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Lutz MS, Schmied BJ, Riegg F, Zekri L, Heitmann JS, Maerklin M, Pfluegler M, Jung G, Salih HR. Abstract 2860: A CD135 immunocytokine with target cell-restricted IL-15 activity for treatment of AML. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-2860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
After diagnosis, a primary goal of treatment in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is to achieve a morphological complete remission (CR) by induction chemotherapy. However, about half of the patients in CR show remaining minimal residual disease (MRD), which constitutes the basis for relapse. With the aim to eradicate MRD and thus improve long-term survival in AML, we recently conducted a phase I trial evaluating safety/tolerability and preliminary efficacy of an Fc-optimized antibody targeting CD135/FLT3 (FLYSYN, NCT02789254) to induce NK cell anti-leukemia reactivity. This trial enrolling AML patients in CR with detectable MRD revealed that FLYSYN is safe and well tolerated, with about 45% of patients achieving a molecular response after treatment with the target dose (Heitmann et al., Blood 2020). Besides by reinforcing the ADCC-inducing capability of antibodies, NK cell immunity can be further increased by cytokines like IL-15, and multiple efforts presently aim to exploit the latter cytokine for cancer treatment. However, clinical efficacy of IL-15 so far is limited as systemic application causes substantial side effects due to unspecific immune activation (Conlon et al, JCO 2015). To overcome this limitation, we aimed to develop an immunocytokine consisting of our Fc-optimized CD135 mAb fused to IL-15. However, the activity of the cytokine moiety within classical ICs does not depend on antigen binding, and thus application of clinically effective doses is still prevented by toxicity due to unspecific immune activation. To overcome this problem, we took advantage of the unique mechanism of action of IL-15, which stimulates IL-15Rβ/γ on cytotoxic lymphocytes as membrane-bound complex with IL-15Rα on monocytes and DCs (trans-presentation) and generated an IL-15 mutant with abolished IL-15Rα binding. The latter allows to substitute physiological trans-presentation by binding of the construct to the target antigen, thereby limiting side effects. Functional analysis using primary AML cells as targets revealed that our modified immunocytokine (MIC135) induced target-restricted NK cell anti-leukemia reactivity in a profoundly greater extent than the Fc-optimized FLYSYN antibody. Notably, in stark contrast to FLYSYN, MIC135 induced prominent NK cell proliferation, and target cell killing upon treatment with MIC135 was likewise clearly superior. Analyses regarding off-target toxicity confirmed the target-antigen restricted efficacy of MIC135 compared to anti-CD135 immunocytokine with wildtype IL-15 (IC135). Furthermore, our MIC135 did not induce unwanted effects against healthy FLT3 expressing cells. Taken together, MIC135 induces NK cell reactivity against leukemia cells in a highly target cell-restricted manner and displays higher efficacy than Fc-optimized antibodies, thus constituting a promising treatment option for AML.
Citation Format: Martina S. Lutz, Bastian J. Schmied, Fabian Riegg, Latifa Zekri, Jonas S. Heitmann, Melanie Maerklin, Martin Pfluegler, Gundram Jung, Helmut R. Salih. A CD135 immunocytokine with target cell-restricted IL-15 activity for treatment of AML [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2860.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fabian Riegg
- 1University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Latifa Zekri
- 1University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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Atsawarungruangkit A, Yuan J, Kodama T, Cheng MT, Mansouri M, Han B, Kongkamnerd J, Riegg F, Menon A, Moss SF. Evolving global and national criteria for identifying a suspected case of COVID-19. J Int Med Res 2020; 48:300060520938943. [PMID: 32865095 PMCID: PMC7469754 DOI: 10.1177/0300060520938943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began in December 2019 and continues to spread worldwide. Rapid and accurate identification of suspected cases is critical in slowing spread of the virus that causes the disease. We aimed to highlight discrepancies in the various criteria used by international agencies and highly impacted individual countries around the world. Methods We reviewed the criteria for identifying a suspected case of COVID-19 used by two international public health agencies and 10 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. The criteria included information on the clinical causes of illness and epidemiological risk factors. Non-English language guidelines were translated into English by a co-author who is fluent in that particular language. Results Although most criteria are modifications of World Health Organization recommendations, the specific clinical features and epidemiological risks for triggering evaluation of patients with suspected COVID-19 differed widely among countries. The rationale for these differences may be related to each country’s resources, politics, experience with previous outbreaks or pandemics, health insurance system, COVID-19 outbreak severity, and other undetermined factors. Conclusion We found no consensus regarding the best diagnostic criteria for identifying a suspected case of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amporn Atsawarungruangkit
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- Amporn Atsawarungruangkit, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, POB 240, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, United States.
| | - Jin Yuan
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | | | | | | | - Boram Han
- East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | | | - Fabian Riegg
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anupama Menon
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
| | - Steven F. Moss
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
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Schmied BJ, Lutz MS, Riegg F, Zekri L, Heitmann JS, Bühring HJ, Jung G, Salih HR. Induction of NK Cell Reactivity against B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia by an Fc-Optimized FLT3 Antibody. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11121966. [PMID: 31817795 PMCID: PMC6966676 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11121966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is a major mechanism by which antitumor antibodies mediate therapeutic efficacy. At present, we evaluate an Fc-optimized (amino acid substitutions S239D/I332E) FLT3 antibody termed 4G8-SDIEM (FLYSYN) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (NCT02789254). Here we studied the possibility to induce NK cell ADCC against B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) by Fc-optimized FLT3 antibody treatment. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed that FLT3 is widely expressed on B-ALL cell lines and leukemic cells of B-ALL patients. FLT3 expression did not correlate with that of CD20, which is targeted by Rituximab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) employed in B-ALL treatment regimens. Our FLT3 mAb with enhanced affinity to the Fc receptor CD16a termed 4G8-SDIE potently induced NK cell reactivity against FLT3-transfectants, the B-ALL cell line SEM and primary leukemic cells of adult B-ALL patients in a target-antigen dependent manner as revealed by analyses of NK cell activation and degranulation. This was mirrored by potent 4G8-SDIE mediated NK cell ADCC in experiments with FLT3-transfectants, the cell line SEM and primary cells as target cells. Taken together, the findings presented in this study provide evidence that 4G8-SDIE may be a promising agent for the treatment of B-ALL, particularly in CD20-negative cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian J. Schmied
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; (B.J.S.); (M.S.L.); (F.R.); (L.Z.); (J.S.H.)
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 ‘Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy’ (iFIT), Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Martina S. Lutz
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; (B.J.S.); (M.S.L.); (F.R.); (L.Z.); (J.S.H.)
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 ‘Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy’ (iFIT), Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Fabian Riegg
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; (B.J.S.); (M.S.L.); (F.R.); (L.Z.); (J.S.H.)
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 ‘Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy’ (iFIT), Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Latifa Zekri
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; (B.J.S.); (M.S.L.); (F.R.); (L.Z.); (J.S.H.)
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 ‘Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy’ (iFIT), Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
- Department for Immunology, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jonas S. Heitmann
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; (B.J.S.); (M.S.L.); (F.R.); (L.Z.); (J.S.H.)
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 ‘Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy’ (iFIT), Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Hans-Jörg Bühring
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Gundram Jung
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 ‘Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy’ (iFIT), Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
- Department for Immunology, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Helmut R. Salih
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; (B.J.S.); (M.S.L.); (F.R.); (L.Z.); (J.S.H.)
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 ‘Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy’ (iFIT), Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-7071/29-83275
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Schmied BJ, Riegg F, Zekri L, Grosse-Hovest L, Bühring HJ, Jung G, Salih HR. An Fc-Optimized CD133 Antibody for Induction of Natural Killer Cell Reactivity against Colorectal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11060789. [PMID: 31181683 PMCID: PMC6627285 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11060789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has largely improved treatment options for cancer patients. The ability of antitumor mAbs to elicit antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) contributes to a large extent to their therapeutic efficacy. Many efforts accordingly aim to improve this important function by engineering mAbs with Fc parts that display enhanced affinity to the Fc receptor CD16 expressed, e.g., on natural killer (NK) cells. Here we characterized the CD133 mAb 293C3-SDIE that contains an engineered Fc part modified by the amino acid exchanges S239D/I332E—that reportedly increase the affinity to CD16—with regard to its ability to induce NK reactivity against colorectal cancer (CRC). 293C3-SDIE was found to be a stable protein with favorable binding characteristics achieving saturating binding to CRC cells at concentrations of approximately 1 µg/mL. While not directly affecting CRC cell growth and viability, 293C3-SDIE potently induced NK cell activation, degranulation, secretion of Interferon-γ, as well as ADCC resulting in potent lysis of CRC cell lines. Based on the preclinical characterization presented in this study and the available data indicating that CD133 is broadly expressed in CRC and represents a negative prognostic marker, we conclude that 293C3-SDIE constitutes a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of CRC and thus warrants clinical evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian J Schmied
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 72076 Partner site Tuebingen, Germany.
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 "Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy (iFIT)", 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Fabian Riegg
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 72076 Partner site Tuebingen, Germany.
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 "Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy (iFIT)", 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Latifa Zekri
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 72076 Partner site Tuebingen, Germany.
- Department for Immunology, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | | | - Hans-Jörg Bühring
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Gundram Jung
- Department for Immunology, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Helmut R Salih
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 72076 Partner site Tuebingen, Germany.
- DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 "Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy (iFIT)", 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
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Loy F, Karch S, Langemak S, Schmidt P, Riegg F, Hantschk I, Chrobok A, Länger A, Pogarell O. Belohnungs-assoziierte neurobiologische Reaktionen bei Gesunden und Patienten mit Alkoholabhängigkeit. KLIN NEUROPHYSIOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1337284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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