101
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López-Cantillo G, Urueña C, Camacho BA, Ramírez-Segura C. CAR-T Cell Performance: How to Improve Their Persistence? Front Immunol 2022; 13:878209. [PMID: 35572525 PMCID: PMC9097681 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.878209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy with T cells reprogrammed to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T cells) has been highly successful in patients with hematological neoplasms. However, its therapeutic benefits have been limited in solid tumor cases. Even those patients who respond to this immunotherapy remain at risk of relapse due to the short-term persistence or non-expansion of CAR-T cells; moreover, the hostile tumor microenvironment (TME) leads to the dysfunction of these cells after reinfusion. Some research has shown that, in adoptive T-cell therapies, the presence of less differentiated T-cell subsets within the infusion product is associated with better clinical outcomes. Naive and memory T cells persist longer and exhibit greater antitumor activity than effector T cells. Therefore, new methods are being studied to overcome the limitations of this therapy to generate CAR-T cells with these ideal phenotypes. In this paper, we review the characteristics of T-cell subsets and their implications in the clinical outcomes of adoptive therapy with CAR-T cells. In addition, we describe some strategies developed to overcome the reduced persistence of CAR T-cells and alternatives to improve this therapy by increasing the expansion ability and longevity of modified T cells. These methods include cell culture optimization, incorporating homeostatic cytokines during the expansion phase of manufacturing, modulation of CAR-T cell metabolism, manipulating signaling pathways involved in T-cell differentiation, and strategies related to CAR construct designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina López-Cantillo
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ingeniería Celular y Molecular, Instituto Distrital de Ciencia Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud (IDCBIS), Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Claudia Urueña
- Grupo de Inmunobiología y Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Cesar Ramírez-Segura
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ingeniería Celular y Molecular, Instituto Distrital de Ciencia Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud (IDCBIS), Bogotá, Colombia
- Instituto Distrital de Ciencia Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud (IDCBIS), Bogotá, Colombia
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102
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Larson RC, Kann MC, Bailey SR, Haradhvala NJ, Llopis PM, Bouffard AA, Scarfó I, Leick MB, Grauwet K, Berger TR, Stewart K, Anekal PV, Jan M, Joung J, Schmidts A, Ouspenskaia T, Law T, Regev A, Getz G, Maus MV. CAR T cell killing requires the IFNγR pathway in solid but not liquid tumours. Nature 2022; 604:563-570. [PMID: 35418687 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04585-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy has had a transformative effect on the treatment of haematologic malignancies1-6, but it has shown limited efficacy against solid tumours. Solid tumours may have cell-intrinsic resistance mechanisms to CAR T cell cytotoxicity. Here, to systematically identify potential resistance pathways in an unbiased manner, we conducted a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen in glioblastoma, a disease in which CAR T cells have had limited efficacy7,8. We found that the loss of genes in the interferon-γ receptor (IFNγR) signalling pathway (IFNGR1, JAK1 or JAK2) rendered glioblastoma and other solid tumours more resistant to killing by CAR T cells both in vitro and in vivo. However, loss of this pathway did not render leukaemia or lymphoma cell lines insensitive to CAR T cells. Using transcriptional profiling, we determined that glioblastoma cells lacking IFNγR1 had lower upregulation of cell-adhesion pathways after exposure to CAR T cells. We found that loss of IFNγR1 in glioblastoma cells reduced overall CAR T cell binding duration and avidity. The critical role of IFNγR signalling in susceptibility of solid tumours to CAR T cells is surprising, given that CAR T cells do not require traditional antigen-presentation pathways. Instead, in glioblastoma tumours, IFNγR signalling was required for sufficient adhesion of CAR T cells to mediate productive cytotoxicity. Our work demonstrates that liquid and solid tumours differ in their interactions with CAR T cells and suggests that enhancing binding interactions between T cells and tumour cells may yield improved responses in solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas J Haradhvala
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Harvard Graduate Program in Biophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Irene Scarfó
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Korneel Grauwet
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Trisha R Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kai Stewart
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julia Joung
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Travis Law
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Biology and Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gad Getz
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. .,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. .,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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103
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The Effects of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Hinge Domain Post-Translational Modifications on CAR-T Cell Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23074056. [PMID: 35409419 PMCID: PMC8999629 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23074056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To improve the efficacy and safety of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cell therapeutics through enhanced CAR design, we analysed CAR structural factors that affect CAR-T cell function. We studied the effects of disulphide bonding at cysteine residues and glycosylation in the HD on CAR-T function. We used first-generation CAR[V/28/28/3z] and CAR[V/8a/8a/3z], consisting of a mouse vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2)-specific single-chain variable fragment tandemly linked to CD28- or CD8α-derived HD, transmembrane domain (TMD) and a CD3ζ-derived signal transduction domain (STD). We constructed structural variants by substituting cysteine with alanine and asparagine (putative N-linked glycosylation sites) with aspartate. CAR[V/28/28/3z] and CAR[V/8a/8a/3z] formed homodimers, the former through a single HD cysteine residue and the latter through the more TMD-proximal of the two cysteine residues. The absence of disulphide bonds did not affect membrane CAR expression but reduced antigen-specific cytokine production and cytotoxic activity. CAR[V/28/28/3z] and CAR[V/8a/8a/3z] harboured one N-linked glycosylation site, and CAR[V/8a/8a/3z] underwent considerable O-linked glycosylation at an unknown site. Thus, N-linked glycosylation of CAR[V/28/28/3z] promotes stable membrane CAR expression, while having no effect on the expression or CAR-T cell activity of CAR[V/8a/8a/3z]. Our findings demonstrate that post-translational modifications of the CAR HD influence CAR-T cell activity, establishing a basis for future CAR design.
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104
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Corti C, Venetis K, Sajjadi E, Zattoni L, Curigliano G, Fusco N. CAR-T cell therapy for triple-negative breast cancer and other solid tumors: preclinical and clinical progress. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2022; 31:593-605. [PMID: 35311430 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2022.2054326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Most breast cancer-related deaths arise from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Molecular heterogeneity, aggressiveness and the lack of effective therapies are major hurdles to therapeutic progress. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells have emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic strategy in TNBC. This approach combines the antigen specificity of an antibody with the effector function of T cells. AREAS COVERED This review examines the opportunities provided by CAR-T cell therapies in solid tumors. Emerging targets, ongoing clinical trials, and prospective clinical implications in TNBC are considered later. An emphasis is placed on the key challenges and possible solutions for this therapeutic approach. EXPERT OPINION A challenge for CAR-T cell therapy is the selection of the optimal targets to minimize on-target/off-tumor toxicity. Tumor escape via antigen loss and intrinsic heterogeneity is a further hurdle. TROP2, GD2, ROR1, MUC1 and EpCAM are promising targets. Persistence and trafficking to tumor cells may be enhanced by the implementation of CARs with a chemokine receptor and/or constitutively activated interleukin receptors. Fourth-generation CARs (TRUCKs) may redirect T-cells for universal cytokine-mediated killing. Combinatorial approaches and the application of CARs to other immune cells could revert the suppressive immune environment that characterizes solid neoplasms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Corti
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Elham Sajjadi
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Zattoni
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Curigliano
- Division of New Drugs and Early Drug Development for Innovative Therapies, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy.,Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Fusco
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Division of Pathology, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
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105
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Panowski SH, Srinivasan S, Tan N, Tacheva-Grigorova SK, Smith B, Mak Y, Ning H, Villanueva J, Wijewarnasuriya D, Lang S, Melton Z, Ghosh A, Dusseaux M, Galetto R, Heyen JR, Sai T, Van Blarcom TJ, Chaparro-Riggers J, Sasu BJ. Preclinical Development and Evaluation of Allogeneic CAR T Cells Targeting CD70 for the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancer Res 2022; 82:2610-2624. [PMID: 35294525 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-2931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
CD70 is highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with limited expression in normal tissue, making it an attractive CAR T target for an immunogenic solid tumor indication. Here we generated and characterized a panel of anti-CD70 scFv-based CAR T cells. Despite the expression of CD70 on T cells, production of CAR T from a subset of scFvs with potent in vitro activity was achieved. Expression of CD70 CARs masked CD70 detection in cis and provide protection from CD70 CAR T-mediated fratricide. Two distinct classes of CAR T cells were identified with differing memory phenotype, activation status, and cytotoxic activity. Epitope mapping revealed that the two classes of CARs bind unique regions of CD70. CD70 CAR T cells displayed robust antitumor activity against RCC cell lines and patient-derived xenograft mouse models. Tissue cross-reactivity studies identified membrane staining in lymphocytes, thus matching the known expression pattern of CD70. In a cynomolgus monkey CD3-CD70 bispecific toxicity study, expected findings related to T cell activation and elimination of CD70-expressing cells were observed, including cytokine release and loss of cellularity in lymphoid tissues. Lastly, highly functional CD70 allogeneic CAR T cells were produced at large scale through elimination of the T cell receptor by TALEN-based gene editing. Taken together, these efficacy and safety data support the evaluation of CD70 CAR T cells for the treatment of RCC and has led to the advancement of an allogeneic CD70 CAR T candidate into phase I clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nguyen Tan
- Allogene Therapeutics, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | - Bryan Smith
- Allogene Therapeutics, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Yvonne Mak
- Allogene Therapeutics, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Hongxiu Ning
- Allogene Therapeutics, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | | | - Shanshan Lang
- Allogene Therapeutics, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Zea Melton
- Allogene Therapeutics, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Adit Ghosh
- Allogene Therapeutics, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | | | | | - Tao Sai
- Pfizer Inc, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | | | - Barbra J Sasu
- Allogene Therapuetics Inc, South San Francisco, CA, United States
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106
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Abstract
CAR-T cell therapy has been heralded as a breakthrough in the field of immunotherapy, but to date, this success has been limited to hematological malignancies. By harnessing the chemokine system and taking into consideration the chemokine expression profile in the tumor microenvironment, CAR-T cells may be homed into tumors to facilitate direct tumor cell cytolysis and overcome a major hurdle in generating effective CAR-T cell responses to solid cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jade Foeng
- Chemokine Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- Carina Biotech, Innovation and Collaboration Centre, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Iain Comerford
- Chemokine Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Shaun R. McColl
- Chemokine Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- Carina Biotech, Innovation and Collaboration Centre, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- Corresponding author
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107
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Poorebrahim M, Quiros-Fernandez I, Fakhr E, Cid-Arregui A. Generation of CAR-T cells using lentiviral vectors. Methods Cell Biol 2022; 167:39-69. [PMID: 35152998 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2021.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy is nowadays largely focused on the development of therapeutic antibodies and chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Two CARs targeting CD19 have been approved recently for the treatment of some hematological malignancies. This demonstrates the capability of engineered CAR T cells in generating effective tumor responses. Furthermore, several hundred ongoing clinical trials are exploring the feasibility of CAR-based approaches to target tumor-associated antigens in solid tumors. However, there still remain significant challenges and limitations in the design and production of CAR-modified T cells that need to be addressed, such as more effective transduction methods, expression and exhaustion issues, reliable in vitro and in vivo characterization methods, etc. Here we describe current techniques for generating CAR T cells using lentiviral vectors as well as detailed protocols for their functional characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansour Poorebrahim
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines Group, Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Isaac Quiros-Fernandez
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines Group, Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elham Fakhr
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines Group, Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Angel Cid-Arregui
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines Group, Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
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108
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Akbari P, Katsarou A, Daghighian R, van Mil LW, Huijbers EJ, Griffioen AW, van Beijnum JR. Directing CAR T cells towards the tumor vasculature for the treatment of solid tumors. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2022; 1877:188701. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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109
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Chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cells and their application in the immunotherapy of solid tumours. Expert Rev Mol Med 2022; 24:e7. [PMID: 35086597 PMCID: PMC9617572 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2021.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In this article, we reviewed the current literature studies and our understanding of the parameters that affect the chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T's) activation, effector function, in vivo persistence, and antitumour effects. These factors include T cell subsets and their differentiation stages, the components of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) design, the expression promoters and delivery vectors, and the CAR-T production process. The CAR signalling and CAR-T activation were also studied in comparison to TCR. The last section of the review gave special consideration of CAR design for solid tumours, focusing on strategies to improve CAR-T tumour infiltration and survival in the hostile tumour microenvironment. With several hundred clinical trials undergoing worldwide, the pace of CAR-T immunotherapy moves from bench to bedside is unprecedented. We hope that the article will provide readers a clear and comprehensive view of this rapidly evolving field and will help scientists and physician to design effective CAR-Ts immunotherapy for solid tumours.
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110
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Füchsl F, Krackhardt AM. Adoptive Cellular Therapy for Multiple Myeloma Using CAR- and TCR-Transgenic T Cells: Response and Resistance. Cells 2022; 11:410. [PMID: 35159220 PMCID: PMC8834324 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the substantial improvement of therapeutic approaches, multiple myeloma (MM) remains mostly incurable. However, immunotherapeutic and especially T cell-based approaches pioneered the therapeutic landscape for relapsed and refractory disease recently. Targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) on myeloma cells has been demonstrated to be highly effective not only by antibody-derived constructs but also by adoptive cellular therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transgenic T cells lead to deep, albeit mostly not durable responses with manageable side-effects in intensively pretreated patients. The spectrum of adoptive T cell-transfer covers synthetic CARs with diverse specificities as well as currently less well-established T cell receptor (TCR)-based personalized strategies. In this review, we want to focus on treatment characteristics including efficacy and safety of CAR- and TCR-transgenic T cells in MM as well as the future potential these novel therapies may have. ACT with transgenic T cells has only entered clinical trials and various engineering strategies for optimization of T cell responses are necessary to overcome therapy resistance mechanisms. We want to outline the current success in engineering CAR- and TCR-T cells, but also discuss challenges including resistance mechanisms of MM for evading T cell therapy and point out possible novel strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Füchsl
- School of Medicine, Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaningerstraße 22, 81675 Munich, Germany;
| | - Angela M. Krackhardt
- School of Medicine, Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaningerstraße 22, 81675 Munich, Germany;
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner-Site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Einsteinstraße 25, 81675 Munich, Germany
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111
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The Hematology of Tomorrow Is Here-Preclinical Models Are Not: Cell Therapy for Hematological Malignancies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14030580. [PMID: 35158848 PMCID: PMC8833715 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Cell therapy is revolutionizing the prospect of deadly hematological malignancies such as high-risk acute myeloid leukemia. Stem cell therapy of allogeneic source from compatible human leukocyte antigen donor has exceptional success promoting durable remissions, but the rate of relapse is currently still high and there is transplant-related mortality. This review presents the current knowledge on the clinical use of mesenchymal stromal cells to improve outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplants. As an alternative or adjuvant approach to prevent relapse, we summarize the status of the promising forms of cellular immunotherapy aimed at targeting not only the bulk but also the cells of origin of leukemia. Finally, we discuss the available in vivo models for disease modelling and treatment efficacy prediction in these contexts. Abstract The purpose of this review is to present the current knowledge on the clinical use of several forms of cell therapy in hematological malignancies and the preclinical models available for their study. In the context of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants, mesenchymal stromal cells are pursued to help stem cell engraftment and expansion, and control graft versus host disease. We further summarize the status of promising forms of cellular immunotherapy including CAR T cell and CAR NK cell therapy aimed at eradicating the cells of origin of leukemia, i.e., leukemia stem cells. Updates on other forms of cellular immunotherapy, such as NK cells, CIK cells and CAR CIK cells, show encouraging results in AML. The considerations in available in vivo models for disease modelling and treatment efficacy prediction are discussed, with a particular focus on their strengths and weaknesses for the study of healthy and diseased hematopoietic stem cell reconstitution, graft versus host disease and immunotherapy. Despite current limitations, cell therapy is a rapidly evolving field that holds the promise of improved cure rates, soon. As a result, we may be witnessing the birth of the hematology of tomorrow. To further support its development, improved preclinical models including humanized microenvironments in mice are urgently needed.
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112
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A cell-based phenotypic library selection and screening approach for the de novo discovery of novel functional chimeric antigen receptors. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1136. [PMID: 35064152 PMCID: PMC8782825 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05058-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-tumor therapies that seek to exploit and redirect the cytotoxic killing and effector potential of autologous or syngeneic T cells have shown extraordinary promise and efficacy in certain clinical settings. Such cells, when engineered to express synthetic chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) acquire novel targeting and activation properties which are governed and orchestrated by, typically, antibody fragments specific for a tumor antigen of interest. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that not all antibodies are equal in this regard, with a growing appreciation that ‘optimal’ CAR performance requires a consideration of multiple structural and contextual parameters. Thus, antibodies raised by classical approaches and intended for other applications often perform poorly or not at all when repurposed as CARs. With this in mind, we have explored the potential of an in vitro phenotypic CAR library discovery approach that tightly associates antibody-driven bridging of tumor and effector T cells with an informative and functionally relevant CAR activation reporter signal. Critically, we demonstrate the utility of this enrichment methodology for ‘real world’ de novo discovery by isolating several novel anti-mesothelin CAR-active scFv candidates.
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113
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Lin J, Xu A, Jin J, Zhang M, Lou J, Qian C, Zhu J, Wang Y, Yang Z, Li X, Yu W, Liu B, Tao H. MerTK-mediated efferocytosis promotes immune tolerance and tumor progression in osteosarcoma through enhancing M2 polarization and PD-L1 expression. Oncoimmunology 2022; 11:2024941. [PMID: 35036076 PMCID: PMC8757471 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.2024941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The poor progress of immunotherapy on osteosarcoma patients requires deeper delineation of immune tolerance mechanisms in the osteosarcoma microenvironment and a new therapeutic strategy. Clearance of apoptotic cells by phagocytes, a process termed “efferocytosis,” is ubiquitous in tumors and mediates the suppression of innate immune inflammatory response. Considering the massive infiltrated macrophages in osteosarcoma, efferocytosis probably serves as a potential target, but is rarely studied in osteosarcoma. Here, we verified M2 polarization and PD-L1 expression of macrophages following efferocytosis. Pharmacological inhibition and genetic knockdown were used to explore the underlying pathway. Moreover, tumor progression and immune landscape were evaluated following inhibition of efferocytosis in osteosarcoma model. Our study indicated that efferocytosis promoted PD-L1 expression and M2 polarization of macrophages. Ëfferocytosis was mediated by MerTK receptor in osteosarcoma and regulated the phenotypes of macrophages through the p38/STAT3 pathway. By establishing the murine osteosarcoma model, we emphasized that inhibition of MerTK suppressed tumor growth and enhanced the T cell cytotoxic function by increasing the infiltration of CD8+ T cells and decreasing their exhaustion. Our findings demonstrate that MerTK-mediated efferocytosis promotes osteosarcoma progression by enhancing M2 polarization of macrophages and PD-L1-induced immune tolerance, which were regulated through the p38/STAT3 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinti Lin
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Ankai Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Jiakang Jin
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Man Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Jianan Lou
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Chao Qian
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Jian Zhu
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Yitian Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Zhengming Yang
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Xiumao Li
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Wei Yu
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Bing Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Huimin Tao
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.,Orthopedics Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, PR China
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Bulter SE, Brog RA, Chang CH, Sentman CL, Huang YH, Ackerman ME. Engineering a natural ligand-based CAR: directed evolution of the stress-receptor NKp30. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2022; 71:165-176. [PMID: 34046711 PMCID: PMC8626535 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-021-02971-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
B7H6, a stress-induced ligand which binds to the NK cell receptor NKp30, has recently emerged as a promising candidate for immunotherapy due to its tumor-specific expression on a broad array of human tumors. NKp30 can function as a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) extracellular domain but exhibits weak binding with a fast on and off rate to B7H6 compared to the TZ47 anti-B7H6 single-chain variable fragment (scFv). Here, directed evolution using yeast display was employed to isolate novel NKp30 variants that bind to B7H6 with higher affinity compared to the native receptor but retain its fast association and dissociation profile. Two variants, CC3 and CC5, were selected for further characterization and were expressed as soluble Fc-fusion proteins and CARs containing CD28 and CD3ς intracellular domains. We observed that Fc-fusion protein forms of NKp30 and its variants were better able to bind tumor cells expressing low levels of B7H6 than TZ47, and that the novel variants generally exhibited improved in vitro tumor cell killing relative to NKp30. Interestingly, CAR T cells expressing the engineered variants produced unique cytokine signatures in response to multiple tumor types expressing B7H6 compared to both NKp30 and TZ47. These findings suggest that natural CAR receptors can be fine-tuned to produce more desirable signaling outputs while maintaining evolutionary advantages in ligand recognition relative to scFvs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savannah E. Bulter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Rachel A. Brog
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Cheryl H. Chang
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Charles L. Sentman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Yina H. Huang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Margaret E. Ackerman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA,Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA,Corresponding author: Margaret E. Ackerman, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 14 Engineering Dr, Hanover, NH 03755 USA, (ph) 603 646 9922,
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115
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Hanssens H, Meeus F, De Veirman K, Breckpot K, Devoogdt N. The antigen-binding moiety in the driver's seat of CARs. Med Res Rev 2022; 42:306-342. [PMID: 34028069 PMCID: PMC9292017 DOI: 10.1002/med.21818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Immuno-oncology has been at the forefront of cancer treatment in recent decades. In particular immune checkpoint and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy have achieved spectacular results. Over the years, CAR-T cell development has followed a steady evolutionary path, focusing on increasing T cell potency and sustainability, which has given rise to different CAR generations. However, there was less focus on the mode of interaction between the CAR-T cell and the cancer cell; more specifically on the targeting moiety used in the CAR and its specific properties. Recently, the importance of optimizing this domain has been recognized and the possibilities have been exploited. Over the last 10 years-in addition to the classical scFv-based CARs-single domain CARs, natural receptor-ligand CARs, universal CARs and CARs targeting more than one antigen have emerged. In addition, the specific parameters of the targeting domain and their influence on T cell activation are being examined. In this review, we concisely present the history of CAR-T cell therapy, and then expand on various developments in the CAR ectodomain. We discuss different formats, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as the developments in affinity tuning, avidity effects, epitope location, and influence of the extracellular spacer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heleen Hanssens
- In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging LaboratoryVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
- Laboratory of Hematology and ImmunologyVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical SciencesVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
| | - Fien Meeus
- In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging LaboratoryVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical SciencesVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
| | - Kim De Veirman
- Laboratory of Hematology and ImmunologyVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
| | - Karine Breckpot
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical SciencesVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
| | - Nick Devoogdt
- In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging LaboratoryVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
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116
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Nobili A, Kobayashi A, Gedeon PC, Novina CD. Clutch Control: Changing the Speed and Direction of CAR-T Cell Therapy. JOURNAL OF CANCER IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 4:52-59. [PMID: 36531912 PMCID: PMC9754302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Nobili
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA,Current Address: Dynamic Cell Therapies, Inc., 127 Western Ave., Allston, MA 02134, USA
| | - Aya Kobayashi
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Patrick C. Gedeon
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Carl D. Novina
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA,Correspondence should be addressed to Carl D. Novina,
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117
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Sheykhhasan M, Manoochehri H, Dama P. Use of CAR T-cell for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment: a review study. Cancer Gene Ther 2022; 29:1080-1096. [PMID: 34987176 PMCID: PMC9395272 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-021-00418-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer-specific lymphoid cell. Induction and consolidation chemotherapy alone or in combination with different therapeutic approaches remain the main treatment. Although complete or partial remission of the disease can be achieved, the risk of relapse or refractory leukemia is still high. More effective and safe therapy options are yet unmet needs. In recent years' new therapeutic approaches have been widely used. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) presents significant limitations and the outcome of the consolidation treatment is patient dependent. Side effects such as Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are extremely common, therefore, using alternative methods to address these challenges for treatment seems crucial. In the last decade, T cells genetically engineered with Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) treatment for the ALL are largely studied and represent the new era of strategy. According to the Phase I/II clinical trials, this technology results seem very promising and can be used in the next future as an effective and safe treatment for ALL treatment. In this review different generations, challenges, and clinical studies related to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells for ALL treatment are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Sheykhhasan
- grid.411950.80000 0004 0611 9280Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran ,Department of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Qom, Iran
| | - Hamed Manoochehri
- grid.411950.80000 0004 0611 9280Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Paola Dama
- Research Fellow School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
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118
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Prommersberger S, Monjezi R, Shankar R, Schmeer M, Hudecek M, Ivics Z, Schleef M. Minicircles for CAR T Cell Production by Sleeping Beauty Transposition: A Technological Overview. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2521:25-39. [PMID: 35732991 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2441-8_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Development and application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has led to a breakthrough in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. In 2017, the FDA approved the first commercialized CD19-specific CAR T cell products for treatment of patients with B-cell malignancies. This success increased the desire to broaden the availability of CAR T cells to a larger patient cohort with hematological but also solid tumors. A critical factor of CAR T cell production is the stable and efficient delivery of the CAR transgene into T cells. This gene transfer is conventionally achieved by viral vectors. However, viral gene transfer is not conducive to affordable, scalable, and timely manufacturing of CAR T cell products. Thus, there is a necessity for developing alternative nonviral engineering platforms, which are more cost-effective, less complex to handle and which provide the scalability requirement for a globally available therapy.One alternative method for engineering of T cells is the nonviral gene transfer by Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposition. Electroporation with two nucleic acids is sufficient to achieve stable CAR transfer into T cells. One of these vectors has to encode the gene of interest, which is the CAR , the second one a recombinase called SB transposase, the enzyme that catalyzes integration of the transgene into the host cell genome. As nucleic acids are easy to produce and handle SB gene transfer has the potential to provide scalability, cost-effectiveness, and feasibility for widespread use of CAR T cell therapies.Nevertheless, the electroporation of two large-size plasmid vectors into T cells leads to high T cell toxicity and low gene transfer rates and has hindered the prevalent clinical application of the SB system. To circumvent these limitations, conventional plasmid vectors can be replaced by minimal-size vectors called minicircles (MC ). MCs are DNA vectors that lack the plasmid backbone, which is relevant for propagation in bacteria, but has no function in a human cell. Thus, their size is drastically reduced compared to conventional plasmids. It has been demonstrated that MC-mediated SB CAR transposition into T cells enhances their viability and gene transfer rate enabling the production of therapeutic doses of CAR T cells. These improvements make CAR SB transposition from MC vectors a promising alternative for engineering of clinical grade CAR T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Razieh Monjezi
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ram Shankar
- PlasmidFactory GmbH & Co. KG, Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Michael Hudecek
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany
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119
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Vander Mause ER, Atanackovic D, Lim CS, Luetkens T. Roadmap to affinity-tuned antibodies for enhanced chimeric antigen receptor T cell function and selectivity. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 40:875-890. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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120
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Duan Y, Chen R, Huang Y, Meng X, Chen J, Liao C, Tang Y, Zhou C, Gao X, Sun J. Tuning the ignition of CAR: optimizing the affinity of scFv to improve CAR-T therapy. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 79:14. [PMID: 34966954 PMCID: PMC11073403 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04089-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
How single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) affect the functions of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has not been well studied. Here, the components of CAR with an emphasis on scFv were described, and then several methods to measure scFv affinity were discussed. Next, scFv optimization studies for CD19, CD38, HER2, GD2 or EGFR were overviewed, showing that tuning the affinity of scFv could alleviate the on-target/off-tumor toxicity. The affinities of scFvs for different antigens were also summarized to designate a relatively optimal working range for CAR design. Last, a synthetic biology approach utilizing a low-affinity synthetic Notch (synNotch) receptor to achieve ultrasensitivity of antigen-density discrimination and murine models to assay the on-target/off-tumor toxicity of CARs were highlighted. Thus, this review provides preliminary guidelines of choosing the right scFvs for CARs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanting Duan
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital & Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University & Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ruoqi Chen
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital & Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University & Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yanjie Huang
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xianhui Meng
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital & Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University & Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiangqing Chen
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital & Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University & Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chan Liao
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yongmin Tang
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chun Zhou
- School of Public Health, and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaofei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Structural Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jie Sun
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital & Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University & Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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121
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Lee HH, Kim I, Kim UK, Choi SS, Kim TY, Lee D, Lee Y, Lee J, Jo J, Lee YT, Lee HJ, Kim SJ, Ahn JS. Therapeutic effiacy of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptor derived from a mesothelin-specific scFv in orthotopic human pancreatic cancer animal models. Neoplasia 2021; 24:98-108. [PMID: 34954452 PMCID: PMC8718570 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.12.005] [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: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Novel CAR T cells targeting mesothelin (MSLN) expressed on pancreatic cancer cells were developed to overcome the limit of the clinical efficacy of CAR T cell therapy for pancreatic cancer patients. Optimal single-chain variable fragments (scFv) binding to MSLN were selected based on the binding activity and the functional effectiveness of various scFv containing CAR-expressing T cells. Engineered MSLN CAR T cells showed successful anti-tumor activity specific to MSLN expression level. Furthermore, MSLN CAR T cells were evaluated for the anti-cancer efficacy in orthotopic mouse models bearing pancreatic cancer cells, MIA Paca-2, MSLN-overexpressed MIA Paca-2 or endogenously MSLN-expressing AsPC-1. Mice were randomized into control, mock treated, MS501 BBz treated, MS501 28z treated or MS501 28BBz treated group. Mice were monitored by weekly IVIS imaging and tumors were harvested and analyzed by immunohistochemical analyses. MSLN CAR T cells produced the therapeutic effect in orthotopic animal models with complete remission in significant number of mice. Histopathological analysis indicated that CD4+ and CD8+ MSLN CAR T cells infiltrated pancreatic tumor tissue and led to cancer cell eradication. Our results demonstrated the anti-tumor efficacy of MSLN CAR T cell therapy against pancreatic cancer, suggesting its therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon Ho Lee
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Irene Kim
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Un Kyo Kim
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Suk San Choi
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Yang Kim
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Dahea Lee
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngeun Lee
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehee Lee
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhui Jo
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Tae Lee
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Jeong Lee
- Platbio, Inc, Platbio, Inc, #1501, Ace Gwanggyo Tower2, 91 Changnyong-daero 256beon-gil, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggido 16229, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Jin Kim
- Platbio, Inc, Platbio, Inc, #1501, Ace Gwanggyo Tower2, 91 Changnyong-daero 256beon-gil, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggido 16229, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jong Seong Ahn
- GC Cell, Inc, 107, Ihyeon-ro 30beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggido 16924, Republic of Korea.
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122
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Natural Receptor- and Ligand-Based Chimeric Antigen Receptors: Strategies Using Natural Ligands and Receptors for Targeted Cell Killing. Cells 2021; 11:cells11010021. [PMID: 35011583 PMCID: PMC8750724 DOI: 10.3390/cells11010021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has been widely successful in the treatment of B-cell malignancies, including B-cell lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma; and three generations of CAR designs have led to effective FDA approved therapeutics. Traditionally, CAR antigen specificity is derived from a monoclonal antibody where the variable heavy (VH) and variable light (VL) chains are connected by a peptide linker to form a single-chain variable fragment (scFv). While this provides a level of antigen specificity parallel to that of an antibody and has shown great success in the clinic, this design is not universally successful. For instance, issues of stability, immunogenicity, and antigen escape hinder the translational application of some CARs. As an alternative, natural receptor- or ligand-based designs may prove advantageous in some circumstances compared to scFv-based designs. Herein, the advantages and disadvantages of scFv-based and natural receptor- or ligand-based CAR designs are discussed. In addition, several translational aspects of natural receptor- and ligand-based CAR approaches that are being investigated in preclinical and clinical studies will be examined.
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123
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Bister A, Ibach T, Haist C, Smorra D, Roellecke K, Wagenmann M, Scheckenbach K, Gattermann N, Wiek C, Hanenberg H. A novel CD34-derived hinge for rapid and efficient detection and enrichment of CAR T cells. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2021; 23:534-546. [PMID: 34901395 PMCID: PMC8640169 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has revolutionized modern cancer therapy and has achieved remarkable remission and survival rates for several malignancies with historically dismal outcomes. The hinge of the CAR connects the antigen binding to the transmembrane domain and can be exploited to confer features to CAR T cells including additional stimulation, targeted elimination or detection and enrichment of the genetically modified cells. For establishing a novel hinge derived from human CD34, we systematically tested CD34 fragments of different lengths, all containing the binding site of the QBend-10 monoclonal antibody, in a FMC63-based CD19 CAR lentiviral construct. A final construct of 99 amino acids called C6 proved to be the best candidate for flow cytometry-based detection of CAR T cells and >95% enrichment of genetically modified T cells on MACS columns. The C6 hinge was functionally indistinguishable from the commonly used CD8α hinge in vitro as well as in in vivo experiments in NSG mice. We also showed that the C6 hinge can be used for a variety of different CARs and mediates high killing efficacy without unspecific activation by target antigen-negative cells, thus making C6 ideally suited as a universal hinge for CARs for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Bister
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Tabea Ibach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Corinna Haist
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Denise Smorra
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Katharina Roellecke
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin Wagenmann
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kathrin Scheckenbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Norbert Gattermann
- Department of Hematology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Constanze Wiek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
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A Novel Peptide-MHC Targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Forms a T Cell-like Immune Synapse. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9121875. [PMID: 34944696 PMCID: PMC8699022 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9121875] [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: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a promising form of adoptive cell therapy that re-engineers patient-derived T cells to express a hybrid receptor specific to a tumour-specific antigen of choice. Many well-characterised tumour antigens are intracellular and therefore not accessible to antibodies at the cell surface. Therefore, the ability to target peptide-MHC tumour targets with antibodies is key for wider applicability of CAR T cell therapy in cancer. One way to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of ligating tumour target cells is studying the immune synapse. Here we generated a second-generation CAR to targeting the HLA-A*02:01 restricted H3.3K27M epitope, identified as a possible therapeutic target in ~75% of diffuse midline gliomas, used as a model antigen to study the immune synapse. The pMHCI-specific CAR demonstrated specificity, potent activation, cytokine secretion and cytotoxic function. Furthermore, we characterised killing kinetics using live cell imaging as well as CAR synapse confocal imaging. Here we provide evidence of robust CAR targeting of a model peptide-MHC antigen and that, in contrast to protein-specific CARs, these CARs form a TCR-like immune synapse which facilitates TCR-like killing kinetics.
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125
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Zeng W, Zhang Q, Zhu Y, Ou R, Peng L, Wang B, Shen H, Liu Z, Lu L, Zhang P, Liu S. Engineering Novel CD19/CD22 Dual-Target CAR-T Cells for Improved Anti-Tumor Activity. Cancer Invest 2021; 40:282-292. [PMID: 34797742 DOI: 10.1080/07357907.2021.2005798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite high remission rates following chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) cell therapy in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), relapse due to loss of the targeted antigen is increasingly recognized as a mechanism of immune escape. We hypothesized that simultaneous targeting of CD19 and CD22 may improve the CAR-T effect. The in vitro and in vivo leukemia model was established, and the anti-tumor effects of BiCAR-T, CD19 CAR-T, CD22 CAR-T, and LoopCAR6 cells were observed. We found that the BiCAR-T cells showed significant cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. The CD19/CD22 bivalent CAR provides an opportunity to test whether simultaneous targeting may reduce the risk of antigen loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanying Zeng
- National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yangmin Zhu
- Department of Hematology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruiming Ou
- Department of Hematology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang Peng
- Shenzhen Fapon Biotherapy Co., Shenzhen, China
| | - Baolei Wang
- Shenzhen Fapon Biotherapy Co., Shenzhen, China
| | - Huijuan Shen
- Department of Hematology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhi Liu
- Department of Hematology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lisheng Lu
- Shenzhen Fapon Biotherapy Co., Shenzhen, China
| | - Pumin Zhang
- National Center for International Research of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Targeting Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangxi Talent Highland of Bio-targeting Theranostics, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Department of Hematology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
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Xiao BF, Zhang JT, Zhu YG, Cui XR, Lu ZM, Yu BT, Wu N. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy in Lung Cancer: Potential and Challenges. Front Immunol 2021; 12:782775. [PMID: 34790207 PMCID: PMC8591168 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.782775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has exhibited a substantial clinical response in hematological malignancies, including B-cell leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Therefore, the feasibility of using CAR-T cells to treat solid tumors is actively evaluated. Currently, multiple basic research projects and clinical trials are being conducted to treat lung cancer with CAR-T cell therapy. Although numerous advances in CAR-T cell therapy have been made in hematological tumors, the technology still entails considerable challenges in treating lung cancer, such as on−target, of−tumor toxicity, paucity of tumor-specific antigen targets, T cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment, and low infiltration level of immune cells into solid tumor niches, which are even more complicated than their application in hematological tumors. Thus, progress in the scientific understanding of tumor immunology and improvements in the manufacture of cell products are advancing the clinical translation of these important cellular immunotherapies. This review focused on the latest research progress of CAR-T cell therapy in lung cancer treatment and for the first time, demonstrated the underlying challenges and future engineering strategies for the clinical application of CAR-T cell therapy against lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bu-Fan Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Thoracic Surgery II, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Jing-Tao Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yu-Ge Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Thoracic Surgery II, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Xin-Run Cui
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Thoracic Surgery II, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Zhe-Ming Lu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Ben-Tong Yu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Nan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Thoracic Surgery II, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
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127
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Horses for Courses in the Era of CARs: Advancing CAR T and CAR NK Cell Therapies. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11111182. [PMID: 34834534 PMCID: PMC8621371 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11111182] [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: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The adoptive transfer of allogeneic CAR NK cells holds great promise as an anticancer modality due to the relative ease of manufacturing and genetic modification of NK cells, which translates into affordable pricing. Compared to the pronounced efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in the treatment of B cell malignancies, rigorous clinical and preclinical assessment of the antitumor properties of CAR NK cells has been lagging behind. In this brief review, we summarize the biological features of NK cells that may help define the therapeutic niche of CAR NK cells as well as create more potent NK cell-based anticancer products. In addition, we compare T cells and NK cells as the carriers of CARs using the data of single-cell transcriptomic analysis.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The Wnt receptors ROR1 and ROR2 are generating increased interest as cancer therapeutic targets but remain understudied in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Compared to canonical Wnt/ β-catenin signalling, the role of noncanonical Wnt signalling in PDAC remains largely unknown. Only one study has investigated the prognostic significance of the noncanonical Wnt signalling receptor, ROR2 in PDAC. No studies have investigated the prognostic role of ROR1 in PDAC. METHODS Here, we performed analysis of ROR1 and ROR2 mRNA expression in three publicly available datasets ICGC-PACA-AU (n = 81), TCGA-PAAD (n = 150) and CPTAC-PDAC (n = 137). ROR1 and ROR2 protein expression from the CPTAC-PDAC discovery cohort were also analysed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the validated anti ROR1 monoclonal antibody (4A5) was performed on the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Initiative (APGI) cohort of PDAC samples (n = 152). Association between ROR1 cytoplasmic staining intensity and clinicopathological parameters including stage, grade and overall survival (OS) was investigated. RESULTS High ROR1 mRNA expression levels correlated with a favourable OS outcome in all of the ICGC-PACA-AU, TCGA-PAAD and CPTAC-PDAC cohorts. ROR1 protein expression was not associated with stage, grade or OS in the APGI cohort. CONCLUSION ROR1 and ROR2 have potential as prognostic markers when measured at the mRNA level in PDAC. Our IHC cohort did not support ROR1 protein expression in predicting OS, and highlighted the discrepancy of prognostic biomarkers when measured by MS, IHC and RNAseq.
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Chung H, Jung H, Noh JY. Emerging Approaches for Solid Tumor Treatment Using CAR-T Cell Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212126. [PMID: 34830003 PMCID: PMC8621681 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy is becoming more important in the clinical setting, especially for cancers resistant to conventional chemotherapy, including targeted therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which uses patient’s autologous T cells, combined with engineered T cell receptors, has shown remarkable results, with five US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals to date. CAR-T cells have been very effective in hematologic malignancies, such as diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), and multiple myeloma (MM); however, its effectiveness in treating solid tumors has not been evaluated clearly. Therefore, many studies and clinical investigations are emerging to improve the CAR-T cell efficacy in solid tumors. The novel therapeutic approaches include modifying CARs in multiple ways or developing a combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapies. In this review, we focus on the challenges and recent advancements in CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunmin Chung
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Korea
| | - Haiyoung Jung
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- Department of Functional Genomics, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), 113 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Korea
- Correspondence: (H.J.); (J.-Y.N.)
| | - Ji-Yoon Noh
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- Correspondence: (H.J.); (J.-Y.N.)
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130
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Heard A, Chang J, Warrington JM, Singh N. Advances in CAR design. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2021; 34:101304. [PMID: 34625230 DOI: 10.1016/j.beha.2021.101304] [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] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have revolutionized the management of B cell malignancies. These synthetic molecules are composed of peptide fragments from several distinct immune cell proteins and link highly-specific antigen recognition with potent T cell activation. Despite impressive results in many, less than half of patients treated will achieve durable remission after CAR therapy. Recent studies have identified the central role that each structural component of the CAR molecule plays in regulating T cell function. Significant effort has been dedicated to exploring strategies to improve the design of CARs themselves or integrate their activity with other regulatory circuits to enable more precise function. In this review, we will summarize recent pre-clinical and clinical studies that have evaluated novel CAR design formats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Heard
- Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Jufang Chang
- Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - John M Warrington
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Nathan Singh
- Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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131
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Tong C, Wang Y, Han WD. [Structural optimization and prospect of chimeric antigen receptor T cells]. ZHONGHUA XUE YE XUE ZA ZHI = ZHONGHUA XUEYEXUE ZAZHI 2021; 42:771-777. [PMID: 34753236 PMCID: PMC8607033 DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-2727.2021.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C Tong
- The First Medical Center, The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Y Wang
- The First Medical Center, The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
| | - W D Han
- The First Medical Center, The Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
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132
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Hwang MS, Miller MS, Thirawatananond P, Douglass J, Wright KM, Hsiue EHC, Mog BJ, Aytenfisu TY, Murphy MB, Aitana Azurmendi P, Skora AD, Pearlman AH, Paul S, DiNapoli SR, Konig MF, Bettegowda C, Pardoll DM, Papadopoulos N, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, Zhou S, Gabelli SB. Structural engineering of chimeric antigen receptors targeting HLA-restricted neoantigens. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5271. [PMID: 34489470 PMCID: PMC8421441 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25605-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have emerged as a promising class of therapeutic agents, generating remarkable responses in the clinic for a subset of human cancers. One major challenge precluding the wider implementation of CAR therapy is the paucity of tumor-specific antigens. Here, we describe the development of a CAR targeting the tumor-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) with R140Q mutation presented on the cell surface in complex with a common human leukocyte antigen allele, HLA-B*07:02. Engineering of the hinge domain of the CAR, as well as crystal structure-guided optimization of the IDH2R140Q-HLA-B*07:02-targeting moiety, enhances the sensitivity and specificity of CARs to enable targeting of this HLA-restricted neoantigen. This approach thus holds promise for the development and optimization of immunotherapies specific to other cancer driver mutations that are difficult to target by conventional means. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells in the clinic currently target cell-type-specific extracellular antigens on malignant cells. Here, authors engineer tumor-specific chimeric antigen receptor T cells that target human leukocyte antigen-presented neoantigens derived from mutant intracellular proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Hwang
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michelle S Miller
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Puchong Thirawatananond
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jacqueline Douglass
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Katharine M Wright
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Emily Han-Chung Hsiue
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brian J Mog
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tihitina Y Aytenfisu
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - P Aitana Azurmendi
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew D Skora
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Co, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Alexander H Pearlman
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Suman Paul
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sarah R DiNapoli
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Maximilian F Konig
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chetan Bettegowda
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Drew M Pardoll
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nickolas Papadopoulos
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kenneth W Kinzler
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bert Vogelstein
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA. .,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Shibin Zhou
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Sandra B Gabelli
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Jie Y, Liu G, Feng L, Li Y, E M, Wu L, Li Y, Rong G, Li Y, Wei H, Gu A. PTK7-Targeting CAR T-Cells for the Treatment of Lung Cancer and Other Malignancies. Front Immunol 2021; 12:665970. [PMID: 34475869 PMCID: PMC8406764 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.665970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of impressive success in treating hematologic malignancies, adoptive therapy with chimeric antigen receptor modified T cells (CAR T) has not yet been effective in solid tumors, where identification of suitable tumor-specific antigens remains a major obstacle for CAR T-cell therapy due to the “on target off tumor” toxicity. Protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) is a member of the Wnt-related pseudokinases and identified as a highly expressed antigen enriched in cancer stem cells (CSCs) from multiple solid tumors, including but not limited to triple-negative breast cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, and ovarian cancer, suggesting it may serve as a promising tumor-specific target for CAR T-cell therapy. In this study, we constructed three different PTK7-specific CAR (PTK7-CAR1/2/3), each comprising a humanized PTK7-specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv), hinge and transmembrane (TM) regions of the human CD8α molecule, 4-1BB intracellular co-stimulatory domain (BB-ICD), and CD3ζ intracellular domain (CD3ζ-ICD) sequence, and then prepared the CAR T cells by lentivirus-mediated transduction of human activated T cells accordingly, and we sequentially evaluated their antigen-specific recognition and killing activity in vitro and in vivo. T cells transduced with all three PTK7-CAR candidates exhibited antigen-specific cytokine production and potent cytotoxicity against naturally expressing PTK7-positive tumor cells of multiple cancer types without mediating cytotoxicity of a panel of normal primary human cells; meanwhile, in vitro recursive cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that only PTK7-CAR2 modified T cells retained effective through multiple rounds of tumor challenge. Using in vivo xenograft models of lung cancers with different expression levels of PTK7, systemic delivery of PTK7-CAR2 modified T cells significantly prevented tumor growth and prolonged overall survival of mice. Altogether, our results support PTK7 as a therapeutic target suitable for CAR T-cell therapy that could be applied for lung cancers and many other solid cancers with PTK7 overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamin Jie
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Guijun Liu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
| | - Lina Feng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China
| | - Ying Li
- Institute of Hard Tissue Development and Regeneration, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Mingyan E
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China
| | - Liangliang Wu
- Key Lab of Cancer Center, General Hospital of Chinese PLA & Beijing Key Laboratory of Cell Engineering & Antibody, Beijing, China
| | - Yinyin Li
- Liver Cancer Unit, Department of Liver Disease, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Guanghua Rong
- Liver Cancer Unit, Department of Liver Disease, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yongwu Li
- Department of Radiology, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Huafeng Wei
- Key Lab of Cancer Center, General Hospital of Chinese PLA & Beijing Key Laboratory of Cell Engineering & Antibody, Beijing, China
| | - Anxin Gu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China
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134
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Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy involves the genetic modification of the patient's own T cells so that they specifically recognize and destroy tumour cells. Considerable clinical success has been achieved using this technique in patients with lymphoid malignancies, but clinical studies that investigated treating solid tumours using this emerging technology have been disappointing. A number of developments might be able to increase the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy for treatment of prostate cancer, including improved trafficking to the tumour, techniques to overcome the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment, as well as methods to enhance CAR T cell persistence, specificity and safety. Furthermore, CAR T cell therapy has the potential to be combined with other treatment modalities, such as androgen deprivation therapy, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and could be applied as focal CAR T cell therapy for prostate cancer.
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135
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Salter AI, Rajan A, Kennedy JJ, Ivey RG, Shelby SA, Leung I, Templeton ML, Muhunthan V, Voillet V, Sommermeyer D, Whiteaker JR, Gottardo R, Veatch SL, Paulovich AG, Riddell SR. Comparative analysis of TCR and CAR signaling informs CAR designs with superior antigen sensitivity and in vivo function. Sci Signal 2021; 14:14/697/eabe2606. [PMID: 34429382 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abe2606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cell therapy is effective in treating lymphomas, leukemias, and multiple myeloma in which the tumor cells express high amounts of target antigen. However, achieving durable remission for these hematological malignancies and extending CAR T cell therapy to patients with solid tumors will require receptors that can recognize and eliminate tumor cells with a low density of target antigen. Although CARs were designed to mimic T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, TCRs are at least 100-fold more sensitive to antigen. To design a CAR with improved antigen sensitivity, we directly compared TCR and CAR signaling in primary human T cells. Global phosphoproteomic analysis revealed that key T cell signaling proteins-such as CD3δ, CD3ε, and CD3γ, which comprise a portion of the T cell co-receptor, as well as the TCR adaptor protein LAT-were either not phosphorylated or were only weakly phosphorylated by CAR stimulation. Modifying a commonplace 4-1BB/CD3ζ CAR sequence to better engage CD3ε and LAT using embedded CD3ε or GRB2 domains resulted in enhanced T cell activation in vitro in settings of a low density of antigen, and improved efficacy in in vivo models of lymphoma, leukemia, and breast cancer. These CARs represent examples of alterations in receptor design that were guided by in-depth interrogation of T cell signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I Salter
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. .,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Anusha Rajan
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Jacob J Kennedy
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Richard G Ivey
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Sarah A Shelby
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Isabel Leung
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Megan L Templeton
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Vishaka Muhunthan
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Valentin Voillet
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Cape Town HVTN Immunology Laboratory, Hutchinson Centre Research Institute of South Africa, NPC (HCRISA), Cape Town 8001, South Africa
| | - Daniel Sommermeyer
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Whiteaker
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Raphael Gottardo
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Sarah L Veatch
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Amanda G Paulovich
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Stanley R Riddell
- Program in Immunology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. .,Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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136
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Stüber T, Monjezi R, Wallstabe L, Kühnemundt J, Nietzer SL, Dandekar G, Wöckel A, Einsele H, Wischhusen J, Hudecek M. Inhibition of TGF-β- receptor signaling augments the antitumor function of ROR1-specific CAR T-cells against triple-negative breast cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2020-000676. [PMID: 32303620 PMCID: PMC7204619 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T-cells is effective in some hematologic tumors. In solid tumors, however, sustained antitumor responses after CAR T-cell therapy remain to be demonstrated both in the pre-clinical and clinical setting. A perceived barrier to the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy in solid tumors is the hostile tumor microenvironment where immunosuppressive soluble factors like transforming growth factor (TGF)-β are thought to inhibit the cellular immune response. Here, we analyzed whether CAR T-cells specific for the receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) antigen, that is frequently expressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), are susceptible to inhibition by TGF-β and evaluated TGF-β-receptor signaling blockade as a way of neutralizing the inhibitory effect of this cytokine. Methods CD8+ and CD4+ ROR1-CAR T-cells were prepared from healthy donors and their antitumor function analyzed using the TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231 in vitro and in a microphysiologic 3D tumor model. Analyses were performed in co-culture assays of ROR1-CAR T-cells and MDA-MB-231 cells with addition of exogenous TGF-β. Results The data show that exposure to TGF-β engages TGF-β-receptor signaling in CD8+ and CD4+ ROR1-CAR T-cells as evidenced by phosphorylation of small mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2. In the presence of TGF-β, the cytolytic activity, cytokine production and proliferation of ROR1-CAR T-cells in co-culture with MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells were markedly impaired, and the viability of ROR1-CAR T-cells reduced. Blockade of TGF-β-receptor signaling with the specific kinase inhibitor SD-208 was able to protect CD8+ and CD4+ ROR1-CAR T-cells from the inhibitory effect of TGF-β, and sustained their antitumor function in vitro and in the microphysiologic 3D tumor model. Combination treatment with SD-208 also led to increased viability and lower expression of PD-1 on ROR1-CAR T-cells at the end of the antitumor response. Conclusion We demonstrate the TGF-β suppresses the antitumor function of ROR1-CAR T-cells against TNBC in preclinical models. Our study supports the continued preclinical development and the clinical evaluation of combination treatments that shield CAR T-cells from TGF-β, as exemplified by the TGF-β-receptor kinase inhibitor SD-208 in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Stüber
- Frauenklinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Razieh Monjezi
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Lars Wallstabe
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Johanna Kühnemundt
- Tissue Engineering und Regenerative Medizin (TERM), Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Sarah Louise Nietzer
- Tissue Engineering und Regenerative Medizin (TERM), Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Gudrun Dandekar
- Tissue Engineering und Regenerative Medizin (TERM), Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Achim Wöckel
- Frauenklinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Hermann Einsele
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Jörg Wischhusen
- Frauenklinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Michael Hudecek
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
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137
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Han L, Zhou J, Li L, Zhou K, Zhao L, Zhu X, Yin Q, Li Y, You H, Zhang J, Song Y, Gao Q. Culturing adequate CAR-T cells from less peripheral blood to treat B-cell malignancies. Cancer Biol Med 2021; 18:j.issn.2095-3941.2021.0040. [PMID: 34390235 PMCID: PMC8610157 DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2021.0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T) cells have shown impressive results against relapsed/refractory B cell malignancies. However, the traditional manufacture of CAR-T cells requires leukapheresis to isolate large amounts of peripheral blood T cells, thus making some patients ineligible for the procedure. METHODS We developed a simple method for CAR-T cell preparation requiring small volumes of peripheral blood. First, CD3+ T cells isolated from 50 mL peripheral blood from patients (B-cell malignancies) were stimulated with immobilized anti-CD3/RetroNectin in 6-well plates and then transduced with CAR-expressing lentiviral vector. After 4 d, the T cells were transferred to culture bags for large-scale CAR-T cell expansion. In vitro and animal experiments were performed to evaluate the activity of the manufactured CAR-T cells. Finally, 29 patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and 9 patients with B-cell lymphoma were treated with the CAR-T cells. RESULTS The CAR-T cells were expanded to 1-3 × 108 cells in 8-10 d and successfully killed B cell-derived malignant tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. For patients with B-ALL, the complete remission rate was 93% 1 month after CAR-T cell infusion; after 12 months, the overall survival (OS) and leukemia-free survival rates were 69% and 31%, respectively. For patients with lymphoma, the objective response rate (including complete and partial remission) was 78% 2 months after CAR-T cell infusion, and after 12 months, the OS and progression-free survival rates were 71% and 43%, respectively. Cytokine-release syndrome (CRS) occurred in 65.51% and 55.56% of patients with B-ALL and B-cell lymphoma, respectively; severe CRS developed in 20.69% of patients with B-ALL and in no patients with lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS Our novel method can generate sufficient numbers of CAR-T cells for clinical use from 50-100 mL peripheral blood, thus providing an alternative means of CAR-T cell generation for patients ineligible for leukapheresis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Han
- Department of Immunology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Jian Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Linlin Li
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Keshu Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Lingdi Zhao
- Department of Immunology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Xinghu Zhu
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Qingsong Yin
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Yufu Li
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Hongqin You
- Department of Immunology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Jishuai Zhang
- The Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Company, Ltd., Shenzhen 518118, China
| | - Yongping Song
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Quanli Gao
- Department of Immunology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
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138
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Watanabe K, Nishikawa H. Engineering strategies for broad application of TCR-T and CAR-T cell therapies. Int Immunol 2021; 33:551-562. [PMID: 34374779 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy, including the transfer of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes after in vitro expansion or T cells redirected to tumor antigens using antigen-specific transgenic T cell receptor T cells (TCR-T cells) or chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells), has shown a significant clinical impact. Particularly, several types of CAR-T cell therapies have been approved for the treatment of hematological malignancies. The striking success of CAR-T cell therapies in hematological malignancies motivates their further expansion to a wide range of solid tumors, yet multiple obstacles, including the lack of proper target antigens exhibiting a tumor-specific expression pattern and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) impairing the effector functions of adoptively transferred T cells, have prevented clinical application. Gene engineering technologies such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system have enabled flexible reprograming of TCR/CAR-T cell signaling or loading genes that are targets of the tumor immunosuppression as a payload to overcome the difficulties. Here, we discuss recent advances in TCR/CAR-T cell engineering: various promising approaches to enhance the antitumor activity of adoptively transferred T cells in the TME for maximizing the efficacy and the safety of adoptive cell therapy are now being tested in the clinic, especially targeting solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Watanabe
- Division of Cancer Immunology, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Hiroyoshi Nishikawa
- Division of Cancer Immunology, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.,Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
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139
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Spiegel JY, Patel S, Muffly L, Hossain NM, Oak J, Baird JH, Frank MJ, Shiraz P, Sahaf B, Craig J, Iglesias M, Younes S, Natkunam Y, Ozawa MG, Yang E, Tamaresis J, Chinnasamy H, Ehlinger Z, Reynolds W, Lynn R, Rotiroti MC, Gkitsas N, Arai S, Johnston L, Lowsky R, Majzner RG, Meyer E, Negrin RS, Rezvani AR, Sidana S, Shizuru J, Weng WK, Mullins C, Jacob A, Kirsch I, Bazzano M, Zhou J, Mackay S, Bornheimer SJ, Schultz L, Ramakrishna S, Davis KL, Kong KA, Shah NN, Qin H, Fry T, Feldman S, Mackall CL, Miklos DB. CAR T cells with dual targeting of CD19 and CD22 in adult patients with recurrent or refractory B cell malignancies: a phase 1 trial. Nat Med 2021; 27:1419-1431. [PMID: 34312556 PMCID: PMC8363505 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01436-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 294] [Impact Index Per Article: 98.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite impressive progress, more than 50% of patients treated with CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR19) experience progressive disease. Ten of 16 patients with large B cell lymphoma (LBCL) with progressive disease after CAR19 treatment had absent or low CD19. Lower surface CD19 density pretreatment was associated with progressive disease. To prevent relapse with CD19- or CD19lo disease, we tested a bispecific CAR targeting CD19 and/or CD22 (CD19-22.BB.z-CAR) in a phase I clinical trial ( NCT03233854 ) of adults with relapsed/refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and LBCL. The primary end points were manufacturing feasibility and safety with a secondary efficacy end point. Primary end points were met; 97% of products met protocol-specified dose and no dose-limiting toxicities occurred during dose escalation. In B-ALL (n = 17), 100% of patients responded with 88% minimal residual disease-negative complete remission (CR); in LBCL (n = 21), 62% of patients responded with 29% CR. Relapses were CD19-/lo in 50% (5 out of 10) of patients with B-ALL and 29% (4 out of 14) of patients with LBCL but were not associated with CD22-/lo disease. CD19/22-CAR products demonstrated reduced cytokine production when stimulated with CD22 versus CD19. Our results further implicate antigen loss as a major cause of CAR T cell resistance, highlight the challenge of engineering multi-specific CAR T cells with equivalent potency across targets and identify cytokine production as an important quality indicator for CAR T cell potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Y Spiegel
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Shabnum Patel
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lori Muffly
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nasheed M Hossain
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jean Oak
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - John H Baird
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Matthew J Frank
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Parveen Shiraz
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Bita Sahaf
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Juliana Craig
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Maria Iglesias
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sheren Younes
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Yasodha Natkunam
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael G Ozawa
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Eric Yang
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - John Tamaresis
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Harshini Chinnasamy
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Zach Ehlinger
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Warren Reynolds
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rachel Lynn
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Lyell Immunopharma, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maria Caterina Rotiroti
- Department of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nikolaos Gkitsas
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sally Arai
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Laura Johnston
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Robert Lowsky
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Robbie G Majzner
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Everett Meyer
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Robert S Negrin
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andrew R Rezvani
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Surbhi Sidana
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Judith Shizuru
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Wen-Kai Weng
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Liora Schultz
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Pediatric Oncology Branch Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sneha Ramakrishna
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kara L Davis
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Katherine A Kong
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nirali N Shah
- Pediatric Oncology Branch Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Haiying Qin
- Pediatric Oncology Branch Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Terry Fry
- Pediatric Oncology Branch Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz and Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Steven Feldman
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Crystal L Mackall
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - David B Miklos
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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140
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Bruno B, Wäsch R, Engelhardt M, Gay F, Giaccone L, D'Agostino M, Rodríguez-Lobato LG, Danhof S, Gagelmann N, Kröger N, Popat R, Van de Donk NWCJ, Terpos E, Dimopoulos MA, Sonneveld P, Einsele H, Boccadoro M. European Myeloma Network perspective on CAR T-Cell therapies for multiple myeloma. Haematologica 2021; 106:2054-2065. [PMID: 33792221 PMCID: PMC8327729 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2020.276402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells (CAR-T) have dramatically changed the treatment landscape of B-cell malignancies, providing a potential cure for relapsed/refractory patients. Long-term responses in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non Hodgkin lymphomas have encouraged further development in myeloma. In particular, B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted CAR-T have established very promising results in heavily pre-treated patients. Moreover, CAR-T targeting other antigens (i.e., SLAMF7 and CD44v6) are currently under investigation. However, none of these current autologous therapies have been approved, and despite high overall response rates across studies, main issues such as long-term outcome, toxicities, treatment resistance, and management of complications limit as yet their widespread use. Here, we critically review the most important pre-clinical and clinical findings, recent advances in CAR-T against myeloma, as well as discoveries in the biology of a still incurable disease, that, all together, will further improve safety and efficacy in relapsed/refractory patients, urgently in need of novel treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetto Bruno
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino and Department of Oncology, Division of Hematology, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Presidio Molinette, Torino, Italy; Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Perlmutter Cancer Center, Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY.
| | - Ralph Wäsch
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg
| | - Monika Engelhardt
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg
| | - Francesca Gay
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino and Department of Oncology, Division of Hematology, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Presidio Molinette, Torino
| | - Luisa Giaccone
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino and Department of Oncology, Division of Hematology, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Presidio Molinette, Torino
| | - Mattia D'Agostino
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino and Department of Oncology, Division of Hematology, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Presidio Molinette, Torino
| | - Luis-Gerardo Rodríguez-Lobato
- Unit of Amyloidosis and Multiple Myeloma, Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Division of Medicine II, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg
| | - Sophia Danhof
- Division of Medicine II, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg
| | - Nico Gagelmann
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg
| | - Nicolaus Kröger
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg
| | - Rakesh Popat
- Department of Hematology, University College London Hospitals, London
| | - Niels W C J Van de Donk
- Department of Hematology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Location VUmc, Amsterdam
| | - Evangelos Terpos
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Plasma Cell Dyscrasias Unit, Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens
| | - Meletios A Dimopoulos
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Plasma Cell Dyscrasias Unit, Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens
| | | | - Hermann Einsele
- Division of Medicine II, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg
| | - Mario Boccadoro
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino and Department of Oncology, Division of Hematology, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Presidio Molinette, Torino
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141
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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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142
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Johnson AJ, Wei J, Rosser JM, Künkele A, Chang CA, Reid AN, Jensen MC. Rationally Designed Transgene-Encoded Cell-Surface Polypeptide Tag for Multiplexed Programming of CAR T-cell Synthetic Outputs. Cancer Immunol Res 2021; 9:1047-1060. [PMID: 34244298 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-20-0470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic immunology, as exemplified by chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy, has transformed the treatment of relapsed/refractory B cell-lineage malignancies. However, there are substantial barriers-including limited tumor homing, lack of retention of function within a suppressive tumor microenvironment, and antigen heterogeneity/escape-to using this technology to effectively treat solid tumors. A multiplexed engineering approach is needed to equip effector T cells with synthetic countermeasures to overcome these barriers. This, in turn, necessitates combinatorial use of lentiviruses because of the limited payload size of current lentiviral vectors. Accordingly, there is a need for cell-surface human molecular constructs that mark multi-vector cotransduced T cells, to enable their purification ex vivo and their tracking in vivo. To this end, we engineered a cell surface-localizing polypeptide tag based on human HER2, designated HER2t, that was truncated in its extracellular and intracellular domains to eliminate ligand binding and signaling, respectively, and retained the membrane-proximal binding epitope of the HER2-specific mAb trastuzumab. We linked HER2t to CAR coexpression in lentivirally transduced T cells and showed that co-transduction with a second lentivirus expressing our previously described EGFRt tag linked to a second CAR efficiently generated bispecific dual-CAR T cells. Using the same approach, we generated T cells expressing a CAR and a second module, a chimeric cytokine receptor. The HER2txEGFRt multiplexing strategy is now being deployed for the manufacture of CD19xCD22 bispecific CAR T-cell products for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (NCT03330691).
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Johnson
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, Washington
| | - Jia Wei
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, Washington
| | - James M Rosser
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, Washington
| | - Annette Künkele
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
| | - Cindy A Chang
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
| | - Aquene N Reid
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, Washington
| | - Michael C Jensen
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington. .,Seattle Children's Therapeutics, Seattle, Washington.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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143
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Luu M, Riester Z, Baldrich A, Reichardt N, Yuille S, Busetti A, Klein M, Wempe A, Leister H, Raifer H, Picard F, Muhammad K, Ohl K, Romero R, Fischer F, Bauer CA, Huber M, Gress TM, Lauth M, Danhof S, Bopp T, Nerreter T, Mulder IE, Steinhoff U, Hudecek M, Visekruna A. Microbial short-chain fatty acids modulate CD8 + T cell responses and improve adoptive immunotherapy for cancer. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4077. [PMID: 34210970 PMCID: PMC8249424 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24331-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 242] [Impact Index Per Article: 80.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging data demonstrate that the activity of immune cells can be modulated by microbial molecules. Here, we show that the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) pentanoate and butyrate enhance the anti-tumor activity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells through metabolic and epigenetic reprograming. We show that in vitro treatment of CTLs and CAR T cells with pentanoate and butyrate increases the function of mTOR as a central cellular metabolic sensor, and inhibits class I histone deacetylase activity. This reprogramming results in elevated production of effector molecules such as CD25, IFN-γ and TNF-α, and significantly enhances the anti-tumor activity of antigen-specific CTLs and ROR1-targeting CAR T cells in syngeneic murine melanoma and pancreatic cancer models. Our data shed light onto microbial molecules that may be used for enhancing cellular anti-tumor immunity. Collectively, we identify pentanoate and butyrate as two SCFAs with therapeutic utility in the context of cellular cancer immunotherapy. The activity of immune cells can be regulated by the microbiome. Here, the authors show that the fatty acids pentanoate and butyrate—normally released by the microbiome—increase the anti-tumour activity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and chimeric antigen receptor T cells through metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maik Luu
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Zeno Riester
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Adrian Baldrich
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Matthias Klein
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Anne Wempe
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Leister
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Hartmann Raifer
- Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Felix Picard
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Khalid Muhammad
- Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Kim Ohl
- Department of Pediatrics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Rossana Romero
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Florence Fischer
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christian A Bauer
- Department of Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Metabolism and Infectiology, University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Magdalena Huber
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas M Gress
- Department of Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Metabolism and Infectiology, University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Lauth
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Tumor Research, Center for Tumor- and Immunobiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sophia Danhof
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Bopp
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Nerreter
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Ulrich Steinhoff
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Michael Hudecek
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Alexander Visekruna
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
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144
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Gharghani MS, Simonian M, Bakhtiari F, Ghaffari MH, Fazli G, Bayat AA, Negahdari B. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for breast cancer. Future Oncol 2021; 17:2961-2979. [PMID: 34156280 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2020-1013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the main reasons that researchers pay enormous attention to immunotherapy is that, despite significant advances in conventional therapy approaches, breast cancer remains the leading cause of death from malignant tumors among women. Genetically modifying T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) is one of the novel methods that has exhibited encouraging activity with relative safety, further urging investigators to develop several CAR T cells to target overexpressed antigens in breast tumors. This article is aimed not only to present such CAR T cells and discuss their remarkable results but also indicates their shortcomings with the hope of achieving possible strategies for improving therapeutic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mighmig Simonian Gharghani
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, 8415683111, Iran
| | - Miganoosh Simonian
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14177-55469, Iran
| | - Faezeh Bakhtiari
- Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, 71348-14336, Iran
| | - Mozhan Haji Ghaffari
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14177-55469, Iran
| | - Ghazaleh Fazli
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ahmad Bayat
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Babak Negahdari
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14177-55469, Iran
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145
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Okuno S, Adachi Y, Terakura S, Julamanee J, Sakai T, Umemura K, Miyao K, Goto T, Murase A, Shimada K, Nishida T, Murata M, Kiyoi H. Spacer Length Modification Facilitates Discrimination between Normal and Neoplastic Cells and Provides Clinically Relevant CD37 CAR T Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 206:2862-2874. [PMID: 34099546 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite the remarkable initial efficacy of CD19 chimeric Ag receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy, a high incidence of relapse has been observed. To further increase treatment efficacy and reduce the rate of escape of Ag-negative cells, we need to develop CAR-T cells that target other Ags. Given its restricted expression pattern, CD37 was considered a preferred novel target for immunotherapy in hematopoietic malignancies. Therefore, we designed a CD37-targeting CAR-T (CD37CAR-T) using the single-chain variable fragment of a humanized anti-CD37 Ab, transmembrane and intracellular domains of CD28, and CD3ζ signaling domains. High levels of CD37 expression were confirmed in B cells from human peripheral blood and bone marrow B cell precursors at late developmental stages; by contrast, more limited expression of CD37 was observed in early precursor B cells. Furthermore, we found that human CD37CAR-T cells with longer spacer lengths exhibited high gene transduction efficacy but reduced capacity to proliferate; this may be due to overactivation and fratricide. Spacer length optimization resulted in a modest transduction efficiency together with robust capacity to proliferate. CD37CAR-T cells with optimized spacer length efficiently targeted various CD37+ human tumor cell lines but had no impact on normal leukocytes both in vitro and in vivo. CD37CAR-T cells effectively eradicated Raji cells in xenograft model. Collectively, these results suggested that spacer-optimized CD37CAR-T cells could target CD37-high neoplastic B cells both in vitro and in vivo, with only limited interactions with their normal leukocyte lineages, thereby providing an additional promising therapeutic intervention for patients with B cell malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Okuno
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Yoshitaka Adachi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Seitaro Terakura
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Jakrawadee Julamanee
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and.,Division of Clinical Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Toshiyasu Sakai
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Koji Umemura
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Kotaro Miyao
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Tatsunori Goto
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Atsushi Murase
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Kazuyuki Shimada
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Tetsuya Nishida
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Makoto Murata
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
| | - Hitoshi Kiyoi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan; and
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146
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Jin KT, Du WL, Lan HR, Liu YY, Mao CS, Du JL, Mou XZ. Development of humanized mouse with patient-derived xenografts for cancer immunotherapy studies: A comprehensive review. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:2592-2606. [PMID: 33938090 PMCID: PMC8253285 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, however, not all tumor types and patients are completely responsive to this approach. Establishing predictive pre-clinical models would allow for more accurate and practical immunotherapeutic drug development. Mouse models are extensively used as in vivo system for biomedical research. However, due to the significant differences between rodents and human, it is impossible to translate most of the findings from mouse models to human. Pharmacological development and advancing personalized medicine using patient-derived xenografts relies on producing mouse models in which murine cells and genes are substituted with their human equivalent. Humanized mice (HM) provide a suitable platform to evaluate xenograft growth in the context of a human immune system. In this review, we discussed recent advances in the generation and application of HM models. We also reviewed new insights into the basic mechanisms, pre-clinical evaluation of onco-immunotherapies, current limitations in the application of these models as well as available improvement strategies. Finally, we pointed out some issues for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Tao Jin
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Wen-Lin Du
- Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.,Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huan-Rong Lan
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Yu-Yao Liu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Chun-Sen Mao
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Jin-Lin Du
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Xiao-Zhou Mou
- Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
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147
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Bell M, Gottschalk S. Engineered Cytokine Signaling to Improve CAR T Cell Effector Function. Front Immunol 2021; 12:684642. [PMID: 34177932 PMCID: PMC8220823 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.684642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy with T cells genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) is a promising approach to improve outcomes for cancer patients. While CAR T cell therapy is effective for hematological malignancies, there is a need to improve the efficacy of this therapeutic approach for patients with solid tumors and brain tumors. At present, several approaches are being pursued to improve the antitumor activity of CAR T cells including i) targeting multiple antigens, ii) improving T cell expansion/persistence, iii) enhancing homing to tumor sites, and iv) rendering CAR T cells resistant to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Augmenting signal 3 of T cell activation by transgenic expression of cytokines or engineered cytokine receptors has emerged as a promising strategy since it not only improves CAR T cell expansion/persistence but also their ability to function in the immunosuppressive TME. In this review, we will provide an overview of cytokine biology and highlight genetic approaches that are actively being pursued to augment cytokine signaling in CAR T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Bell
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States.,Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
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148
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Oriol A, Abril L, Torrent A, Ibarra G, Ribera JM. The role of idecabtagene vicleucel in patients with heavily pretreated refractory multiple myeloma. Ther Adv Hematol 2021; 12:20406207211019622. [PMID: 34104374 PMCID: PMC8170343 DOI: 10.1177/20406207211019622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of several treatment options over the last 2 decades has led to a notable improvement in the survival of patients with multiple myeloma. Despite these advances, the disease remains incurable for most patients. Moreover, standard combinations of alkylating agents, immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors, and monoclonal antibodies targeting CD38 and corticoids are exhausted relatively fast in a proportion of high-risk patients. Such high-risk patients account for over 20% of cases and currently represent a major unmet medical need. The challenge of drug resistance requires the development of highly active new agents with a radically different mechanism of action. Several immunotherapeutic modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates and T-cell engagers, appear to be promising choices for patients who develop resistance to standard combinations. Chimeric antigen-receptor-modified T cells (CAR-Ts) targeting B-cell maturation antigen have demonstrated encouraging efficacy and an acceptable safety profile compared with alternative options. Multiple CAR-Ts are in early stages of clinical development, but the first phase III trials with CAR-Ts are ongoing for two of them. After the recent publication of the results of a phase II trial confirming a notable efficacy and acceptable safety profile, idecabtagene vicleucel is the first CAR-T to gain regulatory US Food and Drug Administration approval to treat refractory multiple myeloma patients who have already been exposed to antibodies against CD38, proteasome inhibitors, and immunomodulatory agents and who are refractory to the last therapy. Here, we will discuss the preclinical and clinical development of idecabtagene vicleucel and its future role in the changing treatment landscape of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Abril
- Clinical Hematology Department and Clinical
Trial Unit, Institut Català d’Oncologia at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol,
Badalona, Spain
| | - Anna Torrent
- Clinical Hematology Department and Clinical
Trial Unit, Institut Català d’Oncologia at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol,
Badalona, Spain
| | - Gladys Ibarra
- Clinical Hematology Department and Clinical
Trial Unit, Institut Català d’Oncologia at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol,
Badalona, Spain
| | - Josep-Maria Ribera
- Clinical Hematology Department and Clinical
Trial Unit, Institut Català d’Oncologia at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol,
Badalona, Spain
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute,
Badalona, Spain
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149
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Abbott RC, Verdon DJ, Gracey FM, Hughes-Parry HE, Iliopoulos M, Watson KA, Mulazzani M, Luong K, D'Arcy C, Sullivan LC, Kiefel BR, Cross RS, Jenkins MR. Novel high-affinity EGFRvIII-specific chimeric antigen receptor T cells effectively eliminate human glioblastoma. Clin Transl Immunology 2021; 10:e1283. [PMID: 33976881 PMCID: PMC8106904 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1283] [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: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives The increasing success of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in haematological malignancies is reinvigorating its application in many other cancer types and with renewed focus on its application to solid tumors. We present a novel CAR against glioblastoma, an aggressive, malignant glioma, with a dismal survival rate for which treatment options have remained unchanged for over a decade. Methods We use the human Retained Display (ReD) antibody platform (Myrio Therapeutics) to identify a novel single‐chain variable fragment (scFv) that recognises epidermal growth factor receptor mutant variant III (EGFRvIII), a common and tumor‐specific mutation found in glioblastoma. We use both in vitro functional assays and an in vivo orthotopic xenograft model of glioblastoma to examine the function of our novel CAR, called GCT02, targeted using murine CAR T cells. Results Our EGFRvIII‐specific scFv was found to be of much higher affinity than reported comparators reverse‐engineered from monoclonal antibodies. Despite the higher affinity, GCT02 CAR T cells kill equivalently but secrete lower amounts of cytokine. In addition, GCT02‐CAR T cells also mediate rapid and complete tumor elimination in vivo. Conclusion We present a novel EGFRvIII‐specific CAR, with effective antitumor functions both in in vitro and in a xenograft model of human glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Abbott
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology The University of Melbourne Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Daniel J Verdon
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia
| | | | - Hannah E Hughes-Parry
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology The University of Melbourne Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Melinda Iliopoulos
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Katherine A Watson
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Matthias Mulazzani
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Kylie Luong
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Colleen D'Arcy
- Department of Anatomical Pathology Royal Children's Hospital Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Lucy C Sullivan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Peter Doherty Institute The University of Melbourne Parkville VIC Australia
| | | | - Ryan S Cross
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Misty R Jenkins
- Immunology Division The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville VIC Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology The University of Melbourne Parkville VIC Australia.,Institute for Molecular Science La Trobe University Bundoora VIC Australia
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150
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Hasegawa A, Saito S, Narimatsu S, Nakano S, Nagai M, Ohnota H, Inada Y, Morokawa H, Nakashima I, Morita D, Ide Y, Matsuda K, Tashiro H, Yagyu S, Tanaka M, Nakazawa Y. Mutated GM-CSF-based CAR-T cells targeting CD116/CD131 complexes exhibit enhanced anti-tumor effects against acute myeloid leukaemia. Clin Transl Immunology 2021; 10:e1282. [PMID: 33976880 PMCID: PMC8102137 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives As the prognosis of relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) remains poor, novel treatment strategies are urgently needed. Clinical trials have shown that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)‐T cells for AML are more challenging than those targeting CD19 in B‐cell malignancies. We recently developed piggyBac‐modified ligand‐based CAR‐T cells that target CD116/CD131 complexes, also known as the GM‐CSF receptor (GMR), for the treatment of juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia. This study therefore aimed to develop a novel therapeutic method for R/R AML using GMR CAR‐T cells. Methods To further improve the efficacy of the original GMR CAR‐T cells, we have developed novel GMR CAR vectors incorporating a mutated GM‐CSF for the antigen‐binding domain and G4S spacer. All GMR CAR‐T cells were generated using a piggyBac‐based gene transfer system. The anti‐tumor effect of GMR CAR‐T cells was tested in mouse AML xenograft models. Results Nearly 80% of the AML cells predominant in myelomonocytic leukaemia were found to express CD116. GMR CAR‐T cells exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against CD116+ AML cells in vitro. Furthermore, GMR CAR‐T cells incorporating a G4S spacer significantly improved long‐term in vitro and in vivo anti‐tumor effects. By employing a mutated GM‐CSF at residue 21 (E21K), the anti‐tumor effects of GMR CAR‐T cells were also improved especially in long‐term in vitro settings. Although GMR CAR‐T cells exerted cytotoxic effects on normal monocytes, their lethality on normal neutrophils, T cells, B cells and NK cells was minimal. Conclusions GMR CAR‐T cell therapy represents a promising strategy for CD116+ R/R AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiko Hasegawa
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan
| | - Shoji Saito
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan.,Center for Advanced Research of Gene and Cell Therapy Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
| | - Shogo Narimatsu
- Department of Drug Discovery Science Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan.,Frontier Technology Research Laboratory Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd Azumino Japan
| | - Shigeru Nakano
- Department of Drug Discovery Science Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan.,Frontier Technology Research Laboratory Kissei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd Azumino Japan
| | - Mika Nagai
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan
| | - Hideki Ohnota
- Department of Drug Discovery Science Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
| | - Yoichi Inada
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan.,Department of Drug Discovery Science Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
| | - Hirokazu Morokawa
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan
| | - Ikumi Nakashima
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan
| | - Daisuke Morita
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan.,Institute for Biomedical Sciences Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
| | - Yuichiro Ide
- Department of Laboratory Medicine Shinshu University Hospital Matsumoto Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Matsuda
- Department of Health and Medical Sciences Graduate School of Medicine Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
| | - Haruko Tashiro
- Department of Hematology/Oncology Teikyo University School of Medicine Itabashi Japan
| | - Shigeki Yagyu
- Center for Advanced Research of Gene and Cell Therapy Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan.,Department of Pediatrics Kyoto Prefectural Medical University Kyoto Japan
| | - Miyuki Tanaka
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan.,Center for Advanced Research of Gene and Cell Therapy Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
| | - Yozo Nakazawa
- Department of Pediatrics Shinshu University School of Medicine Matsumoto Japan.,Center for Advanced Research of Gene and Cell Therapy Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan.,Institute for Biomedical Sciences Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
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