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Ho QY, Hester J, Issa F. Regulatory cell therapy for kidney transplantation and autoimmune kidney diseases. Pediatr Nephrol 2024:10.1007/s00467-024-06514-2. [PMID: 39278988 DOI: 10.1007/s00467-024-06514-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2024] [Revised: 08/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/18/2024]
Abstract
Regulatory cell therapies, including regulatory T cells and mesenchymal stromal cells, have shown promise in early clinical trials for reducing immunosuppression burden in transplantation. While regulatory cell therapies may also offer potential for treating autoimmune kidney diseases, data remains sparse, limited mainly to preclinical studies. This review synthesises current literature on the application of regulatory cell therapies in these fields, highlighting the safety and efficacy shown in existing clinical trials. We discuss the need for further clinical validation, optimisation of clinical and immune monitoring protocols, and the challenges of manufacturing and quality control under Good Manufacturing Practice conditions, particularly for investigator-led trials. Additionally, we explore the potential for expanding clinical indications and the unique challenges posed in paediatric applications. Future directions include scaling up production, refining protocols to ensure consistent quality across manufacturing sites, and extending applications to other immune-mediated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Yao Ho
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
- Department of Renal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joanna Hester
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Fadi Issa
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
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Wardell CM, Fung VC, Chen E, Haque M, Gillies J, Spanier JA, Mojibian M, Fife BT, Levings MK. Short Report: CAR Tregs mediate linked suppression and infectious tolerance in islet transplantation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.06.588414. [PMID: 38645184 PMCID: PMC11030375 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.06.588414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have potential as a cell-based therapy to prevent or treat transplant rejection and autoimmunity. Using an HLA-A2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (A2-CAR), we previously showed that adoptive transfer of A2-CAR Tregs limited anti-HLA-A2 alloimmunity. However, it was unknown if A2-CAR Tregs could also limit immunity to autoantigens. Using a model of HLA-A2+ islet transplantation into immunodeficient non-obese diabetic mice, we investigated if A2-CAR Tregs could control diabetes induced by islet-autoreactive (BDC2.5) T cells. In mice transplanted with HLA-A2+ islets, A2-CAR Tregs reduced BDC2.5 T cell engraftment, proliferation and cytokine production, and protected mice from diabetes. Tolerance to islets was systemic, including protection of the HLA-A2negative endogenous pancreas. In tolerant mice, a significant proportion of BDC2.5 T cells gained FOXP3 expression suggesting that long-term tolerance is maintained by de novo Treg generation. Thus, A2-CAR Tregs mediate linked suppression and infectious tolerance and have potential therapeutic use to simultaneously control both allo- and autoimmunity in islet transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Wardell
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Vivian C.W. Fung
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Eleanor Chen
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Manjurul Haque
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jana Gillies
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Justin A. Spanier
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Majid Mojibian
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brian T. Fife
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Megan K. Levings
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Zhao Y, Nicholson L, Wang H, Qian YW, Hawthorne WJ, Jimenez-Vera E, Gloss BS, Lai J, Thomas A, Chew YV, Burns H, Zhang GY, Wang YM, Rogers NM, Zheng G, Yi S, Alexander SI, O’Connell PJ, Hu M. Intragraft memory-like CD127hiCD4+Foxp3+ Tregs maintain transplant tolerance. JCI Insight 2024; 9:e169119. [PMID: 38516885 PMCID: PMC11063946 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.169119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in suppressing transplant rejection, but their role within the graft and heterogeneity in tolerance are poorly understood. Here, we compared phenotypic and transcriptomic characteristics of Treg populations within lymphoid organs and grafts in an islet xenotransplant model of tolerance. We showed Tregs were essential for tolerance induction and maintenance. Tregs demonstrated heterogeneity within the graft and lymphoid organs of tolerant mice. A subpopulation of CD127hi Tregs with memory features were found in lymphoid organs, presented in high proportions within long-surviving islet grafts, and had a transcriptomic and phenotypic profile similar to tissue Tregs. Importantly, these memory-like CD127hi Tregs were better able to prevent rejection by effector T cells, after adoptive transfer into secondary Rag-/- hosts, than naive Tregs or unselected Tregs from tolerant mice. Administration of IL-7 to the CD127hi Treg subset was associated with a strong activation of phosphorylation of STAT5. We proposed that memory-like CD127hi Tregs developed within the draining lymph node and underwent further genetic reprogramming within the graft toward a phenotype that had shared characteristics with other tissue or tumor Tregs. These findings suggested that engineering Tregs with these characteristics either in vivo or for adoptive transfer could enhance transplant tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hannah Wang
- Centre for Transplant and Renal Research and
| | - Yi Wen Qian
- Centre for Transplant and Renal Research and
| | | | | | - Brian S. Gloss
- Scientific Platforms, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Joey Lai
- Scientific Platforms, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Yi Vee Chew
- Centre for Transplant and Renal Research and
| | | | - Geoff Y. Zhang
- Centre for Kidney Research, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yuan Min Wang
- Centre for Kidney Research, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Natasha M. Rogers
- Centre for Transplant and Renal Research and
- Renal and Transplant Medicine Unit, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Shounan Yi
- Centre for Transplant and Renal Research and
| | - Stephen I. Alexander
- Centre for Kidney Research, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Min Hu
- Centre for Transplant and Renal Research and
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
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Mehta JM, Hiremath SC, Chilimba C, Ghasemi A, Weaver JD. Translation of cell therapies to treat autoimmune disorders. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 205:115161. [PMID: 38142739 PMCID: PMC10843859 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.115161] [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] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases are a diverse and complex set of chronic disorders with a substantial impact on patient quality of life and a significant global healthcare burden. Current approaches to autoimmune disease treatment comprise broadly acting immunosuppressive drugs that lack disease specificity, possess limited efficacy, and confer undesirable side effects. Additionally, there are limited treatments available to restore organs and tissues damaged during the course of autoimmune disease progression. Cell therapies are an emergent area of therapeutics with the potential to address both autoimmune disease immune dysfunction as well as autoimmune disease-damaged tissue and organ systems. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis of common autoimmune disorders and the state-of-the-art in cell therapy approaches to (1) regenerate or replace autoimmune disease-damaged tissue and (2) eliminate pathological immune responses in autoimmunity. Finally, we discuss critical considerations for the translation of cell products to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinal M Mehta
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Shivani C Hiremath
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Chishiba Chilimba
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Azin Ghasemi
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jessica D Weaver
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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