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Meir R, Shamalov K, Betzer O, Motiei M, Horovitz-Fried M, Yehuda R, Popovtzer A, Popovtzer R, Cohen CJ. Nanomedicine for Cancer Immunotherapy: Tracking Cancer-Specific T-Cells in Vivo with Gold Nanoparticles and CT Imaging. ACS NANO 2015; 9:6363-72. [PMID: 26039633 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b01939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Application of immune cell-based therapy in routine clinical practice is challenging due to the poorly understood mechanisms underlying success or failure of treatment. Development of accurate and quantitative imaging techniques for noninvasive cell tracking can provide essential knowledge for elucidating these mechanisms. We designed a novel method for longitudinal and quantitative in vivo cell tracking, based on the superior visualization abilities of classical X-ray computed tomography (CT), combined with state-of-the-art nanotechnology. Herein, T-cells were transduced to express a melanoma-specific T-cell receptor and then labeled with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as a CT contrast agent. The GNP-labeled T-cells were injected intravenously to mice bearing human melanoma xenografts, and whole-body CT imaging allowed examination of the distribution, migration, and kinetics of T-cells. Using CT, we found that transduced T-cells accumulated at the tumor site, as opposed to nontransduced cells. Labeling with gold nanoparticles did not affect T-cell function, as demonstrated both in vitro, by cytokine release and proliferation assays, and in vivo, as tumor regression was observed. Moreover, to validate the accuracy and reliability of the proposed cell tracking technique, T-cells were labeled both with green fluorescent protein for fluorescence imaging, and with GNPs for CT imaging. A remarkable correlation in signal intensity at the tumor site was observed between the two imaging modalities, at all time points examined, providing evidence for the accuracy of our CT cell tracking abilities. This new method for cell tracking with CT offers a valuable tool for research, and more importantly for clinical applications, to study the fate of immune cells in cancer immunotherapy.
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Ankri C, Shamalov K, Horovitz-Fried M, Mauer S, Cohen CJ. Human T Cells Engineered To Express a Programmed Death 1/28 Costimulatory Retargeting Molecule Display Enhanced Antitumor Activity. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 191:4121-9. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Daniel-Meshulam I, Horovitz-Fried M, Cohen CJ. Enhanced antitumor activity mediated by human 4-1BB-engineered T cells. Int J Cancer 2013; 133:2903-13. [PMID: 23754772 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.28320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
4-1BB (CD137) is a costimulatory molecule transiently expressed on the T-cell surface after TCR engagement, whereas its ligand 4-1BBL can be found on professional antigen-presenting cells, but more importantly, also on tumor cells. As the role of the 4-1BB/4-1BBL pathway has emerged central to CD8(+) T-cell responses and survival, we sought to test its relevance in the context of genetically modified human T cells. To that end, T cells purified from healthy donors and from vaccinated-melanoma patients were transduced to express high levels of constitutive 4-1BB. 4-1BB-transduced T cells were cocultured with melanoma tumor lines and exhibited enhanced cytokine secretion, upregulation of activation markers as well as increased cytotoxicity in a chick-chorioallantoic membrane model of human melanoma tumors. In addition, these cells expanded and proliferated at a higher rate, expressed heightened levels of the antiapoptotic molecule Bcl(XL) and were also relatively insensitive to immunosuppression mediated by transforming growth factor-β, compared to control cells. We also show that 4-1BBL expression on the target cell is essential to 4-1BB-mediated functional improvement. Overall, we conclude that the modification of human T cells with 4-1BB yields enhanced antitumor function which may have important applications in therapies based on the genetic modification of patient lymphocytes.
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Sapoznik S, Ortenberg R, Galore-Haskel G, Kozlovski S, Levy D, Avivi C, Barshack I, Cohen CJ, Besser MJ, Schachter J, Markel G. CXCR1 as a novel target for directing reactive T cells toward melanoma: implications for adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2012; 61:1833-47. [PMID: 22441657 PMCID: PMC11028868 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-012-1245-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Accepted: 03/06/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer therapy with reactive T cells is one of the most promising immunotherapeutic modalities for metastatic melanoma patients. Homing of the transferred T cells to all tumor sites in sufficient numbers is of great importance. Here, we seek to exploit endogenous chemotactic signals in order to manipulate and enhance the directional trafficking of transferred T cells toward melanoma. Chemokine profiling of 15 melanoma cultures shows that CXCL1 and CXCL8 are abundantly expressed and secreted from melanoma cultures. However, the complimentary analysis on 40 melanoma patient-derived tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) proves that the corresponding chemokine receptors are either not expressed (CXCR2) or expressed at low levels (CXCR1). Using the in vitro transwell system, we demonstrate that TIL cells preferentially migrate toward melanoma and that endogenously expressing CXCR1 TIL cells are significantly enriched among the migrating lymphocytes. The role of the chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL8 is demonstrated by partial abrogation of this enrichment with anti-CXCL1 and anti-CXCL8 neutralizing antibodies. The role of the chemokine receptor CXCR1 is validated by the enhanced migration of CXCR1-engineered TIL cells toward melanoma or recombinant CXCL8. Cytotoxicity and IFNγ secretion activity are unaltered by CXCR1 expression profile. Taken together, these results mark CXCR1 as a candidate for genetic manipulations to enhance trafficking of adoptively transferred T cells. This approach is complimentary and potentially synergistic with other genetic strategies designed to enhance anti-tumor potency.
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Daniel-Meshulam I, Ya'akobi S, Ankri C, Cohen CJ. How (specific) would like your T-cells today? Generating T-cell therapeutic function through TCR-gene transfer. Front Immunol 2012; 3:186. [PMID: 22783259 PMCID: PMC3390604 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cells are central players in the immune response against both pathogens and cancer. Their specificity is solely dictated by the T-cell receptor (TCR) they clonally express. As such, the genetic modification of T lymphocytes using pathogen- or cancer-specific TCRs represents an appealing strategy to generate a desired immune response from peripheral blood lymphocytes. Moreover, notable objective clinical responses were observed in terminally ill cancer patients treated with TCR-gene modified cells in several clinical trials conducted recently. Nevertheless, several key aspects of this approach are the object of intensive research aimed at improving the reliability and efficacy of this strategy. Herein, we will survey recent studies in the field of TCR-gene transfer dealing with the improvement of this approach and its application for the treatment of malignant, autoimmune, and infectious diseases.
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Haga-Friedman A, Horovitz-Fried M, Cohen CJ. Incorporation of transmembrane hydrophobic mutations in the TCR enhance its surface expression and T cell functional avidity. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 188:5538-46. [PMID: 22544927 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1103020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
TCR-gene transfer represents an effective way to redirect the specificity of T lymphocytes for therapeutic purposes. Recent successful clinical trials have underscored the potential of this approach in which efficient expression of the exogenous TCR has been directly linked to the efficacy of T cell activity. It has been also demonstrated that the TCR exhibits a lack of stability associated with the presence of positively charged residues in its transmembrane (TM) region. In this study, we designed an original approach selectively to improve exogenous TCR stability by increasing the hydrophobic nature of the TCRα TM region. Incorporation of hydrophobic residues at evolutionarily permissive positions resulted in an enhanced surface expression of the TCR chains, leading to an improved cellular avidity and anti-tumor TCR activity. Furthermore, this strategy was successfully applied to different TCRs, enabling the targeting of human tumors from different histologies. We also show that the combination of these hydrophobic mutations with another TCR-enhancing approach further improved TCR expression and function. Overall, these findings provide information regarding TCR TM composition that can be applied for the improvement of TCR-gene transfer-based treatments.
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Himoudi N, Morgenstern DA, Yan M, Vernay B, Saraiva L, Wu Y, Cohen CJ, Gustafsson K, Anderson J. Human γδ T lymphocytes are licensed for professional antigen presentation by interaction with opsonized target cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 188:1708-16. [PMID: 22250090 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1102654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Activated human blood γδ T cells have also been previously demonstrated to behave as professional APCs, although the processes that control APC function have not been characterized. n this study, we show that the acquisition of potent APC function by human blood γδ T cells is achieved after physical interaction with an Ab-coated target cell, a process that we refer to as licensing. In cancer models, licensing of γδ T cells by tumor-reactive mAbs promotes the uptake of tumor Ags and professional presentation to tumor-reactive αβ T cells. We propose that licensing by Ab is a mechanism whereby the adaptive properties of γδ T cells are induced by their innate functions in a spatially and temporally controlled manner.
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Karaderi T, Pointon JJ, Wordsworth TWH, Harvey D, Appleton LH, Cohen CJ, Farrar C, Harin A, Brown MA, Wordsworth BP. Evidence of genetic association between TNFRSF1A encoding the p55 tumour necrosis factor receptor, and ankylosing spondylitis in UK Caucasians. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2012; 30:110-113. [PMID: 22272576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2011] [Accepted: 09/20/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To replicate the possible genetic association between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and TNFRSF1A. METHODS TNFRSF1A was re-sequenced in 48 individuals with AS to identify novel polymorphisms. Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TNFRSF1A and 5 SNPs in the neighbouring gene SCNN1A were genotyped in 1604 UK Caucasian individuals with AS and 1019 matched controls. An extended study was implemented using additional genotype data on 8 of these SNPs from 1400 historical controls from the 1958 British Birth Cohort. A meta-analysis of previously published results was also undertaken. RESULTS One novel variant in intron 6 was identified but no new coding variants. No definite associations were seen in the initial study but in the extended study there were weak associations with rs4149576 (p=0.04) and rs4149577 (p=0.007). In the meta-analysis consistent, somewhat stronger associations were seen with rs4149577 (p=0.002) and rs4149578 (p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS These studies confirm the weak genetic associations between AS and TNFRSF1A. In view of the previously reported associations of TNFRSF1A with AS, in Caucasians and Chinese, and the biological plausibility of this candidate gene, replication of this finding in well powered studies is clearly indicated.
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Merhavi-Shoham E, Haga-Friedman A, Cohen CJ. Genetically modulating T-cell function to target cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2011; 22:14-22. [PMID: 22210183 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2011.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The adoptive transfer of tumor-specific T-lymphocytes holds promise for the treatment of metastatic cancer. Genetic modulation of T-lymphocytes using TCR transfer with tumor-specific TCR genes is an attractive strategy to generate anti-tumor response, especially against large solid tumors. Recently, several clinical trials have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of this approach which lead to impressive tumor regression in cancer patients. Still, several factors may hinder the clinical benefit of this approach, such as the type of cells to modulate, the vector configuration or the safety of the procedure. In the present review we will aim at giving an overview of the recent developments related to the immune modulation of the anti-tumor adaptive response using genetically engineered lymphocytes and will also elaborate the development of other genetic modifications to enhance their anti-tumor immune response.
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Goff SL, Johnson LA, Black MA, Xu H, Zheng Z, Cohen CJ, Morgan RA, Rosenberg SA, Feldman SA. Enhanced receptor expression and in vitro effector function of a murine-human hybrid MART-1-reactive T cell receptor following a rapid expansion. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2010; 59:1551-60. [PMID: 20628878 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-010-0882-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2010] [Accepted: 06/08/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) genetically modified to express T cell receptors (TCR) specific to known melanoma antigens, such as melanoma antigen recognized by T cells-1 (MART-1), and gp100 can elicit objective tumor regression when administered to patients with metastatic melanoma. It has also been demonstrated that modifications within the constant regions of a fully human TCR can enhance surface expression and stability without altering antigen specificity. In this study, we evaluated the substitution of murine constant regions for their human counterpart within the DMF5 MART-1-specific TCR. Unlike previous studies, all modified TCRs were inserted into retroviral vectors and analyzed for expression and function following a clinical transduction protocol. PBL were transduced with retroviral supernatant generated from stable packaging lines encoding melanoma-specific TCRs. This protocol resulted in high levels of antigen-specific T cells without the need for additional peptide stimulation and selection. Both the human and murinized TCR efficiently transduced PBL; however, the murinized TCR exhibited significantly higher tetramer binding, mean fluorescence intensity, as well as, increased in vitro effector function following our clinical transduction and expansion protocol. Additional TCR modifications including insertion of a second disulfide bond or the linker modifications evaluated herein did not significantly enhance TCR expression or subsequent in vitro effector function. We conclude that the substitution of a human constant region with a murine constant region was sufficient to increase receptor expression and tetramer binding as well as antitumor activity of the DMF5 TCR and could be a tool to augment other antigen-specific TCR.
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Romanish MT, Cohen CJ, Mager DL. Potential mechanisms of endogenous retroviral-mediated genomic instability in human cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2010; 20:246-53. [PMID: 20685251 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2010.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2010] [Revised: 05/12/2010] [Accepted: 05/19/2010] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Malignancy results from a complex combination of genetic and epigenetic changes, the full effects of which are still largely unknown. Here we summarize current knowledge of the origin, retrotranspositional activity, epigenetic state, and transcription of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), and then discuss the potential effects of their deregulation in cancer. Evidence suggests that cancer-associated epigenetic changes most likely underlie potential HERV-mediated effects on genome and transcriptome instability and may play a role in malignancy. Despite our currently limited understanding of the importance of HERVs or other transposable elements in cancer development, we believe that the emerging era of high-throughput sequencing of cancer genomes, epigenomes, and transcriptomes will provide unprecedented opportunities to investigate these roles in the future.
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Bialer G, Horovitz-Fried M, Ya’acobi S, Morgan RA, Cohen CJ. Selected Murine Residues Endow Human TCR with Enhanced Tumor Recognition. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2010; 184:6232-41. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0902047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Theoret MR, Cohen CJ, Nahvi AV, Ngo LT, Suri KB, Powell DJ, Dudley ME, Morgan RA, Rosenberg SA. Relationship of p53 overexpression on cancers and recognition by anti-p53 T cell receptor-transduced T cells. Hum Gene Ther 2009; 19:1219-32. [PMID: 19848582 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2008.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor suppressor p53 is reported to be an attractive immunotherapy target because it is mutated in approximately half of human cancers, resulting in inactivation and often an accumulation of the protein in the tumor cells. Only low amounts of protein are detectable in normal tissues. The differential display of antigen in normal versus tumor tissues has been reported to create an opportunity to target p53 by immunotherapy. We sought to determine the relationship between p53 expression and its recognition by cognate T cells in human tumors including common epithelial malignancies. Inasmuch as nonsense or missense p53 mutations may disrupt processing and presentation, we studied tumors with either identified wild-type or mutated p53, based on our gene-sequencing studies or published data. T cells transduced with a high-affinity, p53(264-272)-reactive T cell receptor (TCR) derived from HLA-A2.1 transgenic mice recognized a wide panel of human tumor lines. There was no significant correlation between p53 expression in tumors and recognition by the anti-p53 TCR-transduced T cells. This conclusion was based on the study of 48 cell lines and is in contrast to several prior studies that used only a limited number of selected cell lines. A panel of normal cells was evaluated for recognition, and some of these populations were capable of stimulating anti-p53 T cells, albeit at low levels. These studies raise doubts concerning the suitability of targeting p53 in the immunotherapy of cancer patients.
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Jones S, Peng PD, Yang S, Hsu C, Cohen CJ, Zhao Y, Abad J, Zheng Z, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. Lentiviral vector design for optimal T cell receptor gene expression in the transduction of peripheral blood lymphocytes and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Hum Gene Ther 2009; 20:630-40. [PMID: 19265475 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2008.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors containing promoters of distinct origins, that is, strong viral promoters (cytomegalovirus [CMV] and murine stem cell virus [MSCV]), a cellular promoter (phosphoglycerate kinase [PGK]), and two composite promoters (CAG [a composite promoter sequence comprised of the CMV enhancer and portions of the chicken beta-actin promoter and the rabbit beta-globin gene] and SV40/CD43), were used to evaluate green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene expression in human primary peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). In PBLs, vectors containing the MSCV promoter were found to be optimal for expression in both minimally stimulated and highly activated lymphocytes. The stability of gene expression was monitored for up to 7 weeks in culture and the MSCV promoter-containing vector was found to be comparable to the cellular PGK promoter-containing vector. The MSCV promoter-containing lentiviral vector was also the most active in transduced TILs and these cells retained biological activity as measured by antimelanoma antigen reactivity. Using the knowledge gained in comparing individual promoters, a series of two-gene-containing lentiviral vectors was constructed in an attempt to produce the alpha and beta chains of antitumor antigen T cell receptors (TCRs). Dual-promoter or internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-containing vector designs were evaluated and found to be unable to produce both chains of the TCR in amounts that led to significant biological activity. In contrast, if the alpha and beta chains were linked by a 2A ribosomal skip peptide, both proper TCR chain pairing and biologically activity were observed. This paper emphasizes the need to optimize both promoter function and protein synthesis in constructs that require stoichiometric production of multiple protein subunits.
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Peng PD, Cohen CJ, Yang S, Hsu C, Jones S, Zhao Y, Zheng Z, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. Efficient nonviral Sleeping Beauty transposon-based TCR gene transfer to peripheral blood lymphocytes confers antigen-specific antitumor reactivity. Gene Ther 2009; 16:1042-9. [PMID: 19494842 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2009.54] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Genetically engineered lymphocytes hold promise for the treatment of genetic disease, viral infections and cancer. However, current methods for genetic transduction of peripheral blood lymphocytes rely on viral vectors, which are hindered by production and safety-related problems. In this study, we demonstrated an efficient novel nonviral platform for gene transfer to lymphocytes. The Sleeping Beauty transposon-mediated approach allowed for long-term stable expression of transgenes at approximately 50% efficiency. Utilizing transposon constructs expressing tumor antigen-specific T-cell receptor genes targeting p53 and MART-1, we demonstrated sustained expression and functional reactivity of transposon-engineered lymphocytes on encountering target antigen presented on tumor cells. We found that transposon- and retroviral-modified lymphocytes had comparable transgene expression and phenotypic function. These results demonstrate the promise of nonviral ex vivo genetic modification of autologous lymphocytes for the treatment of cancer and immunologic disease.
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El-Sadr WM, Grund B, Neuhaus J, Babiker A, Cohen CJ, Darbyshire J, Emery S, Lundgren JD, Phillips A, Neaton JD. Risk for opportunistic disease and death after reinitiating continuous antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV previously receiving episodic therapy: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 2008; 149:289-99. [PMID: 18765698 DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-149-5-200809020-00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Episodic use of antiretroviral therapy guided by CD4+ cell counts is inferior to continuous antiretroviral therapy. OBJECTIVE To determine whether reinitiating continuous antiretroviral therapy in patients who received episodic treatment reduces excess risk for opportunistic disease or death. DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Sites in 33 countries. PATIENTS 5472 HIV-infected individuals with CD4(+) cell counts greater than 0.350 x 10(9) cells/L enrolled from January 2002 to January 2006. INTERVENTION Episodic or continuous antiretroviral therapy initially, followed by continuous therapy in participants previously assigned to episodic treatment. MEASUREMENTS Opportunistic disease or death was the primary outcome. RESULTS Eighteen months after the recommendation to reinitiate continuous therapy, mean CD4+ cell counts were 0.152 x 10(9) cells/L (95% CI, 0.136 to 0.167 x 10(9) cells/L) less in participants previously assigned to episodic treatment (P < 0.001). The proportion of follow-up time spent with CD4+ cell counts of 0.500 x 10(9) cells/L or more and HIV RNA levels of 400 copies/mL or less was 29% for participants initially assigned to episodic therapy and 66% for those assigned to continuous therapy. Participants who reinitiated continuous therapy experienced rapid suppression of HIV RNA levels (89.7% with HIV RNA levels < or =400 copies/mL after 6 months), but CD4+ cell counts after 6 months remained 0.140 x 10(9) cells/L below baseline. The hazard ratio (episodic versus continuous treatment) for opportunistic disease or death decreased after the recommendation to reinitiate continuous therapy (from 2.5 [CI, 1.8 to 3.5] to 1.4 [CI, 1.0 to 2.0]; P = 0.033 for difference). The residual excess risk was attributable to failure to reinitiate therapy by some participants and slow recovery of CD4+ cell counts for those who reinitiated therapy. LIMITATION Follow-up was too short to assess the full effect of switching from episodic to continuous antiretroviral therapy. CONCLUSION Reinitiating continuous antiretroviral therapy in patients previously assigned to episodic treatment reduced excess risk for opportunistic disease or death, but excess risk remained. Episodic antiretroviral therapy, as used in the SMART study, should be avoided.
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Theoret MR, Cohen CJ, Nahvi AV, Ngo LT, Suri KB, Powell DJ, Dudley ME, Morgan RA, Rosenberg SA. Relationship of p53 Overexpression on Cancers and Recognition by anti-p53 TCR Transduced T cells. Hum Gene Ther 2008. [DOI: 10.1089/hgt.2008.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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Cohen CJ, Zhao Y, Zheng Z, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. Enhanced antitumor activity of murine-human hybrid T-cell receptor (TCR) in human lymphocytes is associated with improved pairing and TCR/CD3 stability. Cancer Res 2007; 66:8878-86. [PMID: 16951205 PMCID: PMC2147082 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-1450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 342] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the biology of murine T-cell receptors (TCR) expressed in human cells. We recently observed that a murine anti-human p53 TCR is highly functional when expressed in human lymphocytes. Herein, we compare human and mouse TCR function and expression to delineate the molecular basis for the apparent superior biological activity of murine receptors in human T lymphocytes. To this end, we created hybrid TCRs where we swapped the original constant regions with either human or mouse ones, respectively. We showed that murine or "murinized" receptors were overexpressed on the surface of human lymphocytes compared with their human/humanized counterparts and were able to mediate higher levels of cytokine secretion when cocultured with peptide-pulsed antigen-presenting cells. Preferential pairing of murine constant regions and improved CD3 stability seemed to be responsible for these observations. These enhanced biological properties translated into significantly greater antitumor response mediated by TCR with mouse constant regions. Furthermore, we were able to circumvent the natural low avidity of class I MHC TCR in CD4(+) cells by introducing the murinized TCR into CD4(+) lymphocytes, giving them the ability to recognize melanoma tumors. These findings have implications for human TCR gene transfer therapy and may provide new insights into the biology of the TCR/CD3 complex.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- CD3 Complex/physiology
- Chimera
- Cloning, Molecular
- Drug Stability
- Humans
- Jurkat Cells
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/drug effects
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/immunology
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Mice
- Peptide Fragments/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/physiology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/therapeutic use
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/drug effects
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
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Cohen CJ, Li YF, El-Gamil M, Robbins PF, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. Enhanced antitumor activity of T cells engineered to express T-cell receptors with a second disulfide bond. Cancer Res 2007; 67:3898-903. [PMID: 17440104 PMCID: PMC2147081 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-3986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 266] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of genetically T-cell receptor (TCR)-modified lymphocytes has been recently reported to cause objective cancer regression. However, a major limitation to this approach is the mispairing of the introduced chains with the endogenous TCR subunits, which leads to reduced TCR surface expression and, subsequently, to their lower biological activity. We here show that it is possible to improve TCR gene transfer by adding a single cysteine on each receptor chain to promote the formation of an additional interchain disulfide bond. We show that cysteine-modified receptors were more highly expressed on the surface of human lymphocytes compared with their wild-type counterparts and able to mediate higher levels of cytokine secretion and specific lysis when cocultured with specific tumor cell lines. Furthermore, cysteine-modified receptors retained their enhanced function in CD4(+) lymphocytes. We also show that this approach can be employed to enhance the function of humanized and native murine receptors in human cells. Preferential pairing of cysteine-modified receptor chains accounts for these observations, which could have significant implications for the improvement of TCR gene therapy.
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Zhao Y, Parkhurst MR, Zheng Z, Cohen CJ, Riley JP, Gattinoni L, Restifo NP, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. Extrathymic generation of tumor-specific T cells from genetically engineered human hematopoietic stem cells via Notch signaling. Cancer Res 2007; 67:2425-9. [PMID: 17363559 PMCID: PMC2100408 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-3977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of tumor-reactive lymphocytes has been shown to be an effective treatment for cancer patients. Studies in murine models of ACT indicated that antitumor efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells is dependent on the differentiation status of the cells, with lymphocyte differentiation inversely correlated with in vivo antitumor effectiveness. T-cell in vitro development technologies provide a new opportunity to generate naive T cells for the purpose of ACT. In this study, we genetically modified human umbilical cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to express tumor antigen-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) genes and generated T lymphocytes by coculture with a murine cell line expressing Notch-1 ligand, Delta-like-1 (OP9-DL1). Input HSCs were differentiated into T cells as evidenced by the expression of T-cell markers, such as CD7, CD1a, CD4, CD8, and CD3, and by detection of TCR excision circles. We found that such in vitro differentiated T cells expressed the TCR and showed HLA-A2-restricted, specific recognition and killing of tumor antigen peptide-pulsed antigen-presenting cells but manifested additional natural killer cell-like killing of tumor cell lines. The genetic manipulation of HSCs has broad implications for ACT of cancer.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation/genetics
- Cell Differentiation/immunology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Coculture Techniques
- Epitopes
- Fetal Blood/cytology
- Fetal Blood/immunology
- Genetic Engineering/methods
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/cytology
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/immunology
- Humans
- Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/genetics
- Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/immunology
- Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Membrane Proteins/biosynthesis
- Membrane Proteins/genetics
- Membrane Proteins/immunology
- Membrane Proteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Receptor, Notch1/genetics
- Receptor, Notch1/immunology
- Receptor, Notch1/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Transduction, Genetic
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Hsu C, Jones SA, Cohen CJ, Zheng Z, Kerstann K, Zhou J, Robbins PF, Peng PD, Shen X, Gomes TJ, Dunbar CE, Munroe DJ, Stewart C, Cornetta K, Wangsa D, Ried T, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. Cytokine-independent growth and clonal expansion of a primary human CD8+ T-cell clone following retroviral transduction with the IL-15 gene. Blood 2007; 109:5168-77. [PMID: 17353346 PMCID: PMC1890824 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2006-06-029173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignancies arising from retrovirally transduced hematopoietic stem cells have been reported in animal models and human gene therapy trials. Whether mature lymphocytes are susceptible to insertional mutagenesis is unknown. We have characterized a primary human CD8(+) T-cell clone, which exhibited logarithmic ex vivo growth in the absence of exogenous cytokine support for more than 1 year after transduction with a murine leukemia virus-based vector encoding the T-cell growth factor IL-15. Phenotypically, the clone was CD28(-), CD45RA(-), CD45RO(+), and CD62L(-), a profile consistent with effector memory T lymphocytes. After gene transfer with tumor-antigen-specific T-cell receptors, the clone secreted IFN-gamma upon encountering tumor targets, providing further evidence that they derived from mature lymphocytes. Gene-expression analyses revealed no evidence of insertional activation of genes flanking the retroviral insertion sites. The clone exhibited constitutive telomerase activity, and the presence of autocrine loop was suggested by impaired cell proliferation following knockdown of IL-15R alpha expression. The generation of this cell line suggests that nonphysiologic expression of IL-15 can result in the long-term in vitro growth of mature human T lymphocytes. The cytokine-independent growth of this line was a rare event that has not been observed in other IL-15 vector transduction experiments or with any other integrating vector system. It does not appear that the retroviral vector integration sites played a role in the continuous growth of this cell clone, but this remains under investigation.
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Johnson LA, Heemskerk B, Powell DJ, Cohen CJ, Morgan RA, Dudley ME, Robbins PF, Rosenberg SA. Gene transfer of tumor-reactive TCR confers both high avidity and tumor reactivity to nonreactive peripheral blood mononuclear cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2006; 177:6548-59. [PMID: 17056587 PMCID: PMC2174608 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.177.9.6548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 244] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Cell-based antitumor immunity is driven by CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells bearing TCR that recognize specific tumor-associated peptides bound to class I MHC molecules. Of several cellular proteins involved in T cell:target-cell interaction, the TCR determines specificity of binding; however, the relative amount of its contribution to cellular avidity remains unknown. To study the relationship between TCR affinity and cellular avidity, with the intent of identifying optimal TCR for gene therapy, we derived 24 MART-1:27-35 (MART-1) melanoma Ag-reactive tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) clones from the tumors of five patients. These MART-1-reactive clones displayed a wide variety of cellular avidities. alpha and beta TCR genes were isolated from these clones, and TCR RNA was electroporated into the same non-MART-1-reactive allogeneic donor PBMC and TIL. TCR recipient cells gained the ability to recognize both MART-1 peptide and MART-1-expressing tumors in vitro, with avidities that closely corresponded to the original TCR clones (p = 0.018-0.0003). Clone DMF5, from a TIL infusion that mediated tumor regression clinically, showed the highest avidity against MART-1 expressing tumors in vitro, both endogenously in the TIL clone, and after RNA electroporation into donor T cells. Thus, we demonstrated that the TCR appeared to be the core determinant of MART-1 Ag-specific cellular avidity in these activated T cells and that nonreactive PBMC or TIL could be made tumor-reactive with a specific and predetermined avidity. We propose that inducing expression of this highly avid TCR in patient PBMC has the potential to induce tumor regression, as an "off-the-shelf" reagent for allogeneic melanoma patient gene therapy.
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48
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El-Sadr WM, Lundgren JD, Neaton JD, Gordin F, Abrams D, Arduino RC, Babiker A, Burman W, Clumeck N, Cohen CJ, Cohn D, Cooper D, Darbyshire J, Emery S, Fätkenheuer G, Gazzard B, Grund B, Hoy J, Klingman K, Losso M, Markowitz N, Neuhaus J, Phillips A, Rappoport C. CD4+ count-guided interruption of antiretroviral treatment. N Engl J Med 2006; 355:2283-96. [PMID: 17135583 DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa062360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1648] [Impact Index Per Article: 91.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite declines in morbidity and mortality with the use of combination antiretroviral therapy, its effectiveness is limited by adverse events, problems with adherence, and resistance of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). METHODS We randomly assigned persons infected with HIV who had a CD4+ cell count of more than 350 per cubic millimeter to the continuous use of antiretroviral therapy (the viral suppression group) or the episodic use of antiretroviral therapy (the drug conservation group). Episodic use involved the deferral of therapy until the CD4+ count decreased to less than 250 per cubic millimeter and then the use of therapy until the CD4+ count increased to more than 350 per cubic millimeter. The primary end point was the development of an opportunistic disease or death from any cause. An important secondary end point was major cardiovascular, renal, or hepatic disease. RESULTS A total of 5472 participants (2720 assigned to drug conservation and 2752 to viral suppression) were followed for an average of 16 months before the protocol was modified for the drug conservation group. At baseline, the median and nadir CD4+ counts were 597 per cubic millimeter and 250 per cubic millimeter, respectively, and 71.7% of participants had plasma HIV RNA levels of 400 copies or less per milliliter. Opportunistic disease or death from any cause occurred in 120 participants (3.3 events per 100 person-years) in the drug conservation group and 47 participants (1.3 per 100 person-years) in the viral suppression group (hazard ratio for the drug conservation group vs. the viral suppression group, 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9 to 3.7; P<0.001). Hazard ratios for death from any cause and for major cardiovascular, renal, and hepatic disease were 1.8 (95% CI, 1.2 to 2.9; P=0.007) and 1.7 (95% CI, 1.1 to 2.5; P=0.009), respectively. Adjustment for the latest CD4+ count and HIV RNA level (as time-updated covariates) reduced the hazard ratio for the primary end point from 2.6 to 1.5 (95% CI, 1.0 to 2.1). CONCLUSIONS Episodic antiretroviral therapy guided by the CD4+ count, as used in our study, significantly increased the risk of opportunistic disease or death from any cause, as compared with continuous antiretroviral therapy, largely as a consequence of lowering the CD4+ cell count and increasing the viral load. Episodic antiretroviral therapy does not reduce the risk of adverse events that have been associated with antiretroviral therapy. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00027352 [ClinicalTrials.gov].).
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Cohen CJ, Zheng Z, Bray R, Zhao Y, Sherman LA, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. Recognition of fresh human tumor by human peripheral blood lymphocytes transduced with a bicistronic retroviral vector encoding a murine anti-p53 TCR. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2005; 175:5799-808. [PMID: 16237072 PMCID: PMC1473968 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.175.9.5799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The p53 protein is markedly up-regulated in a high proportion of human malignancies. Using an HLA-A2 transgenic mouse model, it was possible to isolate high-avidity murine CTLs that recognize class I-restricted human p53 epitopes. We isolated the alpha- and beta-chain of a TCR from a highly avid murine CTL clone that recognized the human p53(264-272) epitope. These genes were cloned into a retroviral vector that mediated high efficiency gene transfer into primary human lymphocytes. Efficiencies of >90% for gene transfer into lymphocytes were obtained without selection for transduced cells. The p53 TCR-transduced lymphocytes were able to specifically recognize with high-avidity, peptide-pulsed APCs as well as HLA-A2.1+ cells transfected with either wild-type or mutant p53 protein. p53 TCR-transduced cells demonstrated recognition and killing of a broad spectrum of human tumor cell lines as well as recognition of fresh human tumor cells. Interestingly, both CD8+ and CD4+ subsets were capable of recognizing and killing target cells, stressing the potential application of such a CD8-independent TCR molecule that can mediate both helper and cytotoxic responses. These results suggest that lymphocytes genetically engineered to express anti-p53 TCR may be of value for the adoptive immunotherapy of patients with a variety of common malignancies.
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50
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Zhao Y, Zheng Z, Cohen CJ, Gattinoni L, Palmer DC, Restifo NP, Rosenberg SA, Morgan RA. High-efficiency transfection of primary human and mouse T lymphocytes using RNA electroporation. Mol Ther 2005; 13:151-9. [PMID: 16140584 PMCID: PMC1473967 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2005.07.688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2005] [Revised: 07/21/2005] [Accepted: 07/22/2005] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of nonviral gene transfer methods in primary lymphocytes has been hampered by low gene transfer efficiency and high transfection-related toxicity. In this report, high gene transfection efficiency with low transfection-related toxicity was achieved by electroporation using in vitro-transcribed mRNA. Using these methods, >90% transgene expression with >80% viable cells was observed in stimulated primary human and murine T lymphocytes transfected with GFP or mCD62L. Electroporation of unstimulated human PBMCs or murine splenocytes with GFP RNA yielded 95 and 56% GFP+ cells, respectively. Electroporation of mRNA for NY-ESO-1, MART-1, and p53 antigen-specific TCRs into human T lymphocytes redirected these lymphocytes to recognize melanoma cell lines in an MHC-restricted manner. The onset of gene expression was rapid (within 30 min) and durable (up to 7 days postelectroporation) using both GFP and TCR-mediated recognition of target cells. There was no adverse effect observed on the T lymphocytes subjected to RNA electroporation evaluated by cell growth rate, annexin-V staining of apoptotic cells, BrdU incorporation, tumor antigen-specific recognition or antigen-specific TCR affinity. The results of this study indicate that mRNA electroporation provides a powerful tool to introduce genes into both human and murine primary T lymphocytes.
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