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Biery DN, Turicek DP, Diorio C, Schroeder BA, Shah NN. Need for standardization of cytokine profiling in CAR T cell therapy. Mol Ther 2024:S1525-0016(24)00171-0. [PMID: 38532629 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
With expansion of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy and broader utilization of anti-cytokine directed therapeutics for toxicity mitigation, the routine assessment of cytokines may enhance understanding of toxicity profiles, guide therapeutic interventions, and facilitate cross-trial comparisons. As specific cytokine elevations can correlate with and provide insights into CAR T cell toxicity, mitigation strategies, and response, we explored the reporting of cytokine detection methods and assessed for the correlation of cytokines to cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) across clinical trials. In this analysis, we reviewed 21 clinical trials across 60 manuscripts that featured a US Food and Drug Administration-approved CAR T cell construct or one of its predecessors. We highlight substantial variability and limited reporting of cytokine measurement platforms and panels used across CAR T cell clinical trials. Specifically, across 60 publications, 28 (46.7%) did not report any cytokine data, representing 6 of 21 (28.6%) clinical trials. In the 15 trials reporting cytokine data, at least 4 different platforms were used. Furthermore, correlation of cytokines with ICANS, CRS, and CRS severity was limited. Considering the fundamental role of cytokines in CAR T cell toxicity, our manuscript supports the need to establish standardization of cytokine measurements as a key biomarker essential to improving outcomes of CAR T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Nathan Biery
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA; George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - David P Turicek
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA; Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Caroline Diorio
- Division of Oncology, Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Brett A Schroeder
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nirali N Shah
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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2
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Winkelmann M, Blumenberg V, Rejeski K, Quell C, Bücklein VL, Ingenerf M, Unterrainer M, Schmidt C, Dekorsy FJ, Bartenstein P, Ricke J, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Subklewe M, Kunz WG. Prognostic value of pre-infusion tumor growth rate for patients with lymphoma receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. Cytotherapy 2023:S1465-3249(23)00069-5. [PMID: 37055322 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CART) prolongs survival for patients with refractory or relapsed lymphoma, yet its efficacy is affected by the tumor burden. The relevance of tumor kinetics before infusion is unknown. We aimed to study the prognostic value of the pre-infusion tumor growth rate (TGRpre-BL) for progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS). METHODS Consecutive patients with available pre-baseline (pre-BL) and baseline (BL) computed tomography or positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan before CART were included. TGR was determined as change of Lugano criteria-based tumor burden between pre-BL, BL and follow-up examinations (FU) in relation to days between imaging exams. Overall response rate (ORR), depth or response (DoR) and PFS were determined based on Lugano criteria. Multivariate regression analysis studied association of TGR with ORR and DoR. Proportional Cox regression analysis studied association of TGR with PFS and OS. RESULTS In total, 62 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median TGRpre-BL was 7.5 mm2/d (interquartile range -14.6 mm2/d to 48.7 mm2/d); TGRpre-BL was positive (TGRpre-BL POS) in 58% of patients and negative (TGRpre-BL NEG, indicating tumor shrinkage) in 42% of patients. Patients who were TGRpre-BL POS had a 90-day (FU2) ORR of 62%, a DoR of -86% and a median PFS of 124 days. Patients who were TGRpre-BL NEG had a 90-day ORR of 44%, DoR of -47% and a median PFS of 105 days. ORR and DoR were not associated with slower TGR (P = 0.751, P = 0.198). Patients with an increase of TGR from pre-BL over BL to 30-day FU (FU1) ≥100% (TGRpre-BL-to-FU1≥100%) showed a significant association with shorter median PFS (31 days versus 343 days, P = 0.002) and shorter median OS after CART (93 days versus not reached, P < 0.001), compared with patients with TGRpre-BL-to-FU1<100%. CONCLUSIONS In the context of CART, differences in pre-infusion tumor kinetics showed minor differences in ORR, DoR, PFS and OS, whereas the change of the TGR from pre-BL to 30-day FU significantly stratified PFS and OS. In this patient population of refractory or relapsed lymphomas, TGR is readily available based on pre-BL imaging, and its change throughout CART should be explored as a potential novel imaging biomarker of early response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Winkelmann
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Viktoria Blumenberg
- Laboratory for Translational Cancer Immunology, Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and Bavarian Center for Cancer Research (BZKF), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kai Rejeski
- Laboratory for Translational Cancer Immunology, Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and Bavarian Center for Cancer Research (BZKF), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christina Quell
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Veit L Bücklein
- Laboratory for Translational Cancer Immunology, Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and Bavarian Center for Cancer Research (BZKF), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Maria Ingenerf
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marcus Unterrainer
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Schmidt
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Franziska J Dekorsy
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Bartenstein
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Center München-LMU (CCCMLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jens Ricke
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Center München-LMU (CCCMLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael von Bergwelt-Baildon
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and Bavarian Center for Cancer Research (BZKF), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Center München-LMU (CCCMLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marion Subklewe
- Laboratory for Translational Cancer Immunology, Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and Bavarian Center for Cancer Research (BZKF), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Medicine III, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Center München-LMU (CCCMLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang G Kunz
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and Bavarian Center for Cancer Research (BZKF), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Center München-LMU (CCCMLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
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3
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Neo SY, Xu S, Chong J, Lam KP, Wu J. Harnessing novel strategies and cell types to overcome immune tolerance during adoptive cell therapy in cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:jitc-2022-006434. [PMID: 37100458 PMCID: PMC10151952 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-006434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell therapy encompasses an expanding spectrum of cell-based regimes for the treatment of human ailments, such as the use of immune cells, in particular T cells, for combating tumors and the modulation of inflammatory immune responses. In this review, we focus on cell therapy in the immuno-oncology space, which is largely driven by interests and demands from the clinics for better solutions to target various hard-to-treat cancers. We discuss recent advances in various types of cell therapies, including T cell receptor-T cells, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Particularly, the present review focuses on the strategies to improve therapeutic responses by either enhancing tumor recognition or the resilience of infused immune cells within tumor microenvironment. Finally, we discuss the potential of other innate or innate-like immune cell types currently being explored as promising CAR-cell alternatives that seek to address the limitations of conventional adoptive cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Yong Neo
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shengli Xu
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Joni Chong
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Kong-Peng Lam
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jing Wu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, People's Republic of China
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4
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Oswald LB, Li X, Carvajal R, Hoogland AI, Gudenkauf LM, Hansen DK, Alsina M, Locke FL, Rodriguez Y, Irizarry-Arroyo N, Robinson EJ, Jim HSL, Gonzalez BD, Kirtane K. Longitudinal Collection of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Activity Data during CAR-T Therapy: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Data Visualization. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14112742. [PMID: 35681722 PMCID: PMC9179384 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14112742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Clinicians must closely monitor patients for toxicities after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T). Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) (e.g., toxicities, quality of life) and activity data (e.g., steps, sleep) may complement clinicians’ observations. This study tested the feasibility and acceptability of collecting PROs and activity data from patients with hematologic malignancies during CAR-T and explored preliminary data patterns. Methods: Participants wore a Fitbit tracker and completed PROs at several timepoints through 90-days post-infusion. Feasibility was assessed with a priori benchmarks for recruitment (≥50%), retention (≥70%), PRO completion (≥70%), and days wearing the Fitbit (≥50%). Acceptability was assessed with participant satisfaction (a priori benchmark > 2 on a 0−4 scale). Results: Participants (N = 12) were M = 66 years old (SD = 7). Rates of recruitment (68%), retention (83%), PRO completion (85%), and days wearing the Fitbit (85%) indicated feasibility. Satisfaction with completing the PROs (M = 3.2, SD = 0.5) and wearing the Fitbit (M = 2.9, SD = 0.5) indicated acceptability. Preliminary data patterns suggested that participants with better treatment response (vs. progressive disease) had a higher toxicity burden. Conclusions: Longitudinal PRO and activity data collection was feasible and acceptable. Data collected on a larger scale may be used to specify risk prediction models to identify predictors of severe CAR-T-related toxicities and inform early interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura B. Oswald
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Xiaoyin Li
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
| | - Rodrigo Carvajal
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA;
| | - Aasha I. Hoogland
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
| | - Lisa M. Gudenkauf
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
| | - Doris K. Hansen
- Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (D.K.H.); (M.A.); (F.L.L.)
| | - Melissa Alsina
- Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (D.K.H.); (M.A.); (F.L.L.)
| | - Frederick L. Locke
- Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (D.K.H.); (M.A.); (F.L.L.)
| | - Yvelise Rodriguez
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
| | - Nathaly Irizarry-Arroyo
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
| | | | - Heather S. L. Jim
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
| | - Brian D. Gonzalez
- Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Dive, MFC-HOB, Tampa, FL 33612, USA; (X.L.); (A.I.H.); (L.M.G.); (Y.R.); (N.I.-A.); (H.S.L.J.); (B.D.G.)
| | - Kedar Kirtane
- Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA;
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5
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Campbell KM, Thaker M, Medina E, Kalbasi A, Singh A, Ribas A, Nowicki TS. Spatial profiling reveals association between WNT pathway activation and T-cell exclusion in acquired resistance of synovial sarcoma to NY-ESO-1 transgenic T-cell therapy. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-004190. [PMID: 35264439 PMCID: PMC8915285 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetically engineered T-cell immunotherapies for adoptive cell transfer (ACT) have emerged as a promising form of cancer treatment, but many of these patients develop recurrent disease. Furthermore, delineating mechanisms of resistance may be challenging since the analysis of bulk tumor profiling can be complicated by spatial heterogeneity. METHODS Tumor samples were collected from a patient with synovial sarcoma who developed acquired resistance to ACT targeting NY-ESO-1. Biopsies (primary, progressive metastasis, and recurrence) were subjected to bulk tumor DNA and RNA sequencing, as well as high-dimensional spatial profiling of RNA and protein targets. Untreated and progressive lesions were compared with identified patterns associated with acquired resistance to ACT. RESULTS Gene expression patterns due to immune activity and infiltration were diluted in bulk tumor sequencing. The metastasis was enriched for tumor regions with increased CTNNB1 (encoding beta-catenin), which were negatively associated with the expression of T-cell surface proteins and antigen presentation machinery. Spatial profiling was most highly concordant with bulk sequencing in the lesions with decreased spatial heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS Complementary use of bulk and spatial profiling enables more accurate interrogation of tumor specimens, particularly to address complex questions regarding immunotherapeutic mechanisms. Our study uses this approach to demonstrate a mechanism of T-cell exclusion and resistance to cellular immunotherapy in synovial sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M Campbell
- Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Maneesha Thaker
- Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Egmidio Medina
- Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Anusha Kalbasi
- Radiation Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Arun Singh
- Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Antoni Ribas
- Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Theodore Scott Nowicki
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA,Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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6
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Won JE, Byeon Y, Wi TI, Lee CM, Lee JH, Kang TH, Lee JW, Lee Y, Park YM, Han HD. Immune checkpoint silencing using RNAi-incorporated nanoparticles enhances antitumor immunity and therapeutic efficacy compared with antibody-based approaches. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003928. [PMID: 35228265 PMCID: PMC8886443 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cytotoxic CD8+ T cell-based cancer immunotherapy has been extensively studied and applied, however, tumor cells are known to evade immune responses through the expression of immune checkpoints, such as programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). To overcome these issues, antibody-based immune checkpoint blockades (eg, antiprogrammed cell death 1 (anti-PD-1) and anti-PD-L1) have been revolutionized to improve immune responses. However, their therapeutic efficacy is limited to 15%-20% of the overall objective response rate. Moreover, PD-L1 is secreted from tumor cells, which can interrupt antibody-mediated immune reactions in the tumor microenvironment. METHODS We developed poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGA-NPs) encapsulating PD-L1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and PD-1 siRNA, as a delivery platform to silence immune checkpoints. This study used the TC-1 and EG7 tumor models to determine the potential therapeutic efficacy of the PLGA (PD-L1 siRNA+PD-1 siRNA)-NPs, on administration twice per week for 4 weeks. Moreover, we observed combination effect of PLGA (PD-L1 siRNA+PD-1 siRNA)-NPs and PLGA (antigen+adjuvant)-NPs using TC-1 and EG7 tumor-bearing mouse models. RESULTS PLGA (PD-L1 siRNA+PD-1 siRNA)-NPs boosted the host immune reaction by restoring CD8+ T cell function and promoting cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses. We demonstrated that the combination of NP-based therapeutic vaccine and PLGA (siRNA)-NPs resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth compared with the control and antibody-based treatments (p<0.001). The proposed system significantly inhibited tumor growth compared with the antibody-based approaches. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest a potential combination approach for cancer immunotherapy using PLGA (PD-L1 siRNA+PD-1 siRNA)-NPs and PLGA (antigen+adjuvant)-NPs as novel immune checkpoint silencing agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Eun Won
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
| | - Youngseon Byeon
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
| | - Tae In Wi
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
| | - Chan Mi Lee
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Hyeong Lee
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Heung Kang
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Won Lee
- Department of Obstertrics and Gynecology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, The Republic of Korea
| | - YoungJoo Lee
- Department of Integrative Bioscience and Biotechnology, Sejong University, Gwangjin-gu, The Republic of Korea
| | - Yeong-Min Park
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Dong Han
- Department of Immunology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, The Republic of Korea
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7
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Shah P, Forget MA, Frank ML, Jiang P, Sakellariou-Thompson D, Federico L, Khairullah R, Neutzler CA, Wistuba I, Chow CWB, Long Y, Fujimoto J, Lin SY, Maitra A, Negrao MV, Mitchell KG, Weissferdt A, Vaporciyan AA, Cascone T, Roth JA, Zhang J, Sepesi B, Gibbons DL, Heymach JV, Haymaker CL, McGrail DJ, Reuben A, Bernatchez C. Combined IL-2, agonistic CD3 and 4-1BB stimulation preserve clonotype hierarchy in propagated non-small cell lung cancer tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003082. [PMID: 35110355 PMCID: PMC8811607 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) yielded clinical benefit in patients with checkpoint blockade immunotherapy-refractory non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prompting a renewed interest in TIL-ACT. This preclinical study explores the feasibility of producing a NSCLC TIL product with sufficient numbers and enhanced attributes using an improved culture method. Methods TIL from resected NSCLC tumors were initially cultured using (1) the traditional method using interleukin (IL)-2 alone in 24-well plates (TIL 1.0) or (2) IL-2 in combination with agonistic antibodies against CD3 and 4-1BB (Urelumab) in a G-Rex flask (TIL 3.0). TIL subsequently underwent a rapid expansion protocol (REP) with anti-CD3. Before and after the REP, expanded TIL were phenotyped and the complementarity-determining region 3 β variable region of the T-cell receptor (TCR) was sequenced to assess the T-cell repertoire. Results TIL 3.0 robustly expanded NSCLC TIL while enriching for CD8+ TIL in a shorter manufacturing time when compared with the traditional TIL 1.0 method, achieving a higher success rate and producing 5.3-fold more TIL per successful expansion. The higher proliferative capacity and CD8 content of TIL 3.0 was also observed after the REP. Both steps of expansion did not terminally differentiate/exhaust the TIL but a lesser differentiated population was observed after the first step. TIL initially expanded with the 3.0 method exhibited higher breadth of clonotypes than TIL 1.0 corresponding to a higher repertoire homology with the original tumor, including a higher proportion of the top 10 most prevalent clones from the tumor. TIL 3.0 also retained a higher proportion of putative tumor-specific TCR when compared with TIL 1.0. Numerical expansion of TIL in a REP was found to perturb the clonal hierarchy and lessen the proportion of putative tumor-specific TIL from the TIL 3.0 process. Conclusions We report the feasibility of robustly expanding a T-cell repertoire recapitulating the clonal hierarchy of the T cells in the NSCLC tumor, including a large number of putative tumor-specific TIL clones, using the TIL 3.0 methodology. If scaled up and employed as a sole expansion platform, the robustness and speed of TIL 3.0 may facilitate the testing of TIL-ACT approaches in NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parin Shah
- Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Marie-Andrée Forget
- Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Biologics Development, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Meredith L Frank
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Peixin Jiang
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Lorenzo Federico
- Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Roohussaba Khairullah
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Ignacio Wistuba
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chi-Wan B Chow
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yan Long
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Junya Fujimoto
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Shiaw-Yih Lin
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Anirban Maitra
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Marcelo V Negrao
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kyle Gregory Mitchell
- Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Annikka Weissferdt
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ara A Vaporciyan
- Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Tina Cascone
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jack A Roth
- Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jianjun Zhang
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Boris Sepesi
- Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Don L Gibbons
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - John V Heymach
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Cara L Haymaker
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Daniel J McGrail
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Alexandre Reuben
- Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chantale Bernatchez
- Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA .,Biologics Development, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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8
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Chen H, Yang Y, Deng Y, Wei F, Zhao Q, Liu Y, Liu Z, Yu B, Huang Z. Delivery of CD47 blocker SIRPα-Fc by CAR-T cells enhances antitumor efficacy. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003737. [PMID: 35110357 PMCID: PMC8811602 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [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] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has been successfully applied in treating lymphoma malignancies, but not in solid tumors. CD47 is highly expressed on tumor cells and its overexpression is believed to inhibit phagocytosis by macrophages and dendritic cells. Given the antitumor activity against preclinical model of CD47-blocking to induce the innate and adaptive immune system in the tumor microenvironment, here we developed a CAR-T cell secreting CD47 blocker signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα)-Fc fusion protein (Sirf CAR-T) to boost CAR-T cell therapeutic effect in solid tumor therapy. Methods Murine T cells were transduced to express a conventional anti-Trop2 CAR and Sirf CAR. The expression of SIRPα-Fc fusion protein in the supernatant of CAR-T cells and its effect on macrophage phagocytosis were tested in vitro. In vivo antitumor efficacy of CAR-T cells was evaluated in immunocompetent mice and analysis of the tumor microenvironment in the tumor-bearing mice was performed. Results We found that Sirf CAR-T cells dramatically decreased tumor burden and significantly prolonged survival in several syngeneic immunocompetent tumor models. Furthermore, we found that Sirf CAR-T cells induced more central memory T cells (TCM) and improved the persistence of CAR-T cells in tumor tissue, as well as decreased PD-1 expression on the CAR-T cell surface. In addition, we demonstrated that Sirf CAR-T cells could modulate the tumor microenvironment by decreasing myeloid-derived stem cells as well as increasing CD11c+ dendritic cells and M1-type macrophages in tumor tissue. Conclusions In summary, our findings indicate that CD47 blocker SIRPα-Fc enhances the antitumor efficacy of CAR-T cells and propose to block CD47/SIRPα signaling effect on CAR-T cells function, which could provide a new strategy for successful cancer immunotherapy by rationalizing combination of CD47 blocker and CAR-T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanpeng Chen
- BioResource Research Center, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Institute of Human Virology, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuying Yang
- Institute of Human Virology, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuqing Deng
- Faculty of Science, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fengjiao Wei
- Institute of Human Virology, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qingyu Zhao
- ICU, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yongqi Liu
- Laboratory Animal Center, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhonghua Liu
- Laboratory Animal Center, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Bolan Yu
- BioResource Research Center, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhaofeng Huang
- Institute of Human Virology, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China .,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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9
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Stromnes IM, Hulbert A, Rollins MR, Basom RS, Delrow J, Bonson P, Burrack AL, Hingorani SR, Greenberg PD. Insufficiency of compound immune checkpoint blockade to overcome engineered T cell exhaustion in pancreatic cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e003525. [PMID: 35210305 PMCID: PMC8883283 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Achieving robust responses with adoptive cell therapy for the treatment of the highly lethal pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has been elusive. We previously showed that T cells engineered to express a mesothelin-specific T cell receptor (TCRMsln) accumulate in autochthonous PDA, mediate therapeutic antitumor activity, but fail to eradicate tumors in part due to acquisition of a dysfunctional exhausted T cell state. METHODS Here, we investigated the role of immune checkpoints in mediating TCR engineered T cell dysfunction in a genetically engineered PDA mouse model. The fate of engineered T cells that were either deficient in PD-1, or transferred concurrent with antibodies blocking PD-L1 and/or additional immune checkpoints, were tracked to evaluate persistence, functionality, and antitumor activity at day 8 and day 28 post infusion. We performed RNAseq on engineered T cells isolated from tumors and compared differentially expressed genes to prototypical endogenous exhausted T cells. RESULTS PD-L1 pathway blockade and/or simultaneous blockade of multiple coinhibitory receptors during adoptive cell therapy was insufficient to prevent engineered T cell dysfunction in autochthonous PDA yet resulted in subclinical activity in the lung, without enhancing anti-tumor immunity. Gene expression analysis revealed that ex vivo TCR engineered T cells markedly differed from in vivo primed endogenous effector T cells which can respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Early after transfer, intratumoral TCR engineered T cells acquired a similar molecular program to prototypical exhausted T cells that arise during chronic viral infection, but the molecular programs later diverged. Intratumoral engineered T cells exhibited decreased effector and cell cycle genes and were refractory to TCR signaling. CONCLUSIONS Abrogation of PD-1 signaling is not sufficient to overcome TCR engineered T cell dysfunction in PDA. Our study suggests that contributions by both the differentiation pathways induced during the ex vivo T cell engineering process and intratumoral suppressive mechanisms render engineered T cells dysfunctional and resistant to rescue by blockade of immune checkpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingunn M Stromnes
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ayaka Hulbert
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Meagan R Rollins
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ryan S Basom
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jeffrey Delrow
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Patrick Bonson
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Adam L Burrack
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Sunil R Hingorani
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Philip D Greenberg
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
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10
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Abu Khalaf S, Dandachi D, Granwehr BP, Rodriguez-Barradas MC. Cancer immunotherapy in adult patients with HIV. J Investig Med 2022; 70:883-891. [PMID: 35086858 DOI: 10.1136/jim-2021-002205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased the life expectancy of people with HIV (PWH) and reduced the incidence of AIDS-associated malignancies, yet PWH have a significantly increased incidence of malignancy and less favorable outcomes of cancer treatment compared with the general population.Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer therapy, becoming the standard of care for various malignancy treatments. However, PWH are an underserved population with limited access to clinical trials and cancer treatment.This review of the available evidence on different classes of cancer immunotherapy in PWH is mostly based on case reports, case series, but few prospective studies and clinical trials due to the exclusion of PWH from most oncologic clinical trials. The results of the available evidence support the safety of immunotherapy in PWH. Immunotherapy has similar effectiveness in PWH, an acceptable toxicity profile, and has no clinically significant impact on HIV viral load and CD4-T cell count. In addition, there is no reported change in the incidence of opportunistic infections and other complications for PWH with well-controlled viremia.This review aims to briefly summarize the current state of immunotherapy in cancer, guide clinicians in the management of immunotherapy in cancer PWH, and encourage the inclusion of PWH in clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suha Abu Khalaf
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Dima Dandachi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Missouri System, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Bruno P Granwehr
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas
- Infectious Diseases Section, Michael E DeBakey VAMC, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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11
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Wang X, Urak R, Walter M, Guan M, Han T, Vyas V, Chien SH, Gittins B, Clark MC, Mokhtari S, Cardoso A, Diamond DJ, Zaia J, Forman SJ, Nakamura R. Large-scale manufacturing and characterization of CMV-CD19CAR T cells. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003461. [PMID: 35027426 PMCID: PMC8762141 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoptive transfer of CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CD19CAR) T cells can induce dramatic disease regression in patients with B cell malignancies. CD19CAR T cell therapy may be limited by insufficient engraftment and persistence, resulting in tumor relapse. We previously demonstrated a proof of principle that cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T cells can be isolated and enriched prior to CD19CAR transduction to produce CMV-CD19CAR T cells, and that these CMV-CD19CAR T cells can be expanded in vivo through CMV vaccination, resulting in better tumor control in a murine model. Here we developed a clinical platform for generating CMV-CD19CAR T cells. METHODS Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from CMV-seropositive healthy donors were stimulated with a good manufacturing practices-grade PepTivator overlapping CMVpp65 peptide pool and enriched for CMV-responsive interferon γ (IFNγ)+T cells using IFNγ Catchmatrix, within the CliniMACS Prodigy Cytokine Capture System (Miltenyi Biotec). Resulting CMV-specific T cells were transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding a second generation CD19R:CD28:ζ/EGFRt CAR and expanded with interleukin 2 (IL-2) and IL-15 for 15 days before characterization. RESULTS CMV-specific T cells were enriched from 0.8%±0.5 of input PBMC to 76.3%±11.6 in nine full-scale qualification runs (absolute yield of 4.2±3.3×106 IFNγ+T cells from an input of 1×109 PBMCs). Average CD19CAR transduction efficiency of CMV-specific T cells was 27.0%±14.2 in the final products, which underwent rapid expansion, resulting in a total cell dose of 6.2±0.9 × 106 CD19CAR-tranduced T cells with CMV specificity (ie, functionally bispecific). CMV-CD19CAR T cells were polyclonal, expressed memory markers but had low expression of exhaustion markers, responded to both CD19 and CMVpp65 stimulation with rapid proliferation and exhibited antigen-specific effector functions against both CD19-expressing tumors and CMVpp65 antigen. The final products passed release criteria for clinical use. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated the feasibility of our large-scale platform for generating CMV-CD19CAR T cells for clinical application. We plan to initiate a clinical trial at City of Hope using CMV-CD19CAR T cells for patients with intermediate/high-grade B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma immediately after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation followed by vaccination with a novel CMV vaccine based on Modified Vaccinia Ankara (Triplex) 28 days and 56 days post-T cell infusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuli Wang
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Ryan Urak
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Miriam Walter
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Min Guan
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Tianxu Han
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Vibhuti Vyas
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Sheng-Hsuan Chien
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Brenna Gittins
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Mary C Clark
- Department of Clinical Translational Project Development, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Sally Mokhtari
- Department of Clinical Translational Project Development, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Angelo Cardoso
- Center for Gene Therapy, Hematological Malignancy and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Don J Diamond
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - John Zaia
- Center for Gene Therapy, Hematological Malignancy and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Stephen J Forman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Ryotaro Nakamura
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
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12
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Reppel L, Tsahouridis O, Akulian J, Davis IJ, Lee H, Fucà G, Weiss J, Dotti G, Pecot CV, Savoldo B. Targeting disialoganglioside GD2 with chimeric antigen receptor-redirected T cells in lung cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003897. [PMID: 35022195 PMCID: PMC8756261 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We explored whether the disialoganglioside GD2 (GD2) is expressed in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-SCLC (NSCLC) and can be targeted by GD2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Methods GD2 expression was evaluated in tumor cell lines and tumor biopsies by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. We used a GD2.CAR that coexpress the IL-15 to promote T-cell proliferation and persistence, and the inducible caspase 9 gene safety switch to ablate GD2.CAR-T cells in case of unforeseen toxicity. The antitumor activity of GD2.CAR-T cells was evaluated using in vitro cocultures and in xenograft models of orthotopic and metastatic tumors. The modulation of the GD2 expression in tumor cell lines in response to an epigenetic drug was also evaluated. Results GD2 was expressed on the cell surface of four of fifteen SCLC and NSCLC cell lines (26.7%) tested by flow cytometry, and in 39% of SCLC, 72% of lung adenocarcinoma and 56% of squamous cell carcinoma analyzed by immunohistochemistry. GD2 expression by flow cytometry was also found on the cell surface of tumor cells freshly isolated from tumor biopsies. GD2.CAR-T cells exhibited antigen-dependent cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo in xenograft models of GD2-expressing lung tumors. Finally, to explore the applicability of this approach to antigen low expressing tumors, we showed that pretreatment of GD2low/neg lung cancer cell lines with the Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 inhibitor tazemetostat upregulated GD2 expression at sufficient levels to trigger GD2.CAR-T cell cytotoxic activity. Conclusions GD2 is a promising target for CAR-T cell therapy in lung cancer. Tazemetostat treatment could be used to upregulate GD2 expression in tumor cells, enhancing their susceptibility to CAR-T cell targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Reppel
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ourania Tsahouridis
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jason Akulian
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ian J Davis
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hong Lee
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Giovanni Fucà
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jared Weiss
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chad V Pecot
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Barbara Savoldo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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13
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De Sanctis F, Lamolinara A, Boschi F, Musiu C, Caligola S, Trovato R, Fiore A, Frusteri C, Anselmi C, Poffe O, Cestari T, Canè S, Sartoris S, Giugno R, Del Rosario G, Zappacosta B, Del Pizzo F, Fassan M, Dugnani E, Piemonti L, Bottani E, Decimo I, Paiella S, Salvia R, Lawlor RT, Corbo V, Park Y, Tuveson DA, Bassi C, Scarpa A, Iezzi M, Ugel S, Bronte V. Interrupting the nitrosative stress fuels tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in pancreatic cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003549. [PMID: 35022194 PMCID: PMC8756272 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest tumors owing to its robust desmoplasia, low immunogenicity, and recruitment of cancer-conditioned, immunoregulatory myeloid cells. These features strongly limit the success of immunotherapy as a single agent, thereby suggesting the need for the development of a multitargeted approach. The goal is to foster T lymphocyte infiltration within the tumor landscape and neutralize cancer-triggered immune suppression, to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of immune-based treatments, such as anticancer adoptive cell therapy (ACT). Methods We examined the contribution of immunosuppressive myeloid cells expressing arginase 1 and nitric oxide synthase 2 in building up a reactive nitrogen species (RNS)-dependent chemical barrier and shaping the PDAC immune landscape. We examined the impact of pharmacological RNS interference on overcoming the recruitment and immunosuppressive activity of tumor-expanded myeloid cells, which render pancreatic cancers resistant to immunotherapy. Results PDAC progression is marked by a stepwise infiltration of myeloid cells, which enforces a highly immunosuppressive microenvironment through the uncontrolled metabolism of L-arginine by arginase 1 and inducible nitric oxide synthase activity, resulting in the production of large amounts of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The extensive accumulation of myeloid suppressing cells and nitrated tyrosines (nitrotyrosine, N-Ty) establishes an RNS-dependent chemical barrier that impairs tumor infiltration by T lymphocytes and restricts the efficacy of adoptive immunotherapy. A pharmacological treatment with AT38 ([3-(aminocarbonyl)furoxan-4-yl]methyl salicylate) reprograms the tumor microenvironment from protumoral to antitumoral, which supports T lymphocyte entrance within the tumor core and aids the efficacy of ACT with telomerase-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Conclusions Tumor microenvironment reprogramming by ablating aberrant RNS production bypasses the current limits of immunotherapy in PDAC by overcoming immune resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco De Sanctis
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alessia Lamolinara
- Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Center for Advanced Studies and Technnology (CAST), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Federico Boschi
- Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Musiu
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Simone Caligola
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Rosalinda Trovato
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alessandra Fiore
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Cristina Frusteri
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Cristina Anselmi
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Ornella Poffe
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Tiziana Cestari
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Stefania Canè
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Silvia Sartoris
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Rosalba Giugno
- Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | | | - Francesco Del Pizzo
- Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Center for Advanced Studies and Technnology (CAST), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Matteo Fassan
- Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.,Veneto Institute of Oncology-Institute for Hospitalization and Care Scientific, Padova, Italy
| | - Erica Dugnani
- Diabetes Research Institute, San Raffaele Research Centre, Milano, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Piemonti
- Diabetes Research Institute, San Raffaele Research Centre, Milano, Italy.,School of Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Emanuela Bottani
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Section of Pharmacology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Ilaria Decimo
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Section of Pharmacology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Salvatore Paiella
- General and Pancreatic Surgery Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Salvia
- General and Pancreatic Surgery Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Vincenzo Corbo
- ARC-NET, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Youngkyu Park
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.,Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Lustgarten Foundation, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA
| | - David A Tuveson
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.,Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Lustgarten Foundation, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA
| | - Claudio Bassi
- General and Pancreatic Surgery Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Aldo Scarpa
- ARC-NET, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Manuela Iezzi
- Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Center for Advanced Studies and Technnology (CAST), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Stefano Ugel
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Bronte
- Department of Medicine, Section of Immunology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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14
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Smith AS, Knochelmann HM, Wyatt MM, Rangel Rivera GO, Rivera-Reyes AM, Dwyer CJ, Ware MB, Cole AC, Neskey DM, Rubinstein MP, Liu B, Thaxton JE, Bartee E, Paulos CM. B cells imprint adoptively transferred CD8 + T cells with enhanced tumor immunity. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e003078. [PMID: 35017148 PMCID: PMC8753437 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003078] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoptive T cell transfer (ACT) therapy improves outcomes in patients with advanced malignancies, yet many individuals relapse due to the infusion of T cells with poor function or persistence. Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists can invigorate antitumor T cell responses when administered directly to patients, but these responses often coincide with toxicities. We posited that TLR agonists could be repurposed ex vivo to condition T cells with remarkable potency in vivo, circumventing TLR-related toxicity. METHODS In this study we investigated how tumor-specific murine CD8+ T cells and human tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are impacted when expanded ex vivo with the TLR9 agonist CpG. RESULTS Herein we reveal a new way to reverse the tolerant state of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells against tumors using TLR-activated B cells. We repurposed the TLR9 agonist, CpG, commonly used in the clinic, to bolster T cell-B cell interactions during expansion for ACT. T cells expanded ex vivo from a CpG-treated culture demonstrated potent antitumor efficacy and prolonged persistence in vivo. This antitumor efficacy was accomplished without in vivo administration of TLR agonists or other adjuvants of high-dose interleukin (IL)-2 or vaccination, which are classically required for effective ACT therapy. CpG-conditioned CD8+ T cells acquired a unique proteomic signature hallmarked by an IL-2RαhighICOShighCD39low phenotype and an altered metabolic profile, all reliant on B cells transiently present in the culture. Likewise, human TILs benefitted from expansion with CpG ex vivo, as they also possessed the IL-2RαhighICOShighCD39low phenotype. CpG fostered the expansion of potent CD8+ T cells with the signature phenotype and antitumor ability via empowering a direct B-T cell interaction. Isolated B cells also imparted T cells with the CpG-associated phenotype and improved tumor immunity without the aid of additional antigen-presenting cells or other immune cells in the culture. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate a novel way to use TLR agonists to improve immunotherapy and reveal a vital role for B cells in the generation of potent CD8+ T cell-based therapies. Our findings have immediate implications in the clinical treatment of advanced solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey S Smith
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Hannah M Knochelmann
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Megan M Wyatt
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Guillermo O Rangel Rivera
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Amalia M Rivera-Reyes
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Connor J Dwyer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Michael B Ware
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Anna C Cole
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - David M Neskey
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Developmental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Mark P Rubinstein
- Division of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Bei Liu
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jessica E Thaxton
- Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Immunotherapy Program, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Eric Bartee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Chrystal M Paulos
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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15
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Guo F, Das JK, Kobayashi KS, Qin QM, A Ficht T, Alaniz RC, Song J, Figueiredo PD. Live attenuated bacterium limits cancer resistance to CAR-T therapy by remodeling the tumor microenvironment. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e003760. [PMID: 34987022 PMCID: PMC8734016 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is characterized by the activation of immune checkpoints, which limit the ability of immune cells to attack the growing cancer. To overcome immune suppression in the clinic, antigen-expressing viruses and bacteria have been developed to induce antitumor immunity. However, the safety and targeting specificity are the main concerns of using bacteria in clinical practice as antitumor agents. In our previous studies, we have developed an attenuated bacterial strain (Brucella melitensis 16M ∆vjbR, henceforth Bm∆vjbR) for clinical use, which is safe in all tested animal models and has been removed from the select agent list by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, we demonstrated that Bm∆vjbR homed to tumor tissue and improved the TME in a murine model of solid cancer. In addition, live Bm∆vjbR promoted proinflammatory M1 polarization of tumor macrophages and increased the number and activity of CD8+ T cells in the tumor. In a murine colon adenocarcinoma model, when combined with adoptive transfer of tumor-specific carcinoembryonic antigen chimeric antigen receptor CD8+ T cells, tumor cell growth and proliferation was almost completely abrogated, and host survival was 100%. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the live attenuated bacterial treatment can defeat cancer resistance to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy by remodeling the TME to promote macrophage and T cell-mediated antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengguang Guo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Jugal K Das
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Koichi S Kobayashi
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Robert C Alaniz
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Jianxun Song
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Paul De Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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16
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Makkouk A, Yang XC, Barca T, Lucas A, Turkoz M, Wong JTS, Nishimoto KP, Brodey MM, Tabrizizad M, Gundurao SRY, Bai L, Bhat A, An Z, Abbot S, Satpayev D, Aftab BT, Herrman M. Off-the-shelf Vδ1 gamma delta T cells engineered with glypican-3 (GPC-3)-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and soluble IL-15 display robust antitumor efficacy against hepatocellular carcinoma. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003441. [PMID: 34916256 PMCID: PMC8679077 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glypican-3 (GPC-3) is an oncofetal protein that is highly expressed in various solid tumors, but rarely expressed in healthy adult tissues and represents a rational target of particular relevance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) αβ T cell therapies have established significant clinical benefit in hematologic malignancies, although efficacy in solid tumors has been limited due to several challenges including T cell homing, target antigen heterogeneity, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are highly cytolytic effectors that can recognize and kill tumor cells through major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-independent antigens upregulated under stress. The Vδ1 subset is preferentially localized in peripheral tissue and engineering with CARs to further enhance intrinsic antitumor activity represents an attractive approach to overcome challenges for conventional T cell therapies in solid tumors. Allogeneic Vδ1 CAR T cell therapy may also overcome other hurdles faced by allogeneic αβ T cell therapy, including graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). METHODS We developed the first example of allogeneic CAR Vδ1 T cells that have been expanded from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and genetically modified to express a 4-1BB/CD3z CAR against GPC-3. The CAR construct (GPC-3.CAR/secreted interleukin-15 (sIL)-15) additionally encodes a constitutively-secreted form of IL-15, which we hypothesized could sustain proliferation and antitumor activity of intratumoral Vδ1 T cells expressing GPC-3.CAR. RESULTS GPC-3.CAR/sIL-15 Vδ1 T cells expanded from PBMCs on average 20,000-fold and routinely reached >80% purity. Expanded Vδ1 T cells showed a primarily naïve-like memory phenotype with limited exhaustion marker expression and displayed robust in vitro proliferation, cytokine production, and cytotoxic activity against HCC cell lines expressing low (PLC/PRF/5) and high (HepG2) GPC-3 levels. In a subcutaneous HepG2 mouse model in immunodeficient NSG mice, GPC-3.CAR/sIL-15 Vδ1 T cells primarily accumulated and proliferated in the tumor, and a single dose efficiently controlled tumor growth without evidence of xenogeneic GvHD. Importantly, compared with GPC-3.CAR Vδ1 T cells lacking sIL-15, GPC-3.CAR/sIL-15 Vδ1 T cells displayed greater proliferation and resulted in enhanced therapeutic activity. CONCLUSIONS Expanded Vδ1 T cells engineered with a GPC-3 CAR and sIL-15 represent a promising platform warranting further clinical evaluation as an off-the-shelf treatment of HCC and potentially other GPC-3-expressing solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Taylor Barca
- Adicet Therapeutics, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lu Bai
- Adicet Therapeutics, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Arun Bhat
- Adicet Therapeutics, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Zili An
- Adicet Therapeutics, Menlo Park, California, USA
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17
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Ortiz-Maldonado V, Rives S, Español-Rego M, Alonso-Saladrigues A, Montoro M, Magnano L, Giné E, Pascal M, Díaz-Beyá M, Castella M, Català A, Faura A, Rodríguez-Lobato LG, Oliver-Caldes A, Martínez-Roca A, Rovira M, González-Navarro EA, Ortega JR, Cid J, Lozano M, Garcia-Rey E, Fernández S, Castro P, Jordan I, Villamor N, Aymerich M, Torrebadell M, Deyà À, Fernández de Larrea C, Benitez-Ribas D, Trias E, Varea S, Calvo G, Esteve J, Urbano-Ispizua A, Juan M, Delgado J. Factors associated with the clinical outcome of patients with relapsed/refractory CD19 + acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with ARI-0001 CART19-cell therapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003644. [PMID: 34907029 PMCID: PMC8671976 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Valentín Ortiz-Maldonado
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susana Rives
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Español-Rego
- Department of Immunology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Alonso-Saladrigues
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mercedes Montoro
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Magnano
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eva Giné
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mariona Pascal
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Immunology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marina Díaz-Beyá
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Albert Català
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna Faura
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Gerardo Rodríguez-Lobato
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aina Oliver-Caldes
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Montserrat Rovira
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Juan Ramón Ortega
- Department of Immunology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Cid
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Apheresis & Cell Therapy Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miquel Lozano
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Apheresis & Cell Therapy Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Sara Fernández
- Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro Castro
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iolanda Jordan
- Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Neus Villamor
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer, Madrid, Spain.,Hematopathology Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Aymerich
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Hematopathology Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Montserrat Torrebadell
- Institut de Recerca Pediàtrica Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, Madrid, Spain.,Laboratory of Hematology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Àngela Deyà
- Clinical Immunology and Primary Immunodeficiencies Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Fernández de Larrea
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Benitez-Ribas
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Immunology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esteve Trias
- Advanced Therapies Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Varea
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Calvo
- Advanced Therapies Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Esteve
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alvaro Urbano-Ispizua
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Juan
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain .,Department of Immunology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Clinical Immunology Platform, Hospital Clínic-Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julio Delgado
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain .,Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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18
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Christodoulou I, Ho WJ, Marple A, Ravich JW, Tam A, Rahnama R, Fearnow A, Rietberg C, Yanik S, Solomou EE, Varadhan R, Koldobskiy MA, Bonifant CL. Engineering CAR-NK cells to secrete IL-15 sustains their anti-AML functionality but is associated with systemic toxicities. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003894. [PMID: 34896980 PMCID: PMC8655609 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The prognosis of patients with recurrent/refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) remains poor and cell-based immunotherapies hold promise to improve outcomes. Natural Killer (NK) cells can elicit an antileukemic response via a repertoire of activating receptors that bind AML surface ligands. NK-cell adoptive transfer is safe but thus far has shown limited anti-AML efficacy. Here, we aimed to overcome this limitation by engineering NK cells to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to boost their anti-AML activity and interleukin (IL)-15 to enhance their persistence. Methods We characterized in detail NK-cell populations expressing a panel of AML (CD123)-specific CARs and/or IL-15 in vitro and in AML xenograft models. Results CARs with 2B4.ζ or 4-1BB.ζ signaling domains demonstrated greater cell surface expression and endowed NK cells with improved anti-AML activity in vitro. Initial in vivo testing revealed that only 2B4.ζ Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-NK cells had improved anti-AML activity in comparison to untransduced (UTD) and 4-1BB.ζ CAR-NK cells. However, the benefit was transient due to limited CAR-NK-cell persistence. Transgenic expression of secretory interleukin (sIL)-15 in 2B4.ζ CAR and UTD NK cells improved their effector function in the setting of chronic antigen simulation in vitro. Multiparameter flow analysis after chronic antigen exposure identified the expansion of unique NK-cell subsets. 2B4.ζ/sIL-15 CAR and sIL-15 NK cells maintained an overall activated NK-cell phenotype. This was confirmed by transcriptomic analysis, which revealed a highly proliferative and activated signature in these NK-cell groups. In vivo, 2B4.ζ/sIL-15 CAR-NK cells had potent anti-AML activity in one model, while 2B4.ζ/sIL-15 CAR and sIL-15 NK cells induced lethal toxicity in a second model. Conclusion Transgenic expression of CD123-CARs and sIL-15 enabled NK cells to function in the setting of chronic antigen exposure but was associated with systemic toxicities. Thus, our study provides the impetus to explore inducible and controllable expression systems to provide cytokine signals to AML-specific CAR-NK cells before embarking on early-phase clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilias Christodoulou
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, University of Patras School of Health Sciences, Patras, Western Greece, Greece
| | - Won Jin Ho
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Andrew Marple
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonas W Ravich
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ada Tam
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ruyan Rahnama
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Adam Fearnow
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Cambrynne Rietberg
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Sean Yanik
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Elena E Solomou
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Patras School of Health Sciences, Patras, Western Greece, Greece
| | - Ravi Varadhan
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael A Koldobskiy
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Challice L Bonifant
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA .,Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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19
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Conde E, Vercher E, Soria-Castellano M, Suarez-Olmos J, Mancheño U, Elizalde E, Rodriguez ML, Glez-Vaz J, Casares N, Rodríguez-García E, Hommel M, González-Aseguinolaza G, Uranga-Murillo I, Pardo J, Alkorta G, Melero I, Lasarte J, Hervas-Stubbs S. Epitope spreading driven by the joint action of CART cells and pharmacological STING stimulation counteracts tumor escape via antigen-loss variants. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003351. [PMID: 34810235 PMCID: PMC8609946 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Target antigen (Ag) loss has emerged as a major cause of relapse after chimeric antigen receptor T (CART)-cell therapy. We reasoned that the combination of CART cells, with the consequent tumor debulking and release of Ags, together with an immunomodulatory agent, such as the stimulator of interferon gene ligand (STING-L) 2′3′-cyclic GMP-AMP (2′3′-cGAMP), may facilitate the activation of an endogenous response to secondary tumor Ags able to counteract this tumor escape mechanism. Methods Mice bearing B16-derived tumors expressing prostate-specific membrane Ag or gp75 were treated systemically with cognate CART cells followed by intratumoral injections of 2′3′-cGAMP. We studied the target Ag inmunoediting by CART cells and the effect of the CART/STING-L combination on the control of STING-L-treated and STING-L-non-treated tumors and on the endogenous antitumor T-cell response. The role of Batf3-dependent dendritic cells (DCs), stimulator of interferon gene (STING) signaling and perforin (Perf)-mediated killing in the efficacy of the combination were analyzed. Results Using an immune-competent solid tumor model, we showed that CART cells led to the emergence of tumor cells that lose the target Ag, recreating the cancer immunoediting effect of CART-cell therapy. In this setting, the CART/STING-L combination, but not the monotherapy with CART cells or STING-L, restrained tumor progression and enhanced overall survival, showing abscopal effects on distal STING-L-non-treated tumors. Interestingly, a secondary immune response against non-chimeric antigen receptor-targeted Ags (epitope spreading), as determined by major histocompatibility complex-I-tetramer staining, was fostered and its intensity correlated with the efficacy of the combination. This was consistent with the oligoclonal expansion of host T cells, as revealed by in-depth T-cell receptor repertoire analysis. Moreover, only in the combination group did the activation of endogenous T cells translate into a systemic antitumor response. Importantly, the epitope spreading and the antitumor effects of the combination were fully dependent on host STING signaling and Batf3-dependent DCs, and were partially dependent on Perf release by CART cells. Interestingly, the efficacy of the CART/STING-L treatment also depended on STING signaling in CART cells. Conclusions Our data show that 2′3′-cGAMP is a suitable adjuvant to combine with CART-cell therapy, allowing the induction of an endogenous T-cell response that prevents the outgrowth of Ag-loss tumor variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Conde
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Enric Vercher
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Marta Soria-Castellano
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Jesús Suarez-Olmos
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Uxua Mancheño
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Edurne Elizalde
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - M Luis Rodriguez
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Javier Glez-Vaz
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Noelia Casares
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Estefanía Rodríguez-García
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.,Programa de Terapia Génica y Regulación de la Expresión Génica, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Mirja Hommel
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.,Programa de Terapia Génica y Regulación de la Expresión Génica, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Gloria González-Aseguinolaza
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.,Programa de Terapia Génica y Regulación de la Expresión Génica, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Iratxe Uranga-Murillo
- Microbiología Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA), Fundación Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Julian Pardo
- Microbiología Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA), Fundación Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.,Fundacion ARAID, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Gorka Alkorta
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.,CIMA LAB Diagnostics, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Melero
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.,Immunología e Immunoterapia, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Lasarte
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Sandra Hervas-Stubbs
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain .,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.,CIBERehd, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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20
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Tourret M, Talvard-Balland N, Lambert M, Ben Youssef G, Chevalier MF, Bohineust A, Yvorra T, Morin F, Azarnoush S, Lantz O, Dalle JH, Caillat-Zucman S. Human MAIT cells are devoid of alloreactive potential: prompting their use as universal cells for adoptive immune therapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003123. [PMID: 34615705 PMCID: PMC8496386 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are semi-invariant T cells that recognize microbial antigens presented by the highly conserved MR1 molecule. MAIT cells are predominantly localized in the liver and barrier tissues and are potent effectors of antimicrobial defense. MAIT cells are very few at birth and accumulate gradually over a period of about 6 years during the infancy. The cytotoxic potential of MAIT cells, as well as their newly described regulatory and tissue repair functions, open the possibility of exploiting their properties in adoptive therapy. A prerequisite for their use as ‘universal’ cells would be a lack of alloreactive potential, which remains to be demonstrated. Methods We used ex vivo, in vitro and in vivo models to determine if human MAIT cells contribute to allogeneic responses. Results We show that recovery of MAIT cells after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recapitulates their slow physiological expansion in early childhood, independent of recovery of non-MAIT T cells. In vitro, signals provided by allogeneic cells and cytokines do not induce sustained MAIT cell proliferation. In vivo, human MAIT cells do not expand nor accumulate in tissues in a model of T-cell-mediated xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease in immunodeficient mice. Conclusions Altogether, these results provide evidence that MAIT cells are devoid of alloreactive potential and pave the way for harnessing their translational potential in universal adoptive therapy overcoming barriers of HLA disparity. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02403089.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Tourret
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Nana Talvard-Balland
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Marion Lambert
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Ghada Ben Youssef
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Mathieu F Chevalier
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Armelle Bohineust
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Yvorra
- INSERM UMR3666/U1143, Université PSL, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Florence Morin
- Laboratoire d'Immunologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Saba Azarnoush
- Département d'Immuno-Hématologie, Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Lantz
- INSERM U932, Université PSL, Institut Curie, Paris, France.,Laboratoire d'immunologie clinique & Centre d'investigation Clinique en Biothérapie (CIC-BT1428), Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Hugues Dalle
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Département d'Immuno-Hématologie, Hôpital Robert Debré, AP-HP, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Caillat-Zucman
- INSERM UMR976, Human Immunology, Pathophysiology and Immunotherapy, Université de Paris, Paris, France .,Laboratoire d'Immunologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Université de Paris, Paris, France
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21
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Muthuswamy R, McGray AR, Battaglia S, He W, Miliotto A, Eppolito C, Matsuzaki J, Takemasa T, Koya R, Chodon T, Lichty BD, Shrikant P, Odunsi K. CXCR6 by increasing retention of memory CD8 + T cells in the ovarian tumor microenvironment promotes immunosurveillance and control of ovarian cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003329. [PMID: 34607898 PMCID: PMC8491420 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Resident memory CD8 T cells, owing to their ability to reside and persist in peripheral tissues, impart adaptive sentinel activity and amplify local immune response, and have beneficial implications for tumor surveillance and control. The current study aimed to clarify the less known chemotactic mechanisms that govern the localization, retention, and residency of memory CD8 T cells in the ovarian tumor microenvironment. Experimental design RNA and protein expressions of chemokine receptors in CD8+ resident memory T cells in human ovarian tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and their association with survival were analyzed. The role of CXCR6 on antitumor T cells was investigated using prophylactic vaccine models in murine ovarian cancer. Results Chemokine receptor profiling of CD8+CD103+ resident memory tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with ovarian cancer revealed high expression of CXCR6. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (ovarian cancer database revealed CXCR6 to be associated with CD103 and increased patient survival. Functional studies in mouse models of ovarian cancer revealed that CXCR6 is a marker of resident, but not circulatory, tumor-specific memory CD8+ T cells. CXCR6-deficient tumor-specific CD8+ T cells showed reduced retention in tumor tissues, leading to diminished resident memory responses and poor control of ovarian cancer. Conclusions CXCR6, by promoting retention in tumor tissues, serves a critical role in resident memory T cell-mediated immunosurveillance and control of ovarian cancer. Future studies warrant exploiting CXCR6 to promote resident memory responses in cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravikumar Muthuswamy
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Aj Robert McGray
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Sebastiano Battaglia
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Wenjun He
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Anthony Miliotto
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Cheryl Eppolito
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Junko Matsuzaki
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA.,University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Tsuji Takemasa
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA.,University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Richard Koya
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA.,University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Thinle Chodon
- Center For Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA.,University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Brian D Lichty
- Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Protul Shrikant
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Kunle Odunsi
- University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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22
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Kverneland AH, Chamberlain CA, Borch TH, Nielsen M, Mørk SK, Kjeldsen JW, Lorentzen CL, Jørgensen LP, Riis LB, Yde CW, Met Ö, Donia M, Marie Svane I. Adoptive cell therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes supported by checkpoint inhibition across multiple solid cancer types. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003499. [PMID: 34607899 PMCID: PMC8491427 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has shown remarkable results in malignant melanoma (MM), while studies on the potential in other cancer diagnoses are sparse. Further, the prospect of using checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) to support TIL production and therapy remains to be explored. Study design TIL-based ACT with CPIs was evaluated in a clinical phase I/II trial. Ipilimumab (3 mg/kg) was administered prior to tumor resection and nivolumab (3 mg/kg, every 2 weeks ×4) in relation to TIL infusion. Preconditioning chemotherapy was given before TIL infusion and followed by low-dose (2 10e6 international units (UI) ×1 subcutaneous for 14 days) interleukin-2 stimulation. Results Twenty-five patients covering 10 different cancer diagnoses were treated with in vitro expanded TILs. Expansion of TILs was successful in 97% of recruited patients. Five patients had sizeable tumor regressions of 30%–63%, including two confirmed partial responses in patients with head-and-neck cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. Safety and feasibility were comparable to MM trials of ACT with the addition of expected CPI toxicity. In an exploratory analysis, tumor mutational burden and expression of the alpha-integrin CD103 (p=0.025) were associated with increased disease control. In vitro tumor reactivity was seen in both patients with an objective response and was associated with regressions in tumor size (p=0.028). Conclusion High success rates of TIL expansion were demonstrated across multiple solid cancers. TIL ACTs were found feasible, independent of previous therapy. Tumor regressions after ACT combined with CPIs were demonstrated in several cancer types supported by in vitro antitumor reactivity of the TILs. Trial registration numbers NCT03296137, and EudraCT No. 2017-002323-25.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Handrup Kverneland
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Christopher Aled Chamberlain
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Troels Holz Borch
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Morten Nielsen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Sofie Kirial Mørk
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Julie Westerlin Kjeldsen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Cathrine Lund Lorentzen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Lise Pyndt Jørgensen
- Department of Pathology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Lene Buhl Riis
- Department of Pathology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Christina Westmose Yde
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Kennedy Center, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Glostrup, Denmark
| | - Özcan Met
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Marco Donia
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Inge Marie Svane
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark .,National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
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23
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Wang E, Cesano A, Butterfield LH, Marincola F. Improving the therapeutic index in adoptive cell therapy: key factors that impact efficacy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2020-001619. [PMID: 33023983 PMCID: PMC7539608 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic index (TI) is a quantitative assessment of a drug safety proportional to its effectiveness. The estimation is intuitive when the engagement of the product with its target is dependent on stable chemistry and predictable pharmacokinetics as is the case for small molecules or antibodies. But for therapeutics with complex biodistribution and context-dependent potency such as adoptive cell therapy (ACT) products, TI estimations need to consider a broader array of factors. These include product-dependent variability such as functional fitness, unpredictable pharmacokinetics due to non-specific trapping, sequestration and extravasation into normal tissues and variable rates of in vivo expansion. In the case of solid malignancies, additional modifiers dependent on individual tumor immune biology may affect pharmacodynamics, including differential trafficking to benign compared with cancer tissue, hampered engagement with target cells, immune suppression and cellular dysfunction due to unfavorable metabolic conditions. Here, we propose a patient-specific assessment of factors affecting on-tumor from off-tumor activity in disparate immunologic environments that impact ACT’s clinical efficacy and may favorably balance the TI. for ACT products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ena Wang
- Allogene Therapeutics, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Lisa H Butterfield
- Research, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California, USA.,Microbiology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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24
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Zhang C, Röder J, Scherer A, Bodden M, Pfeifer Serrahima J, Bhatti A, Waldmann A, Müller N, Oberoi P, Wels WS. Bispecific antibody-mediated redirection of NKG2D-CAR natural killer cells facilitates dual targeting and enhances antitumor activity. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002980. [PMID: 34599028 PMCID: PMC8488744 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [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: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) is an activating receptor of natural killer (NK) cells and other lymphocytes that mediates lysis of malignant cells through recognition of stress-induced ligands such as MICA and MICB. Such ligands are broadly expressed by cancer cells of various origins and serve as targets for adoptive immunotherapy with effector cells endogenously expressing NKG2D or carrying an NKG2D-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). However, shedding or downregulation of NKG2D ligands (NKG2DL) can prevent NKG2D activation, resulting in escape of cancer cells from NKG2D-dependent immune surveillance. METHODS To enable tumor-specific targeting of NKG2D-expressing effector cells independent of membrane-anchored NKG2DLs, we generated a homodimeric recombinant antibody which harbors an N-terminal single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibody domain for binding to NKG2D, linked via a human IgG4 Fc region to a second C-terminal scFv antibody domain for recognition of the tumor-associated antigen ErbB2 (HER2). The ability of this molecule, termed NKAB-ErbB2, to redirect NKG2D-expressing effector cells to ErbB2-positive tumor cells of different origins was investigated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells, ex vivo expanded NK cells, and NK and T cells engineered with an NKG2D-based chimeric receptor. RESULTS On its own, bispecific NKAB-ErbB2 increased lysis of ErbB2-positive breast carcinoma cells by peripheral blood-derived NK cells endogenously expressing NKG2D more effectively than an ErbB2-specific IgG1 mini-antibody able to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity via activation of CD16. Furthermore, NKAB-ErbB2 synergized with NK-92 cells or primary T cells engineered to express an NKG2D-CD3ζ chimeric antigen receptor (NKAR), leading to targeted cell killing and greatly enhanced antitumor activity, which remained unaffected by soluble MICA known as an inhibitor of NKG2D-mediated natural cytotoxicity. In an immunocompetent mouse glioblastoma model mimicking low or absent NKG2DL expression, the combination of NKAR-NK-92 cells and NKAB-ErbB2 effectively suppressed outgrowth of ErbB2-positive tumors, resulting in treatment-induced endogenous antitumor immunity and cures in the majority of animals. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that combining an NKAB antibody with effector cells expressing an activating NKAR receptor represents a powerful and versatile approach to simultaneously enhance tumor antigen-specific as well as NKG2D-CAR and natural NKG2D-mediated cytotoxicity, which may be particularly useful to target tumors with heterogeneous target antigen expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congcong Zhang
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jasmin Röder
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany.,Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Anne Scherer
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Malena Bodden
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | - Anita Bhatti
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Anja Waldmann
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Nina Müller
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Pranav Oberoi
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Winfried S Wels
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany .,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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25
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Bunch BL, Morse J, Asby S, Blauvelt J, Aydin AM, Innamarato P, Hajiran A, Beatty M, Poch M, Pilon-Thomas S. Systemic and intravesical adoptive cell therapy of tumor-reactive T cells can decrease bladder tumor growth in vivo. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2020-001673. [PMID: 33303579 PMCID: PMC7733200 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The therapeutic armamentarium of bladder cancer has been recently enriched with the introduction of new therapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors, receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors and antibody drug conjugates, however treatment responses and duration of responses are still less than expected. Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has potential to treat bladder cancer, as previously demonstrated by successful expansion of tumor reactive T cells from human bladder tumors. METHODS A model system using OT-I T cells and an ovalbumin expressing MB49 tumor cell line (MB49OVA) was developed to study ACT in bladder cancer. Systemic ACT-treated mice were given T cells intravenously after lymphodepleting chemotherapy and followed by interleukin (IL)-2 administration. Intravesical ACT treated mice were given T cells directly into the bladder, without chemotherapy or IL-2. TILs were isolated from MB49 orthotopic tumors and expanded ex vivo in IL-2. Immune cell infiltrates were analyzed by flow cytometry. T cell infiltration was studied using a CXCR3 blocking antibody. RESULTS Systemic ACT-treated mice had a decrease in tumor growth, increase in T cell infiltration and long-term immune protection compared with control-treated mice. OT-I T cells delivered intravesically were able to control tumor growth without lymphodepleting chemotherapy or IL-2 in MB49OVA orthotopic tumors. Intravesical delivery of TIL expanded from MB49 tumors was also able to decrease tumor growth in mice with MB49 orthotopic tumors. Blocking CXCR3 on OT-I T cells prior to intravesical delivery decreased T cell infiltration into the tumor and prevented the control of tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates how TIL therapy can be used in treating different stages of bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Bunch
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jennifer Morse
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Sarah Asby
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jamie Blauvelt
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Ahmet M Aydin
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Patrick Innamarato
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Ali Hajiran
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Matthew Beatty
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Michael Poch
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA.,Immunology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Shari Pilon-Thomas
- Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA .,Immunology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA.,Department of Oncologic Sciences, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA
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26
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Abstract
Ewing sarcoma (ES) is thought to arise from mesenchymal stem cells and is the second most common bone sarcoma in pediatric patients and young adults. Given the dismal overall outcomes and very intensive therapies used, there is an urgent need to explore and develop alternative treatment modalities including immunotherapies. In this article, we provide an overview of ES biology, features of ES tumor microenvironment (TME) and review various tumor-associated antigens that can be targeted with immune-based approaches including cancer vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, T cell receptor-transduced T cells, and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. We highlight key reasons for the limited efficacy of various immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of ES to date. These factors include absence of human leukocyte antigen class I molecules from the tumor tissue, lack of an ideal surface antigen, and immunosuppressive TME due to the presence of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, F2 fibrocytes, and M2-like macrophages. Lastly, we offer insights into strategies for novel therapeutics development in ES. These strategies include the development of gene-modified T cell receptor T cells against cancer–testis antigen such as XAGE-1, surface target discovery through detailed profiling of ES surface proteome, and combinatorial approaches. In summary, we provide state-of-the-art science in ES tumor immunology and immunotherapy, with rationale and recommendations for future therapeutics development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Morales
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Michael Olson
- Cancer Immunotherapy, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Fiorella Iglesias
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Saurabh Dahiya
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Tim Luetkens
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.,Cancer Immunotherapy, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies, University of Utah/Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Djordje Atanackovic
- Cancer Immunotherapy, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA .,Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies, University of Utah/Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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27
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Liu Q, Tian Y, Li Y, Zhang W, Cai W, Liu Y, Ren Y, Liang Z, Zhou P, Zhang Y, Bao Y, Li Y. In vivo therapeutic effects of affinity-improved-TCR engineered T-cells on HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2020-001748. [PMID: 33323464 PMCID: PMC7745518 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) fail to eliminate HCC cells expressing HBV antigens. As the expression of viral antigen in HBV-associated HCC may decrease to allow tumor to escape immune attacks, we hypothesized that an HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-specific affinity-improved-T-cell receptor (TCR) will enable T cells to target HCC more effectively than corresponding wild-type-TCR. We also postulated that TCR promiscuity can be exploited to efficiently capture HBV variants that can hinder CTL-based therapeutics. Methods We applied flexi-panning to isolate affinity-improved TCRs binding to a variant antigen, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02:01-restricted nonapeptide HBs371-379-ILSPFLPLL, from libraries constructed with a TCR cloned using the decapeptide HBs370-379-SIVSPFIPLL. The potency and safety of the affinity-improved-TCR engineered T-cells (Ai-TCR-T) were verified with potentially cross-reactive human and HBV-variant peptides, tumor and normal cells, and xenograft mouse models. Results Ai-TCR-T cells retained cognate HBV antigen specificity and recognized a wide range of HBV genotypic variants with improved sensitivity and cytotoxicity. Cell infusions produced complete elimination of HCC without recurrence in the xenograft mouse models. Elevated accumulation of CD8+ Ai-TCR-T cells in tumors correlated with tumor shrinkage. Conclusion The in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that HBsAg-specific Ai-TCR-T cells had safety profiles similar to those of their wild-type counterparts and significantly enhanced potency. This study presents an approach to develop new therapeutic strategies for HBV-related HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanyan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Hefei Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Wenxuan Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaju Liu
- Hefei Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuefei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Zhaoduan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peipei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China.,Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yajing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yifeng Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Guangzhou, China .,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Qin H, Yang L, Chukinas JA, Shah N, Tarun S, Pouzolles M, Chien CD, Niswander LM, Welch AR, Taylor N, Tasian SK, Fry TJ. Systematic preclinical evaluation of CD33-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia defines optimized construct design. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003149. [PMID: 34531250 PMCID: PMC8449984 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Successful development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy for children and adults with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is highly desired given their poor clinical prognosis and frequent inability to achieve cure with conventional chemotherapy. Initial experiences with CD19 CAR T cell immunotherapy for patients with B-cell malignancies highlighted the critical impact of intracellular costimulatory domain selection (CD28 vs 4-1BB (CD137)) on CAR T cell expansion and in vivo persistence that may impact clinical outcomes. However, the impact of costimulatory domains on the efficacy of myeloid antigen-directed CAR T cell immunotherapy remains unknown. Methods In this preclinical study, we developed six CAR constructs targeting CD33, a highly expressed and validated AML target, comprised of one of three single-chain variable fragments with CD3ζ and either CD28 or 4-1BB costimulatory domains. We systematically compared the preclinical in vitro and in vivo efficacy of T cells lentivirally transduced with CD33 CAR constructs (CD33CARTs) against human AML. Results We observed potent in vitro cytokine production and cytotoxicity of CD33CARTs incubated with human CD33+ AML cell lines, as well as robust in vivo antileukemia activity in cell line and childhood AML patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Gemtuzumab-based CD33CARTs were unexpectedly toxic in vivo in animal models despite observed in vitro anti-leukemia activity. CD28-based CD33CARTs consistently induced more robust inhibition of leukemia proliferation in AML cell line and PDX models than did 4-1BB-based CD33CARTs. A ‘best-in-class’ lintuzumab-CD28/CD3ζ CAR construct was thus selected for clinical translation. Conclusions CD33 is a critical antigen for potential immunotherapeutic targeting in patients with AML. Based on this rigorous preclinical evaluation, our validated clinical grade lintuzumab-CD28/CD3ζ CD33CART immunotherapy is now under evaluation in a first-in-child/first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial for children and adolescents/young adults with relapsed/refractory AML. Trial registration number clinicaltrials.gov; NCT03971799.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiying Qin
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Lila Yang
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - John A Chukinas
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nirali Shah
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | - Lisa M Niswander
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Naomi Taylor
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sarah K Tasian
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA .,Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Terry J Fry
- Division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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29
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Bräunlein E, Lupoli G, Füchsl F, Abualrous ET, de Andrade Krätzig N, Gosmann D, Wietbrock L, Lange S, Engleitner T, Lan H, Audehm S, Effenberger M, Boxberg M, Steiger K, Chang Y, Yu K, Atay C, Bassermann F, Weichert W, Busch DH, Rad R, Freund C, Antes I, Krackhardt AM. Functional analysis of peripheral and intratumoral neoantigen-specific TCRs identified in a patient with melanoma. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002754. [PMID: 34518289 PMCID: PMC8438848 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neoantigens derived from somatic mutations correlate with therapeutic responses mediated by treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Neoantigens are therefore highly attractive targets for the development of therapeutic approaches in personalized medicine, although many aspects of their quality and associated immune responses are not yet well understood. In a case study of metastatic malignant melanoma, we aimed to perform an in-depth characterization of neoantigens and respective T-cell responses in the context of immune checkpoint modulation. Methods Three neoantigens, which we identified either by immunopeptidomics or in silico prediction, were investigated using binding affinity analyses and structural simulations. We isolated seven T-cell receptors (TCRs) from the patient’s immune repertoire recognizing these antigens. TCRs were compared in vitro by multiparametric analyses including functional avidity, multicytokine secretion, and cross-reactivity screenings. A xenograft mouse model served to study in vivo functionality of selected TCRs. We investigated the patient’s TCR repertoire in blood and different tumor-related tissues over 3 years using TCR beta deep sequencing. Results Selected mutated peptide ligands with proven immunogenicity showed similar binding affinities to the human leukocyte antigen complex and comparable disparity to their wild-type counterparts in molecular dynamic simulations. Nevertheless, isolated TCRs recognizing these antigens demonstrated distinct patterns in functionality and frequency. TCRs with lower functional avidity showed at least equal antitumor immune responses in vivo. Moreover, they occurred at high frequencies and particularly demonstrated long-term persistence within tumor tissues, lymph nodes and various blood samples associated with a reduced activation pattern on primary in vitro stimulation. Conclusions We performed a so far unique fine characterization of neoantigen-specific T-cell responses revealing defined reactivity patterns of neoantigen-specific TCRs. Our data highlight qualitative differences of these TCRs associated with function and longevity of respective T cells. Such features need to be considered for further optimization of neoantigen targeting including adoptive T-cell therapies using TCR-transgenic T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bräunlein
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Gaia Lupoli
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Franziska Füchsl
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Esam T Abualrous
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Niklas de Andrade Krätzig
- Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Dario Gosmann
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Lukas Wietbrock
- TUM School of Life Sciences and Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Sebastian Lange
- Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Department of Medicine II, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Thomas Engleitner
- Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Huan Lan
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Audehm
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Manuel Effenberger
- Institute for Medical Microbiology Immunology and Hygiene, Technische Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Melanie Boxberg
- Institute of Pathology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,MRI-TUM-Biobank at the Institute of Pathology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Katja Steiger
- Institute of Pathology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Core Facility Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner-site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yinshui Chang
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Kai Yu
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Cigdem Atay
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner-site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Florian Bassermann
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner-site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wilko Weichert
- Institute of Pathology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,MRI-TUM-Biobank at the Institute of Pathology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Core Facility Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner-site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk H Busch
- Institute for Medical Microbiology Immunology and Hygiene, Technische Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Roland Rad
- Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,Department of Medicine II, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner-site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Freund
- Laboratory of Protein Biochemistry, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Iris Antes
- TUM School of Life Sciences and Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Angela M Krackhardt
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany .,Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), TUM School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner-site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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30
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Wang B, Wang Y, Sun X, Deng G, Huang W, Wu X, Gu Y, Tian Z, Fan Z, Xu Q, Chen H, Sun Y. CXCR6 is required for antitumor efficacy of intratumoral CD8 + T cell. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003100. [PMID: 34462326 PMCID: PMC8407215 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [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] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing infiltration of CD8+ T cells within tumor tissue predicts a better prognosis and is essential for response to checkpoint blocking therapy. Furthermore, current clinical protocols use unfractioned T cell populations as the starting point for transduction of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)-modified T cells, but the optimal T cell subtype of CAR-modified T cells remains unclear. Thus, accurately identifying a group of cytotoxic T lymphocytes with high antitumor efficacy is imperative. Inspired by the theory of yin and yang, we explored a subset of CD8+ T cell in cancer with the same phenotypic characteristics as highly activated inflammatory T cells in autoimmune diseases. METHODS Combination of single-cell RNA sequencing, general transcriptome sequencing data and multiparametric cytometric techniques allowed us to map CXCR6 expression on specific cell type and tissue. We applied Cxcr6-/- mice, immune checkpoint therapies and bone marrow chimeras to identify the function of CXCR6+CD8+ T cells. Transgenic Cxcr6-/- OT-I mice were employed to explore the functional role of CXCR6 in antigen-specific antitumor response. RESULTS We identified that CXCR6 was exclusively expressed on intratumoral CD8+ T cell. CXCR6+CD8+ T cells were more immunocompetent, and chimeras with specific deficiency on CD8+ T cells showed weaker antitumor activity. In addition, Cxcr6-/- mice could not respond to anti-PD-1 treatment effectively. High tumor expression of CXCR6 was not mainly caused by ligand-receptor chemotaxis of CXCL16/CXCR6 but induced by tumor tissue self. Induced CXCR6+CD8+ T cells possessed tumor antigen specificity and could enhance the effect of anti-PD-1 blockade to retard tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS This study may contribute to the rational design of combined immunotherapy. Alternatively, CXCR6 may be used as a biomarker for effective CD8+ T cell state before adoptive cell therapy, providing a basis for tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binglin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Proctology, Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaofan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guoliang Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xingxin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yanghong Gu
- Department of Oncology, Jiangsu Province Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhigang Tian
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Zhimin Fan
- Department of Proctology, Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qiang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongqi Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People's Republic of China
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31
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Kyi C, Doubrovina E, Zhou Q, Kravetz S, Iasonos A, Aghajanian C, Sabbatini P, Spriggs D, O'Reilly RJ, O'Cearbhaill RE. Phase I dose escalation safety and feasibility study of autologous WT1-sensitized T cells for the treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002752. [PMID: 34433633 PMCID: PMC8388302 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This phase I dose escalation trial evaluated the feasibility of production, safety, maximum tolerated dose, and preliminary efficacy of autologous T cells sensitized with peptides encoding Wilms’ tumor protein 1 (WT1) administered alone or following lymphodepleting chemotherapy, in the treatment of patients with recurrent WT1+ ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube carcinomas. Methods A 3+3 dose escalation design was used to determine dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). In cohort I, patients received WT1-sensitized T cells dosed at 5×106/m2 (level I) without cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion. In cohorts II–IV, patients received lymphodepleting chemotherapy (a single intravenous dose of cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2), 2 days prior to the first intravenous infusion of WT1-sensitized T cells administered at escalating doses (2×107/m2 (level II), 5×107/m2 (level III), and 1×108/m2 (level IV)). Results Twelve patients aged 23–72 years, with a median of 7 prior therapies (range 4–14), were treated on the study. No DLT was observed, even at the highest dose level of 1×108/m2 WT1-sensitized T cells tested. Common adverse events reported were grade 1–2 fatigue, fever, nausea, and headache. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 1.8 months (95% CI, 0.8 to 2.6); 1 year PFS rate 8.3% (95% CI, 0.5 to 31.1). Median overall survival (OS) was 11.0 months (95% CI, 1.1 to 22.6); OS at 1 year was 41.7% (95% CI, 15.2% to 66.5%). Best response was stable disease in one patient (n=1) and progressive disease in the others (n=11). We observed a transient increase in the frequencies of WT1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (CTLp) in the peripheral blood of 9 of the 12 patients following WT1-sensitized T-cell infusion. Conclusion We demonstrated the safety of administration of WT1-sensitized T cells and the short-term increase in the WT1 CTLp. However, at the low doses evaluated we did not observe therapeutic activity in recurrent ovarian cancer. In this heavily pretreated population, we encountered challenges in generating sufficient numbers of WT1-reactive cytotoxic T cells. Future studies employing WT1-specific T cells generated from lymphocytes are warranted but should be done earlier in the disease course and prior to intensive myelosuppressive therapy. Trial registration number NCT00562640. One-sentence summary The authors describe the first human application of autologous WT1-sensitized T cells in the treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian, primary peritoneal, and fallopian tube carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrisann Kyi
- Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Qin Zhou
- Epidemiology-Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sara Kravetz
- Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexia Iasonos
- Epidemiology-Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Carol Aghajanian
- Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Paul Sabbatini
- Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Roisin E O'Cearbhaill
- Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA .,Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA.,National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
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32
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Lanitis E, Kosti P, Ronet C, Cribioli E, Rota G, Spill A, Reichenbach P, Zoete V, Dangaj Laniti D, Coukos G, Irving M. VEGFR-2 redirected CAR-T cells are functionally impaired by soluble VEGF-A competition for receptor binding. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-002151. [PMID: 34389616 PMCID: PMC8365827 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-002151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The adoptive transfer of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells has emerged as a potent immunotherapy against some hematological malignancies but not yet for epithelial-derived solid tumors. One critical issue is the paucity of broadly expressed solid tumor antigens (TAs), and another is the presence of suppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that can impair CAR-T cell homing, extravasation and effector functions. TAs expressed by endothelial cells of the tumor vasculature are of clinical interest for CAR therapy because of their genomic stability and accessibility to circulating T cells, as well as their expression across multiple tumor types. In this study, we sought to explore limitations to the efficacy of second-generation (2G) murine CAR-T cells redirected against the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) with the well-characterized single-chain variable fragment DC101. Methods Primary murine T cells were retrovirally transduced to express a 2G anti-VEGFR-2-CAR, and the in vitro binding to VEGFR-2, as well as reactivity against TA-expressing cells, was evaluated in the absence versus presence of exogenous VEGF-A. The CAR-T cells were further tested in vivo for tumor control alone and in combination with anti-VEGF-A antibody. Finally, we performed ex vivo phenotypic analyses of tumor-infiltrating CAR-T cells for the two treatment groups. Results In line with previous reports, we observed poor control of B16 melanoma by the 2G anti-VEGFR-2 CAR-T cells as a monotherapy. We further showed that VEGFR-2 is not downregulated by B16 melanoma tumors post treatment, but that its soluble ligand VEGF-A is upregulated and furthermore competes in vitro with the CAR-T cells for binding to VEGFR-2. This competition resulted in impaired CAR-T cell adhesion and effector function in vitro that could be restored in the presence of anti-VEGF-A antibody. Finally, we demonstrated that coadministration of anti-VEGF-A antibody in vivo promoted CAR-T cell persistence and tumor control and was associated with reduced frequencies of PD-1+ Ki67- and LAG-3+ Ki67- CAR-T cells in the TME. Conclusions This study represents the first example of impaired function of a vasculature-targeted CAR by an angiogenic ligand and rationalizes the use of combinatorial therapies that target the tumor vasculature and augment CAR-T cell effector function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evripidis Lanitis
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Paris Kosti
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Ronet
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Elisabetta Cribioli
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Giorgia Rota
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Aodrenn Spill
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Reichenbach
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Zoete
- Computer-aided Molecular Engineering Group, Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Denarda Dangaj Laniti
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - George Coukos
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Melita Irving
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
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Çınar Ö, Brzezicha B, Grunert C, Kloetzel PM, Beier C, Peuker CA, Keller U, Pezzutto A, Busse A. High-affinity T-cell receptor specific for MyD88 L265P mutation for adoptive T-cell therapy of B-cell malignancies. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002410. [PMID: 34330762 PMCID: PMC8327818 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoptive transfer of engineered T cells has shown remarkable success in B-cell malignancies. However, the most common strategy of targeting lineage-specific antigens can lead to undesirable side effects. Also, a substantial fraction of patients have refractory disease. Novel treatment approaches with more precise targeting may be an appealing alternative. Oncogenic somatic mutations represent ideal targets because of tumor specificity. Mutation-derived neoantigens can be recognized by T-cell receptors (TCRs) in the context of MHC-peptide presentation. METHODS Here we have generated T-cell lines from healthy donors by autologous in vitro priming, targeting a missense mutation on the adaptor protein MyD88, changing leucine at position 265 to proline (MyD88 L265P), which is one of the most common driver mutations found in B-cell lymphomas. RESULTS Generated T-cell lines were selectively reactive against the mutant HLA-B*07:02-restricted epitope but not against the corresponding wild-type peptide. Cloned TCRs from these cell lines led to mutation-specific and HLA-restricted reactivity with varying functional avidity. T cells engineered with a mutation-specific TCR (TCR-T cells) recognized and killed B-cell lymphoma cell lines characterized by intrinsic MyD88 L265P mutation. Furthermore, TCR-T cells showed promising therapeutic efficacy in xenograft mouse models. In addition, initial safety screening did not indicate any sign of off-target reactivity. CONCLUSION Taken together, our data suggest that mutation-specific TCRs can be used to target the MyD88 L265P mutation, and hold promise for precision therapy in a significant subgroup of B-cell malignancies, possibly achieving the goal of absolute tumor specificity, a long sought-after dream of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özcan Çınar
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany .,Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Corinna Grunert
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Michael Kloetzel
- Institute of Biochemistry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christin Beier
- Institute of Biochemistry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Caroline Anna Peuker
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrich Keller
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antonio Pezzutto
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antonia Busse
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
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Lu YC, Zheng Z, Lowery FJ, Gartner JJ, Prickett TD, Robbins PF, Rosenberg SA. Direct identification of neoantigen-specific TCRs from tumor specimens by high-throughput single-cell sequencing. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002595. [PMID: 34321276 PMCID: PMC8320258 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002595] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Recognition of neoantigens by T cells plays a major role in cancer immunotherapy. Identification of neoantigen-specific T-cell receptors (TCRs) has become a critical research tool for studying T cell-mediated responses after immunotherapy. In addition, neoantigen-specific TCRs can be used to modify the specificity of T cells for T cell-based therapies targeting tumor-specific mutations. Although several techniques have been developed to identify TCR sequences, these techniques still require a significant amount of labor, making them impractical in the clinical setting. Methods Thanks to the availability of high-throughput single-cell sequencing, we developed a new process to isolate neoantigen-specific TCR sequences. This process included the isolation of tumor-infiltrating T cells from a tumor specimen and the stimulation of T cells by neoantigen-loaded dendritic cells, followed by single-cell sequencing for TCR and T-cell activation markers, interferon-γ and interleukin-2. Results In this study, potential neoantigen-specific TCRs were isolated from three melanoma and three colorectal tumor specimens. These TCRs were then synthesized and transduced into autologous T cells, followed by testing the recognition of neoantigens. A total of 28 neoantigen-specific TCRs were identified by this process. If identical TCR sequences were detected from two or more single cells, this approach was highly reliable (100%, 19 out of 19 TCRs). Conclusion This single-cell approach provides an efficient process to isolate antigen-specific TCRs for research and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Chen Lu
- Surgery Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Department of Pathology and Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Zhili Zheng
- Surgery Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Frank J Lowery
- Surgery Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jared J Gartner
- Surgery Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Todd D Prickett
- Surgery Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Paul F Robbins
- Surgery Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Kirtane K, Elmariah H, Chung CH, Abate-Daga D. Adoptive cellular therapy in solid tumor malignancies: review of the literature and challenges ahead. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002723. [PMID: 34301811 PMCID: PMC8311333 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have ushered in major changes in standards of care for many solid tumor malignancies, primary and acquired resistance is common. Insufficient antitumor T cells, inadequate function of these cells, and impaired formation of memory T cells all contribute to resistance mechanisms to ICI. Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) is a form of immunotherapy that is rapidly growing in clinical investigation and has the potential to overcome these limitations by its ability to augment the number, specificity, and reactivity of T cells against tumor tissue. ACT has revolutionized the treatment of hematologic malignancies, though the use of ACT in solid tumor malignancies is still in its early stages. There are currently three major modalities of ACT: tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), genetically engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. TIL therapy involves expansion of a heterogeneous population of endogenous T cells found in a harvested tumor, while TCRs and CAR T cells involve expansion of a genetically engineered T-cell directed toward specific antigen targets. In this review, we explore the potential of ACT as a treatment modality against solid tumors, discuss their advantages and limitations against solid tumor malignancies, discuss the promising therapies under active investigation, and examine future directions for this rapidly growing field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kedar Kirtane
- Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Hany Elmariah
- Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Christine H Chung
- Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Daniel Abate-Daga
- Departments of Immunology, Cutaneous Oncology, and Gastrointestinal Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
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Dalla Pietà A, Cappuzzello E, Palmerini P, Ventura A, Visentin A, Astori G, Chieregato K, Mozzo V, Perbellini O, Tisi MC, Trentin L, Visco C, Ruggeri M, Sommaggio R, Rosato A. Innovative therapeutic strategy for B-cell malignancies that combines obinutuzumab and cytokine-induced killer cells. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002475. [PMID: 34272306 PMCID: PMC8287629 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Patients affected by aggressive B-cell malignancies who are resistant to primary or salvage chemoimmunotherapy have an extremely poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Promising therapeutic success has been achieved with the infusion of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-T cells, but several limits still restrain the administration to a limited proportion of patients. This unmet clinical need might be fulfilled by an adoptive immunotherapy approach that combines cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to the CD20 antigen. Indeed, CIK cells are an effector population endowed with antitumor activity, which can be further improved and antigen-specifically redirected by clinical-grade mAb triggering antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Methods CIK cells were generated from peripheral blood of patients affected by different B-cell malignancies using a blinatumomab-based cell culture protocol. Effector cells were combined with the anti-CD20 mAb obinutuzumab and their therapeutic activity was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. Results CIK cells were successfully expanded in clinically relevant numbers, starting from small volumes of peripheral blood with extremely low CD3+ counts and high tumor burden. This relied on the addition of blinatumumab in culture, which leads to the simultaneous expansion of effector cells and the complete elimination of the neoplastic component. Moreover, CIK cells were highly cytotoxic in vitro against both B-cell tumor cell lines and autologous neoplastic targets, and had a significant therapeutic efficacy against a B-cell malignancy patient-derived xenograft on in vivo transfer. Conclusions The combination of an easily expandable CIK cell effector population with a mAb already in clinical use establishes a tumor antigen-specific redirection strategy that can be rapidly translated into clinical practice, providing an effective therapeutic alternative for B-cell malignancies without any need for genetic modifications. Additionally, the approach can be potentially applied to an extremely vast array of different tumors by simply substituting the targeting mAb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Dalla Pietà
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Immunology and Oncology Section, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Elisa Cappuzzello
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Immunology and Oncology Section, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Pierangela Palmerini
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Immunology and Oncology Section, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Annavera Ventura
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Immunology and Oncology Section, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Visentin
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Astori
- Advanced Cellular Therapy Laboratory, Department of Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital of Vicenza, Vicenza, Italy
| | - Katia Chieregato
- Advanced Cellular Therapy Laboratory, Department of Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital of Vicenza, Vicenza, Italy.,Consorzio per la Ricerca Sanitaria (CORIS) of Veneto Region, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Omar Perbellini
- Cell Therapy and Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy
| | | | - Livio Trentin
- Hematology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Carlo Visco
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Marco Ruggeri
- Cell Therapy and Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Rosato
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Immunology and Oncology Section, University of Padua, Padova, Italy .,Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
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Baur R, Jitschin R, Kharboutli S, Stoll A, Völkl S, Büttner-Herold M, Schmidt D, Rösler W, Mackensen A, Mougiakakos D. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists for acquired thrombocytopenia following anti-CD19 CAR-T-cell therapy: a case report. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002721. [PMID: 34272307 PMCID: PMC8287610 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [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: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T-cells targeting CD19 represent a promising therapy for relapsed or refractory (r/r) lymphoma and leukemia. The most common adverse events are immune related and include cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. However, early and late hematological toxicity has emerged as a substantial clinical hurdle leading among others to an increased risk for infections or bleeding. The underlying pathophysiology remains elusive and supportive measures comprise stem cell support or the use of growth factors. Here, we report a 66-year-old woman with r/r diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that received anti-CD19 CAR-T-cells achieving a complete metabolic remission. At month 3 after adoptive cell transfer, the patient still exhibited a grade 3 anemia and a grade 4 thrombocytopenia. The latter required regular platelet transfusions. Bone marrow smear revealed hypocellularity without dysplasia. Despite reduced megakaryopoiesis, immature platelet fraction was elevated indicating an at least partially consumptive underlying component. Based on the successful use of Romiplostim, a thrombopoietin receptor-agonist, in aplastic anemia and immune thrombocytopenia, we treated our patient accordingly. Platelet count (and hemoglobin levels) increased and the patient remains transfusion-free. Taken together, our therapeutic approach could represent a novel strategy for managing CAR-T-cell-related hematotoxicity but, self-evidently, requires further controlled clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Baur
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Regina Jitschin
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Soraya Kharboutli
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andrej Stoll
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Simon Völkl
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maike Büttner-Herold
- Institute of Pathology, Dept. of Nephropathology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Daniela Schmidt
- Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Wolf Rösler
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Mackensen
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.,Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Mougiakakos
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Clinical Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University (FAU), Erlangen, Germany .,Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen, Germany
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Leko V, Cafri G, Yossef R, Paria B, Hill V, Gurusamy D, Zheng Z, Gartner JJ, Prickett TD, Goff SL, Robbins P, Lu YC, Rosenberg SA. Identification of neoantigen-reactive T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of a patient with glioblastoma. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002882. [PMID: 34266885 PMCID: PMC8286793 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [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: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The adoptive transfer of naturally occurring T cells that recognize cancer neoantigens has led to durable tumor regressions in select patients with cancer. However, it remains unknown whether such T cells can be isolated from and used to treat patients with glioblastoma, a cancer that is refractory to currently available therapies. To answer this question, we stimulated patient blood-derived memory T cells in vitro using peptides and minigenes that represented point mutations unique to patients’ tumors (ie, candidate neoantigens) and then tested their ability to specifically recognize these mutations. In a cohort of five patients with glioblastoma, we found that circulating CD4+ memory T cells from one patient recognized a cancer neoantigen harboring a mutation in the EED gene (EEDH189N) that was unique to that patient’s tumor. This finding suggests that neoantigen-reactive T cells could indeed be isolated from patients with glioblastoma, thereby providing a rationale for further efforts to develop neoantigen-directed adoptive T cell therapy for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vid Leko
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gal Cafri
- Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Rami Yossef
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Biman Paria
- Program Coordination and Referral Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Victoria Hill
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Zhili Zheng
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jared J Gartner
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Todd D Prickett
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Stephanie L Goff
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Paul Robbins
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yong-Chen Lu
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Bernhardt AL, Zeun J, Marecek M, Reimann H, Kretschmann S, Bausenwein J, van der Meijden ED, Karg MM, Haug T, Meintker L, Lutzny-Geier G, Mackensen A, Kremer AN. Influence of DM-sensitivity on immunogenicity of MHC class II restricted antigens. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002401. [PMID: 34266882 PMCID: PMC8286791 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002401] [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] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) is a major problem in allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We previously described two types of endogenous human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-II restricted antigens depending on their behavior towards HLA-DM. While DM-resistant antigens are presented in the presence of HLA-DM, DM-sensitive antigens rely on the expression of HLA-DO-the natural inhibitor of HLA-DM. Since expression of HLA-DO is not upregulated by inflammatory cytokines, DM-sensitive antigens cannot be presented on non-hematopoietic tissues even under inflammatory conditions. Therefore, usage of CD4+ T cells directed against DM-sensitive antigens might allow induction of graft-versus-leukemia effect without GvHD. As DM-sensitivity is likely linked to low affinity peptides, it remains elusive whether DM-sensitive antigens are inferior in their immunogenicity. METHODS We created an in vivo system using a DM-sensitive and a DM-resistant variant of the same antigen. First, we generated murine cell lines overexpressing either H2-M or H2-O (murine HLA-DM and HLA-DO) to assign the two model antigens ovalbumin (OVA) and DBY to their category. Further, we introduced mutations within the two T-cell epitopes and tested the effect on DM-sensitivity or DM-resistance. Furthermore, we vaccinated C57BL/6 mice with either variant of the epitope and measured expansion and reactivity of OVA-specific and DBY-specific CD4+ T cells. RESULTS By testing T-cell recognition of OVA and DBY on a murine B-cell line overexpressing H2-M and H2-O, respectively, we showed that OVA leads to a stronger T-cell activation in the presence of H2-O demonstrating its DM-sensitivity. In contrast, the DBY epitope does not rely on H2-O for T-cell activation indicating DM-resistance. By introducing mutations within the T-cell epitopes we could generate one further DM-sensitive variant of OVA and two DM-resistant counterparts. Likewise, we designed DM-resistant and DM-sensitive variants of DBY. On vaccination of C57BL/6 mice with either epitope variant we measured comparable expansion and reactivity of OVA-specific and DBY-specific T-cells both in vivo and ex vivo. By generating T-cell lines and clones of healthy human donors we showed that DM-sensitive antigens are targeted by the natural T-cell repertoire. CONCLUSION We successfully generated DM-sensitive and DM-resistant variants for two model antigens. Thereby, we demonstrated that DM-sensitive antigens are not inferior to their DM-resistant counterpart and are therefore interesting tools for immunotherapy after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Luise Bernhardt
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Julia Zeun
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Miriam Marecek
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Hannah Reimann
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Sascha Kretschmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Judith Bausenwein
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Edith D van der Meijden
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Margarete M Karg
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany.,Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tabea Haug
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Lisa Meintker
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Gloria Lutzny-Geier
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Andreas Mackensen
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
| | - Anita N Kremer
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology and Internal Oncology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bayern, Germany
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Fogli LK, Aurigemma R, Sommers CL, Singh A, Bourcier K, Ernstoff MS. Challenges and next steps in the advancement of immunotherapy: summary of the 2018 and 2020 National Cancer Institute workshops on cell-based immunotherapy for solid tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003048. [PMID: 34266886 PMCID: PMC8286786 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-based immunotherapies have had remarkable success in the clinic, specifically in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, these strategies have had limited efficacy in patients with solid tumors. To better understand the challenges involved, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) convened an initial workshop with immuno-oncology thought leaders in December 2018 and a follow-up workshop in December 2020. The goals of the NCI workshops on cell-based immunotherapy for solid tumors were to discuss the current state of the field of cell-based immunotherapy, obtain insights into critical knowledge gaps, and identify ways in which NCI could facilitate progress. At both meetings, subjects emphasized four main types of challenges in further developing cell-based immunotherapy for patients with solid tumors: scientific, technical, clinical, and regulatory. The scientific barriers include selecting appropriate targets, ensuring adequate trafficking of cell therapy products to tumor sites, overcoming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and identifying appropriate models for these investigations. While mouse models may provide some useful data, the majority of those that are commonly used are immunodeficient and unable to fully recapitulate the immune response in patients. There is therefore a need for enhanced support of small early-phase human clinical studies, preferably with adaptive trial designs, to provide proof of concept for novel cell therapy approaches. Furthermore, the requirements for manufacturing, shipping, and distributing cell-based therapies present technical challenges and regulatory questions, which many research institutions are not equipped to address. Overall, workshop subjects identified key areas where NCI support might help the research community in driving forward innovation and clinical utility: 1) provide focused research support on topics such as tumor target selection, immune cell fitness and persistence, cell trafficking, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment; 2) support the rapid translation of preclinical findings into proof of concept clinical testing, harmonize clinical trial regimens, and facilitate early trial data sharing (including negative results); 3) expand manufacturing support for cell therapies, including vectors and reagents, and provide training programs for technical staff; and 4) develop and share standard operating procedures for cell handling and analytical assays, and work with the Food and Drug Administration to harmonize product characterization specifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura K Fogli
- ImmunoOncology Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Rosemarie Aurigemma
- Office of the Associate Director, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Connie L Sommers
- ImmunoOncology Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Anju Singh
- ImmunoOncology Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Kasia Bourcier
- ImmunoOncology Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Marc S Ernstoff
- ImmunoOncology Branch, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA
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Borch TH, Harbst K, Rana AH, Andersen R, Martinenaite E, Kongsted P, Pedersen M, Nielsen M, Kjeldsen JW, Kverneland AH, Lauss M, Hölmich LR, Hendel H, Met Ö, Jönsson G, Donia M, Marie Svane I. Clinical efficacy of T-cell therapy after short-term BRAF-inhibitor priming in patients with checkpoint inhibitor-resistant metastatic melanoma. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002703. [PMID: 34210820 PMCID: PMC8252872 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Despite impressive response rates following adoptive transfer of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients with metastatic melanoma, improvement is needed to increase the efficacy and broaden the applicability of this treatment. We evaluated the use of vemurafenib, a small-molecule BRAF inhibitor with immunomodulatory properties, as priming before TIL harvest and adoptive T cell therapy in a phase I/II clinical trial. METHODS 12 patients were treated with vemurafenib for 7 days before tumor excision and during the following weeks until TIL infusion. TILs were grown from tumor fragments, expanded in vitro and reinfused to the patient preceded by a lymphodepleting chemotherapy regimen and followed by interleukin-2 infusion. Extensive immune monitoring, tumor profiling and T cell receptor sequencing were performed. RESULTS No unexpected toxicity was observed, and treatment was well tolerated. Of 12 patients, 1 achieved a complete response, 8 achieved partial response and 3 achieved stable disease. A PR and the CR are ongoing for 23 and 43 months, respectively. In vitro anti-tumor reactivity was found in TILs from 10 patients, including all patients achieving objective response. Serum and tumor biomarker analyses indicate that baseline cytokine levels and the number of T cell clones may predict response to TIL therapy. Further, TCR sequencing suggested skewing of TCR repertoire during in vitro expansion, promoting certain low frequency clonotypes. CONCLUSIONS Priming with vemurafenib before infusion of TILs was safe and feasible, and induced objective clinical responses in this cohort of patients with checkpoint inhibitor-resistant metastatic melanoma. In this trial, vemurafenib treatment seemed to decrease attrition and could be considered to bridge the waiting time while TILs are prepared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troels Holz Borch
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Katja Harbst
- Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Aynal Haque Rana
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Rikke Andersen
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Evelina Martinenaite
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Per Kongsted
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Magnus Pedersen
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Morten Nielsen
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Julie Westerlin Kjeldsen
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Anders Handrup Kverneland
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Martin Lauss
- Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lisbet Rosenkrantz Hölmich
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Helle Hendel
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Özcan Met
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Göran Jönsson
- Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Marco Donia
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Inge Marie Svane
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark .,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Zhang C, Tan Q, Li S, Shen L, Zhang J, Liu Y, Yang W, Lu Z. Induction of EBV latent membrane protein-2A (LMP2A)-specific T cells and construction of individualized TCR-engineered T cells for EBV-associated malignancies. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002516. [PMID: 34210819 PMCID: PMC8252876 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Latent membrane protein-2A (LMP2A)-specific TCR-engineered T cells could be a promising treatment approach to Epstein–Barr virus-associated malignancies. However, previous studies mainly reported LMP2A-reactive TCRs only focusing on specific HLA subtypes and corresponding epitopes, and thus, they were only suitable for patients with specific HLA. Methods Due to hugely varied HLA subtypes and presented LMP2A epitopes in different individuals, our study attempted to develop an individualized approach, based on the weekly in vitro stimulation of peripheral T cells for 2 weeks with autologous dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with a pool of LMP2A peptides covering LMP2A whole protein and combination analysis of high throughput TCRβ sequencing of prestimulated and poststimulated T cells and single-cell TCR sequencing of poststimulated T cells, and to identify LMP2A-specific TCRs of which poststimulated frequencies significantly increased than corresponding prestimulated frequencies. Results Following this approach, multiple LMP2A-reactive TCRs were identified, optimized and cloned into lentiviral vector, and then transduced into peripheral T cells. These engineerd T cells were demonstrated to specifically recognize the LMP2A presented by autologous DCs and lymphoblastoid cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions This approach provides an efficient procedure to isolate individualized LMP2A-specific TCRs for basic and translational research, as well as for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoting Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Qin Tan
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Genetics, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Shance Li
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Luyan Shen
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Jingtao Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Genetics, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China .,Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance, School of Basic Medicine and the General Hospital, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Zheming Lu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
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Ohkuri T, Kosaka A, Ikeura M, Salazar AM, Okada H. IFN-γ- and IL-17-producing CD8 + T (Tc17-1) cells in combination with poly-ICLC and peptide vaccine exhibit antiglioma activity. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002426. [PMID: 34193567 PMCID: PMC8246372 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While adoptive transfer of T-cells has been a major medical breakthrough for patients with B cell malignancies, the development of safe and effective T-cell-based immunotherapy for central nervous system (CNS) tumors, such as glioblastoma (GBM), still needs to overcome multiple challenges, including effective homing and persistence of T-cells. Based on previous observations that interleukin (IL)-17-producing T-cells can traffic to the CNS in autoimmune conditions, we evaluated CD8+ T-cells that produce IL-17 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) (Tc17-1) cells in a preclinical GBM model. Methods We differentiated Pmel-1 CD8+ T-cells into Tc17-1 cells and compared their phenotypic and functional characteristics with those of IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T (Tc1) and IL-17-producing CD8+ T (Tc17) cells. We also evaluated the therapeutic efficacy, persistence, and tumor-homing of Tc17-1 cells in comparison to Tc1 cells using a mouse GL261 glioma model. Results In vitro, Tc17-1 cells demonstrated profiles of both Tc1 and Tc17 cells, including production of both IFN-γ and IL-17, although Tc17-1 cells demonstrated lesser degrees of antigen-specific cytotoxic activity compared with Tc1 cells. In mice-bearing intracranial GL261-Quad tumor and treated with temozolomide, Tc1 cells, but not Tc17-1, showed a significant prolongation of survival. However, when the T-cell transfer was combined with poly-ICLC and Pmel-1 peptide vaccine, both Tc1 and Tc17-1 cells exhibited significantly prolonged survival associated with upregulation of very late activation antigen−4 on Tc17-1 cells in vivo. Glioma cells that recurred following the therapy lost the susceptibility to Pmel-1-derived cytotoxic T-cells, indicating that immuno-editing was a mechanism of the acquired resistance. Conclusions Tc17-1 cells were equally effective as Tc1 cells when combined with poly-ICLC and peptide vaccine treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Ohkuri
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Akemi Kosaka
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Maki Ikeura
- Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Hideho Okada
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA .,Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Quintarelli C, Guercio M, Manni S, Boffa I, Sinibaldi M, Di Cecca S, Caruso S, Abbaszadeh Z, Camera A, Cembrola B, Ciccone R, Orfao A, Martin-Martin L, Gutierrez-Herrero S, Herrero-Garcia M, Cazzaniga G, Nunes V, Songia S, Marcatili P, Marin FI, Ruella M, Bertaina V, Vinti L, Del Bufalo F, Algeri M, Merli P, De Angelis B, Locatelli F. Strategy to prevent epitope masking in CAR.CD19+ B-cell leukemia blasts. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-001514. [PMID: 34135100 PMCID: PMC8211055 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR T-cells) for the treatment of relapsing/refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia have led to exciting clinical results. However, CAR T-cell approaches revealed a potential risk of CD19-/CAR+ leukemic relapse due to inadvertent transduction of leukemia cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Quintarelli
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy .,Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Marika Guercio
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Manni
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Iolanda Boffa
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Matilde Sinibaldi
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Di Cecca
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Caruso
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Zeinab Abbaszadeh
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Camera
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Biancamaria Cembrola
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Roselia Ciccone
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Orfao
- Translational Program, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC, USAL-CSIC), Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), CIBERONC and Department of Medicine and Cytometry Service (NUCLEUS Research Support Platform), University of Salamanca (USAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Lourdes Martin-Martin
- Translational Program, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC, USAL-CSIC), Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), CIBERONC and Department of Medicine and Cytometry Service (NUCLEUS Research Support Platform), University of Salamanca (USAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Sara Gutierrez-Herrero
- Translational Program, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC, USAL-CSIC), Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), CIBERONC and Department of Medicine and Cytometry Service (NUCLEUS Research Support Platform), University of Salamanca (USAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Maria Herrero-Garcia
- Translational Program, Cancer Research Centre (IBMCC, USAL-CSIC), Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), CIBERONC and Department of Medicine and Cytometry Service (NUCLEUS Research Support Platform), University of Salamanca (USAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Gianni Cazzaniga
- Centro Ricerca Tettamanti, Pediatric Department, Fondazione MBBM, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Vittorio Nunes
- Centro Ricerca Tettamanti, Pediatric Department, Fondazione MBBM, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Simona Songia
- Centro Ricerca Tettamanti, Pediatric Department, Fondazione MBBM, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Paolo Marcatili
- Department of Bio and Health Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Frederikke I Marin
- Department of Bio and Health Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Marco Ruella
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Valentina Bertaina
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Luciana Vinti
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Del Bufalo
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Algeri
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Pietro Merli
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Biagio De Angelis
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department Onco-Haematology, and Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Legscha KJ, Antunes Ferreira E, Chamoun A, Lang A, Awwad MHS, Ton GNHQ, Galetzka D, Guezguez B, Hundemer M, Bourdon JC, Munder M, Theobald M, Echchannaoui H. Δ133p53α enhances metabolic and cellular fitness of TCR-engineered T cells and promotes superior antitumor immunity. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-001846. [PMID: 34112738 PMCID: PMC8194333 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tumor microenvironment-associated T cell senescence is a key limiting factor for durable effective cancer immunotherapy. A few studies have demonstrated the critical role of the tumor suppressor TP53-derived p53 isoforms in cellular senescence process of non-immune cells. However, their role in lymphocytes, in particular tumor-antigen (TA) specific T cells remain largely unexplored. Methods Human T cells from peripheral blood were retrovirally engineered to coexpress a TA-specific T cell receptor and the Δ133p53α-isoform, and characterized for their cellular phenotype, metabolic profile and effector functions. Results Phenotypic analysis of Δ133p53α-modified T cells revealed a marked reduction of the T-cell inhibitory molecules (ie, CD160 and TIGIT), a lower frequency of senescent-like CD57+ and CD160+ CD8+ T cell populations, and an increased number of less differentiated CD28+ T cells. Consistently, we demonstrated changes in the cellular metabolic program toward a quiescent T cell state. On a functional level, Δ133p53α-expressing T cells acquired a long-term proliferative capacity, showed superior cytokine secretion and enhanced tumor-specific killing in vitro and in mouse tumor model. Finally, we demonstrated the capacity of Δ133p53α to restore the antitumor response of senescent T cells isolated from multiple myeloma patients. Conclusion This study uncovered a broad effect of Δ133p53α isoform in regulating T lymphocyte function. Enhancing fitness and effector functions of senescent T cells by modulation of p53 isoforms could be exploited for future translational research to improve cancer immunotherapy and immunosenescence-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Jan Legscha
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Edite Antunes Ferreira
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Antonios Chamoun
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alexander Lang
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | | | - Danuta Galetzka
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Borhane Guezguez
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael Hundemer
- Department of Internal Medicine V, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Markus Munder
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Matthias Theobald
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site, Mainz, Germany.,Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hakim Echchannaoui
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Pneumology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany .,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site, Mainz, Germany
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Shenderov E, Kandasamy M, Gileadi U, Chen J, Shepherd D, Gibbs J, Prota G, Silk JD, Yewdell JW, Cerundolo V. Generation and characterization of HLA-A2 transgenic mice expressing the human TCR 1G4 specific for the HLA-A2 restricted NY-ESO-1 157-165 tumor-specific peptide. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002544. [PMID: 34088742 PMCID: PMC8183295 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background NY-ESO-1 is a tumor-specific, highly immunogenic, human germ cell antigen of the MAGE-1 family that is a promising vaccine and cell therapy candidate in clinical trial development. The mouse genome does not encode an NY-ESO-1 homolog thereby not subjecting transgenic T-cells to thymic tolerance mechanisms that might impair in-vivo studies. We hypothesized that an NY-ESO-1 T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mouse would provide the unique opportunity to study avidity of TCR response against NY-ESO-1 for tumor vaccine and cellular therapy development against this clinically relevant and physiological human antigen. Methods To study in vitro and in vivo the requirements for shaping an effective T cell response against the clinically relevant NY-ESO-1, we generated a C57BL/6 HLA-A*0201 background TCR transgenic mouse encoding the 1G4 TCR specific for the human HLA-A2 restricted, NY-ESO-1157-165 SLLMWITQC (9C), initially identified in an NY-ESO-1 positive melanoma patient. Results The HLA-A*0201 restricted TCR was positively selected on both CD4+ and CD8+ cells. Mouse 1G4 T cells were not activated by endogenous autoimmune targets or a large library of non-cognate viral antigens. In contrast, their activation by HLA-A2 NY-ESO-1157-165 complexes was evident by proliferation, CD69 upregulation, interferon-γ production, and interleukin-2 production, and could be tuned using a twofold higher affinity altered peptide ligand, NY-ESO-1157-165V. NY-ESO-1157-165V recombinant vaccination of syngeneic mice adoptively transferred with m1G4 CD8+ T cells controlled tumor growth in vivo. 1G4 transgenic mice suppressed growth of syngeneic methylcholanthrene (MCA) induced HHD tumor cells expressing the full-length human NY-ESO-1 protein but not MCA HHD tumor cells lacking NY-ESO-1. Conclusions The 1G4 TCR mouse model for the physiological human TCR against the clinically relevant antigen, NY-ESO-1, is a valuable tool with the potential to accelerate clinical development of NY-ESO-1-targeted T-cell and vaccine therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene Shenderov
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK .,National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matheswaran Kandasamy
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK
| | - Uzi Gileadi
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK
| | - Jili Chen
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK
| | - Dawn Shepherd
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK
| | - James Gibbs
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gennaro Prota
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK
| | - Jonathan D Silk
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK.,Next Generation Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, UK
| | - Jonathan W Yewdell
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Vincenzo Cerundolo
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, Oxford, UK
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Wang J, Shang Z, Wang J, Xu J, Li W, Guan Y, Yang L, Zhang W, Shen K, Zhang M, Wang J, Chen L, Li Q, He C, Wang N, Huang L, Xiao Y, Xiao M, Zhou J. MYC/BCL2/BCL6 triple hit and TP53 deletion in a case of high-grade B cell lymphoma receiving CAR T cell immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-002029. [PMID: 34078654 PMCID: PMC8173290 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-002029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jiachen Wang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhen Shang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jue Wang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jinhuan Xu
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Weigang Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yuqi Guan
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Li Yang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Kefeng Shen
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Meilan Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Liting Chen
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qinlu Li
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Cheng He
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Na Wang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Liang Huang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yi Xiao
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Min Xiao
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jianfeng Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Karschnia P, Blobner J, Teske N, Schöberl F, Fitzinger E, Dreyling M, Tonn JC, Thon N, Subklewe M, von Baumgarten L. CAR T-Cells for CNS Lymphoma: Driving into New Terrain? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102503. [PMID: 34065471 PMCID: PMC8161128 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary CNS lymphomas (PCNSL) represent a group of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas and secondary CNS lymphomas refer to secondary involvement of the neuroaxis by systemic disease. CNS lymphomas are associated with limited prognosis even after aggressive multimodal therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells have proven as a promising therapeutic avenue in hematological B-cell malignancies including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and mantle-cell lymphoma. CARs endow an autologous T-cell population with MHC-unrestricted effectivity against tumor target antigens such as the pan B-cell marker CD19. In PCNSL, compelling and long-lasting anti-tumor effects of such therapy have been shown in murine immunocompromised models. In clinical studies on CAR T-cells for CNS lymphoma, only limited data are available and often include both patients with PCNSL but also patients with secondary CNS lymphoma. Several clinical trials on CAR T-cell therapy for primary and secondary CNS lymphoma are currently ongoing. Extrapolated from the available preliminary data, an overall acceptable safety profile with considerable anti-tumor effects might be expected. Whether these beneficial anti-tumor effects are as long-lasting as in animal models is currently in doubt; and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of the brain may be among the most pivotal factors limiting efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy in CNS lymphoma. Based on an increasing understanding of CAR T-cell interactions with the tumor cells as well as the cerebral tissue, modifications of CAR design or the combination of CAR T-cell therapy with other therapeutic approaches may aid to release the full therapeutic efficiency of CAR T-cells. CAR T-cells may therefore emerge as a novel treatment strategy in primary and secondary CNS lymphoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Karschnia
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University School of Medicine, Marchioninistrasse, 1581377 Munich, Germany; (J.B.); (N.T.); (E.F.); (J.-C.T.); (N.T.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
- Correspondence: (P.K.); (L.v.B.); Tel.: +49-(0)89-4400-711365 (P.K.); +49-(0)89-4400-712363 (L.v.B.)
| | - Jens Blobner
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University School of Medicine, Marchioninistrasse, 1581377 Munich, Germany; (J.B.); (N.T.); (E.F.); (J.-C.T.); (N.T.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
| | - Nico Teske
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University School of Medicine, Marchioninistrasse, 1581377 Munich, Germany; (J.B.); (N.T.); (E.F.); (J.-C.T.); (N.T.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
| | - Florian Schöberl
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University School of Medicine, 81377 Munich, Germany;
| | - Esther Fitzinger
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University School of Medicine, Marchioninistrasse, 1581377 Munich, Germany; (J.B.); (N.T.); (E.F.); (J.-C.T.); (N.T.)
| | - Martin Dreyling
- Department of Medicine, Hematology & Oncology Division and Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Ludwig-Maximilians-University School of Medicine, 81377 Munich, Germany;
| | - Joerg-Christian Tonn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University School of Medicine, Marchioninistrasse, 1581377 Munich, Germany; (J.B.); (N.T.); (E.F.); (J.-C.T.); (N.T.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
| | - Niklas Thon
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University School of Medicine, Marchioninistrasse, 1581377 Munich, Germany; (J.B.); (N.T.); (E.F.); (J.-C.T.); (N.T.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
| | - Marion Subklewe
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
- Department of Medicine, Hematology & Oncology Division and Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Ludwig-Maximilians-University School of Medicine, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Laboratory for Translational Cancer Immunology, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Louisa von Baumgarten
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University School of Medicine, Marchioninistrasse, 1581377 Munich, Germany; (J.B.); (N.T.); (E.F.); (J.-C.T.); (N.T.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University School of Medicine, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- Correspondence: (P.K.); (L.v.B.); Tel.: +49-(0)89-4400-711365 (P.K.); +49-(0)89-4400-712363 (L.v.B.)
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Nissani A, Lev-Ari S, Meirson T, Jacoby E, Asher N, Ben-Betzalel G, Itzhaki O, Shapira-Frommer R, Schachter J, Markel G, Besser MJ. Comparison of non-myeloablative lymphodepleting preconditioning regimens in patients undergoing adoptive T cell therapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-001743. [PMID: 33990415 PMCID: PMC8127974 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adoptive cell therapy with T cells genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) or tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL) demonstrates impressive clinical results in patients with cancer. Lymphodepleting preconditioning prior to cell infusion is an integral part of all adoptive T cell therapies. However, to date, there is no standardization and no data comparing different non-myeloablative (NMA) regimens. Methods In this study, we compared NMA therapies with different doses of cyclophosphamide or total body irradiation (TBI) in combination with fludarabine and evaluated bone marrow suppression and recovery, cytokine serum levels, clinical response and adverse events. Results We demonstrate that a cumulative dose of 120 mg/kg cyclophosphamide and 125 mg/m2 fludarabine (120Cy/125Flu) and 60Cy/125Flu preconditioning were equally efficient in achieving deep lymphopenia and neutropenia in patients with metastatic melanoma, whereas absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs) and absolute neutrophil counts were significantly higher following 200 cGyTBI/75Flu-induced NMA. Thrombocytopenia was most profound in 120Cy/125Flu patients. 30Cy/75Flu-induced preconditioning in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia resulted in a minor ALC decrease, had no impact on platelet counts and did not yield deep neutropenia. Following cell infusion, 120Cy/125Flu patients with objective tumor response had significantly higher ALC and significant lower inflammatory indexes, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Receiver-operating characteristics curve analysis 7 days after cell infusion was performed to determine the cut-offs, which distinguish between responding and non-responding patients in the 120Cy/125Flu cohort. NLR≤1.79 and PLR≤32.7 were associated with clinical response and overall survival. Cytokine serum levels did not associate with clinical response in patients with TIL. Patients in the 120Cy/125Flu cohort developed significantly more acute NMA-related adverse events, including thrombocytopenia, febrile neutropenia and cardiotoxicity, and stayed significantly longer in hospital compared with the 60Cy/125Flu and TBI/75Flu cohorts. Conclusions Bone marrow depletion and recovery were equally affected by 120Cy/125Flu and 60Cy/125Flu preconditioning; however, toxicity and consequently duration of hospitalization were significantly lower in the 60Cy/125Flu cohort. Patients in the 30Cy/75Flu and TBI/75Flu groups rarely developed NMA-induced adverse events; however, both regimens were not efficient in achieving deep bone marrow suppression. Among the regimens, 60Cy/125Flu preconditioning seems to achieve maximum effect with minimum toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham Nissani
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Shaked Lev-Ari
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Tomer Meirson
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Elad Jacoby
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Department of Hematology, Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nethanel Asher
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Guy Ben-Betzalel
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Orit Itzhaki
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Ronnie Shapira-Frommer
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Oncology Division, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Jacob Schachter
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Gal Markel
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Deparment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michal J Besser
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Tel Hashomer, Israel .,Deparment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
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50
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Kohli K, Yao L, Nowicki TS, Zhang S, Black RG, Schroeder BA, Farrar EA, Cao J, Sloan H, Stief D, Cranmer LD, Wagner MJ, Hawkins DS, Pillarisetty VG, Ribas A, Campbell J, Pierce RH, Kim EY, Jones RL, Riddell SR, Yee C, Pollack SM. IL-15 mediated expansion of rare durable memory T cells following adoptive cellular therapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-002232. [PMID: 33963013 PMCID: PMC8108691 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-002232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Synovial sarcoma (SS) and myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MRCL) are ideal solid tumors for the development of adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) targeting NY-ESO-1, as a high frequency of tumors homogeneously express this cancer-testes antigen. Data from early phase clinical trials have shown antitumor activity after the adoptive transfer of NY-ESO-1–specific T cells. In these studies, persistence of NY-ESO-1 specific T cells is highly correlated with response to ACT, but patients often continue to have detectable transferred cells in their peripheral blood following progression. Method We performed a phase I clinical trial evaluating the safety of NY-ESO-1–specific endogenous T cells (ETC) following cyclophosphamide conditioning. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from treated patients were evaluated by flow cytometry and gene expression analysis as well as through ex vivo culture assays with and without IL-15. Results Four patients were treated in a cohort using ETC targeting NY-ESO-1 following cyclophosphamide conditioning. Treatment was well tolerated without significant toxicity, but all patients ultimately had disease progression. In two of four patients, we obtained post-treatment tumor tissue and in both, NY-ESO-1 antigen was retained despite clear detectable persisting NY-ESO-1–specific T cells in the peripheral blood. Despite a memory phenotype, these persisting cells lacked markers of proliferation or activation. However, in ex vivo culture assays, they could be induced to proliferate and kill tumor using IL-15. These results were also seen in PBMCs from two patients who received gene-engineered T-cell receptor–based products at other centers. Conclusions ETC targeting NY-ESO-1 with single-agent cyclophosphamide alone conditioning was well tolerated in patients with SS and those with MRCL. IL-15 can induce proliferation and activity in persisting NY-ESO-1–specific T cells even in patients with disease progression following ACT. These results support future work evaluating whether IL-15 could be incorporated into ACT trials post-infusion or at the time of progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karan Kohli
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lu Yao
- Poseida Therapeutics, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Theodore Scott Nowicki
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Shihong Zhang
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ralph Graeme Black
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brett A Schroeder
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jianhong Cao
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Heather Sloan
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dawn Stief
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lee D Cranmer
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael J Wagner
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Douglas S Hawkins
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Antoni Ribas
- Division Hematology and Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, UK
| | - Jean Campbell
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA.,Sensei Biotherapeutics, Gaithersburg, Boston, MD, USA
| | - Robert H Pierce
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA.,Sensei Biotherapeutics, Gaithersburg, Boston, MD, USA
| | - Edward Y Kim
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robin L Jones
- Sarcoma, Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Stanley R Riddell
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Lyell Immunopharma, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Seth M Pollack
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA .,Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Oncology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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