1
|
Kim M, Yoon HJ, Lee C, Lee M, Park RW, Lee B, Park EJ, Kim S. Immune Checkpoint-Blocking Nanocages Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier and Impede Brain Tumor Growth. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:575-587. [PMID: 38150627 PMCID: PMC10777349 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01200] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the deadliest tumor of the central nervous system, with a median survival of less than 15 months. Despite many trials, immune checkpoint-blocking (ICB) therapies using monoclonal antibodies against the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have demonstrated only limited benefits for GBM patients. Currently, the main hurdles in brain tumor therapy include limited drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the profoundly immune-suppressive microenvironment of GBM. Thus, there is an urgent need for new therapeutics that can cross the BBB and target brain tumors to modulate the immune microenvironment. To this end, we developed an ICB strategy based on the BBB-permeable, 24-subunit human ferritin heavy chain, modifying the ferritin surface with 24 copies of PD-L1-blocking peptides to create ferritin-based ICB nanocages. The PD-L1pep ferritin nanocages first demonstrated their tumor-targeting and antitumor activities in an allograft colon cancer model. Next, we found that these PD-L1pep ferritin nanocages efficiently penetrated the BBB and targeted brain tumors through specific interactions with PD-L1, significantly inhibiting tumor growth in an orthotopic intracranial tumor model. The addition of PD-L1pep ferritin nanocages to triple in vitro cocultures of T cells, GBM cells, and glial cells significantly inhibited PD-1/PD-L1 interactions and restored T-cell activity. Collectively, these findings indicate that ferritin nanocages displaying PD-L1-blocking peptides can overcome the primary hurdle of brain tumor therapy and are, therefore, promising candidates for treating GBM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Minseong Kim
- Department
of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
- BK21
Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical
Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National
University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic
of Korea
- CMRI,
School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Jung Yoon
- Immuno-Oncology
Branch, Division of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of
Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer
Center, Goyang 10408, Republic
of Korea
| | - Chanju Lee
- Immuno-Oncology
Branch, Division of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of
Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer
Center, Goyang 10408, Republic
of Korea
| | - Minah Lee
- Department
of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
- BK21
Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical
Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National
University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic
of Korea
- CMRI,
School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Rang-Woon Park
- Department
of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
- BK21
Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical
Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National
University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic
of Korea
- CMRI,
School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Byungheon Lee
- Department
of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
- BK21
Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical
Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National
University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic
of Korea
- CMRI,
School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jung Park
- Immuno-Oncology
Branch, Division of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of
Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer
Center, Goyang 10408, Republic
of Korea
| | - Soyoun Kim
- Department
of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
- BK21
Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical
Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National
University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic
of Korea
- CMRI,
School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jeon IS, Yoo JD, Gurung S, Kim M, Lee C, Park EJ, Park RW, Lee B, Kim S. Anticancer nanocage platforms for combined immunotherapy designed to harness immune checkpoints and deliver anticancer drugs. Biomaterials 2021; 270:120685. [PMID: 33524811 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120685] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The interaction of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) with its receptor, programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), inhibits T cell responses. Monoclonal antibodies that block this interaction have been shown effective as immunotherapy. However, only a subset of cancers exhibits a durable response to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. Moreover, antibody-based immune checkpoint blockade is costly and is occasionally accompanied by systemic side effects. To overcome these limitations of antibody-based immune checkpoint blockade, an immune checkpoint-blocking ferritin nanocage displaying 24 PD-L1 binding peptides (PD-L1pep1) on its surface was designed and constructed. These ferritin nanocages displaying PD-L1pep1 (PpNF) specifically bind to PD-L1 expressed on cancer cells or to purified PD-L1 with a ~30 nM binding affinity. The addition of PpNF to co-cultures of T cells and cancer cells inhibited PD-1/PD-L1 interactions and restored T cell activities. In a mouse model of syngeneic colon cancer, PpNF specifically targeted tumors and showed antitumor activity. Moreover, PpNF nanocages encapsulating the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin had more potent antitumor activity than a monoclonal antibody against PD-L1. These results demonstrate that ferritin nanocages displaying surface PD-L1pep1 can be efficiently applied for immunotherapy, especially when encapsulating small chemotherapeutic drugs. These nanocages may have promise as an immunotherapeutic nanomedicine against various solid tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- In Seon Jeon
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Do Yoo
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Smriti Gurung
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Minseong Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Chanju Lee
- Cancer Immunology Branch, Division of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jung Park
- Cancer Immunology Branch, Division of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea
| | - Rang-Woon Park
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Byungheon Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; BK21 Plus KNU Biomedical Convergence Program, Department of Biomedical Science, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Soyoun Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea; CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|