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Schlom J, Donahue RN, Palena C, Gameiro SR, Hodge JW, Hamilton DH, Gulley JL. Hypothesis: the generation of T cells directed against neoepitopes employing immune-mediating agents other than neoepitope vaccines. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e009595. [PMID: 38977329 PMCID: PMC11256020 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2024-009595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The development of vaccines, especially RNA-based, directed against patient-specific tumor neoepitopes is an active and productive area of cancer immunotherapy. Promising clinical results in melanoma and other solid tumor types are emerging. As with all cancer therapy modalities, neoepitope vaccine development and delivery also has some drawbacks, including the level of effort to develop a patient-specific product, accuracy of algorithms to predict neoepitopes, and with the exception of melanoma and some other tumor types, biopsies of metastatic lesions of solid tumors are often not available. We hypothesize that in some circumstances the use of rationally designed combinations of "off-the-shelf" agents may prove an additional path to enable the patient to produce his/her own "neoepitope vaccine" in situ. These combination therapies may consist of agents to activate a tumor-associated T-cell response, potentiate that response, reduce or eliminate immunosuppressive entities in the tumor microenvironment, and/or alter the phenotype of tumor cells to render them more susceptible to immune-mediated lysis. Examples are provided in both preclinical and clinical studies in which combinations of "off-the-shelf" agents lead to the generation of T cells directed against tumor-derived neoepitopes with consequent antitumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Schlom
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Renee N Donahue
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Claudia Palena
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sofia R Gameiro
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - James W Hodge
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Duane H Hamilton
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - James L Gulley
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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2
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Linette GP, Bear AS, Carreno BM. Facts and Hopes in Immunotherapy Strategies Targeting Antigens Derived from KRAS Mutations. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:2017-2024. [PMID: 38266167 PMCID: PMC11094419 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-1212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
In this commentary, we advance the notion that mutant KRAS (mKRAS) is an ideal tumor neoantigen that is amenable for targeting by the adaptive immune system. Recent progress highlights key advances on various fronts that validate mKRAS as a molecular target and support further pursuit as an immunological target. Because mKRAS is an intracellular membrane localized protein and not normally expressed on the cell surface, we surmise that proteasome degradation will generate short peptides that bind to HLA class I (HLA-I) molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum for transport through the Golgi for display on the cell surface. T-cell receptors (TCR)αβ and antibodies have been isolated that specifically recognize mKRAS encoded epitope(s) or haptenated-mKRAS peptides in the context of HLA-I on tumor cells. Case reports using adoptive T-cell therapy provide proof of principle that KRAS G12D can be successfully targeted by the immune system in patients with cancer. Among the challenges facing investigators is the requirement of precision medicine to identify and match patients to available mKRAS peptide/HLA therapeutics and to increase the population coverage by targeting additional mKRAS epitopes. Ultimately, we envision mKRAS-directed immunotherapy as an effective treatment option for selected patients that will complement and perhaps synergize with small-molecule mKRAS inhibitors and targeted mKRAS degraders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald P. Linette
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Adham S. Bear
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Beatriz M. Carreno
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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3
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Sahu P, Mitra A, Ganguly A. Targeting KRAS and SHP2 signaling pathways for immunomodulation and improving treatment outcomes in solid tumors. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 386:167-222. [PMID: 38782499 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2024.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Historically, KRAS has been considered 'undruggable' inspite of being one of the most frequently altered oncogenic proteins in solid tumors, primarily due to the paucity of pharmacologically 'druggable' pockets within the mutant isoforms. However, pioneering developments in drug design capable of targeting the mutant KRAS isoforms especially KRASG12C-mutant cancers, have opened the doors for emergence of combination therapies comprising of a plethora of inhibitors targeting different signaling pathways. SHP2 signaling pathway, primarily known for activation of intracellular signaling pathways such as KRAS has come up as a potential target for such combination therapies as it emerged to be the signaling protein connecting KRAS and the immune signaling pathways and providing the link for understanding the overlapping regions of RAS/ERK/MAPK signaling cascade. Thus, SHP2 inhibitors having potent tumoricidal activity as well as role in immunomodulation have generated keen interest in researchers to explore its potential as combination therapy in KRAS mutant solid tumors. However, the excitement with these combination therapies need to overcome challenges thrown up by drug resistance and enhanced toxicity. In this review, we will discuss KRAS and SHP2 signaling pathways and their roles in immunomodulation and regulation of tumor microenvironment and also analyze the positive effects and drawbacks of the different combination therapies targeted at these signaling pathways along with their present and future potential to treat solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Sahu
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ankita Mitra
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Anirban Ganguly
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India.
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4
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Peri A, Salomon N, Wolf Y, Kreiter S, Diken M, Samuels Y. The landscape of T cell antigens for cancer immunotherapy. NATURE CANCER 2023:10.1038/s43018-023-00588-x. [PMID: 37415076 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-023-00588-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
The remarkable capacity of immunotherapies to induce durable regression in some patients with metastatic cancer relies heavily on T cell recognition of tumor-presented antigens. As checkpoint-blockade therapy has limited efficacy, tumor antigens have the potential to be exploited for complementary treatments, many of which are already in clinical trials. The surge of interest in this topic has led to the expansion of the tumor antigen landscape with the emergence of new antigen categories. Nonetheless, how different antigens compare in their ability to elicit efficient and safe clinical responses remains largely unknown. Here, we review known cancer peptide antigens, their attributes and the relevant clinical data and discuss future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aviyah Peri
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nadja Salomon
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz gGmbH, Mainz, Germany
| | - Yochai Wolf
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-oncology and Skin Cancer, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel.
- Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Sebastian Kreiter
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz gGmbH, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Mustafa Diken
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz gGmbH, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Yardena Samuels
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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5
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Martínez-Pérez A, Diego-González L, Vilanova M, Correia A, Simón-Vázquez R, González-Fernández Á. Immunization with nanovaccines containing mutated K-Ras peptides and imiquimod aggravates heterotopic pancreatic cancer induced in mice. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1153724. [PMID: 37122717 PMCID: PMC10130386 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1153724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The growing incidence and lethality of pancreatic cancer urges the development of new therapeutic approaches. Anti-tumoral vaccines can potentiate the immune response against the tumor, targeting specific antigens expressed only on tumor cells. In this work, we designed new vaccines for pancreatic cancer, composed by chitosan nanocapsules (CS NCs) containing imiquimod (IMQ) as adjuvant, and targeting the K-Ras mutation G12V. Experimental design We tested the immunogenicity of our vaccines in mice, carrying different combinations of K-Ras mutated peptides. Then, we analyzed their prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy in mice bearing heterotopic pancreatic cancer. Results Unexpectedly, although good results were observed at short time points, the different combinations of our CS NCs vaccines seemed to potentiate tumor growth and reduce survival rate. We propose that this effect could be due to an inadequate immune response, partially because of the induction of a regulatory tolerogenic response. Conclusion Our results call for caution in the use of some NCs containing IMQ in the immunotherapy against pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amparo Martínez-Pérez
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Inmunology Group, Vigo, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
- *Correspondence: Amparo Martínez-Pérez,
| | - Lara Diego-González
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Inmunology Group, Vigo, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
| | - Manuel Vilanova
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Correia
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rosana Simón-Vázquez
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Inmunology Group, Vigo, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
| | - África González-Fernández
- CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Inmunology Group, Vigo, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain
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6
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Zhu C, Guan X, Zhang X, Luan X, Song Z, Cheng X, Zhang W, Qin JJ. Targeting KRAS mutant cancers: from druggable therapy to drug resistance. Mol Cancer 2022; 21:159. [PMID: 35922812 PMCID: PMC9351107 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-022-01629-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog (KRAS) is the most frequently mutated oncogene, occurring in a variety of tumor types. Targeting KRAS mutations with drugs is challenging because KRAS is considered undruggable due to the lack of classic drug binding sites. Over the past 40 years, great efforts have been made to explore routes for indirect targeting of KRAS mutant cancers, including KRAS expression, processing, upstream regulators, or downstream effectors. With the advent of KRAS (G12C) inhibitors, KRAS mutations are now druggable. Despite such inhibitors showing remarkable clinical responses, resistance to monotherapy of KRAS inhibitors is eventually developed. Significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance to KRAS-mutant inhibitors. Here we review the most recent advances in therapeutic approaches and resistance mechanisms targeting KRAS mutations and discuss opportunities for combination therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunxiao Zhu
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China.,School of Molecular Medicine, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou, 310024, China
| | - Xiaoqing Guan
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China.,Key Laboratory of Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Xinuo Zhang
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China.,College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310032, China
| | - Xin Luan
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Zhengbo Song
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Xiangdong Cheng
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China. .,Key Laboratory of Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
| | - Weidong Zhang
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China. .,School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Jiang-Jiang Qin
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China. .,School of Molecular Medicine, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou, 310024, China. .,Key Laboratory of Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
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7
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Shafer P, Kelly LM, Hoyos V. Cancer Therapy With TCR-Engineered T Cells: Current Strategies, Challenges, and Prospects. Front Immunol 2022; 13:835762. [PMID: 35309357 PMCID: PMC8928448 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.835762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
To redirect T cells against tumor cells, T cells can be engineered ex vivo to express cancer-antigen specific T cell receptors (TCRs), generating products known as TCR-engineered T cells (TCR T). Unlike chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), TCRs recognize HLA-presented peptides derived from proteins of all cellular compartments. The use of TCR T cells for adoptive cellular therapies (ACT) has gained increased attention, especially as efforts to treat solid cancers with ACTs have intensified. In this review, we describe the differing mechanisms of T cell antigen recognition and signal transduction mediated through CARs and TCRs. We describe the classes of cancer antigens recognized by current TCR T therapies and discuss both classical and emerging pre-clinical strategies for antigen-specific TCR discovery, enhancement, and validation. Finally, we review the current landscape of clinical trials for TCR T therapy and discuss what these current results indicate for the development of future engineered TCR approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Shafer
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Program in Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Lauren M Kelly
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Program in Cancer & Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Valentina Hoyos
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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8
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Bear AS, Blanchard T, Cesare J, Ford MJ, Richman LP, Xu C, Baroja ML, McCuaig S, Costeas C, Gabunia K, Scholler J, Posey AD, O'Hara MH, Smole A, Powell DJ, Garcia BA, Vonderheide RH, Linette GP, Carreno BM. Biochemical and functional characterization of mutant KRAS epitopes validates this oncoprotein for immunological targeting. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4365. [PMID: 34272369 PMCID: PMC8285372 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24562-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Activating RAS missense mutations are among the most prevalent genomic alterations observed in human cancers and drive oncogenesis in the three most lethal tumor types. Emerging evidence suggests mutant KRAS (mKRAS) may be targeted immunologically, but mKRAS epitopes remain poorly defined. Here we employ a multi-omics approach to characterize HLA class I-restricted mKRAS epitopes. We provide proteomic evidence of mKRAS epitope processing and presentation by high prevalence HLA class I alleles. Select epitopes are immunogenic enabling mKRAS-specific TCRαβ isolation. TCR transfer to primary CD8+ T cells confers cytotoxicity against mKRAS tumor cell lines independent of histologic origin, and the kinetics of lytic activity correlates with mKRAS peptide-HLA class I complex abundance. Adoptive transfer of mKRAS-TCR engineered CD8+ T cells leads to tumor eradication in a xenograft model of metastatic lung cancer. This study validates mKRAS peptides as bona fide epitopes facilitating the development of immune therapies targeting this oncoprotein. KRAS is commonly mutated at codon 12 in several cancer types, offering a unique opportunity for the development of neoantigen-targeted immunotherapy. Here the authors present a pipeline for the prediction, identification and validation of HLA class-I restricted mutant KRAS G12 peptides, leading to the generation of mutant KRAS-specific T cell receptors for adoptive T cell immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adham S Bear
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Tatiana Blanchard
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joseph Cesare
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Lee P Richman
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chong Xu
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Miren L Baroja
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sarah McCuaig
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christina Costeas
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Khatuna Gabunia
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John Scholler
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Avery D Posey
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mark H O'Hara
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anze Smole
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel J Powell
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin A Garcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert H Vonderheide
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gerald P Linette
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Beatriz M Carreno
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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9
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Keshinro A, Vanderbilt C, Kim JK, Firat C, Chen CT, Yaeger R, Ganesh K, Segal NH, Gonen M, Shia J, Stadler Z, Weiser MR. Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes, Tumor Mutational Burden, and Genetic Alterations in Microsatellite Unstable, Microsatellite Stable, or Mutant POLE/POLD1 Colon Cancer. JCO Precis Oncol 2021; 5:PO.20.00456. [PMID: 34250404 PMCID: PMC8232557 DOI: 10.1200/po.20.00456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To characterize the relationship between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), tumor mutational burden (TMB), and genetic alterations in microsatellite stable (MSS), microsatellite instability (MSI), or mutant POLE/POLD1 colon cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four hundred ninety-nine resected stage I-III colon tumors treated between 2014 and 2019 were assessed for TIL; somatic mutations, copy number alterations, and structural changes in > 400 oncogenes; and MSI status. RESULTS Of the 499 tumors analyzed, 313 were MSS, 175 were MSI, and 11 had POLE/POLD1 pathogenic mutations. Both the percentage of tumors with a high level of TIL (≥ 4 lymphocytes per high-power field) and the median TMB differed significantly between the three phenotypes: MSS, 4.5% and 6 mutations/Mb; MSI, 68% and 54 mutations/Mb; POLE/POLD1, 82% and 158 mutations/Mb (P < .05). Within each phenotype, TMB did not vary significantly with TIL level. Among MSI tumors, the median number of frameshift indels was significantly higher in tumors with high levels of TIL (20 v 17; P = .018). In the MSS group, significantly higher proportions of tumors with high levels of TIL had mutations in the transforming growth factor-β (36% v 12%; P = .01), RAS (86% v 54%; P = .02), and Hippo (7% v 1%; P = .046) pathways; in contrast, TP53 alterations were associated with low levels of TIL (74% v 43%; P = .01). CONCLUSION The association between TIL, TMB, and genetic alterations varies significantly between MSI, MSS, and mutant POLE/POLD1 colon tumors. These differences may help explain tumoral immunity and lead to predictors of response to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajaratu Keshinro
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Chad Vanderbilt
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Jin K. Kim
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Canan Firat
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Chin-Tung Chen
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Rona Yaeger
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Karuna Ganesh
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Neil H. Segal
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Mithat Gonen
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Jinru Shia
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Zsofia Stadler
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Martin R. Weiser
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
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10
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Vacchelli E, Martins I, Eggermont A, Fridman WH, Galon J, Sautès-Fridman C, Tartour E, Zitvogel L, Kroemer G, Galluzzi L. Trial watch: Peptide vaccines in cancer therapy. Oncoimmunology 2021; 1:1557-1576. [PMID: 23264902 PMCID: PMC3525611 DOI: 10.4161/onci.22428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Prophylactic vaccination constitutes one of the most prominent medical achievements of history. This concept was first demonstrated by the pioneer work of Edward Jenner, dating back to the late 1790s, after which an array of preparations that confer life-long protective immunity against several infectious agents has been developed. The ensuing implementation of nation-wide vaccination programs has de facto abated the incidence of dreadful diseases including rabies, typhoid, cholera and many others. Among all, the most impressive result of vaccination campaigns is surely represented by the eradication of natural smallpox infection, which was definitively certified by the WHO in 1980. The idea of employing vaccines as anticancer interventions was first theorized in the 1890s by Paul Ehrlich and William Coley. However, it soon became clear that while vaccination could be efficiently employed as a preventive measure against infectious agents, anticancer vaccines would have to (1) operate as therapeutic, rather than preventive, interventions (at least in the vast majority of settings), and (2) circumvent the fact that tumor cells often fail to elicit immune responses. During the past 30 y, along with the recognition that the immune system is not irresponsive to tumors (as it was initially thought) and that malignant cells express tumor-associated antigens whereby they can be discriminated from normal cells, considerable efforts have been dedicated to the development of anticancer vaccines. Some of these approaches, encompassing cell-based, DNA-based and purified component-based preparations, have already been shown to exert conspicuous anticancer effects in cohorts of patients affected by both hematological and solid malignancies. In this Trial Watch, we will summarize the results of recent clinical trials that have evaluated/are evaluating purified peptides or full-length proteins as therapeutic interventions against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Vacchelli
- Institut Gustave Roussy; Villejuif, France ; Université Paris-Sud/Paris XI; Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France ; INSERM, U848; Villejuif, France
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11
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Arbelaez CA, Estrada J, Gessner MA, Glaus C, Morales AB, Mohn D, Phee H, Lipford JR, Johnston JA. A nanoparticle vaccine that targets neoantigen peptides to lymphoid tissues elicits robust antitumor T cell responses. NPJ Vaccines 2020; 5:106. [PMID: 33298945 PMCID: PMC7661730 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-020-00253-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer vaccines using synthetic long peptides (SLP) targeting tumor antigens have been tested in the clinic but the outcomes have been unimpressive, perhaps because these peptides elicit predominantly CD4+ T cell responses. We hypothesized that enhanced delivery of peptide antigens to, and uptake in, secondary lymphoid tissues should elicit more robust CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses and improved anti-tumor responses. Here, we have designed SLP-containing cationic lipoplexes (SLP–Lpx) that improve delivery of peptides to myeloid cells in the spleen and lymphatics. Using the G12D KRAS mutations as neoantigens, we found that vaccination of mice with naked synthetic peptides harboring the G12D mutation with CpG adjuvant stimulated mainly CD4+ T cell responses with limited tumor growth inhibition. On the other hand, immunization with SLP–Lpx stimulated both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and suppressed tumor growth in a CD8+ T cell-dependent manner. Combination of the SLP–Lpx vaccines with a checkpoint inhibitor led to profound growth suppression of established tumors. These studies suggest that preferential targeting of peptides derived from neoantigens to the spleen via lipoplexes elicits potent CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses that inhibit tumor growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Arbelaez
- Department of Inflammation and Oncology, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA
| | - Juan Estrada
- Department of Inflammation and Oncology, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA
| | - Melissa A Gessner
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Translational Medicine, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA
| | - Charles Glaus
- Department of Research Imaging Sciences, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA
| | - Agnieszka B Morales
- Department of Research Imaging Sciences, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA
| | - Deanna Mohn
- Department of Inflammation and Oncology, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA
| | - Hyewon Phee
- Department of Inflammation and Oncology, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, 1120 Veterans Blvd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - J Russell Lipford
- Department of Inflammation and Oncology, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA
| | - James A Johnston
- Department of Inflammation and Oncology, Amgen Research, Amgen Inc, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA, 91320, USA.
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12
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Holmström MO, Andersen MH. Healthy Donors Harbor Memory T Cell Responses to RAS Neo-Antigens. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12103045. [PMID: 33086698 PMCID: PMC7589254 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12103045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The RAS mutations are the most frequently occurring somatic mutations in humans, and several studies have established that T cells from patients with RAS-mutant cancer recognize and kill RAS-mutant cells. Enhancing the T cell response via therapeutic cancer vaccination against mutant RAS results in a clinical benefit to patients; thus, T cells specific to RAS mutations are effective at battling cancer. As the theory of cancer immuno-editing indicates that healthy donors may clear malignantly transformed cells via immune-mediated killing, and since T cells have been shown to recognize RAS-mutant cancer cells, we investigated whether healthy donors harbor T-cell responses specific to mutant RAS. We identified strong and frequent responses against several epitopes derived from the RAS codon 12 and codon 13 mutations. Some healthy donors demonstrated a response to several mutant epitopes, and some, but not all, exhibited cross-reactivity to the wild-type RAS epitope. In addition, several T cell responses were identified against mutant RAS epitopes in healthy donors directly ex vivo. Clones against mutant RAS epitopes were established from healthy donors, and several of these clones did not cross-react with the wild-type epitope. Finally, CD45RO+ memory T cells from healthy donors demonstrated a strong response to several mutant RAS epitopes. Taken together, these data suggest that the immune system in healthy donors spontaneously clears malignantly transformed RAS-mutant cells, and the immune system consequently generates T-cell memory against the mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morten Orebo Holmström
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev Hospital, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +45-38-682-602
| | - Mads Hald Andersen
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Herlev Hospital, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark;
- Institute for Immunology and Microbiology, Copenhagen University, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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13
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Platelet and hemoglobin count at diagnosis are associated with survival in African American and Caucasian patients with colorectal cancer. Cancer Epidemiol 2020; 67:101746. [PMID: 32521488 DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2020.101746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND African Americans (AAs) compared to Caucasian Americans (CAs) with colorectal cancer (CRC) have lower stage-specific survival. CRC patients often present with several hematopathologies (such as thrombocytosis, thrombocytopenia, anemia) at diagnosis, which is associated with poorer survival. However, whether these measures impact the racial disparity in survival is not known. METHODS The study population was composed of 581 histologically confirmed CRCs at the Medical University of South Carolina (393 CA, 188 AA) diagnosed between 01/01/2000 and 06/30/2013. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate the association between thrombocytosis, thrombocytopenia, or anemia at diagnosis and risk of death by race. This analysis was adjusted for age, sex, stage and first-line treatment. RESULTS In all patients combined, thrombocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and anemia (vs. the normal ranges) were associated with significantly higher risks of death. In the race-specific analyses, AAs (HR 2.51 [95 % CI: 1.52-4.15]) vs. CAs (HR 1.15 [95 % CI: 0.75-1.75]) with thrombocytosis compared to normal had a higher risk of death (p for difference = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Abnormal thrombocyte and hemoglobin levels at diagnosis were associated with poorer survival. AAs compared to CAs with elevated platelets at diagnosis had a higher risk of death. Our study is the first to examine the role of race, hematologic measures at diagnosis, and risk of death in colorectal cancer patients. These results suggest that the racial differences in the immune response may contribute to the racial disparity in survival.
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14
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Zhang Y, Ma JA, Zhang HX, Jiang YN, Luo WH. Cancer vaccines: Targeting KRAS-driven cancers. Expert Rev Vaccines 2020; 19:163-173. [PMID: 32174221 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2020.1733420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Mutant KRAS is a genetic driver of multiple cancers that has challenged clinical anti-cancer therapeutics in the last 3 decades. Neo-antigens encoded by KRAS mutations have been identified as tumor-specific with high immunogenicity and can be used to deliver precision cancer vaccines to promote anti-tumor immune responses. KRAS mutation-based cancer vaccines have produced encouraging preclinical and clinical results. Cancer vaccines represent a promising approach to treat KRAS-driven cancers.Areas covered: In this review, we summarize the development and progress of vaccines targeting KRAS and evaluate their potential benefits and obstacles in the current landscape of therapy for KRAS-driven cancers.Expert opinion: KRAS mutation-based cancer vaccines can induce immunogenicity in patients with KRAS-driven cancers. However, the mechanisms of tumor suppression including cellular and molecular factors within the tumor microenvironment may limit vaccine efficacy. Combining KRAS-driven therapeutic cancer vaccines with other methods and adjuvants can circumvent immunosuppression and promote therapeutic successes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jin-An Ma
- Department of Oncology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hai-Xia Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yu-Na Jiang
- Department of Oncology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wen-Hao Luo
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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15
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Chatani PD, Yang JC. Mutated RAS: Targeting the "Untargetable" with T Cells. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:537-544. [PMID: 31511296 PMCID: PMC7002282 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-2138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The RAS family of proteins is at the apex of several pathways implicated in a multitude of epithelial cancers but has remained stubbornly resistant to the wave of targeted small molecules and antibodies that have revolutionized clinical oncology. KRAS, the most commonly mutated of the isoforms, represents an attractive target for treatment, given its ubiquity, central role as a driver mutation, and association with poor prognosis. This review is a comprehensive summary of the existing approaches to targeting KRAS spanning small-molecule inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and with a focus on trials in adoptive cell therapy. Here we explain how the limitations of existing drugs and nonspecific immune-based therapies are circumvented with techniques in modern immunotherapy. The successes outlined represent the most promising path to finally targeting the prototypical "undruggable" RAS oncogene family.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James C Yang
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
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16
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Perkhofer L, Beutel AK, Ettrich TJ. Immunotherapy: Pancreatic Cancer and Extrahepatic Biliary Tract Cancer. Visc Med 2019; 35:28-37. [PMID: 31312647 DOI: 10.1159/000497291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and extrahepatic biliary tract cancer (BTC) are among the malignancies with the highest morbidity and mortality. Despite increasing knowledge on biology and novel therapies, outcome remains poor in these patients. Recent progress in immunotherapies created new hopes in the treatment of PDAC and extrahepatic BTC. Several trials tested immunotherapies in various therapeutic situations as monotherapies or in combinations. Although responses were seen in some of the trials, the value of immunotherapy in PDAC and extrahepatic BTC remains unclear in the current situation, especially regarding the complex biological characteristics with a high stroma component, intrinsic resistance mechanisms and an immunosuppressive, hypoxic microenvironment. These major hurdles have to be taken into account and overcome if immunotherapies should be successful in these tumor entities. Thereby, combinational approaches that allow on the one hand targeted therapy and on the other restore or boost the function of immune cells are promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Perkhofer
- Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Alica K Beutel
- Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Thomas J Ettrich
- Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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17
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Cafri G, Yossef R, Pasetto A, Deniger DC, Lu YC, Parkhurst M, Gartner JJ, Jia L, Ray S, Ngo LT, Jafferji M, Sachs A, Prickett T, Robbins PF, Rosenberg SA. Memory T cells targeting oncogenic mutations detected in peripheral blood of epithelial cancer patients. Nat Commun 2019; 10:449. [PMID: 30683863 PMCID: PMC6347629 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08304-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells targeting shared oncogenic mutations can induce durable tumor regression in epithelial cancer patients. Such T cells can be detected in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, but whether such cells can be detected in the peripheral blood of patients with the common metastatic epithelial cancer patients is unknown. Using a highly sensitive in vitro stimulation and cell enrichment of peripheral memory T cells from six metastatic cancer patients, we identified and isolated CD4+, and CD8+ memory T cells targeting the mutated KRASG12D and KRASG12V variants, respectively, in three patients. In an additional two metastatic colon cancer patients, we detected CD8+ neoantigen-specific cells targeting the mutated SMAD5 and MUC4 proteins. Therefore, memory T cells targeting unique as well as shared somatic mutations can be detected in the peripheral blood of epithelial cancer patients and can potentially be used for the development of effective personalized T cell-based cancer immunotherapy across multiple patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Cafri
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Rami Yossef
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Anna Pasetto
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Drew C Deniger
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Yong-Chen Lu
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Maria Parkhurst
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jared J Gartner
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Li Jia
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Satyajit Ray
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Lien T Ngo
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Mohammad Jafferji
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Abraham Sachs
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Todd Prickett
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Paul F Robbins
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Steven A Rosenberg
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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18
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Cheng H, Fan K, Luo G, Fan Z, Yang C, Huang Q, Jin K, Xu J, Yu X, Liu C. Kras G12D mutation contributes to regulatory T cell conversion through activation of the MEK/ERK pathway in pancreatic cancer. Cancer Lett 2019; 446:103-111. [PMID: 30664964 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Genetic alterations have been attributed to the abnormal immune microenvironment in cancer. However, the relationship between the KrasG12D mutation and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. In this study, we found that KrasG12D mutation status as determined by ddPCR correlated with high levels of Treg infiltration in resectable pancreatic cancer tissues. Compared to wild-type tumour cells, tumours cells with the KrasG12D mutation were associated with higher levels of Tregs, and knockout of the KrasG12D mutation reversed this effect. In addition, overexpression of the KrasG12D mutation in wild-type Kras tumour cells resulted in conversion of CD4+CD25- T cells into Tregs. We also found that in tumour cells, the KrasG12D mutation activated the MEK/ERK pathway, thereby up-regulating the levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which induced Treg conversion. In summary, KrasG12D mutation plays a critical role in Treg conversion and contributes to an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment in pancreatic cancer. These results provide new insights into the relationship between gene mutation and immune escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Cheng
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Fan
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Guopei Luo
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiyao Fan
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Yang
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiuyi Huang
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Kaizhou Jin
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Xu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Xianjun Yu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China.
| | - Chen Liu
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China.
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19
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Wang HC, Hung WC, Chen LT, Pan MR. From Friend to Enemy: Dissecting the Functional Alteration of Immunoregulatory Components during Pancreatic Tumorigenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E3584. [PMID: 30428588 PMCID: PMC6274888 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19113584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 8%. More than 80% of patients are diagnosed at an unresectable stage due to metastases or local extension. Immune system reactivation in patients by immunotherapy may eliminate tumor cells and is a new strategy for cancer treatment. The anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab and anti-PD-1 antibodies pembrolizumab and nivolumab have been approved for cancer therapy in different countries. However, the results of immunotherapy on PDAC are unsatisfactory. The low response rate may be due to poor immunogenicity with low tumor mutational burden in pancreatic cancer cells and desmoplasia that prevents the accumulation of immune cells in tumors. The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in PDAC is important in tumor progression and treatment resistance. Switching from an immune tolerance to immune activation status is crucial to overcome the inability of self-defense in cancer. Therefore, thoroughly elucidation of the roles of various immune-related factors, tumor microenvironment, and tumor cells in the development of PDAC may provide appropriate direction to target inflammatory pathway activation as a new therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating this cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Ching Wang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Wen-Chun Hung
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 704, Taiwan.
| | - Li-Tzong Chen
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 704, Taiwan.
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan 704, Taiwan.
| | - Mei-Ren Pan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
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20
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Quandt J, Schlude C, Bartoschek M, Will R, Cid-Arregui A, Schölch S, Reissfelder C, Weitz J, Schneider M, Wiemann S, Momburg F, Beckhove P. Long-peptide vaccination with driver gene mutations in p53 and Kras induces cancer mutation-specific effector as well as regulatory T cell responses. Oncoimmunology 2018; 7:e1500671. [PMID: 30524892 PMCID: PMC6279329 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1500671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutated proteins arising from somatic mutations in tumors are promising targets for cancer immunotherapy. They represent true tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) as they are exclusively expressed in tumors, reduce the risk of autoimmunity and are more likely to overcome tolerance compared to wild-type (wt) sequences. Hence, we designed a panel of long peptides (LPs, 28–35 aa) comprising driver gene mutations in TP35 and KRAS frequently found in gastrointestinal tumors to test their combined immunotherapeutic potential. We found increased numbers of T cells responsive against respective mutated and wt peptides in colorectal cancer patients that carry the tested mutations in their tumors than patients with other mutations. Further, active immunization of HLA(-A2/DR1)-humanized mice with mixes of the same mutated LPs yielded simultaneous, polyvalent CD8+/CD4+ T cell responses against the majority of peptides. Peptide-specific T cells possessed a multifunctional cytokine profile with CD4+ T cells showing a TH1-like phenotype. Two mutated peptides (Kras[G12V], p53[R248W]) induced significantly higher T cell responses than corresponding wt sequences and comprised HLA-A2/DR1-restricted mutated epitopes. However, vaccination with the same highly immunogenic LPs strongly increased systemic regulatory T cells (Treg) numbers in a syngeneic sarcoma model over-expressing these mutated protein variants and resulted in accelerated tumor outgrowth. In contrast, tumor outgrowth was delayed when vaccination was directed against tumor-intrinsic Kras/Tp53 mutations of lower immunogenicity. Conclusively, we show that LP vaccination targeting multiple mutated TSAs elicits polyvalent, multifunctional, and mutation-specific effector T cells capable of targeting tumors. However, the success of this therapeutic approach can be hampered by vaccination-induced, TSA-specific Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Quandt
- Department of Translational Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.,Knapp Research Center, Section of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Christoph Schlude
- Department of Translational Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Bartoschek
- Department of Translational Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.,Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Rainer Will
- Genomics and Proteomics Core Facility, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Angel Cid-Arregui
- Department of Translational Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.,Targeted Tumor Vaccines Group, Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schölch
- Department of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Surgery, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christoph Reissfelder
- Department of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Surgery, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jürgen Weitz
- Department of Visceral, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery, Medizinische Fakultaet an der TU-Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Martin Schneider
- Department of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Wiemann
- Genomics and Proteomics Core Facility, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Division Molecular Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frank Momburg
- Department of Translational Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.,Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group, Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Philipp Beckhove
- Department of Translational Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.,Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology (RCI), University Regensburg and Department of Hematology-Oncology, Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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21
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Building upon preclinical advances, we are uncovering immunotherapy strategies that are translating into improved outcomes in tumor subsets. Advanced pediatric solid tumors carry poor prognoses and resultant robust efforts to apply immunotherapy advances to pediatric solid tumors are in progress. Here, we discuss recent developments in the field using mAb and mAb-based therapies including checkpoint blockade and chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). RECENT FINDINGS The pediatric solid tumor mAb experience targeting the diganglioside, GD2, for patients with neuroblastoma has been the most compelling to date. GD2 and alternative antigen-specific mAbs are now being incorporated into antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies and CARs for treatment of solid tumors. CARs in pediatric solid tumors have not yet achieved comparative responses to the hematologic CAR experience; however, novel strategies such as bispecific targeting, intratumoral administration and improved understanding of T-cell biology may yield enhanced CAR-efficacy. Therapeutic effect using single-agent checkpoint blocking antibodies in pediatric solid tumors also remains limited to date. Combinatorial strategies continue to hold promise and the clinical effect in tumor subsets with high antigenic burden is being explored. SUMMARY Pediatric immunotherapy remains at early stages of translation, yet we anticipate that with advanced technology, we will achieve widespread, efficacious use of immunotherapy for pediatric solid tumors.
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22
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Dias Carvalho P, Guimarães CF, Cardoso AP, Mendonça S, Costa ÂM, Oliveira MJ, Velho S. KRAS Oncogenic Signaling Extends beyond Cancer Cells to Orchestrate the Microenvironment. Cancer Res 2017; 78:7-14. [PMID: 29263151 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-2084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
KRAS is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes in cancer, being a potent initiator of tumorigenesis, a strong inductor of malignancy, and a predictive biomarker of response to therapy. Despite the large investment to understand the effects of KRAS activation in cancer cells, pharmacologic targeting of KRAS or its downstream effectors has not yet been successful at the clinical level. Recent studies are now describing new mechanisms of KRAS-induced tumorigenesis by analyzing its effects on the components of the tumor microenvironment. These studies revealed that the activation of KRAS on cancer cells extends to the surrounding microenvironment, affecting the properties and functions of its constituents. Herein, we discuss the most emergent perspectives on the relationship between KRAS-mutant cancer cells and their microenvironment components. Cancer Res; 78(1); 7-14. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Dias Carvalho
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carlos F Guimarães
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana P Cardoso
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,INEB - Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Susana Mendonça
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ângela M Costa
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,INEB - Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J Oliveira
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,INEB - Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgia Velho
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. .,IPATIMUP - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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23
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Nielsen JS, Chang AR, Wick DA, Sedgwick CG, Zong Z, Mungall AJ, Martin SD, Kinloch NN, Ott-Langer S, Brumme ZL, Treon SP, Connors JM, Gascoyne RD, Webb JR, Berry BR, Morin RD, Macpherson N, Nelson BH. Mapping the human T cell repertoire to recurrent driver mutations in MYD88 and EZH2 in lymphoma. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1321184. [PMID: 28811957 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2017.1321184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncogenic "driver" mutations are theoretically attractive targets for the immunotherapy of lymphoid cancers, yet the proportion that can be recognized by T cells remains poorly defined. To address this issue without any confounding effects of the patient's immune system, we assessed T cells from 19 healthy donors for recognition of three common driver mutations in lymphoma: MYD88L265P, EZH2Y641F , and EZH2Y641N . Donors collectively expressed the 10 most prevalent HLA class I alleles, including HLA-A*02:01. Peripheral blood T cells were primed with peptide-loaded dendritic cells (DC), and reactive T cells were assessed for recognition of naturally processed mutant versus wild type full-length proteins. After screening three driver mutations across 17-26 HLA class I alleles and 3 × 106-3 × 107 T cells per donor, we identified CD4+ T cells against EFISENCGEII from EZH2Y641N (presented by HLA-DRB1*13:02) and CD8+ T cells against RPIPIKYKA from MYD88L265P (presented by HLA-B*07:02). We failed to detect RPIPIKYKA-specific T cells in seven other HLA-B*07:02-positive donors, including two lymphoma patients. Thus, healthy donors harbor T cells specific for common driver mutations in lymphoma. However, such responses appear to be rare due to the combined limitations of antigen processing, HLA restriction, and T cell repertoire size, highlighting the need for highly individualized approaches for selecting targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie S Nielsen
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Andrew R Chang
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Darin A Wick
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Colin G Sedgwick
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zusheng Zong
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Andrew J Mungall
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Spencer D Martin
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Natalie N Kinloch
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Susann Ott-Langer
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zabrina L Brumme
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Steven P Treon
- Bing Center for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph M Connors
- Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Randy D Gascoyne
- Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John R Webb
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Brian R Berry
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ryan D Morin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.,Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicol Macpherson
- Department of Medical Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Brad H Nelson
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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24
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Thind K, Padrnos LJ, Ramanathan RK, Borad MJ. Immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer treatment: a new frontier. Therap Adv Gastroenterol 2017; 10:168-194. [PMID: 28286568 PMCID: PMC5330603 DOI: 10.1177/1756283x16667909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and lethal cancer characterized by high invasiveness, local and extensive dissemination at time of diagnosis and resistance to treatment. Few therapies have shown efficacy in the past and even standard of care therapies yield only modest improvements in the mortality of patients with advanced or metastatic disease. Efforts have been undertaken to study the pancreatic tumor microenvironment and have established its complex and immunosuppressive nature which could explain the high resistance to chemotherapy. Novel therapies targeting the tumor microenvironment with an aim to decrease this resistance, improve immune tolerance and increase the efficacy of the current treatment have shown some promising preliminary results in preclinical and clinical trials. We review the current advances in the field of immunotherapy and their effectiveness as a potential treatment strategy in the pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Komal Thind
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Akron, OH, USA
| | - Leslie J. Padrnos
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
| | | | - Mitesh J. Borad
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, 5777 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85054, USA
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25
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Zdanov S, Mandapathil M, Abu Eid R, Adamson-Fadeyi S, Wilson W, Qian J, Carnie A, Tarasova N, Mkrtichyan M, Berzofsky JA, Whiteside TL, Khleif SN. Mutant KRAS Conversion of Conventional T Cells into Regulatory T Cells. Cancer Immunol Res 2016; 4:354-65. [PMID: 26880715 PMCID: PMC4884020 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-15-0241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Constitutive activation of the KRAS oncogene in human malignancies is associated with aggressive tumor growth and poor prognosis. Similar to other oncogenes, KRAS acts in a cell-intrinsic manner to affect tumor growth or survival. However, we describe here a different, cell-extrinsic mechanism through which mutant KRAS contributes to tumor development. Tumor cells carrying mutated KRAS induced highly suppressive T cells, and silencing KRAS reversed this effect. Overexpression of the mutant KRAS(G12V)gene in wild-type KRAS tumor cells led to regulatory T-cell (Treg) induction. We also demonstrate that mutant KRAS induces the secretion of IL10 and transforming growth factor-β1 (both required for Treg induction) by tumor cells through the activation of the MEK-ERK-AP1 pathway. Finally, we report that inhibition of KRAS reduces the infiltration of Tregs in KRAS-driven lung tumorigenesis even before tumor formation. This cell-extrinsic mechanism allows tumor cells harboring a mutant KRAS oncogene to escape immune recognition. Thus, an oncogene can promote tumor progression independent of its transforming activity by increasing the number and function of Tregs. This has a significant clinical potential, in which targeting KRAS and its downstream signaling pathways could be used as powerful immune modulators in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Zdanov
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Magis Mandapathil
- Department of Pathology, IMPCL, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
| | - Rasha Abu Eid
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland. Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University (previously Georgia Regents University), Augusta, Georgia
| | - Saudat Adamson-Fadeyi
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Willie Wilson
- Medical Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jiahua Qian
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Andrea Carnie
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nadya Tarasova
- Cancer and Inflammation Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Mikayel Mkrtichyan
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland. Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University (previously Georgia Regents University), Augusta, Georgia
| | - Jay A Berzofsky
- Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Theresa L Whiteside
- Department of Pathology, IMPCL, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
| | - Samir N Khleif
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland. Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University (previously Georgia Regents University), Augusta, Georgia.
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26
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Abstract
A number of consensuses regarding cancer immunology have recently emerged from both preclinical immunotherapy models and analysis of cancer patients. First and foremost, the natural state of endogenous tumor reactive T cells is characterized by general hyporesponsiveness or anergy. This is likely due to a number of mechanisms that tumors use to induce tolerance as they develop. While many of the newer generation vaccines can effectively transfer antigen to and activate dendritic cells, T-cell tolerance remains a major barrier that is difficult to overcome by vaccination alone. Preclinical models demonstrate that for poorly immunogenic tumors, once tolerance has been established, therapeutic vaccines alone are ineffective at curing animals with a significant established tumor burden. However, combination strategies of vaccination together with inhibitors of immunologic checkpoints and agonists for co-stimulatory pathways are proving capable of overcoming tolerance and generating significant anti-tumor responses even in cases of established metastatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew Pardoll
- Department of Oncology and Director Cancer Immunology Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD.
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27
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Chaft JE, Litvak A, Arcila ME, Patel P, D'Angelo SP, Krug LM, Rusch V, Mattson A, Coeshott C, Park B, Apelian DM, Kris MG, Azzoli CG. Phase II study of the GI-4000 KRAS vaccine after curative therapy in patients with stage I-III lung adenocarcinoma harboring a KRAS G12C, G12D, or G12V mutation. Clin Lung Cancer 2014; 15:405-10. [PMID: 25044103 DOI: 10.1016/j.cllc.2014.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients with early-stage lung cancer have a high risk of recurrence despite multimodality therapy. KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinomas are the largest genetically defined subgroup, representing 25% of patients. GI-4000 is a heat-killed recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast-derived vaccine expressing mutant KRAS proteins. The present phase II study assessed the feasibility, immunogenicity, and safety of the GI-4000 vaccine in patients with early-stage, KRAS-mutant lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with stage I-III KRAS-mutant lung cancer who completed curative therapy were enrolled. The patients received the genotype matched GI-4000 vaccine for ≤ 3 years or until intolerance, disease recurrence, or death. The KRAS antigen T-cell response was assessed using the interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot assay in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The study was powered to detect an immune response in ≥ 25% of patients. RESULTS A total of 24 patients were enrolled over 28 months. No vaccine-related serious adverse events occurred. One patient withdrew consent because of pain at the injection site. The study met its primary endpoint, with 50% of patients developing an immune response to mutant KRAS. The median number of vaccinations received was 15 (range, 1-19). Ten patients experienced disease recurrence, and 6 died. Compared with the genotypically matched historical controls, the recurrence rates were equivalent but overall survival showed a favorable trend. CONCLUSION GI-4000 was well tolerated and immunogenic when used as consolidation therapy in patients with stage I-III KRAS-mutant lung cancer. The patterns of recurrence and death observed in the present study can be used to design a randomized study of GI-4000 with overall survival as the primary endpoint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie E Chaft
- Thoracic Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY.
| | - Anya Litvak
- Thoracic Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Maria E Arcila
- Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Service, Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Payal Patel
- Thoracic Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Sandra P D'Angelo
- Thoracic Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Lee M Krug
- Thoracic Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Valerie Rusch
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | | | | | - Bernard Park
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | | | - Mark G Kris
- Thoracic Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Christopher G Azzoli
- Thoracic Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
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28
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Rahma OE, Hamilton JM, Wojtowicz M, Dakheel O, Bernstein S, Liewehr DJ, Steinberg SM, Khleif SN. The immunological and clinical effects of mutated ras peptide vaccine in combination with IL-2, GM-CSF, or both in patients with solid tumors. J Transl Med 2014; 12:55. [PMID: 24565030 PMCID: PMC3942063 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-12-55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 02/11/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Mutant Ras oncogenes produce proteins that are unique to cancer cells and represent attractive targets for vaccine therapy. We have shown previously that vaccinating cancer patients with mutant ras peptides is feasible and capable of inducing a specific immune response against the relevant mutant proteins. Here, we tested the mutant ras peptide vaccine administered in combination with low dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) or/and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in order to enhance the vaccine immune response. Methods 5000μg of the corresponding mutant ras peptide was given subcutaneously (SQ) along with IL-2 (Arm A), GM-CSF (Arm B) or both (Arm C). IL-2 was given SQ at 6.0 million IU/m2/day starting at day 5, 5 days/week for 2 weeks. GM-CSF was given SQ in a dose of 100μg/day one day prior to each ras peptide vaccination for 4 days. Vaccines were repeated every 5 weeks on arm A and C, and every 4 weeks on arm B, for a maximum of 15 cycles or until disease progression. Results We treated 53 advanced cancer patients (38 with colorectal, 11 with pancreatic, 1 with common bile duct and 3 with lung) on 3 different arms (16 on arm A, 18 on arm B, and 19 on arm C). The median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was 3.6 and 16.9 months, respectively, for all patients evaluable for clinical response (n = 48). There was no difference in PFS or OS between the three arms (P = 0.73 and 0.99, respectively). Most adverse events were grade 1-2 toxicities and resolved spontaneously. The vaccine induced an immune response to the relevant ras peptide in a total of 20 out of 37 evaluable patients (54%) by ELISPOT, proliferative assay, or both. While 92.3% of patients on arm B had a positive immune response, only 31% of patients on arm A and 36% of patients on arm C had positive immune responses (P = 0.003, Fisher’s exact test). Conclusions The reported data showed that IL-2 might have a negative effect on the specific immune response induced by the relevant mutant ras vaccine in patients with advanced cancer. This observation deserves further investigations. Trial registration NCI97C0141
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Samir N Khleif
- Cancer Vaccine Branch, CCR, NCI, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Gunturu KS, Rossi GR, Saif MW. Immunotherapy updates in pancreatic cancer: are we there yet? Ther Adv Med Oncol 2013; 5:81-9. [PMID: 23323149 PMCID: PMC3539275 DOI: 10.1177/1758834012462463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease and remains one of the most resistant cancers to traditional therapies. Historically, chemotherapy or radiotherapy did not provide meaningful survival benefit in advanced pancreatic cancer. Gemcitabine and recently FOLFIRINOX (5-flourouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin and irinotecan) have provided some limited survival advantage in advanced pancreatic cancer. Targeted agents in combination with gemcitabine had not shown significant improvement in the survival. Current therapies for pancreatic cancer have their limitations; thus, we are in dire need of newer treatment options. Immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer works by recruiting and activating T cells that recognize tumor-specific antigens which is a different mechanism compared with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Preclinical models have shown that immunotherapy and targeted therapies like vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor inhibitors work synergistically. Hence, new immunotherapy and targeted therapies represent a viable option for pancreatic cancer. In this article, we review the vaccine therapy for pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna Soujanya Gunturu
- Division of Hematology/Onocology and Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
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30
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Wedén S, Klemp M, Gladhaug IP, Møller M, Eriksen JA, Gaudernack G, Buanes T. Long-term follow-up of patients with resected pancreatic cancer following vaccination against mutant K-ras. Int J Cancer 2010; 128:1120-8. [PMID: 20473937 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.25449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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31
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Rahma OE, Ashtar E, Ibrahim R, Toubaji A, Gause B, Herrin VE, Linehan WM, Steinberg SM, Grollman F, Grimes G, Bernstein SA, Berzofsky JA, Khleif SN. A pilot clinical trial testing mutant von Hippel-Lindau peptide as a novel immune therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. J Transl Med 2010; 8:8. [PMID: 20109232 PMCID: PMC2843651 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-8-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2009] [Accepted: 01/28/2010] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Due to the lack of specific tumor antigens, the majority of tested cancer vaccines for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are based on tumor cell lysate. The identification of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene mutations in RCC patients provided the potential for developing a novel targeted vaccine for RCC. In this pilot study, we tested the feasibility of vaccinating advanced RCC patients with the corresponding mutant VHL peptides. Methods Six patients with advanced RCC and mutated VHL genes were vaccinated with the relevant VHL peptides. Patients were injected with the peptide mixed with Montanide subcutaneously (SQ) every 4 weeks until disease progression or until the utilization of all available peptide stock. Results Four out of five evaluable patients (80%) generated specific immune responses against the corresponding mutant VHL peptides. The vaccine was well tolerated. No grade III or IV toxicities occurred. The median overall survival (OS) and median progression-free survival (PFS) were 30.5 and 6.5 months, respectively. Conclusions The vaccine demonstrated safety and proved efficacy in generating specific immune response to the mutant VHL peptide. Despite the fact that the preparation of these custom-made vaccines is time consuming, the utilization of VHL as a vaccine target presents a promising approach because of the lack of other specific targets for RCC. Accordingly, developing mutant VHL peptides as vaccines for RCC warrants further investigation in larger trials. Trial registration: 98C0139
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Toubaji A, Achtar M, Provenzano M, Herrin VE, Behrens R, Hamilton M, Bernstein S, Venzon D, Gause B, Marincola F, Khleif SN. Pilot study of mutant ras peptide-based vaccine as an adjuvant treatment in pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2008; 57:1413-20. [PMID: 18297281 PMCID: PMC11030622 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-008-0477-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2007] [Accepted: 02/01/2008] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There is mounting evidence describing the immunosuppressive role of bulky metastatic disease, thus countering the therapeutic effects of tumor vaccine. Therefore, adjuvant immunotherapy may have a better impact on clinical outcome. In this phase II clinical trial, we aimed to test the feasibility of using a specific mutant ras peptide vaccine as an adjuvant immunotherapy in pancreatic and colorectal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twelve patients with no evidence of disease (NED), five pancreatic and seven colorectal cancer patients were vaccinated subcutaneously with 13-mer mutant ras peptide, corresponding to their tumor's ras mutation. Vaccinations were given every 4 weeks, up to a total of six vaccines. RESULTS No serious acute or delayed systemic side effects were seen. We detected specific immune responses to the relevant mutant ras peptide by measuring IFN-gamma mRNA expression by quantitative real-time PCR. Five out of eleven patients showed a positive immune response. Furthermore, the five pancreatic cancer patients have shown a mean disease-free survival (DFS) of 35.2+ months and a mean overall survival (OS) of 44.4+ months. The seven colorectal cancer patients have shown a mean disease-free survival (DFS) of 27.2+ months and a mean overall survival (OS) of 41.5+ months. CONCLUSION In this study, we found that it is feasible to use mutant ras vaccine in the adjuvant setting. This vaccine is safe, can induce specific immune responses, and it appears to have a positive outcome in overall survival. Therefore, we believe that such an approach warrants further investigation in combination with other therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoun Toubaji
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, NIH, NNMC, Bldg 8, Room 5101, 8901 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20889 USA
- Present Address: Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Moujahed Achtar
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, NIH, NNMC, Bldg 8, Room 5101, 8901 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20889 USA
| | - Maurizio Provenzano
- Immunogenetic Section, DTM, CC, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
- Present Address: Oncology and Tissue Engineering Sections, Department of Urology, University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Vincent E. Herrin
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD USA
- Present Address: Division of Hematology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS USA
| | - Robert Behrens
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, NIH, NNMC, Bldg 8, Room 5101, 8901 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20889 USA
| | - Michael Hamilton
- Medical Oncology Clinical Research Unit (MOCRU) at the NNMC, Bethesda, MD USA
- Present Address: Avalon Pharmaceuticals Inc, Germantown, MD USA
| | - Sarah Bernstein
- Medical Oncology Clinical Research Unit (MOCRU) at the NNMC, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - David Venzon
- Biostatistics and Data Management Section, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Barry Gause
- Medical Oncology Clinical Research Unit (MOCRU) at the NNMC, Bethesda, MD USA
| | | | - Samir N. Khleif
- Cancer Vaccine Section, Vaccine Branch, NCI, NIH, NNMC, Bldg 8, Room 5101, 8901 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20889 USA
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33
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay A Berzofsky
- Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Meyer RG, Korn S, Micke P, Becker K, Huber C, Wölfel T, Buhl R. An open-label, prospective phase I/II study evaluating the immunogenicity and safety of a ras peptide vaccine plus GM-CSF in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Lung Cancer 2007; 58:88-94. [PMID: 17599645 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2007.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2007] [Revised: 05/03/2007] [Accepted: 05/13/2007] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Mutations of the ras gene have been reported in 20-40% of NSCLC patients. If present, they are critical for the malignant phenotype of these tumors. Therefore, targeting them by specific vaccination is a promising therapeutic approach. In a clinical trial we screened for ras mutations in patients with NSCLC. Patients with ras-positive tumors were immunized six times intradermally with a mixture of seven peptides representing the most common ras mutations. Objectives of the study were the feasibility, efficacy and safety of the vaccination. In addition, the induction of a specific immune reaction was investigated by DTH tests, and the induction of peptide-specific T cells was tested in ex vivo IFN-gamma-ELISPOT assays. Five of 18 patients had ras mutations at codon 12. Four of these patients, all with adenocarcinomas (stage I: n=3, stage IV: n=1) entered the study. The patient with stage IV disease withdrew prematurely after the third application because of disease progression associated with pulmonary embolism. Ras-specific T cells were not detected ex vivo. However, one patient developed a positive DTH reaction after the fifth vaccination that increased after the sixth vaccination. Our results are in line with earlier trials reporting ras mutations in 20-40% of NSCLC patients. Vaccination with mutated ras peptides is feasible and well tolerated. One patient revealed a positive DTH test. An ex vivo detectable T cell response was not induced in any of the patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf G Meyer
- III. Medical Department, Mainz University Hospital, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55101 Mainz, Germany
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Franzusoff A, Duke RC, King TH, Lu Y, Rodell TC. Yeasts encoding tumour antigens in cancer immunotherapy. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2005; 5:565-75. [PMID: 15934834 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.5.4.565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy for cancer represents an attractive therapeutic target because of its specificity and lack of toxicity, but products investigated so far have been limited by neutralisation, complexity of manufacturing and requirement for patient-specific products. Recombinant yeast cells are capable of stimulating the immune system to produce highly specific and potent cellular responses against target protein antigens with little toxicity. Data from animal models suggest that Tarmogens (yeast-based immunotherapeutics) can elicit protective immunity against xenografted and chemically induced tumours. This concept is now being tested in a Phase I trial in patients with colorectal, pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Franzusoff
- GlobeImmune, Inc., 12635 E. Montview Blvd, Aurora, CO 80010, USA
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36
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Atkins D, Breuckmann A, Schmahl GE, Binner P, Ferrone S, Krummenauer F, Störkel S, Seliger B. MHC class I antigen processing pathway defects, ras mutations and disease stage in colorectal carcinoma. Int J Cancer 2004; 109:265-73. [PMID: 14750179 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.11681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal tumorigenesis has been associated with the progressive acquisition of a variety of genetic alterations. These include mutations of the Ki-ras proto-oncogene in codons 12 and 13, which account for 85% of genetic changes in colorectal cancer. In murine in vitro models of oncogenic transformation, an association between ras-mediated transformation and downregulation of different components of the MHC class I antigen processing machinery (APM) has been described. In order to investigate whether this association also exists in human tumors, 10 cases of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HIN), as well as primary tumors and autologous lymph node metastases from 42 patients with colorectal carcinoma, were monitored by allele-specific restriction analysis for Ki-ras mutations. In parallel, APM component expression and tumor cell proliferation were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. In comparison to autologous colorectal mucosa, TAP1, LMP2 and tapasin loss was found in 68%, 67% and 80% of HIN, respectively. In contrast, impaired TAP1, LMP2 and tapasin expression was found in 42%, 42% and 63% of primary adenocarcinomas of stage III disease and in 63%, 47% and 79% of the matched lymph node metastases, respectively. More than 60% of colorectal tumor lesions with TAP1, LMP2 and/or tapasin defects displayed Ki-ras mutations. The frequency of TAP1, LMP2 and tapasin loss varied between 33% of primary adenocarcinomas, 40% of HIN to approximately 67% of metastases. These data suggest that i) APM component deficiencies occur more frequently in Ki-ras-mutated colorectal carcinoma lesions and ii) APM abnormalities in conjunction with Ki-ras mutations appear to be associated with disease stage. These findings support the hypothesis that Ki-ras mutations may contribute to immune escape mechanisms of tumors by downregulating the MHC class I APM component expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Atkins
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Third Department of Internal Medicine, Mainz, Germany.
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37
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Caldwell SA, Ryan MH, McDuffie E, Abrams SI. The Fas/Fas ligand pathway is important for optimal tumor regression in a mouse model of CTL adoptive immunotherapy of experimental CMS4 lung metastases. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2003; 171:2402-12. [PMID: 12928387 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.171.5.2402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The mechanisms of CTL-mediated tumor regression in vivo remain to be fully understood. If CTL do mediate tumor regression in vivo by direct cytotoxicity, this may occur via two major effector mechanisms involving the secretion of perforin/granzymes and/or engagement of Fas by Fas ligand (FasL) expressed by the activated CTL. Although the perforin pathway has been considered the dominant player, it is unclear whether Fas-mediated cytotoxicity is additionally required for optimal tumor rejection. Previously, we produced H-2L(d)-restricted CTL reactive against the CMS4 sarcoma, which expresses a naturally occurring rejection Ag recognized by these CTL and harbors a cytokine (IFN-gamma plus TNF)-inducible, Fas-responsive phenotype. The adoptive transfer of these CTL to syngeneic BALB/c mice with minimal (day 3 established) or extensive (day 10 established) experimental pulmonary metastases resulted in strong antitumor responses. Here we investigated whether a FasL-dependent CTL effector mechanism was important for optimal tumor regression in this adoptive immunotherapy model. The approach taken was to compare the therapeutic efficacy of wild-type to FasL-deficient (gld) CTL clones by adoptive transfer. In comparison with wild-type CTL, gld-CTL efficiently mediated tumor cytolysis and produced comparable amounts of IFN-gamma, after tumor-specific stimulation, as in vitro assessments of Ag recognition. Moreover, gld-CTL mediated comparably potent antitumor effects in a minimal disease setting, but were significantly less effective under conditions of an extensive tumor burden. Overall, under conditions of extensive lung metastases, these data revealed for the first time an important role for a FasL-dependent CTL effector mechanism in optimal tumor regression.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Clone Cells
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/genetics
- Disease Models, Animal
- Fas Ligand Protein
- Female
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Injections, Intravenous
- Ligands
- Lung Neoplasms/genetics
- Lung Neoplasms/immunology
- Lung Neoplasms/secondary
- Lung Neoplasms/therapy
- Lymphocyte Activation/genetics
- Membrane Glycoproteins/deficiency
- Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics
- Membrane Glycoproteins/physiology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Transgenic
- Neoplasm Transplantation
- Perforin
- Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins
- Sarcoma, Experimental/genetics
- Sarcoma, Experimental/immunology
- Sarcoma, Experimental/secondary
- Sarcoma, Experimental/therapy
- Signal Transduction/genetics
- Signal Transduction/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/transplantation
- fas Receptor/biosynthesis
- fas Receptor/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila A Caldwell
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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38
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Dalerba P, Maccalli C, Casati C, Castelli C, Parmiani G. Immunology and immunotherapy of colorectal cancer. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2003; 46:33-57. [PMID: 12672517 DOI: 10.1016/s1040-8428(02)00159-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This review critically discusses data on immunology of colorectal cancer, starting from pathology and molecular biology, and then considering the molecular characterisation of colon cancer antigens and the clinical trials of immunotherapy. A careful evaluation of histopathological studies on intra-epithelial infiltration by T cells in primary tumours, together with the analysis of HLA expression by colorectal cancer cells, suggest that anti-tumour T cell immune responses may take place in vivo in those patients, influencing prognosis and shaping the tumour immunological profile. Moreover, the molecular characterisation of tumour antigens expressed by colorectal carcinomas, together with improved understanding of mechanisms of the immune response and more sensitive methods for the in vivo detection of T cell responses, are now allowing researchers to design new and more effective vaccination protocols, with encouraging preliminary results. By drawing together the experimental evidence from different research fields, this review provides support for the concept that colorectal carcinoma is immunogenic and may reasonably be considered as a target for immunotherapy, and attempts to address critical issues and envisage future developments in this challenging research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Dalerba
- Unit of Immunotherapy of Human Tumours, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Via Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy
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Akiyama Y, Maruyama K, Nara N, Hojo T, Cheng JY, Mori T, Wiltrout RH, Yamaguchi K. Antitumor effects induced by dendritic cell-based immunotherapy against established pancreatic cancer in hamsters. Cancer Lett 2002; 184:37-47. [PMID: 12104046 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3835(02)00189-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Because the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer is very poor, development of a novel approach for treatment of this disease is vital. In the present study, we investigated the effect of dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy against established syngeneic hamster pancreatic cancer named HPD1NR. Hamster enriched DCs were prepared from bone marrow (BM) by a culture for 7 days in the presence of mouse GM-CSF and mouse IL-4, and characterized by the expression of specific DC markers (DEC205, DC-SIGN) mRNA using in situ hybridization (ISH). DCs pulsed with tumor lysate and N-[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium methylsulfate (DOTAP) or DCs alone were injected s.c. weekly into HPD1NR-bearing hamsters three times. Tumor growth was significantly inhibited by 82% in hamsters treated with tumor lysate and DOTAP-pulsed DCs when compared with the PBS vehicle-treated group. These findings suggest that DC-based immunotherapy may be a useful approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuto Akiyama
- Growth Factor Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
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40
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Abstract
Gene transfer technology has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment. Developments in molecular biology, genetics, genomics, stem cell technology, virology, bioengineering, and immunology are accelerating the pace of innovation and movement from the laboratory bench to the clinical arena. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma, with its particularly poor prognosis and lack of effective traditional therapy for most patients, is an area where gene transfer and immunotherapy have a maximal opportunity to demonstrate efficacy. In this review, we have discussed current preclinical and clinical investigation of gene transfer technology for pancreatic cancer. We have emphasized that the many strategies under investigation for cancer gene therapy can be classified into two major categories. The first category of therapies rely on the transduction of cells other than tumor cells, or the limited transduction of tumor tissue. These therapies, which do not require efficient gene transfer, generally lead to systemic biological effects (e.g., systemic antitumor immunity, inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, etc) and therefore the effects of limited gene transfer are biologically "amplified." The second category of gene transfer strategies requires the delivery of therapeutic genetic material to all or most tumor cells. While these elegant approaches are based on state-of-the-art advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of cancer, they suffer from the current inadequacies of gene transfer technology. At least in the short term, it is very likely that success in pancreatic cancer gene therapy will involve therapies that require only the limited transduction of cells. The time-worn surgical maxim, "Do what's easy first," certainly applies here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer F Tseng
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Children's Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Enders 861, 320 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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41
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Kubuschok B, Schmits R, Hartmann F, Cochlovius C, Breit R, König J, Pistorius G, Schilling M, Renner C, Pfreundschuh M. Use of spontaneous Epstein-Barr virus-lymphoblastoid cell lines genetically modified to express tumor antigen as cancer vaccines: mutated p21 ras oncogene in pancreatic carcinoma as a model. Hum Gene Ther 2002; 13:815-27. [PMID: 11975848 DOI: 10.1089/10430340252898993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (SP-LCLs) can be easily obtained from latently EBV-infected cancer patients and used as a source of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) for immunotherapy. Using point-mutated (codon 12) p21(ras) (muRas) as a model tumor antigen, we evaluated the practicability of using genetically modified SP-LCLs as cancer vaccines for patients with pancreatic cancer expressing mutated Ras (muRas). The repeated stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with muRas-LCLs elicited a strong, muRas-specific T cell response. A significant cytotoxic activity against EBV virus proteins or components of the expression vector was not observed. The T cells were able to recognize naturally presented muRas, as shown by their cytotoxicity against muRas (Gly-12 to Val-12 or Asp-12)-expressing tumor cells. The T cell response was mainly MHC class I restricted, and peptides containing amino acids 5 to 14 of muRas-Val-12 and muRas-Asp-12 were identified as immunogenic peptides for HLA-A2. In contrast to the situation in patients with putatively muRas-primed T cells, muRas-LCLs were not able to prime naive T lymphocytes from healthy controls. Vaccination of a pancreatic cancer patient with muRas-LCL induced muRas-specific T cells in PBMCs after 4 weeks. We conclude that genetically modified muRas-LCLs can efficiently present tumor antigens to the immune system and induce antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell responses in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Kubuschok
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Saarland Medical School, D-66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany
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42
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Linard B, Bézieau S, Benlalam H, Labarrière N, Guilloux Y, Diez E, Jotereau F. A ras-mutated peptide targeted by CTL infiltrating a human melanoma lesion. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2002; 168:4802-8. [PMID: 11971032 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.168.9.4802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Ags derived from commonly mutated oncogenic proteins seem ideally suited as targets for tumor immunotherapy. Nonetheless, only a few mutated epitopes efficiently presented by human tumors have thus far been identified. We describe here an approach to identify such epitopes. This approach involves: 1) identifying tumors expressing a ras mutation and isolating the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL); 2) transfecting COS cells to induce expression of unknown mutated peptides in the context of a patient's HLA class I molecules; and 3) screening epitope recognition by using TIL from the tumors expressing a ras mutation. By using this approach, there appeared to be a N-ras mutation (a glutamine-to-arginine exchange at residue 61 (Q61R)), detected in a melanoma lesion, which was recognized specifically by the autologous TIL in the HLA-A*0101 context. The ras peptide 55-64(Q61R) was the epitope of these TIL and was regularly presented by Q61R-mutated HLA-A*0101(+) melanoma cell lines. This peptide and its wild-type homolog (55-64(wt)) bound to HLA-A*0101 with similar affinities. However, only the mutated peptide could induce specific CTL expansion from PBL. All the CTL clones specific to the mutated peptide, failed to recognize the wild-type sequence on both COS and melanoma cells. These data thus show that oncogenic protein mutations can create shared tumor-specific CTL epitopes, efficiently presented by tumor cells, and that screening for oncogene-transfected COS cell recognition by TIL (from tumors containing mutations) is a powerful approach for the identification of these epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Linard
- Institut de Biologie, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 463, and Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Nantes, Nantes, France.
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43
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Kaufman HL, Di Vito J, Hörig H. Immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: current concepts. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2002; 16:159-97, viii. [PMID: 12063825 DOI: 10.1016/s0889-8588(01)00002-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite advances in chemotherapy and surgical technique, patients with pancreatic cancer often succumb to local recurrence or metastatic spread. The need for new therapeutic strategies for this disease coupled with a better understanding of basic immunology have led to the development of novel anti-tumor vaccines. This review focuses on the historical development of tumor vaccines emphasizing the identification of potential pancreatic tumor antigens. The role of both B-cell and T-cell responses in tumor rejection will be reviewed. Methods for antigen presentation, including peptides, recombinant viral and bacterial vectors, dendritic cells, and whole cell approaches will be discussed. The use of immune adjuvants and improved methods of vaccine delivery will also be explored. The full potential for the immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer awaits the results of early phase clinical trials. The development of pancreatic cancer vaccines represents a useful paradigm for the translation of basic research into the clinical arena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard L Kaufman
- Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
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44
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Abstract
Over the last decade, there has been a rapid expansion in the field of tumour immunology. There is now convincing evidence that both the cellular and humoral arms of the immune system are capable of interacting with tumour cells. The most significant advances have been in our understanding of cellular responses and the complex events that lead to T-lymphocyte activation, as well as in the identification of tumour antigens recognised by T-lymphocytes. This knowledge has led to the development of anticancer immunotherapies designed to produce tumour antigen-specific T-cell responses, adding to the earlier antibody or whole-cell vaccine approaches. In addition, new methods have been developed to quantify antigen-specific T-cell responses, and the emergent field of recombinant gene technology has led to an increasing number of novel methods for vaccine delivery. This review will explore these advances, as well as possible future directions, with an emphasis on colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline L Smith
- Cancer Research UK Tumour Immunology Group, The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
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45
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Abstract
Several recent developments have hallmarked progress in tumour immunology and immunotherapy. The use of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in cancer patients demonstrated that an immunological manipulation was capable of mediating the regression of established growing cancers in humans. The identification of the genes encoding cancer antigens and the development of means for effectively immunizing patients against these antigens has opened important new avenues of exploration for the development of effective active and cell-transfer immunotherapies for patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Rosenberg
- National Cancer Institute, Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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46
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Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States with little or no impact from conventional treatment options. Significant advances in understanding basic immunology have renewed interest in using immunotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer. Cancer immunotherapy, including humanized MAbs, cytokines, and potent vaccine strategies, has been successful in animal models and is being evaluated in clinical trials. Gene therapy is also being explored using methods to inactivate oncogenes, replace defective tumor suppressor genes, confer enhanced chemosensitivity to tumor cells, and increase immunogenicity of tumor cells. Angiogenesis, an essential step in the growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer, has been targeted by many antiangiogenic agents. Several clinical trials have been initiated to evaluate the role of these innovative strategies in patients with pancreatic cancer with increasingly sophisticated correlative studies to learn more about the mechanisms of tumor rejection with these agents. The rapid translation of basic science discoveries to clinical trials should result in the development of new effective treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Lieberman
- Department of Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA
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47
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Gjertsen MK, Buanes T, Rosseland AR, Bakka A, Gladhaug I, Søreide O, Eriksen JA, Møller M, Baksaas I, Lothe RA, Saeterdal I, Gaudernack G. Intradermal ras peptide vaccination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor as adjuvant: Clinical and immunological responses in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Int J Cancer 2001; 92:441-50. [PMID: 11291084 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.1205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
K-RAS mutations are frequently found in adenocarcinomas of the pancreas, and induction of immunity against mutant ras can therefore be of possible clinical benefit in patients with pancreatic cancer. We present data from a clinical phase I/II trial involving patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas vaccinated by i.d. injection of synthetic mutant ras peptides in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Forty-eight patients (10 surgically resected and 38 with advanced disease) were treated on an outpatient basis. Peptide-specific immunity was induced in 25 of 43 (58%) evaluable patients, indicating that the protocol used is very potent and capable of eliciting immune responses even in patients with end-stage disease. Patients followed-up for longer periods showed evidence of induction of long-lived immunological memory against the ras mutations. CD4(+) T cells reactive with an Arg12 mutation also present in the tumor could be isolated from a tumor biopsy, demonstrating that activated, ras-specific T cells were able to selectively accumulate in the tumor. Vaccination was well tolerated in all patients. Patients with advanced cancer demonstrating an immune response to the peptide vaccine showed prolonged survival from the start of treatment compared to non-responders (median survival 148 days vs. 61 days, respectively; p = 0.0002). Although a limited number of patients were included in our study, the association between prolonged survival and an immune response against the vaccine suggests that a clinical benefit of ras peptide vaccination may be obtained for this group of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K Gjertsen
- Section for Immunotherapy, Department of Immunology, Norwegian Radium Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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48
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Bergmann-Leitner ES, Abrams SI. Positive and negative consequences of soluble Fas ligand produced by an antigen-specific CD4(+) T cell response in human carcinoma immune interactions. Cell Immunol 2001; 209:49-62. [PMID: 11414736 DOI: 10.1006/cimm.2001.1781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The influence of a human CD4(+) T cell response in anti-carcinoma immune reactions remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we made use of a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-II-restricted, anti-ras oncogene-specific CD4(+) T cell line produced previously in vivo from a patient with metastatic carcinoma in a peptide-based phase I trial. Using this patient-derived T cell line as a potentially relevant cell type, we examined the consequences of the anti-carcinoma CD4(+) T cell response, with emphasis on specific lymphokines potentially important for the regulation of Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) interactions. Antigen (Ag)-specific CD4(+) T cells produced substantial amounts of IFN-gamma following recognition of MHC class-II-matched Ag-presenting cells expressing the cognate peptide. The IFN-gamma promoted significant upregulation of Fas on the surface of colon carcinoma cells and sensitized these targets to Fas-mediated apoptosis and Ag-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated lysis involving a Fas-based effector mechanism. Moreover, Ag-stimulated CD4(+) T cells secreted soluble FasL (sFasL), which induced the death of TNF-resistant/refractory colon, breast, and ovarian carcinoma cells. Interestingly, although CD4(+)-derived sFasL expressed cytotoxic activity, the recovery of carcinoma cells which resisted Fas-mediated lysis displayed enhanced metastatic ability in vivo, compared with the unselected parental population, in an athymic mouse model. Thus, a tumor-specific CD4(+) T cell response may have both positive and negative consequences in human carcinoma via the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as IFN-gamma and/or sFasL that may (1) improve or facilitate CTL-target engagement, contact-independent effector mechanisms, and the overall lytic outcome and (2) potentially select for Fas-resistant tumor cells that escape immune destruction, which may thus impact the metastatic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Bergmann-Leitner
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1402, USA
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49
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Jaffee EM, Hruban RH, Biedrzycki B, Laheru D, Schepers K, Sauter PR, Goemann M, Coleman J, Grochow L, Donehower RC, Lillemoe KD, O'Reilly S, Abrams RA, Pardoll DM, Cameron JL, Yeo CJ. Novel allogeneic granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-secreting tumor vaccine for pancreatic cancer: a phase I trial of safety and immune activation. J Clin Oncol 2001; 19:145-56. [PMID: 11134207 DOI: 10.1200/jco.2001.19.1.145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 407] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Allogeneic granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-secreting tumor vaccines can cure established tumors in the mouse, but their efficacy against human tumors is uncertain. We have developed a novel GM-CSF-secreting pancreatic tumor vaccine. To determine its safety and ability to induce antitumor immune responses, we conducted a phase I trial in patients with surgically resected adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fourteen patients with stage 1, 2, or 3 pancreatic adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Eight weeks after pancreaticoduodenectomy, three patients received 1 x 10(7) vaccine cells, three patients received 5 x 10(7) vaccine cells, three patients received 10 x 10(7) vaccine cells, and five patients received 50 x 10(7) vaccine cells. Twelve of 14 patients then went on to receive a 6-month course of adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy. One month after completing adjuvant treatment, six patients still in remission received up to three additional monthly vaccinations with the same vaccine dose that they had received originally. RESULTS No dose-limiting toxicities were encountered. Vaccination induced increased delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses to autologous tumor cells in three patients who had received >or= 10 x 10(7) vaccine cells. These three patients also seemed to have had an increased disease-free survival time, remaining disease-free at least 25 months after diagnosis. CONCLUSION Allogeneic GM-CSF-secreting tumor vaccines are safe in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This vaccine approach seems to induce dose-dependent systemic antitumor immunity as measured by increased postvaccination DTH responses against autologous tumors. Further clinical evaluation of this approach in patients with pancreatic cancer is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Jaffee
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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50
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Bristol JA, Orsini C, Lindinger P, Thalhamer J, Abrams SI. Identification of a ras oncogene peptide that contains both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell epitopes in a nested configuration and elicits both T cell subset responses by peptide or DNA immunization. Cell Immunol 2000; 205:73-83. [PMID: 11104579 DOI: 10.1006/cimm.2000.1712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in ras proto-oncogenes are commonly found in a diversity of malignancies and may encode unique, non-self epitopes for T cell-mediated antitumor activity. In a BALB/c (H-2(d)) murine model, we have identified a single peptide sequence derived from the ras oncogenes that contained both CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cell epitopes in a nested configuration. This peptide reflected ras sequence 4-16, and contained the substitution of Gly to Val at position 12 ¿i.e., 4-16(Val12)¿. Mice immunized with this 13-mer peptide induced a strong antigen (Ag)-specific CD4(+) proliferative response in vitro. In contrast, mice inoculated with the wild-type ras sequence failed to generate a peptide-specific T cell response. Additionally, mice immunized with the ras 4-16(Val12) peptide concomitantly displayed an Ag-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response, as determined by lysis of syngeneic tumor target cells incubated with the nominal 9-mer nested epitope peptide ¿i.e., 4-12(Val12)¿, as well as lysis of tumor target cells expressing the corresponding ras codon 12 mutation. Analysis of the Valpha- and Vbeta-chains of the T cell receptor (TCR) expressed by these CTL revealed usage of the Valpha1 and Vbeta9 subunits, consistent with the TCR phenotype of anti-ras Val12 CTL lines produced by in vivo immunization with the nominal peptide epitope alone. Moreover, immunization with the nested epitope peptide, as compared to immunization with either the 9-mer CTL peptide alone or an admixture of the 9-mer CTL peptide with an overlapping 13-mer CD4(+) T cell helper peptide ¿i.e., 5-17(Val12)¿ lacking the class I N-terminus anchor site, enhanced the production of the CD8(+) T cell response. Finally, immunization with plasmid DNA encoding the ras 4-16(Val12) sequence led to the induction of both Ag-specific proliferative and cytotoxic responses. Overall, these results suggested that a single peptide immunogen containing nested mutant ras-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell epitopes: (1) can be processed in vivo to induce both subset-specific T lymphocyte responses; and (2) leads to the generation of a quantitatively enhanced CD8(+) CTL response, likely due to the intimate coexistence of CD4(+) help, which may have implications in peptide- or DNA-based immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Bristol
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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