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Leruste A, Beccaria K, Doz F. CAR-T cells for pediatric brain tumors: Present and future. Bull Cancer 2021; 108:S109-S116. [PMID: 34920793 DOI: 10.1016/j.bulcan.2021.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cells are currently approved for B cell malignancies only, in children and adults. Despite a lack of robust evidence to approve such cellular immunotherapy for pediatric solid tumors, there is a growing interest for this approach in the treatment of pediatric brain tumors. Following the identification of tumor antigens as targets, the first clinical trials demonstrated some degree of clinical and biological responses to CAR-T cells for such tumor types. Additionaly, several preclinical studies have recently identified new attractive targets and antigen combination strategies, along with a superior tumor trafficking following locoregional administration. We review here the preclinical and clinical knowledge at the basis of the current clinical development of CAR-T cells for pediatric brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaury Leruste
- PSL Research University, SIREDO Oncology Center (Care, Innovation and Research for Children and AYA with Cancer), Institut Curie, Paris, France.
| | - Kevin Beccaria
- Université de Paris, AP-HP, Necker Hospital, Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, 149, rue de Sèvres, 75015 Paris, France
| | - François Doz
- PSL Research University, SIREDO Oncology Center (Care, Innovation and Research for Children and AYA with Cancer), Institut Curie, Paris, France
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102
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Larrew T, Saway BF, Lowe SR, Olar A. Molecular Classification and Therapeutic Targets in Ependymoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13246218. [PMID: 34944845 PMCID: PMC8699461 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13246218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ependymoma is a biologically diverse tumor wherein molecular classification has superseded traditional histological grading based on its superior ability to characterize behavior, prognosis, and possible targeted therapies. The current, updated molecular classification of ependymoma consists of ten distinct subgroups spread evenly among the spinal, infratentorial, and supratentorial compartments, each with its own distinct clinical and molecular characteristics. In this review, the history, histopathology, standard of care, prognosis, oncogenic drivers, and hypothesized molecular targets for all subgroups of ependymoma are explored. This review emphasizes that despite the varied behavior of the ependymoma subgroups, it remains clear that research must be performed to further elucidate molecular targets for these tumors. Although not all ependymoma subgroups are oncologically aggressive, development of targeted therapies is essential, particularly for cases where surgical resection is not an option without causing significant morbidity. The development of molecular therapies must rely on building upon our current understanding of ependymoma oncogenesis, as well as cultivating transfer of knowledge based on malignancies with similar genomic alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Larrew
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; (T.L.); (B.F.S.)
| | - Brian Fabian Saway
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; (T.L.); (B.F.S.)
| | | | - Adriana Olar
- NOMIX Laboratories, Denver, CO 80218, USA
- Correspondence: or
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103
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Childhood Malignant Brain Tumors: Balancing the Bench and Bedside. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13236099. [PMID: 34885207 PMCID: PMC8656510 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13236099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Brain tumors remain the most common childhood solid tumors, accounting for approximately 25% of all pediatric cancers. They also represent the most common cause of cancer-related illness and death in this age group. Recent years have witnessed an evolution in our understanding of the biological underpinnings of many childhood brain tumors, potentially improving survival through both improved risk group allocation for patients to provide appropriate treatment intensity, and novel therapeutic breakthroughs. This review aims to summarize the molecular landscape, current trial-based standards of care, novel treatments being explored and future challenges for the three most common childhood malignant brain tumors—medulloblastomas, high-grade gliomas and ependymomas. Abstract Brain tumors are the leading cause of childhood cancer deaths in developed countries. They also represent the most common solid tumor in this age group, accounting for approximately one-quarter of all pediatric cancers. Developments in neuro-imaging, neurosurgical techniques, adjuvant therapy and supportive care have improved survival rates for certain tumors, allowing a future focus on optimizing cure, whilst minimizing long-term adverse effects. Recent times have witnessed a rapid evolution in the molecular characterization of several of the common pediatric brain tumors, allowing unique clinical and biological patient subgroups to be identified. However, a resulting paradigm shift in both translational therapy and subsequent survival for many of these tumors remains elusive, while recurrence remains a great clinical challenge. This review will provide an insight into the key molecular developments and global co-operative trial results for the most common malignant pediatric brain tumors (medulloblastoma, high-grade gliomas and ependymoma), highlighting potential future directions for management, including novel therapeutic options, and critical challenges that remain unsolved.
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104
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Turk OM, Woodall RC, Gutova M, Brown CE, Rockne RC, Munson JM. Delivery strategies for cell-based therapies in the brain: overcoming multiple barriers. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2021; 11:2448-2467. [PMID: 34718958 PMCID: PMC8987295 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-021-01079-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies to the brain are promising for the treatment of multiple brain disorders including neurodegeneration and cancers. In order to access the brain parenchyma, there are multiple physiological barriers that must be overcome depending on the route of delivery. Specifically, the blood-brain barrier has been a major difficulty in drug delivery for decades, and it still presents a challenge for the delivery of therapeutic cells. Other barriers, including the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier and lymphatic-brain barrier, are less explored, but may offer specific challenges or opportunities for therapeutic delivery. Here we discuss the barriers to the brain and the strategies currently in place to deliver cell-based therapies, including engineered T cells, dendritic cells, and stem cells, to treat diseases. With a particular focus on cancers, we also highlight the current ongoing clinical trials that use cell-based therapies to treat disease, many of which show promise at treating some of the deadliest illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia M Turk
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Ryan C Woodall
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Division of Mathematical Oncology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Margarita Gutova
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Christine E Brown
- Departments of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Immuno-Oncology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Russell C Rockne
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Division of Mathematical Oncology, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer M Munson
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, VA, USA.
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105
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Zhang J, Wang T. Immune cell landscape and immunotherapy of medulloblastoma. Pediatr Investig 2021; 5:299-309. [PMID: 34938973 PMCID: PMC8666938 DOI: 10.1002/ped4.12261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most common primary pediatric malignancy of the central nervous system. Recurrent and refractory patients account for approximately 30% of them. Immune cells are an important component of the brain tumor microenvironment, including tumor-associated macrophages, T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils and B lymphocytes. Understanding how they behave and interact is important in the investigation of the onset and progression of medulloblastoma. Here, we overview the features and recent advances of each component of immune cells in medulloblastoma. Meanwhile, immunotherapy is a promising but also challenging treatment strategy for medulloblastoma. At present, there are a growing number of immunotherapeutic approaches under investigation including immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses, cancer vaccines, chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies, and natural killer cells in recurrent and refractory medulloblastoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhang
- Department of PediatricsBeijing Shijitan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- Hematology Oncology CenterBeijing Children’s HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Tianyou Wang
- Hematology Oncology CenterBeijing Children’s HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
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106
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Pearson AD, Rossig C, Mackall C, Shah NN, Baruchel A, Reaman G, Ricafort R, Heenen D, Bassan A, Berntgen M, Bird N, Bleickardt E, Bouchkouj N, Bross P, Brownstein C, Cohen SB, de Rojas T, Ehrlich L, Fox E, Gottschalk S, Hanssens L, Hawkins DS, Horak ID, Taylor DH, Johnson C, Karres D, Ligas F, Ludwinski D, Mamonkin M, Marshall L, Masouleh BK, Matloub Y, Maude S, McDonough J, Minard-Colin V, Norga K, Nysom K, Pappo A, Pearce L, Pieters R, Pule M, Quintás-Cardama A, Richardson N, Schüßler-Lenz M, Scobie N, Sersch MA, Smith MA, Sterba J, Tasian SK, Weigel B, Weiner SL, Zwaan CM, Lesa G, Vassal G. Paediatric Strategy Forum for medicinal product development of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells in children and adolescents with cancer: ACCELERATE in collaboration with the European Medicines Agency with participation of the Food and Drug Administration. Eur J Cancer 2021; 160:112-133. [PMID: 34840026 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The seventh multi-stakeholder Paediatric Strategy Forum focused on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells for children and adolescents with cancer. The development of CAR T-cells for patients with haematological malignancies, especially B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (BCP-ALL), has been spectacular. However, currently, there are scientific, clinical and logistical challenges for use of CAR T-cells in BCP-ALL and other paediatric malignancies, particularly in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), lymphomas and solid tumours. The aims of the Forum were to summarise the current landscape of CAR T-cell therapy development in paediatrics, too identify current challenges and future directions, with consideration of other immune effector modalities and ascertain the best strategies to accelerate their development and availability to children. Although the effect is of limited duration in about half of the patients, anti-CD19 CAR T-cells produce high response rates in relapsed/refractory BCP-ALL and this has highlighted previously unknown mechanisms of relapse. CAR T-cell treatment as first- or second-line therapy could also potentially benefit patients whose disease has high-risk features associated with relapse and failure of conventional therapies. Identifying patients with very early and early relapse in whom CAR T-cell therapy may replace haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and be definitive therapy versus those in whom it provides a more effective bridge to haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a very high priority. Development of approaches to improve persistence, either by improving T cell fitness or using more humanised/fully humanised products and co-targeting of multiple antigens to prevent antigen escape, could potentially further optimise therapy. Many differences exist between paediatric B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHL) and BCP-ALL. In view of the very small patient numbers with relapsed lymphoma, careful prioritisation is needed to evaluate CAR T-cells in children with Burkitt lymphoma, primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma and other NHL subtypes. Combination trials of alternative targets to CD19 (CD20 or CD22) should also be explored as a priority to improve efficacy in this population. Development of CD30 CAR T-cell immunotherapy strategies in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma will likely be most efficiently accomplished by joint paediatric and adult trials. CAR T-cell approaches are early in development for AML and T-ALL, given the unique challenges of successful immunotherapy actualisation in these diseases. At this time, CD33 and CD123 appear to be the most universal targets in AML and CD7 in T-ALL. The results of ongoing or planned first-in-human studies are required to facilitate further understanding. There are promising early results in solid tumours, particularly with GD2 targeting cell therapies in neuroblastoma and central nervous system gliomas that represent significant unmet clinical needs. Further understanding of biology is critical to success. The comparative benefits of autologous versus allogeneic CAR T-cells, T-cells engineered with T cell receptors T-cells engineered with T cell receptor fusion constructs, CAR Natural Killer (NK)-cell products, bispecific T-cell engager antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates require evaluation in paediatric malignancies. Early and proactive academia and multi-company engagement are mandatory to advance cellular immunotherapies in paediatric oncology. Regulatory advice should be sought very early in the design and preparation of clinical trials of innovative medicines, for which regulatory approval may ultimately be sought. Aligning strategic, scientific, regulatory, health technology and funding requirements from the inception of a clinical trial is especially important as these are very expensive therapies. The model for drug development for cell therapy in paediatric oncology could also involve a 'later stage handoff' to industry after early development in academic hands. Finally, and very importantly, strategies must evolve to ensure appropriate ease of access for children who need and could potentially benefit from these therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia Rossig
- University Children´s Hospital Muenster, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Germany
| | - Crystal Mackall
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Stanford University, Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nirali N Shah
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, USA
| | - Andre Baruchel
- Hôpital Universitaire Robert Debré (APHP) and Université de Paris, France
| | | | | | | | | | - Michael Berntgen
- Scientific Evidence Generation Department, Human Medicines Division, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Dominik Karres
- Paediatric Medicines Office, Scientific Evidence Generation Department, Human Medicines Division, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Franca Ligas
- Paediatric Medicines Office, Scientific Evidence Generation Department, Human Medicines Division, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Lynley Marshall
- The Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | | | | | - Shannon Maude
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | | | - Veronique Minard-Colin
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Koen Norga
- Antwerp University Hospital, Paediatric Committee of the European Medicines Agency, Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Rob Pieters
- Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Martina Schüßler-Lenz
- Chair of CAT (Committee for Advanced Therapies), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amsterdam, Netherlands; Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Jaroslav Sterba
- University Hospital Brno, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sarah K Tasian
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
| | | | | | - Christian Michel Zwaan
- Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Netherlands; Haematological Malignancies Co-Chair Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer Consortium (ITCC), Europe; Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Giovanni Lesa
- Paediatric Medicines Office, Scientific Evidence Generation Department, Human Medicines Division, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gilles Vassal
- ACCELERATE, Europe; Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
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107
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Kilian M, Bunse T, Wick W, Platten M, Bunse L. Genetically Modified Cellular Therapies for Malignant Gliomas. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12810. [PMID: 34884607 PMCID: PMC8657496 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive preclinical research on immunotherapeutic approaches, malignant glioma remains a devastating disease of the central nervous system for which standard of care treatment is still confined to resection and radiochemotherapy. For peripheral solid tumors, immune checkpoint inhibition has shown substantial clinical benefit, while promising preclinical results have yet failed to translate into clinical efficacy for brain tumor patients. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies, tumor antigens and corresponding T cell receptors (TCR) and antibodies have been identified, leading to the development of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR), which are comprised of an extracellular antibody part and an intracellular T cell receptor signaling part, to genetically engineer T cells for antigen recognition. Due to efficacy in other tumor entities, a plethora of CARs has been designed and tested for glioma, with promising signs of biological activity. In this review, we describe glioma antigens that have been targeted using CAR T cells preclinically and clinically, review their drawbacks and benefits, and illustrate how the emerging field of transgenic TCR therapy can be used as a potent alternative for cell therapy of glioma overcoming antigenic limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kilian
- DKTK (German Cancer Consortium), Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU), Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Theresa Bunse
- DKTK (German Cancer Consortium), Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU), Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wick
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Platten
- DKTK (German Cancer Consortium), Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU), Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute of Translational Oncology (HI-TRON), 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Lukas Bunse
- DKTK (German Cancer Consortium), Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU), Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
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108
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Melcher V, Kerl K. The Growing Relevance of Immunoregulation in Pediatric Brain Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5601. [PMID: 34830753 PMCID: PMC8615622 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13225601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pediatric brain tumors are genetically heterogeneous solid neoplasms. With a prevailing poor prognosis and widespread resistance to conventional multimodal therapy, these aggressive tumors are the leading cause of childhood cancer-related deaths worldwide. Advancement in molecular research revealed their unique genetic and epigenetic characteristics and paved the way for more defined prognostication and targeted therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, uncovering the intratumoral metrics on a single-cell level placed non-malignant cell populations such as innate immune cells into the context of tumor manifestation and progression. Targeting immune cells in pediatric brain tumors entails unique challenges but promising opportunities to improve outcome. Herein, we outline the current understanding of the role of the immune regulation in pediatric brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Melcher
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Kornelius Kerl
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
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109
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Rechberger JS, Thiele F, Daniels DJ. Status Quo and Trends of Intra-Arterial Therapy for Brain Tumors: A Bibliometric and Clinical Trials Analysis. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13111885. [PMID: 34834300 PMCID: PMC8625566 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13111885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intra-arterial drug delivery circumvents the first-pass effect and is believed to increase both efficacy and tolerability of primary and metastatic brain tumor therapy. The aim of this update is to report on pertinent articles and clinical trials to better understand the research landscape to date and future directions. Elsevier's Scopus and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were reviewed in August 2021 for all possible articles and clinical trials of intra-arterial drug injection as a treatment strategy for brain tumors. Entries were screened against predefined selection criteria and various parameters were summarized. Twenty clinical trials and 271 articles satisfied all inclusion criteria. In terms of articles, 201 (74%) were primarily clinical and 70 (26%) were basic science, published in a total of 120 different journals. Median values were: publication year, 1986 (range, 1962-2021); citation count, 15 (range, 0-607); number of authors, 5 (range, 1-18). Pertaining to clinical trials, 9 (45%) were phase 1 trials, with median expected start and completion years in 2011 (range, 1998-2019) and 2022 (range, 2008-2025), respectively. Only one (5%) trial has reported results to date. Glioma was the most common tumor indication reported in both articles (68%) and trials (75%). There were 215 (79%) articles investigating chemotherapy, while 13 (65%) trials evaluated targeted therapy. Transient blood-brain barrier disruption was the commonest strategy for articles (27%) and trials (60%) to optimize intra-arterial therapy. Articles and trials predominately originated in the United States (50% and 90%, respectively). In this bibliometric and clinical trials analysis, we discuss the current state and trends of intra-arterial therapy for brain tumors. Most articles were clinical, and traditional anti-cancer agents and drug delivery strategies were commonly studied. This was reflected in clinical trials, of which only a single study had reported outcomes. We anticipate future efforts to involve novel therapeutic and procedural strategies based on recent advances in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian S. Rechberger
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA;
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Frederic Thiele
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA;
| | - David J. Daniels
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA;
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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110
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Control of the activity of CAR-T cells within tumours via focused ultrasound. Nat Biomed Eng 2021; 5:1336-1347. [PMID: 34385696 PMCID: PMC9015817 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00779-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Focused ultrasound can deliver energy safely and non-invasively into tissues at depths of centimetres. Here we show that the genetics and cellular functions of chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) within tumours can be reversibly controlled by the heat generated by short pulses of focused ultrasound via a CAR cassette under the control of a promoter for the heat-shock protein. In mice with subcutaneous tumours, locally injected T cells with the inducible CAR and activated via focused ultrasound guided by magnetic resonance imaging mitigated on-target off-tumour activity and enhanced the suppression of tumour growth, compared with the performance of non-inducible CAR-T cells. Acoustogenetic control of the activation of engineered T cells may facilitate the design of safer cell therapies.
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111
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Ferreras C, Fernández L, Clares-Villa L, Ibáñez-Navarro M, Martín-Cortázar C, Esteban-Rodríguez I, Saceda J, Pérez-Martínez A. Facing CAR T Cell Challenges on the Deadliest Paediatric Brain Tumours. Cells 2021; 10:2940. [PMID: 34831165 PMCID: PMC8616287 DOI: 10.3390/cells10112940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) tumours comprise 25% of the paediatric cancer diagnoses and are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Current treatments for paediatric CNS tumours are far from optimal and fail for those that relapsed or are refractory to treatment. Besides, long-term sequelae in the developing brain make it mandatory to find new innovative approaches. Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy has increased survival in patients with B-cell malignancies, but the intrinsic biological characteristics of CNS tumours hamper their success. The location, heterogeneous antigen expression, limited infiltration of T cells into the tumour, the selective trafficking provided by the blood-brain barrier, and the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment have emerged as the main hurdles that need to be overcome for the success of CAR T cell therapy. In this review, we will focus mainly on the characteristics of the deadliest high-grade CNS paediatric tumours (medulloblastoma, ependymoma, and high-grade gliomas) and the potential of CAR T cell therapy to increase survival and patients' quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Ferreras
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, University Hospital La Paz, 28046 Madrid, Spain; (C.F.); (L.C.-V.); (C.M.-C.)
| | - Lucía Fernández
- Haematological Malignancies H12O, Clinical Research Department, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (L.F.); (M.I.-N.)
| | - Laura Clares-Villa
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, University Hospital La Paz, 28046 Madrid, Spain; (C.F.); (L.C.-V.); (C.M.-C.)
| | - Marta Ibáñez-Navarro
- Haematological Malignancies H12O, Clinical Research Department, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain; (L.F.); (M.I.-N.)
| | - Carla Martín-Cortázar
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, University Hospital La Paz, 28046 Madrid, Spain; (C.F.); (L.C.-V.); (C.M.-C.)
| | | | - Javier Saceda
- Department of Paediatric Neurosurgery, University Hospital La Paz, 28046 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Antonio Pérez-Martínez
- Translational Research in Paediatric Oncology, Haematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research, IdiPAZ, University Hospital La Paz, 28046 Madrid, Spain; (C.F.); (L.C.-V.); (C.M.-C.)
- Paediatric Haemato-Oncology Department, University Hospital La Paz, 28046 Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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112
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Thomas P, Galopin N, Bonérandi E, Clémenceau B, Fougeray S, Birklé S. CAR T Cell Therapy's Potential for Pediatric Brain Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13215445. [PMID: 34771608 PMCID: PMC8582542 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary T cells that are genetically engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors constitute an effective new therapy with curative potential for patients with hematological tumors. The value of chimeric antigen receptor T cells in childhood brain tumors, the leading cause of cancer death in children, is less clear. In this context, the main obstacles for these engineered T cells remain how to find them, allow them to infiltrate, and induce them to remain active in the tumor site. Here, we discuss recent progress in the field and examine future directions for realizing the potential of this therapy. Abstract Malignant central nervous system tumors are the leading cause of cancer death in children. Progress in high-throughput molecular techniques has increased the molecular understanding of these tumors, but the outcomes are still poor. Even when efficacious, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy cause neurologic and neurocognitive morbidity. Adoptive cell therapy with autologous CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR T) has demonstrated remarkable remission rates in patients with relapsed refractory B cell malignancies. Unfortunately, tumor heterogeneity, the identification of appropriate target antigens, and location in a growing brain behind the blood–brain barrier within a specific suppressive immune microenvironment restrict the efficacy of this strategy in pediatric neuro-oncology. In addition, the vulnerability of the brain to unrepairable tissue damage raises important safety concerns. Recent preclinical findings, however, have provided a strong rationale for clinical trials of this approach in patients. Here, we examine the most important challenges associated with the development of CAR T cell immunotherapy and further present the latest preclinical strategies intending to optimize genetically engineered T cells’ efficiency and safety in the field of pediatric neuro-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Thomas
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (P.T.); (N.G.); (E.B.); (S.F.)
| | - Natacha Galopin
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (P.T.); (N.G.); (E.B.); (S.F.)
| | - Emma Bonérandi
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (P.T.); (N.G.); (E.B.); (S.F.)
| | - Béatrice Clémenceau
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France;
| | - Sophie Fougeray
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (P.T.); (N.G.); (E.B.); (S.F.)
| | - Stéphane Birklé
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (P.T.); (N.G.); (E.B.); (S.F.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-228-08-03-00
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113
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Xu K, Jiang X, Ariston Gabriel AN, Li X, Wang Y, Xu S. Evolving Landscape of Long Non-coding RNAs in Cerebrospinal Fluid: A Key Role From Diagnosis to Therapy in Brain Tumors. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:737670. [PMID: 34692695 PMCID: PMC8529119 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.737670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNAs that act as molecular fingerprints and modulators of many pathophysiological processes, particularly in cancer. Specifically, lncRNAs can be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of brain tumors, affecting stemness/differentiation, replication, invasion, survival, DNA damage response, and chromatin dynamics. Furthermore, the aberrations in the expressions of these transcripts can promote treatment resistance, leading to tumor recurrence. The development of next-generation sequencing technologies and the creation of lncRNA-specific microarrays have boosted the study of lncRNA etiology. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) directly mirrors the biological fluid of biochemical processes in the brain. It can be enriched for small molecules, peptides, or proteins released by the neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) or immune cells. Therefore, strategies that identify and target CSF lncRNAs may be attractive as early diagnostic and therapeutic options. In this review, we have reviewed the studies on CSF lncRNAs in the context of brain tumor pathogenesis and progression and discuss their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanghong Xu
- School of Public Health, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | - Xinquan Jiang
- School of Public Health, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Taian, China
| | | | - Xiaomeng Li
- Department of Hematology, Jining First People's Hospital, Jining, China
| | - Yunshan Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shuo Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain Function Remodeling, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
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114
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Giordano G, Merlini A, Ferrero G, Mesiano G, Fiorino E, Brusco S, Centomo ML, Leuci V, D’Ambrosio L, Aglietta M, Sangiolo D, Grignani G, Pignochino Y. EphA2 Expression in Bone Sarcomas: Bioinformatic Analyses and Preclinical Characterization in Patient-Derived Models of Osteosarcoma, Ewing's Sarcoma and Chondrosarcoma. Cells 2021; 10:cells10112893. [PMID: 34831119 PMCID: PMC8616526 DOI: 10.3390/cells10112893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone sarcomas are a group of heterogeneous malignant mesenchymal tumors. Complete surgical resection is still the cornerstone of treatment, but, in the advanced/unresectable setting, their management remains challenging and not significantly improved by target- and immuno-therapies. We focused on the tyrosine kinase Eph type-A receptor-2 (EphA2), a key oncoprotein implicated in self-renewal, angiogenesis, and metastasis, in several solid tumors and thus representing a novel potential therapeutic target. Aiming at better characterizing its expression throughout the main bone sarcoma histotypes, we investigated EPHA2 expression in the Cancer Cell Lines Encyclopedia and in public datasets with clinical annotations. looking for correlations with molecular, histopathological and patients’ features and clinical outcomes in a total of 232 osteosarcomas, 197 Ewing’s sarcomas, and 102 chondrosarcomas. We observed EPHA2 expression in bone sarcoma cell lines. We demonstrated higher EPHA2 expression in tumor tissues when compared to normal counterparts. A significant correlation was found between EPHA2 expression and Huvos grade (osteosarcoma) and with worse overall survival (dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma). Next, we characterized EPHA2 expression and activation in bone sarcoma primary tissues and in patient-derived xenografts generated in our laboratory to verify their reliability as in vivo models of osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Furthermore, for the first time, we demonstrated EPHA2 expression in chondrosarcoma, suggesting its potential key role in this histotype. Indeed, we observed a significant dose-dependent antitumor effect of the EphA2-inhibitor ALW-II-41-27 in patient-derived in vitro models. In conclusion, EphA2 targeting represents a promising novel therapeutic strategy against bone sarcomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Giordano
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Alessandra Merlini
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0119933503
| | - Giulio Ferrero
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy;
- Department of Computer Science, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Giulia Mesiano
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
| | - Erika Fiorino
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
| | - Silvia Brusco
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
| | - Maria Laura Centomo
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Valeria Leuci
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
| | - Lorenzo D’Ambrosio
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
- Cardinal Massaia Hospital, 14100 Asti, Italy
| | - Massimo Aglietta
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Dario Sangiolo
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
- Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Giovanni Grignani
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
| | - Ymera Pignochino
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS Str. Prov.le 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.); (E.F.); (S.B.); (M.L.C.); (V.L.); (L.D.); (M.A.); (D.S.); (G.G.); (Y.P.)
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy;
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115
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Haydar D, Ibañez-Vega J, Krenciute G. T-Cell Immunotherapy for Pediatric High-Grade Gliomas: New Insights to Overcoming Therapeutic Challenges. Front Oncol 2021; 11:718030. [PMID: 34760690 PMCID: PMC8573171 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.718030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research, pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors remain the most debilitating, difficult to treat, and deadliest cancers. Current therapies, including radiation, chemotherapy, and/or surgery, are unable to cure these diseases and are associated with serious adverse effects and long-term impairments. Immunotherapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has the potential to elucidate therapeutic antitumor immune responses that improve survival without the devastating adverse effects associated with other therapies. Yet, despite the outstanding performance of CAR T cells against hematologic malignancies, they have shown little success targeting brain tumors. This lack of efficacy is due to a scarcity of targetable antigens, interactions with the immune microenvironment, and physical and biological barriers limiting the homing and trafficking of CAR T cells to brain tumors. In this review, we summarize experiences with CAR T-cell therapy for pediatric CNS tumors in preclinical and clinical settings and focus on the current roadblocks and novel strategies to potentially overcome those therapeutic challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Giedre Krenciute
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
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116
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Bufalieri F, Fruci D, Di Marcotullio L. ERAP1 as an emerging therapeutic target for medulloblastoma. Trends Cancer 2021; 8:4-8. [PMID: 34686465 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is a multifunctional enzyme that shapes the peptide repertoire presented by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules, thereby affecting tumor immunogenicity. ERAP1 is altered in many tumors, including medulloblastoma (MB). We review the role of ERAP1 in MB development and the possibility of targeting this enzyme for MB treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Doriana Fruci
- Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Department, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Di Marcotullio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy; Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, University La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy.
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117
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Yoo HJ, Harapan BN. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapy: basic principles, current advances, and future prospects in neuro-oncology. Immunol Res 2021; 69:471-486. [PMID: 34554405 PMCID: PMC8580929 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-021-09236-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
With recent advances, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapy has become a promising modality for patients with refractory cancer diseases. The successful results of CAR T cell therapy in relapsed and refractory B-cell malignancies shifted the paradigm of cancer immunotherapy by awakening the scientific, clinical, and commercial interest in translating this technology for the treatment of solid cancers. This review elaborates on fundamental principles of CAR T cell therapy (development of CAR construct, challenges of CAR T cell therapy) and its application on solid tumors as well as CAR T cell therapy potential in the field of neuro-oncology. Glioblastoma (GBM) is identified as one of the most challenging solid tumors with a permissive immunological milieu and dismal prognosis. Standard multimodal treatment using maximal safe resection, radiochemotherapy, and maintenance chemotherapy extends the overall survival beyond a year. Recurrence is, however, inevitable. GBM holds several unique features including its vast intratumoral heterogeneity, immunosuppressive environment, and a partially permissive anatomic blood–brain barrier, which offers a unique opportunity to investigate new treatment approaches. Tremendous efforts have been made in recent years to investigate novel CAR targets and target combinations with standard modalities for solid tumors and GBM to improve treatment efficacy. In this review, we outline the history of CAR immunotherapy development, relevant CAR target antigens validated with CAR T cells as well as preclinical approaches in combination with adjunct approaches via checkpoint inhibition, bispecific antibodies, and second-line systemic therapies that enhance anticancer efficacy of the CAR-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon Joo Yoo
- Department of Internal Medicine V, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Biyan Nathanael Harapan
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, 81377, Munich, Germany.
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118
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Vitanza NA, Johnson AJ, Wilson AL, Brown C, Yokoyama JK, Künkele A, Chang CA, Rawlings-Rhea S, Huang W, Seidel K, Albert CM, Pinto N, Gust J, Finn LS, Ojemann JG, Wright J, Orentas RJ, Baldwin M, Gardner RA, Jensen MC, Park JR. Locoregional infusion of HER2-specific CAR T cells in children and young adults with recurrent or refractory CNS tumors: an interim analysis. Nat Med 2021; 27:1544-1552. [PMID: 34253928 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01404-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Locoregional delivery of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has resulted in objective responses in adults with glioblastoma, but the feasibility and tolerability of this approach is yet to be evaluated for pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Here we show that engineering of a medium-length CAR spacer enhances the therapeutic efficacy of human erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (HER2)-specific CAR T cells in an orthotopic xenograft medulloblastoma model. We translated these findings into BrainChild-01 ( NCT03500991 ), an ongoing phase 1 clinical trial at Seattle Children's evaluating repetitive locoregional dosing of these HER2-specific CAR T cells to children and young adults with recurrent/refractory CNS tumors, including diffuse midline glioma. Primary objectives are assessing feasibility, safety and tolerability; secondary objectives include assessing CAR T cell distribution and disease response. In the outpatient setting, patients receive infusions via CNS catheter into either the tumor cavity or the ventricular system. The initial three patients experienced no dose-limiting toxicity and exhibited clinical, as well as correlative laboratory, evidence of local CNS immune activation, including high concentrations of CXCL10 and CCL2 in the cerebrospinal fluid. This interim report supports the feasibility of generating HER2-specific CAR T cells for repeated dosing regimens and suggests that their repeated intra-CNS delivery might be well tolerated and activate a localized immune response in pediatric and young adult patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Vitanza
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Adam J Johnson
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ashley L Wilson
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christopher Brown
- Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA.,Therapeutic Cell Production Core, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jason K Yokoyama
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Annette Künkele
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Cindy A Chang
- Office of Animal Care, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stephanie Rawlings-Rhea
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wenjun Huang
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Catherine M Albert
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Navin Pinto
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Juliane Gust
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Laura S Finn
- Department of Laboratories, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jeffrey G Ojemann
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurological Surgery, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jason Wright
- Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rimas J Orentas
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael Baldwin
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rebecca A Gardner
- The Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael C Jensen
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Julie R Park
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, USA.,Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
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119
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Safarzadeh Kozani P, Safarzadeh Kozani P, Rahbarizadeh F. Novel antigens of CAR T cell therapy: New roads; old destination. Transl Oncol 2021; 14:101079. [PMID: 33862524 PMCID: PMC8065293 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy has so far proved itself as a reliable therapeutic option for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), multiple myeloma (MM), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). However, this picture is not as colorful when it comes to the treatment of solid tumors mainly due to the lack of definitive tumor antigens, as well as the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments and poor CAR-T infiltration. The recent developments in bioinformatics and cell biology, such as single-cell RNA sequencing, have offered silver linings in the subject of tumor antigen discovery. In the current review, we summarize the development of some CAR-T therapies that target novel tumor antigens, rather than the traditionally CAR-T-targeted ones, and briefly discuss the clinical antitumor achievements of those evaluated in patients, so far. Furthermore, we propose some tumor antigens that might someday be therapeutically beneficial while targeted by CAR-Ts based on the experimental evaluations of their specific monoclonal antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooria Safarzadeh Kozani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Pouya Safarzadeh Kozani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran; Student Research Committee, Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Rahbarizadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran; Research and Development Center of Biotechnology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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120
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Ritzmann
- The Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - John-Paul Kilday
- Children's Brain Tumour Research Network (CBTRN), Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Richard G Grundy
- The Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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121
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Shrestha S, Morcavallo A, Gorrini C, Chesler L. Biological Role of MYCN in Medulloblastoma: Novel Therapeutic Opportunities and Challenges Ahead. Front Oncol 2021; 11:694320. [PMID: 34195095 PMCID: PMC8236857 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.694320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The constitutive and dysregulated expression of the transcription factor MYCN has a central role in the pathogenesis of the paediatric brain tumour medulloblastoma, with an increased expression of this oncogene correlating with a worse prognosis. Consequently, the genomic and functional alterations of MYCN represent a major therapeutic target to attenuate tumour growth in medulloblastoma. This review will provide a comprehensive synopsis of the biological role of MYCN and its family components, their interaction with distinct signalling pathways, and the implications of this network in medulloblastoma development. We will then summarise the current toolbox for targeting MYCN and highlight novel therapeutic avenues that have the potential to results in better-tailored clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumana Shrestha
- Division of Clinical Studies, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London and Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom
| | - Alaide Morcavallo
- Division of Clinical Studies, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London and Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom
| | - Chiara Gorrini
- Division of Clinical Studies, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London and Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom
| | - Louis Chesler
- Division of Clinical Studies, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London and Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom.,Division of Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), and The Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom
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122
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Paul MR, Zage PE. Overview and recent advances in the targeting of medulloblastoma cancer stem cells. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2021; 21:957-974. [PMID: 34047251 DOI: 10.1080/14737140.2021.1932472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Medulloblastoma, an embryonal small round blue cell tumor primarily arising in the posterior fossa, is the most common malignancy of the central nervous system in children and requires intensive multi-modality therapy for cure. Overall 5-year survival is approximately 75% in children with primary disease, but outcomes for relapsed disease are very poor. Recent advances have identified molecular subgroups with excellent prognosis, with 5-year overall survival rates >90%, and subgroups with very poor prognosis with overall survival rates <50%. Molecular subtyping has allowed for more sophisticated risk stratification of patients, but new treatments for the highest risk patients have not yet improved outcomes. Targeting cancer stem cells may improve outcomes, and several candidate targets and novel drugs are under investigation.Areas covered: We discuss medulloblastoma epidemiology, biology, treatment modalities, risk stratification, and molecular subgroup analysis, links between subgroup and developmental biology, cancer stem cell biology in medulloblastoma including previously described cancer stem cell markers and proposed targeted treatments in the current literature.Expert opinion: The understanding of cancer stem cells in medulloblastoma will advance therapies targeting the most treatment-resistant cells within the tumor and therefore reduce the incidence of treatment refractory and relapsed disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Rose Paul
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA (M.R.P., P.E.Z.); Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Peter E Zage
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA (M.R.P., P.E.Z.); Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
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123
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Quintarelli C, Camera A, Ciccone R, Alessi I, Del Bufalo F, Carai A, Del Baldo G, Mastronuzzi A, De Angelis B. Innovative and Promising Strategies to Enhance Effectiveness of Immunotherapy for CNS Tumors: Where Are We? Front Immunol 2021; 12:634031. [PMID: 34163465 PMCID: PMC8216238 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.634031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although there are several immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors under evaluation, currently none of these approaches have received approval from the regulatory agencies. CNS tumors, especially glioblastomas, are tumors characterized by highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, limiting the possibility of effectively eliciting an immune response. Moreover, the peculiar anatomic location of these tumors poses relevant challenges in terms of safety, since uncontrolled hyper inflammation could lead to cerebral edema and cranial hypertension. The most promising strategies of immunotherapy in neuro-oncology consist of the use of autologous T cells redirected against tumor cells through chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) constructs or genetically modified T-cell receptors. Trials based on native or genetically engineered oncolytic viruses and on vaccination with tumor-associated antigen peptides are also under evaluation. Despite some sporadic complete remissions achieved in clinical trials, the outcome of patients with CNS tumors treated with different immunotherapeutic approaches remains poor. Based on the lessons learned from these unsatisfactory experiences, novel immune-therapy approaches aimed at overcoming the profound immunosuppressive microenvironment of these diseases are bringing new hope to reach the cure for CNS tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Quintarelli
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy.,Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Camera
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Roselia Ciccone
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Iside Alessi
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Del Bufalo
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Carai
- Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Giada Del Baldo
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Mastronuzzi
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Biagio De Angelis
- Department Onco-Hematology, Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To discuss the important advances in CAR T cell therapy over the past year, focusing on clinical results where available. RECENT FINDINGS Approximately 30 years after they were first conceived of and 15 years after the first small-scale single-center clinical trials, the past 3 years represent a major milestone in the development of CAR T cells. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tisagenlecleucel for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-ALL and Axicabtagene Ciloleucel, for adults with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) in 2017. Tisagenlecleucel received a second indication in adults with R/R DLBCL in 2018. Regulatory approval for CAR T cells was then granted in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Japan. Most recently, in July 2020 the FDA granted regulatory approval to a third CAR T cell product, Brexucabtagene Autoleucel for mantle cell lymphoma. All products target the CD19 antigen but differ in the costimulatory molecule within the CAR construct. Currently, it is unknown whether there are any differences in clinical activity or toxicity between these products. SUMMARY The CAR T cell the platform is evolving at a rapid pace and is expected to further improve the therapeutic outcomes of hematological malignancies.
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125
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Haydar D, Houke H, Chiang J, Yi Z, Odé Z, Caldwell K, Zhu X, Mercer KS, Stripay JL, Shaw TI, Vogel P, DeRenzo C, Baker SJ, Roussel MF, Gottschalk S, Krenciute G. Cell-surface antigen profiling of pediatric brain tumors: B7-H3 is consistently expressed and can be targeted via local or systemic CAR T-cell delivery. Neuro Oncol 2021; 23:999-1011. [PMID: 33320196 PMCID: PMC8168826 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells is actively being explored for pediatric brain tumors in preclinical models and early phase clinical studies. At present, it is unclear which CAR target antigens are consistently expressed across different pediatric brain tumor types. In addition, the extent of HLA class I expression is unknown, which is critical for tumor recognition by conventional αβTCR T cells. METHODS We profiled 49 low- and high-grade pediatric brain tumor patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDOX) by flow analysis for the expression of 5 CAR targets (B7-H3, GD2, IL-13Rα2, EphA2, and HER2), and HLA class I. In addition, we generated B7-H3-CAR T cells and evaluated their antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS We established an expression hierarchy for the analyzed antigens (B7-H3 = GD2 >> IL-13Rα2 > HER2 = EphA2) and demonstrated that antigen expression is heterogenous. All high-grade gliomas expressed HLA class I, but only 57.1% of other tumor subtypes had detectable expression. We then selected B7-H3 as a target for CAR T-cell therapy. B7-H3-CAR T cells recognized tumor cells in an antigen-dependent fashion. Local or systemic administration of B7-H3-CAR T cells induced tumor regression in PDOX and immunocompetent murine glioma models resulting in a significant survival advantage. CONCLUSIONS Our study highlights the importance of studying target antigen and HLA class I expression in PDOX samples for the future design of immunotherapies. In addition, our results support active preclinical and clinical exploration of B7-H3-targeted CAR T-cell therapies for a broad spectrum of pediatric brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia Haydar
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Haley Houke
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jason Chiang
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Zhongzhen Yi
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Zelda Odé
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Kenneth Caldwell
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Xiaoyan Zhu
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Kimberly S Mercer
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jennifer L Stripay
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Timothy I Shaw
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Peter Vogel
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Christopher DeRenzo
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Suzanne J Baker
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Martine F Roussel
- Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Giedre Krenciute
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
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Lathia JD. Fountain of chaos: cerebrospinal fluid enhancement of cancer stem cells in glioblastoma. Neuro Oncol 2021; 23:530-532. [PMID: 33749775 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noab026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Justin D Lathia
- Department of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.,Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.,Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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127
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Targeted Therapy with Sirolimus and Nivolumab in a Child with Refractory Multifocal Anaplastic Ependymoma. REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/reports4020012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pediatric ependymoma (EPN) is the third most common central nervous system (CNS) tumor, with 90% arising intracranially. Management typically involves maximal surgical resection and radiotherapy, but patients’ outcome is poor. Moreover, there are only a few therapeutical options available for recurrent or refractory disease. In this report, we present the case of a 7-year-old girl with relapsed refractory multifocal grade III EPN who failed conventional treatments and experienced a stable and durable response to the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICPI) nivolumab in association with the mammalian target of rapamycin (m-TOR) inhibitor sirolimus. This experimental therapy was targeted on immune phenotypical analyses of the patient’s last relapse tumor sample, and this procedure should be routinely done to find new possible therapeutical approaches in recurrent solid tumors.
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128
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Sulman EP, Eisenstat DD. World Cancer Day 2021 - Perspectives in Pediatric and Adult Neuro-Oncology. Front Oncol 2021; 11:659800. [PMID: 34041027 PMCID: PMC8142853 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.659800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant advances in our understanding of the molecular genetics of pediatric and adult brain tumors and the resulting rapid expansion of clinical molecular neuropathology have led to improvements in diagnostic accuracy and identified new targets for therapy. Moreover, there have been major improvements in all facets of clinical care, including imaging, surgery, radiation and supportive care. In selected cohorts of patients, targeted and immunotherapies have resulted in improved patient outcomes. Furthermore, adaptations to clinical trial design have facilitated our study of new agents and other therapeutic innovations. However, considerable work remains to be done towards extending survival for all patients with primary brain tumors, especially children and adults with diffuse midline gliomas harboring Histone H3 K27 mutations and adults with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type, O6 guanine DNA-methyltransferase gene (MGMT) promoter unmethylated high grade gliomas. In addition to improvements in therapy and care, access to the advances in technology, such as particle radiation or biologic therapy, neuroimaging and molecular diagnostics in both developing and developed countries is needed to improve the outcome of patients with brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik P. Sulman
- Section of Neuro-oncology & Neurosurgical Oncology, Frontiers in Oncology and Frontiers in Neurology, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Radiation Oncology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Brain and Spine Tumor Center, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
- NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - David D. Eisenstat
- Section of Neuro-oncology & Neurosurgical Oncology, Frontiers in Oncology and Frontiers in Neurology, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Children’s Cancer Centre, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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129
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Abedalthagafi M, Mobark N, Al-Rashed M, AlHarbi M. Epigenomics and immunotherapeutic advances in pediatric brain tumors. NPJ Precis Oncol 2021; 5:34. [PMID: 33931704 PMCID: PMC8087701 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-021-00173-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain tumors are the leading cause of childhood cancer-related deaths. Similar to adult brain tumors, pediatric brain tumors are classified based on histopathological evaluations. However, pediatric brain tumors are often histologically inconsistent with adult brain tumors. Recent research findings from molecular genetic analyses have revealed molecular and genetic changes in pediatric tumors that are necessary for appropriate classification to avoid misdiagnosis, the development of treatment modalities, and the clinical management of tumors. As many of the molecular-based therapies developed from clinical trials on adults are not always effective against pediatric brain tumors, recent advances have improved our understanding of the molecular profiles of pediatric brain tumors and have led to novel epigenetic and immunotherapeutic treatment approaches currently being evaluated in clinical trials. In this review, we focus on primary malignant brain tumors in children and genetic, epigenetic, and molecular characteristics that differentiate them from brain tumors in adults. The comparison of pediatric and adult brain tumors highlights the need for treatments designed specifically for pediatric brain tumors. We also discuss the advancements in novel molecularly targeted drugs and how they are being integrated with standard therapy to improve the classification and outcomes of pediatric brain tumors in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malak Abedalthagafi
- Genomics Research Department, Saudi Human Genome Project, King Fahad Medical City and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Nahla Mobark
- Department of Paediatric Oncology Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - May Al-Rashed
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Musa AlHarbi
- Department of Paediatric Oncology Comprehensive Cancer Centre, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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130
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Hsu K, Middlemiss S, Saletta F, Gottschalk S, McCowage GB, Kramer B. Chimeric Antigen Receptor-modified T cells targeting EphA2 for the immunotherapy of paediatric bone tumours. Cancer Gene Ther 2021; 28:321-334. [PMID: 32873870 PMCID: PMC8057949 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-020-00221-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, as an approved treatment option for patients with B cell malignancies, demonstrates that genetic modification of autologous immune cells is an effective anti-cancer regimen. Erythropoietin-producing Hepatocellular receptor tyrosine kinase class A2 (EphA2) is a tumour associated antigen expressed on a range of sarcomas, including paediatric osteosarcoma (OS) and Ewing sarcoma (ES). We tested human EphA2 directed CAR T cells for their capacity to target and kill human OS and ES tumour cells using in vitro and in vivo assays, demonstrating that EphA2 CAR T cells have potent anti-tumour efficacy in vitro and can eliminate established OS and ES tumours in vivo in a dose and delivery route dependent manner. Next, in an aggressive metastatic OS model we demonstrated that systemically infused EphA2 CAR T cells can traffic to and eradicate tumour deposits in murine livers and lungs. These results support further pre-clinical evaluation of EphA2 CAR T cells to inform the design of early phase clinical trial protocols to test the feasibility and safety of this immune cell therapy in paediatric bone sarcoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Hsu
- Children's Cancer Research Unit, Kid's Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Shiloh Middlemiss
- Children's Cancer Research Unit, Kid's Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Federica Saletta
- Children's Cancer Research Unit, Kid's Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Geoffrey B McCowage
- Children's Cancer Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Belinda Kramer
- Children's Cancer Research Unit, Kid's Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia.
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131
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Martínez Bedoya D, Dutoit V, Migliorini D. Allogeneic CAR T Cells: An Alternative to Overcome Challenges of CAR T Cell Therapy in Glioblastoma. Front Immunol 2021; 12:640082. [PMID: 33746981 PMCID: PMC7966522 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.640082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as one of the major breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy in the last decade. Outstanding results in hematological malignancies and encouraging pre-clinical anti-tumor activity against a wide range of solid tumors have made CAR T cells one of the most promising fields for cancer therapies. CAR T cell therapy is currently being investigated in solid tumors including glioblastoma (GBM), a tumor for which survival has only modestly improved over the past decades. CAR T cells targeting EGFRvIII, Her2, or IL-13Rα2 have been tested in GBM, but the first clinical trials have shown modest results, potentially due to GBM heterogeneity and to the presence of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Until now, the use of autologous T cells to manufacture CAR products has been the norm, but this approach has several disadvantages regarding production time, cost, manufacturing delay and dependence on functional fitness of patient T cells, often reduced by the disease or previous therapies. Universal “off-the-shelf,” or allogeneic, CAR T cells is an alternative that can potentially overcome these issues, and allow for multiple modifications and CAR combinations to target multiple tumor antigens and avoid tumor escape. Advances in genome editing tools, especially via CRISPR/Cas9, might allow overcoming the two main limitations of allogeneic CAR T cells product, i.e., graft-vs.-host disease and host allorejection. Here, we will discuss how allogeneic CAR T cells could allow for multivalent approaches and alteration of the tumor microenvironment, potentially allowing the development of next generation therapies for the treatment of patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darel Martínez Bedoya
- Center for Translational Research in Onco-Hematology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Cancer Center Léman, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Brain Tumor and Immune Cell Engineering Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Valérie Dutoit
- Center for Translational Research in Onco-Hematology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Cancer Center Léman, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Brain Tumor and Immune Cell Engineering Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Denis Migliorini
- Center for Translational Research in Onco-Hematology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Cancer Center Léman, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Brain Tumor and Immune Cell Engineering Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, Switzerland
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132
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Danilenko M, Clifford SC, Schwalbe EC. Inter and intra-tumoral heterogeneity as a platform for personalized therapies in medulloblastoma. Pharmacol Ther 2021; 228:107828. [PMID: 33662447 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant CNS tumor of childhood, affecting ~350 patients/year in the USA. In 2020, most children are cured of their disease, however, survivors are left with life-long late-effects as a consequence of intensive surgery, and application of chemo- and radio-therapy to the developing brain. A major contributor to improvements in patient survival has been the development of risk-stratified treatments derived from a better understanding of the prognostic value of disease biomarkers. The characterization and validation of these biomarkers has engendered a comprehensive understanding of the extensive heterogeneity that exists within the disease, which can occur both between and within tumors (inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity, respectively). In this review, we discuss inter-tumoral heterogeneity, describing the early characterization of clinical and histopathological disease heterogeneity, the more recent elucidation of molecular disease subgroups, and the potential for novel therapies based on specific molecular defects. We reflect on the limitations of current approaches when applied to a rare disease. We then review early investigations of intra-tumoral heterogeneity using FISH and immunohistochemical approaches, and focus on the application of next generation sequencing on bulk tumors to elucidate intra-tumoral heterogeneity. Finally, we critically appraise the applications of single-cell sequencing approaches and discuss their potential to drive next biological insights, and for routine clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Danilenko
- Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Steven C Clifford
- Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Edward C Schwalbe
- Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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133
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Wu WT, Lin WY, Chen YW, Lin CF, Wang HH, Wu SH, Lee YY. New Era of Immunotherapy in Pediatric Brain Tumors: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052404. [PMID: 33673696 PMCID: PMC7957810 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and dendritic cell therapy, has been incorporated as a fifth modality of modern cancer care, along with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and target therapy. Among them, CAR T-cell therapy emerges as one of the most promising treatments. In 2017, the first two CAR T-cell drugs, tisagenlecleucel and axicabtagene ciloleucel for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), respectively, were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition to the successful applications to hematological malignancies, CAR T-cell therapy has been investigated to potentially treat solid tumors, including pediatric brain tumor, which serves as the leading cause of cancer-associated death for children and adolescents. However, the employment of CAR T-cell therapy in pediatric brain tumors still faces multiple challenges, such as CAR T-cell transportation and expansion through the blood–brain barrier, and identification of the specific target antigen on the tumor surface and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Nevertheless, encouraging outcomes in both clinical and preclinical trials are coming to light. In this article, we outline the current propitious progress and discuss the obstacles needed to be overcome in order to unveil a new era of treatment in pediatric brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Tai Wu
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan; (W.-T.W.); (Y.-W.C.); (C.-F.L.)
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112201, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Ying Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan;
| | - Yi-Wei Chen
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan; (W.-T.W.); (Y.-W.C.); (C.-F.L.)
- Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Fu Lin
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan; (W.-T.W.); (Y.-W.C.); (C.-F.L.)
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hui Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Immunology and Nephrology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan;
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan
- Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan
| | - Szu-Hsien Wu
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan;
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Yen Lee
- School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan; (W.-T.W.); (Y.-W.C.); (C.-F.L.)
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112201, Taiwan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-2-2875-7491; Fax: +886-2-2875-7588
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Loo Yau H, Bell E, Ettayebi I, de Almeida FC, Boukhaled GM, Shen SY, Allard D, Morancho B, Marhon SA, Ishak CA, Gonzaga IM, da Silva Medina T, Singhania R, Chakravarthy A, Chen R, Mehdipour P, Pommey S, Klein C, Amarante-Mendes GP, Roulois D, Arribas J, Stagg J, Brooks DG, De Carvalho DD. DNA hypomethylating agents increase activation and cytolytic activity of CD8 + T cells. Mol Cell 2021; 81:1469-1483.e8. [PMID: 33609448 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
We demonstrate that DNA hypomethylating agent (HMA) treatment can directly modulate the anti-tumor response and effector function of CD8+ T cells. In vivo HMA treatment promotes CD8+ T cell tumor infiltration and suppresses tumor growth via CD8+ T cell-dependent activity. Ex vivo, HMAs enhance primary human CD8+ T cell activation markers, effector cytokine production, and anti-tumor cytolytic activity. Epigenomic and transcriptomic profiling shows that HMAs vastly regulate T cell activation-related transcriptional networks, culminating with over-activation of NFATc1 short isoforms. Mechanistically, demethylation of an intragenic CpG island immediately downstream to the 3' UTR of the short isoform was associated with antisense transcription and alternative polyadenylation of NFATc1 short isoforms. High-dimensional single-cell mass cytometry analyses reveal a selective effect of HMAs on a subset of human CD8+ T cell subpopulations, increasing both the number and abundance of a granzyme Bhigh, perforinhigh effector subpopulation. Overall, our findings support the use of HMAs as a therapeutic strategy to boost anti-tumor immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Loo Yau
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Emma Bell
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Ilias Ettayebi
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Felipe Campos de Almeida
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; Instituto de Investigação em Imunologia, Institutos Nacionais de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT-iii), São Paulo 05403-900, Brazil
| | - Giselle M Boukhaled
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Shu Yi Shen
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - David Allard
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal et Institut du Cancer de Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada; Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Beatriz Morancho
- Preclinical Research Program, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and CIBERONC, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sajid A Marhon
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Charles A Ishak
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Isabela M Gonzaga
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Tiago da Silva Medina
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada; Translational Immuno-oncology Laboratory, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo 01509-001, Brazil
| | - Rajat Singhania
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Ankur Chakravarthy
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Raymond Chen
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Parinaz Mehdipour
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Sandra Pommey
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal et Institut du Cancer de Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Christian Klein
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Gustavo P Amarante-Mendes
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil; Instituto de Investigação em Imunologia, Institutos Nacionais de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT-iii), São Paulo 05403-900, Brazil
| | - David Roulois
- UMR U1236, INSERM, Université de Rennes 1, EFS, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Joaquín Arribas
- Preclinical Research Program, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and CIBERONC, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain; Cancer Research Program, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - John Stagg
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal et Institut du Cancer de Montréal, Montréal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada; Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - David G Brooks
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Daniel D De Carvalho
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
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135
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Borgenvik A, Čančer M, Hutter S, Swartling FJ. Targeting MYCN in Molecularly Defined Malignant Brain Tumors. Front Oncol 2021; 10:626751. [PMID: 33585252 PMCID: PMC7877538 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.626751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Misregulation of MYC genes, causing MYC overexpression or protein stabilization, is frequently found in malignant brain tumors highlighting their important roles as oncogenes. Brain tumors in children are the most lethal of all pediatric malignancies and the most common malignant primary adult brain tumor, glioblastoma, is still practically incurable. MYCN is one of three MYC family members and is crucial for normal brain development. It is associated with poor prognosis in many malignant pediatric brain tumor types and is focally amplified in specific adult brain tumors. Targeting MYCN has proved to be challenging due to its undruggable nature as a transcription factor and for its importance in regulating developmental programs also in healthy cells. In this review, we will discuss efforts made to circumvent the difficulty of targeting MYCN specifically by using direct or indirect measures to treat MYCN-driven brain tumors. We will further consider the mechanism of action of these measures and suggest which molecularly defined brain tumor patients that might benefit from MYCN-directed precision therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Borgenvik
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Matko Čančer
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sonja Hutter
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik J Swartling
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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136
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Srikanthan D, Taccone MS, Van Ommeren R, Ishida J, Krumholtz SL, Rutka JT. Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma: current insights and future directions. Chin Neurosurg J 2021; 7:6. [PMID: 33423692 PMCID: PMC7798267 DOI: 10.1186/s41016-020-00218-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a lethal pediatric brain tumor and the leading cause of brain tumor–related death in children. As several clinical trials over the past few decades have led to no significant improvements in outcome, the current standard of care remains fractionated focal radiation. Due to the recent increase in stereotactic biopsies, tumor tissue availabilities have enabled our advancement of the genomic and molecular characterization of this lethal cancer. Several groups have identified key histone gene mutations, genetic drivers, and methylation changes in DIPG, providing us with new insights into DIPG tumorigenesis. Subsequently, there has been increased development of in vitro and in vivo models of DIPG which have the capacity to unveil novel therapies and strategies for drug delivery. This review outlines the clinical characteristics, genetic landscape, models, and current treatments and hopes to shed light on novel therapeutic avenues and challenges that remain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilakshan Srikanthan
- Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael S Taccone
- Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Randy Van Ommeren
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Joji Ishida
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Stacey L Krumholtz
- The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - James T Rutka
- Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada. .,The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada. .,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Suite 1503, 555, University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
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137
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Wang D, Prager BC, Gimple RC, Aguilar B, Alizadeh D, Tang H, Lv D, Starr R, Brito A, Wu Q, Kim LJY, Qiu Z, Lin P, Lorenzini MH, Badie B, Forman SJ, Xie Q, Brown CE, Rich JN. CRISPR Screening of CAR T Cells and Cancer Stem Cells Reveals Critical Dependencies for Cell-Based Therapies. Cancer Discov 2020; 11:1192-1211. [PMID: 33328215 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-20-1243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) contains self-renewing GBM stem cells (GSC) potentially amenable to immunologic targeting, but chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has demonstrated limited clinical responses in GBM. Here, we interrogated molecular determinants of CAR-mediated GBM killing through whole-genome CRISPR screens in both CAR T cells and patient-derived GSCs. Screening of CAR T cells identified dependencies for effector functions, including TLE4 and IKZF2. Targeted knockout of these genes enhanced CAR antitumor efficacy. Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing of edited CAR T cells revealed transcriptional profiles of superior effector function and inhibited exhaustion responses. Reciprocal screening of GSCs identified genes essential for susceptibility to CAR-mediated killing, including RELA and NPLOC4, the knockout of which altered tumor-immune signaling and increased responsiveness of CAR therapy. Overall, CRISPR screening of CAR T cells and GSCs discovered avenues for enhancing CAR therapeutic efficacy against GBM, with the potential to be extended to other solid tumors. SIGNIFICANCE: Reciprocal CRISPR screening identified genes in both CAR T cells and tumor cells regulating the potency of CAR T-cell cytotoxicity, informing molecular targeting strategies to potentiate CAR T-cell antitumor efficacy and elucidate genetic modifications of tumor cells in combination with CAR T cells to advance immuno-oncotherapy.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 995.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongrui Wang
- T Cell Therapeutics Research Labs, Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Briana C Prager
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.,Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California
| | - Ryan C Gimple
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California.,Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Brenda Aguilar
- T Cell Therapeutics Research Labs, Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Darya Alizadeh
- T Cell Therapeutics Research Labs, Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Hongzhen Tang
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Deguan Lv
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California
| | - Renate Starr
- T Cell Therapeutics Research Labs, Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Alfonso Brito
- T Cell Therapeutics Research Labs, Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Qiulian Wu
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California
| | - Leo J Y Kim
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California.,Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Zhixin Qiu
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California
| | - Peng Lin
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Michael H Lorenzini
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California
| | - Behnam Badie
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Stephen J Forman
- T Cell Therapeutics Research Labs, Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Qi Xie
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. .,Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Christine E Brown
- T Cell Therapeutics Research Labs, Cellular Immunotherapy Center, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California.
| | - Jeremy N Rich
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California. .,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California.,University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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138
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Upreti D, Bakhshinyan D, Bloemberg D, Vora P, Venugopal C, Singh SK. Strategies to Enhance the Efficacy of T-Cell Therapy for Central Nervous System Tumors. Front Immunol 2020; 11:599253. [PMID: 33281826 PMCID: PMC7689359 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.599253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality rates in patients diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumors, originating in the brain or spinal cord, continue to remain high despite the advances in multimodal treatment regimens, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Recent success of adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy treatments using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered T cells against in chemotherapy resistant CD19 expressing B-cell lymphomas, has provided the foundation for investigating efficacy of CAR T immunotherapies in the context of brain tumor. Although significant efforts have been made in developing and translating the novel CAR T therapies for CNS tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM), researchers are yet to achieve a similar level of success as with liquid malignancies. In this review, we discuss strategies and considerations essential for developing robust preclinical models for the translation of T cell-based therapies for CNS tumors. Some of the key considerations include route of delivery, increasing persistence of T cells in tumor environment, remodeling of myeloid environment, establishing the window of treatment opportunity, harnessing endogenous immune system, designing multiple antigen targeting T cells, and rational combination of immunotherapy with the current standard of care. Although this review focuses primarily on CAR T therapies for GBM, similar strategies, and considerations are applicable to all CNS tumors in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Upreti
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - David Bakhshinyan
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Darin Bloemberg
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Parvez Vora
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Chitra Venugopal
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Sheila K Singh
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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139
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Wang X, Huynh C, Urak R, Weng L, Walter M, Lim L, Vyas V, Chang WC, Aguilar B, Brito A, Sarkissian A, Bandara NA, Yang L, Wang J, Wu X, Zhang J, Priceman SJ, Qin H, Kwak LW, Budde LE, Thomas SH, Clark MC, Popplewell L, Siddiqi T, Brown CE, Forman SJ. The Cerebroventricular Environment Modifies CAR T Cells for Potent Activity against Both Central Nervous System and Systemic Lymphoma. Cancer Immunol Res 2020; 9:75-88. [PMID: 33093217 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-20-0236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Lymphomas with central nervous system (CNS) involvement confer a worse prognosis than those without CNS involvement, and patients currently have limited treatment options. T cells genetically engineered with CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are effective against B-cell malignancies and show tremendous potential in the treatment of systemic lymphoma. We aimed to leverage this strategy toward a more effective therapy for patients with lymphoma with CNS disease. NOD-scid IL2Rgammanull (NSG) mice with CNS and/or systemic lymphoma were treated with CD19-CAR T cells via intracerebroventricular (ICV) or intravenous (IV) injection. CAR T cells isolated after treatment were rigorously examined for phenotype, gene expression, and function. We observed that CAR T cells infused ICV, but not IV, completely and durably eradicated both CNS and systemic lymphoma. CAR T cells delivered ICV migrated efficiently to the periphery, homed to systemic tumors, and expanded in vivo, leading to complete elimination of disease and resistance to tumor rechallenge. Mechanistic studies indicated that ICV-delivered CAR T cells are conditioned by exposure to cerebrospinal fluid in the ICV environment for superior antilymphoma activity and memory function compared with IV-delivered CAR T cells. Further analysis suggested that manipulating cellular metabolism or preactivating therapeutic CAR T cells with antigen ex vivo may improve the efficacy of CAR T cells in vivo Our demonstration that ICV-delivered CD19-CAR T cells had activity against CNS and systemic lymphoma could offer a valuable new strategy for treatment of B-cell malignancies with CNS involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuli Wang
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California.
| | - Christian Huynh
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Ryan Urak
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Lihong Weng
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Miriam Walter
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Laura Lim
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Vibhuti Vyas
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Wen-Chung Chang
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Brenda Aguilar
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Alfonso Brito
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Aniee Sarkissian
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - N Achini Bandara
- Clinical and Translational Project Development Core, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Jinhui Wang
- Integrative Genomics Core, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Xiwei Wu
- Integrative Genomics Core, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Jianying Zhang
- The Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Saul J Priceman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Hong Qin
- Toni Stephenson Lymphoma Center, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Larry W Kwak
- Toni Stephenson Lymphoma Center, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Lihua E Budde
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Sandra H Thomas
- Clinical and Translational Project Development Core, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Mary C Clark
- Clinical and Translational Project Development Core, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Leslie Popplewell
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Tanya Siddiqi
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Christine E Brown
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
| | - Stephen J Forman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, California
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Lospinoso Severini L, Ghirga F, Bufalieri F, Quaglio D, Infante P, Di Marcotullio L. The SHH/GLI signaling pathway: a therapeutic target for medulloblastoma. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2020; 24:1159-1181. [PMID: 32990091 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2020.1823967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Medulloblastoma (MB) is a heterogeneous tumor of the cerebellum that is divided into four main subgroups with distinct molecular and clinical features. Sonic Hedgehog MB (SHH-MB) is the most genetically understood and occurs predominantly in childhood. Current therapies consist of aggressive and non-targeted multimodal approaches that are often ineffective and cause long-term complications. These problems intensify the need to develop molecularly targeted therapies to improve outcome and reduce treatment-related morbidities. In this scenario, Hedgehog (HH) signaling, a developmental pathway whose deregulation is involved in the pathogenesis of several malignancies, has emerged as an attractive druggable pathway for SHH-MB therapy. AREAS COVERED This review provides an overview of the advancements in the HH antagonist research field. We place an emphasis on Smoothened (SMO) and glioma-associated oncogene homolog (GLI) inhibitors and immunotherapy approaches that are validated in preclinical SHH-MB models and that have therapeutic potential for MB patients. Literature from Pubmed and data reported on ClinicalTrial.gov up to August 2020 were considered. EXPERT OPINION Extensive-omics analysis has enhanced our knowledge and has transformed the way that MB is studied and managed. The clinical use of SMO antagonists has yet to be determined, however, future GLI inhibitors and multitargeting approaches are promising.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesca Ghirga
- Center for Life NanoScience@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Bufalieri
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza , 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Deborah Quaglio
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, University of Rome La Sapienza, 00185 , Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Infante
- Center for Life NanoScience@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Di Marcotullio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza , 00161, Rome, Italy.,Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, University of Rome La Sapienza , 00161, Rome, Italy
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141
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Patterson JD, Henson JC, Breese RO, Bielamowicz KJ, Rodriguez A. CAR T Cell Therapy for Pediatric Brain Tumors. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1582. [PMID: 32903405 PMCID: PMC7435009 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has recently begun to be used for solid tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme. Many children with pediatric malignant brain tumors develop extensive long-term morbidity of intensive multimodal curative treatment. Others with certain diagnoses and relapsed disease continue to have limited therapies and a dismal prognosis. Novel treatments such as CAR T cells could potentially improve outcomes and ameliorate the toxicity of current treatment. In this review, we discuss the potential of using CAR therapy for pediatric brain tumors. The emerging insights on the molecular subtypes and tumor microenvironment of these tumors provide avenues to devise strategies for CAR T cell therapy. Unique characteristics of these brain tumors, such as location and associated morbid treatment induced neuro-inflammation, are novel challenges not commonly encountered in adult brain tumors. Despite these considerations, CAR T cell therapy has the potential to be integrated into treatment schema for aggressive pediatric malignant brain tumors in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Patterson
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Jeffrey C Henson
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Rebecca O Breese
- Department of General Surgery, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
| | - Kevin J Bielamowicz
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Analiz Rodriguez
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
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Donnadieu E, Dupré L, Pinho LG, Cotta-de-Almeida V. Surmounting the obstacles that impede effective CAR T cell trafficking to solid tumors. J Leukoc Biol 2020; 108:1067-1079. [PMID: 32620049 PMCID: PMC7586996 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.1mr0520-746r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Innovative immunotherapies based on immune checkpoint targeting antibodies and engineered T cells are transforming the way we approach cancer treatment. However, although these T cell centered strategies result in marked and durable responses in patients across many different tumor types, they provide therapeutic efficacy only in a proportion of patients. A major challenge of immuno‐oncology is thereby to identify mechanisms responsible for resistance to cancer immunotherapy in order to overcome them via adapted strategies that will ultimately improve intrinsic efficacy and response rates. Here, we focus on the barriers that restrain the trafficking of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)‐expressing T cells to solid tumors. Upon infusion, CAR T cells need to home into malignant sites, navigate within complex tumor environments, form productive interactions with cancer cells, deliver their cytotoxic activities, and finally persist. We review the accumulating evidence that the microenvironment of solid tumors contains multiple obstacles that hinder CAR T cells in the dynamic steps underlying their trafficking. We focus on how these hurdles may in part account for the failure of CAR T cell clinical trials in human carcinomas. Given the engineered nature of CAR T cells and possibilities to modify the tumor environment, there are ample opportunities to augment CAR T cell ability to efficiently find and combat tumors. We present some of these strategies, which represent a dynamic field of research with high potential for clinical applicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Donnadieu
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM, U1016, CNRS, UMR8104, Paris, France
| | - Loïc Dupré
- INSERM, UMR1043, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Toulouse, France.,CNRS, UMR5282, Toulouse, France.,Université Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Lia Gonçalves Pinho
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Cotta-de-Almeida
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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