rare and latent condition characterized by a dystrophic calcified lesion that can present 10-64 years following initial trauma. Of the 25 cases documented in English world literature, all have occurred in the lower extremity exclusively. We report a case of a 60-year-old man with a painless enlarging left forearm mass that was subsequently diagnosed as calcific myonecrosis. Awareness of this lesion arising outside of the lower extremity is important to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention and patient reassurance.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Larson
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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26
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Larson RC, Lavenir I, Larson TA, Baer R, Warren AJ, Wadman I, Nottage K, Rabbitts TH. Protein dimerization between Lmo2 (Rbtn2) and Tal1 alters thymocyte development and potentiates T cell tumorigenesis in transgenic mice. EMBO J 1996; 15:1021-7. [PMID: 8605871 PMCID: PMC449997] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The LMO2 and TAL1 genes were first identified via chromosomal translocations and later found to encode proteins that interact during normal erythroid development. Some T cell leukaemia patients have chromosomal abnormalities involving both genes, implying that LMO2 and TAL1 act synergistically to promote tumorigenesis after their inappropriate co-expression. To test this hypothesis, transgenic mice were made which co-express Lmo2 and Tal1 genes in T cells. Dimers of Lmo2 and Tal1 proteins were formed in thymocytes of double but not single transgenic mice. Furthermore, thymuses of double transgenic mice were almost completely populated by immature T cells from birth, and these mice develop T cell tumours approximately 3 months earlier than those with only the Lmo2 transgene. Thus interaction between these two proteins can alter T cell development and potentiate tumorigenesis. The data also provide formal proof that TAL1 is an oncogene, apparently acting as a tumour promoter in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Larson
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
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27
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Larson RC, Osada H, Larson TA, Lavenir I, Rabbitts TH. The oncogenic LIM protein Rbtn2 causes thymic developmental aberrations that precede malignancy in transgenic mice. Oncogene 1995; 11:853-62. [PMID: 7545805] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
RBTN2 is activated by the chromosomal translocation t(11;14) (P13;p11) in some T cell leukaemias. Histologically similar T cell tumours develop with long latency in transgenic mice when either CD2 or thy1.1 promoters control rbtn2 expression. During the asymptomatic period, perturbation of T cell differentiation occurs in the thymus. The major anomalies present during this phase are an increase in the percentage of large thymocytes lacking CD4 and CD8 markers and also of small thymocytes express both the T cell marker CD3 and the B cell-specific form of CD45. These abnormal T cell populations can be clonal and thus a primary result of aberrant expression of the LIM-protein Rbtn2 is alteration of T cell differentiation preceding overt malignancy. These data provide a biological explanation for the role of Rbtn2 in tumorigenesis and presumably RBTN2 expression in T cells after the translocation t(11;14) in children has the same effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Larson
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
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28
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Larson RC, Fisch P, Larson TA, Lavenir I, Langford T, King G, Rabbitts TH. T cell tumours of disparate phenotype in mice transgenic for Rbtn-2. Oncogene 1994; 9:3675-81. [PMID: 7970726] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
RBTN2 is a LIM domain protein which can be activated by the translocation t(11;14)(p13;q11) in childhood T cell acute leukaemia. Transgenic mice were examined in which rbtn2 protein is expressed in the T cell lineage. An average of 72% of these mice developed T cell tumours before 18 months of age, compared with 9% in transgenic mice expressing the related gene Rbtn-1. Rbtn2-induced tumours first appeared at 5 months of age and were clonal. They displayed a range of phenotypes, the most notable being CD3/CD45R double-positive cells. Tumours expressing either T cell receptor alpha/beta or gamma/delta heterodimers were found. Thus rbtn2 can promote tumours within a range of T cell types and maturities. The latency period before tumour development indicates that secondary events must occur before the onset of overt malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Larson
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
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29
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Larson RC, Ignotz GG, Currie WB. Transforming growth factor beta and basic fibroblast growth factor synergistically promote early bovine embryo development during the fourth cell cycle. Mol Reprod Dev 1992; 33:432-5. [PMID: 1472373 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.1080330409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Developmentally competent bovine blastocysts were produced by adding transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to serum-free cultures of in vitro produced, 2-cell bovine embryos. The effects of TGF beta were evaluated because this growth factor signals synthesis and secretion of the extracellular matrix component fibronectin and its receptor. Previous investigations have demonstrated that fibronectin promotes early bovine embryo development in vitro. The effects of TGF beta can be potentiated by bFGF; bFGF itself is an effector of protein synthesis and a potent mitogen. A positive interaction between the 2 growth factors resulted in 38.8% of fertilized oocytes maturing beyond the 16-cell stage; of these, 24.6% formed blastocysts. Transfer of early blastocysts produced using serum-free medium supplemented with growth factors resulted in pregnancy in 3 of 9 recipients. These results support the hypothesis that TGF beta and bFGF act synergistically to promote development of bovine embryos beyond the "8-cell block" observed in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Larson
- Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
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30
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Abstract
Two-cell bovine embryos produced in vitro were cultured in serum-free medium containing the soluble glycoprotein fibronectin (50 micrograms ml-1) to study the function of the extracellular matrix in early development. Some of the embryos (48/164, 29.3%), developed beyond the 16-cell stage compared with none of the 179 controls. Fibronectin at lower (5 micrograms ml-1) or higher (300 micrograms ml-1) concentrations did not promote embryo development (0/89 and 0/82, respectively). Indirect immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of both fibronectin and its receptor on the surface of eight-cell embryo blastomeres, and biotinylated fibronectin demonstrated that exogenous fibronectin could cross the zona pellucida. These results, demonstrating the successful culture of bovine embryos in serum-free medium, support the hypothesis that the extracellular matrix, specifically fibronectin, plays a role in early development of bovine embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Larson
- Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
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31
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Abstract
In vitro produced, 2-cell bovine embryos were cultured in serum-free medium supplemented with various combinations of growth factors to test the hypothesis that these polypeptide factors are able to signal preimplantation development. The developmental arrest that occurs during the 8-cell stage with typical culture methods might be relieved by a growth factor-dependent mechanism that would stimulate expression of the embryonic genome, thereby mimicking events that occur in vivo in the oviduct during the fourth cell cycle (8- to 16-cell stage). Subsequently, other growth factors might promote compaction and blastulation, processes which normally occur in the uterus. The effects of growth factors on early embryos were evaluated using phase contrast microscopy to monitor progression to the 8-cell stage, completion and duration of the fourth cell cycle, and blastocyst formation. Platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) promoted development beyond the 16-cell stage in 39.1% of the 2-cell embryos examined in all experiments. The duration of the fourth cell cycle among these embryos was approximately 26 hours. During development after the 16-cell stage, PDGF reduced the proportion of embryos bastulating from 12.7% to 5.8%; in contrast, transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha), acting during the same developmental time period, increased the proportion of embryos blastulating from 8.6% to 40.6%. These results, using serum-free medium, indicated that PDGF signalled completion of the fourth cell cycle. TGF alpha, and perhaps basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), promoted blastulation of 16-cell embryos during subsequent culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Larson
- Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
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32
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Larson RC. Ambulance deployment with the hypercube queuing model. Med Instrum 1982; 16:199-201. [PMID: 7132820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
A computer-implemented mathematical model has been developed to assist planners in the spatial deployment and dispatching of ambulances. The model incorporates uncertainties in the arrival times, locations, and service requirements of patients, building on the branch of operations research known as queuing theory. Several system-performance measures are generated by the model, including mean neighborhood-specific response times, mean utilization of each ambulance, and statistical profiles of ambulance response patterns. This model has been implemented by the Department of Health and Hospitals of the City of Boston.
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DeVietti TL, Holliday JH, Larson RC. Comparison of amnesias induced by electroconvulsive shock administered after training-trial footshock or noncontingent footshock in rats. J Comp Physiol Psychol 1973; 84:579-85. [PMID: 4795698 DOI: 10.1037/h0034859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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