Expanded human NK cells armed with CAR uncouple potent anti-tumor activity from off-tumor toxicity against solid tumors.
iScience 2021;
24:102619. [PMID:
34159300 PMCID:
PMC8193615 DOI:
10.1016/j.isci.2021.102619]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the remarkable success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells against hematologic malignancies, severe off-tumor effects have constrained their use against solid tumors. Recently, CAR-engineered natural killer (NK) cells have emerged as an effective and safe alternative. Here, we demonstrate that HER2 CAR-expression in NK cells from healthy donors and patients with breast cancer potently enhances their anti-tumor functions against various HER2-expressing cancer cells, regardless of MHC class I expression. Moreover, HER2 CAR-NK cells exert higher cytotoxicity than donor-matched HER2 CAR-T cells against tumor targets. Importantly, unlike CAR-T cells, HER2 CAR-NK cells do not elicit enhanced cytotoxicity or inflammatory cytokine production against non-malignant human lung epithelial cells with basal HER2 expression. Further, HER2 CAR-NK cells maintain high cytotoxic function in the presence of immunosuppressive factors enriched in solid tumors. These results show that CAR-NK cells may be a highly potent and safe source of immunotherapy in the context of solid tumors.
Primary HER2 CAR-NK cells from patients with cancer have potent anti-tumor functions
HER2 CAR-NK cells have a higher tumor killing capacity than HER2 CAR-T cells
HER2 CAR-NK cells are not overly activated against HER2+ lung epithelial cells
CAR-NK cells can overcome inhibition by the immunosuppressive factors TGF-β and PGE2
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