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Li S, Wang H, Guo N, Su B, Lambotte O, Zhang T. Targeting the HIV reservoir: chimeric antigen receptor therapy for HIV cure. Chin Med J (Engl) 2023; 136:2658-2667. [PMID: 37927030 PMCID: PMC10684145 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000002904] [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: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce the viral load in the plasma to undetectable levels in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals, ART alone cannot completely eliminate HIV due to its integration into the host cell genome to form viral reservoirs. To achieve a functional cure for HIV infection, numerous preclinical and clinical studies are underway to develop innovative immunotherapies to eliminate HIV reservoirs in the absence of ART. Early studies have tested adoptive T-cell therapies in HIV-infected individuals, but their effectiveness was limited. In recent years, with the technological progress and great success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy in the treatment of hematological malignancies, CAR therapy has gradually shown its advantages in the field of HIV infection. Many studies have identified a variety of HIV-specific CAR structures and types of cytolytic effector cells. Therefore, CAR therapy may be beneficial for enhancing HIV immunity, achieving HIV control, and eliminating HIV reservoirs, gradually becoming a promising strategy for achieving a functional HIV cure. In this review, we provide an overview of the design of anti-HIV CAR proteins, the cell types of anti-HIV CAR (including CAR T cells, CAR natural killer cells, and CAR-encoding hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells), the clinical application of CAR therapy in HIV infection, and the prospects and challenges in anti-HIV CAR therapy for maintaining viral suppression and eliminating HIV reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory for HIV/AIDS Research, Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Research on Humoral Immune Response to HIV Infection, Clinical and Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Hu Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for HIV/AIDS Research, Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Research on Humoral Immune Response to HIV Infection, Clinical and Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Na Guo
- Beijing Key Laboratory for HIV/AIDS Research, Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Research on Humoral Immune Response to HIV Infection, Clinical and Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Bin Su
- Beijing Key Laboratory for HIV/AIDS Research, Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Research on Humoral Immune Response to HIV Infection, Clinical and Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Olivier Lambotte
- Department of Internal Medicine, AP-HP, Bicêtre Hospital, UMR1184 INSERM CEA, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, University Paris Saclay, Paris 94270, France
| | - Tong Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for HIV/AIDS Research, Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Research on Humoral Immune Response to HIV Infection, Clinical and Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
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Qin H, Hu H, Liao X, Zhao P, He W, Su X, Sun J, Li Q. Antitumor effect of neoantigen-reactive T cells combined with PD1 inhibitor therapy in mouse lung cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:7363-7378. [PMID: 36933035 PMCID: PMC10024025 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-04683-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Neoantigens produced from mutations in tumors are important targets of T-cell-based immunotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade has been approved for treating multiple solid tumors. We investigated the potential benefit of adoptive neoantigen-reactive T (NRT) cells in combination with programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor (anti-PD1) for treating lung cancer in a mouse model. METHODS NRT cells were prepared by co-culturing T cells and neoantigen-RNA vaccine-induced dendritic cells. Then, adoptive NRT cells in combination with anti-PD1 were administered to tumor-bearing mice. Pre- and post-therapy cytokine secretion, antitumor efficacy, and tumor microenvironment (TME) changes were determined both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS We successfully generated NRT cells based on the 5 neoantigen epitopes identified in this study. NRT cells exhibited an enhanced cytotoxic phenotype in vitro and the combination therapy led to attenuated tumor growth. In addition, this combination strategy downregulated the expression of the inhibitory marker PD-1 on tumor-infiltrating T cells and promoted the trafficking of tumor-specific T cells to the tumor sites. CONCLUSION The adoptive transfer of NRT cells in association with anti-PD1 therapy can exert an antitumor effect on lung cancer, and is a feasible, effective, and novel immunotherapy regimen for treating solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Qin
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Haiyan Hu
- Breast Disease Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Ximing Liao
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Pei Zhao
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjuan He
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoping Su
- School of Basic Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou Tea Mountain Higher Education Park, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Jiaxing Sun
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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3
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Moazzeni A, Kheirandish M, Khamisipour G, Rahbarizadeh F. Directed targeting of B-cell maturation antigen-specific CAR T cells by bioinformatic approaches: From in-silico to in-vitro. Immunobiology 2023; 228:152376. [PMID: 37058845 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2023.152376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell is a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy. The primary step of successful CAR T cell therapy is designing a specific single-chain fragment variable (scFv). This study aims to verify the designed anti-BCMA (B cell maturation antigen) CAR using bioinformatic techniques with the following experimental evaluations. MAIN METHODS Following the second generation of anti-BCMA CAR designing, the protein structure, function prediction, physicochemical complementarity at the ligand-receptor interface, and biding sites analysis of anti-BCMA CAR construct were confirmed using different modeling and docking server, including Expasy, I-TASSER, HDock, and PyMOL software. To generate CAR T-cells, isolated T cells were transduced. Then, anti-BCMA CAR mRNA and its surface expression were confirmed by real-time -PCR and flow cytometry methods, respectively. To evaluate the surface expression of anti-BCMA CAR, anti-(Fab')2 and anti-CD8 antibodies were employed. Finally, anti-BCMA CAR T cells were co-cultured with BCMA+/- cell lines to assess the expression of CD69 and CD107a as activation and cytotoxicity markers. KEY FINDINGS In-silico results approved the suitable protein folding, perfect orientation, and correct locating of functional domains at the receptor-ligand binding site. The in-vitro results confirmed high expression of scFv (89 ± 1.15% (and CD8α (54 ± 2.88%). The expression of CD69 (91.97 ± 1.7%) and CD107a (92.05 ± 1.29%) were significantly increased, indicating appropriate activation and cytotoxicity. SIGNIFICANCE In-silico studies before experimental assessments are crucial for state-of-art CAR designing. Highly activation and cytotoxicity of anti-BCMA CAR T-cell revealed that our CAR construct methodology would be applicable to define the road map of CAR T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Moazzeni
- Immunology Department, Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine (IBTO), Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Kheirandish
- Immunology Department, Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine (IBTO), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Gholamreza Khamisipour
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
| | - Fatemeh Rahbarizadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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4
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Huang Z, Chavda VP, Bezbaruah R, Dhamne H, Yang DH, Zhao HB. CAR T-Cell therapy for the management of mantle cell lymphoma. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:67. [PMID: 37004047 PMCID: PMC10064560 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01755-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a subtype of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of mature B-cells characterized by translocation, which is typically due to excess expression of Cyclin D1. Although with the progress in our knowledge of the causes for MCL and available treatments for MCL, this cancer is still incurable. Age, male gender, rapid advancement, significant nodal involvement, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase level, and prognostic indications including increased expression of Ki-67 and presence of TP53 mutation, are symbols of poor outcome. Advanced immunotherapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells is advantageous for patients suffering from B-cell malignancies and MCL. Targeting B-cell antigens on the cell surface is a feasible approach in re-occurring (R/R) MCL because of significant responses obtained in other B-cell cancers. USFDA has approved brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus, KTE-X19), a novel CAR T-cell therapy to be used in patients with MCL who have not responded to previous treatments or have relapsed. The FDA approved this new treatment depending on the outcomes of the ZUMA-2 clinical trial. Serious adverse reactions, moderate anti-tumor activity, allergen withdrawal, antigen escape, limited tumor infiltration, and trafficking are major barriers to successful CAR T-cell therapy. This review is a brief synopsis of the development of CAR T-cell therapy for MCL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoufang Huang
- Department of Hematology, Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Vivek P Chavda
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, L M College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad, , 380009, Gujarat, India.
| | - Rajashri Bezbaruah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, India
| | - Hemant Dhamne
- Process Development, Gene Therapy Vector Facility, Research Management and Innvotations Directorate, King's College London, London, WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Dong-Hua Yang
- New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA
| | - Hong-Bing Zhao
- Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.
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Wang H, Pan W. Challenges of chimeric antigen receptor-T/natural killer cell therapy in the treatment of solid tumors: focus on colorectal cancer and evaluation of combination therapies. Mol Cell Biochem 2022; 478:967-980. [PMID: 36190614 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-022-04568-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer globally and one of the deadliest human malignancies. Traditional therapies, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and combination therapies have been used to treat patients with CRC. However, recently immunotherapy has been considered a practical and attractive therapeutic approach in various cancers, such as CRC. Among the immunotherapy methods, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T, and CAR-natural killer cells (NK) cells therapy have been significantly successful, mainly in treating hematological malignancies. However, the effectiveness of CAR-T/NK cell therapy in the treatment of solid tumors, such as CRC has been less than blood malignancies due to various challenges, such as the selection of tumor antigens, lack of proper trafficking in tumor tissue, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, tumor heterogeneity and, adverse effects during and after CAR-T/NK cell therapy. This review summarized the biological structure of CAR-T/NK cells and their use in various types of human malignancies, particularly CRC, as well as the challenges of this type of treatment and the outcome of related combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haifeng Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University, Shaoxing, 312000, China
| | - Weihuo Pan
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital of Zhejiang University, 568# Zhongxing North Road, Shaoxing, 312000, China.
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Tian C, Huang P, He Y, Wang L, Peng Z. [Effects of sodium iodide symporter co-expression on proliferation and cytotoxic activity of chimeric antigen receptor T cells in vitro]. NAN FANG YI KE DA XUE XUE BAO = JOURNAL OF SOUTHERN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2022; 42:1062-1068. [PMID: 35869771 DOI: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2022.07.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of co-expression of sodium iodide symporter (NIS) reporter gene on the proliferation and cytotoxic activity of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells in vitro. METHODS T cells expressing CD19 CAR (CAR-T cells), NIS reporter gene (NIS-T cells), and both (NIS-CAR-T cells) were prepared by lentiviral infection. The transfection rates of NIS and CAR were determined by flow cytometry, and the cell proliferation rate was assessed using CCK-8 assay at 24, 48 and 72 h of routine cell culture. The T cells were co-cultured with Nalm6 tumor cells at the effector-target ratios of 1∶2, 1∶1, 2∶1 and 4∶1 for 24, 48 and 72 h, and the cytotoxicity of CAR-T cells to the tumor cells was evaluated using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. ELISA was used to detect the release of IFN-γ and TNF-β in the co-culture supernatant, and the function of NIS was detected with iodine uptake test. RESULTS The CAR transfection rate was 91.91% in CAR-T cells and 99.41% in NIS-CAR-T cells; the NIS transfection rate was 47.83% in NIS-T cells and 50.24% in NIS- CAR-T cells. No significant difference in the proliferation rate was observed between CAR-T and NIS-CAR-T cells cultured for 24, 48 or 72 h (P> 0.05). In the co-cultures with different effector-target ratios, the tumor cell killing rate was significantly higher in CAR-T group than in NIS-CAR-T group at 24 h (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed between the two groups at 48 h or 72 h (P>0.05). Higher IFN-γ and TNF-β release levels were detected in both CAR-T and NIS-CAR-T groups than in the control group (P < 0.05). NIS-T cells and NIS-CAR-T cells showed similar capacity of specific iodine uptake (P>0.05), which was significantly higher than that in the control T cells (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The co-expression of the NIS reporter gene does not affect CAR expression, proliferation or tumor cell-killing ability of CAR-T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Tian
- Department of Radiation Medicine, College of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - P Huang
- Department of Radiation Medicine, College of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - Y He
- Department of Radiation Medicine, College of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - L Wang
- Department of Radiation Medicine, College of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - Z Peng
- Department of Radiation Medicine, College of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China
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Hauth F, Ho AY, Ferrone S, Duda DG. Radiotherapy to Enhance Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapeutic Efficacy in Solid Tumors: A Narrative Review. JAMA Oncol 2021; 7:1051-1059. [PMID: 33885725 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2021.0168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Importance Immunotherapy has emerged as a new pillar of cancer therapy over the past decade. Adoptive immunotherapy in particular has become a major area of research interest, with advances seen in the development of T-cell engineering. As a result, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has become a new and highly effective treatment option, especially for patients with refractory or resistant blood cell cancers. However, CAR T-cell therapy has shown limited efficacy for the treatment of solid tumors thus far. Observations Combinatorial treatment approaches, such as addition of radiotherapy to CAR T cells, may provide a strategy to prevent resistance to CAR T-cell therapy of solid tumors. These approaches need to overcome obstacles that include abnormal vessels and adhesion molecule expression on tumor vasculature, leading to reduced transmigration of effector immune cells, including CAR T cells, and immunosuppressive cues in the tumor microenvironment, including regional hypoxia. Conclusions and Relevance This review provides an overview of the current developments in CAR T-cell therapy and highlights the unique opportunities and challenges in combining CAR T-cell therapy with radiotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Hauth
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Radiation Oncology, University Clinic Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Alice Y Ho
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Soldano Ferrone
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dan G Duda
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Park CH. Making Potent CAR T Cells Using Genetic Engineering and Synergistic Agents. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13133236. [PMID: 34209505 PMCID: PMC8269169 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13133236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies are emerging as powerful weapons for the treatment of malignancies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have shown dramatic clinical results in patients with hematological malignancies. However, it is still challenging for CAR T cell therapy to be successful in several types of blood cancer and most solid tumors. Many attempts have been made to enhance the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy by modifying the CAR construct using combination agents, such as compounds, antibodies, or radiation. At present, technology to improve CAR T cell therapy is rapidly developing. In this review, we particularly emphasize the most recent studies utilizing genetic engineering and synergistic agents to improve CAR T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Hoon Park
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon 34114, Korea; ; Tel.: +82-42-860-7416; Fax: +82-42-861-4246
- Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
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Cortés-Hernández A, Alvarez-Salazar EK, Soldevila G. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cell Therapy for Cancer. Challenges and Opportunities: An Overview. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2174:219-244. [PMID: 32813253 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0759-6_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The use of immunotherapy as an alternative treatment for cancer patients has become of great interest in the scientific community as it is required to overcome many of the currently unsolved problems such as tumor escape, immunosuppression and unwanted unspecific toxicity. The use of chimeric antigen receptor T cells has been a very successful strategy in some hematologic malignancies. However, the application of CAR T cells has been limited to solid tumors, and this has aimed the development of new generation of CARs with enhanced effectivity and specificity. Here, we review the state of the art of CAR T cell therapy with special emphasis on the current challenges and opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arimelek Cortés-Hernández
- Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | - Evelyn Katy Alvarez-Salazar
- Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | - Gloria Soldevila
- Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México.
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10
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Radichev IA, Yoon J, Scott DW, Griffin K, Savinov AY. Towards antigen-specific Tregs for type 1 diabetes: Construction and functional assessment of pancreatic endocrine marker, HPi2-based chimeric antigen receptor. Cell Immunol 2020; 358:104224. [PMID: 33068914 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2020.104224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease marked by direct elimination of insulin-producing β cells by autoreactive T effectors. Recent T1D clinical trials utilizing autologous Tregs transfers to restore immune balance and improve disease has prompted us to design a novel Tregs-based antigen-specific T1D immunotherapy. We engineered a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) expressing a single-chain Fv recognizing the human pancreatic endocrine marker, HPi2. Human T cells, transduced with the resultant HPi2-CAR, proliferated and amplified Granzyme B accumulation when co-cultured with human, but not mouse β cells. Furthermore, following exposure of HPi2-CAR transduced cells to islets, CD8+ lymphocytes demonstrated enhanced CD107a (LAMP-1) expression, while CD4+ cells produced increased levels of IL-2. HPi2-CAR Tregs failed to maintain expansion due to a persistent tonic signaling from the CAR engagement to unexpectantly HPi2 antigen present on Tregs. Overall, we show lack of functionality of HPi2-CAR and highlight the importance of careful selection of CAR recognition driver for the sustainable activity and expandability of engineered T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilian A Radichev
- Diabetes Research Group/Sanford Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Jeongheon Yoon
- Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David W Scott
- Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kurt Griffin
- Diabetes Research Group/Sanford Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Alexei Y Savinov
- Diabetes Research Group/Sanford Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
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Ataca Atilla P, McKenna MK, Tashiro H, Srinivasan M, Mo F, Watanabe N, Simons BW, McLean Stevens A, Redell MS, Heslop HE, Mamonkin M, Brenner MK, Atilla E. Modulating TNFα activity allows transgenic IL15-Expressing CLL-1 CAR T cells to safely eliminate acute myeloid leukemia. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:jitc-2020-001229. [PMID: 32938629 PMCID: PMC7497527 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background C-type lectin-like molecule 1 (CLL-1) is highly expressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) but is absent in primitive hematopoietic progenitors, making it an attractive target for a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Here, we optimized our CLL-1 CAR for anti-leukemic activity in mouse xenograft models of aggressive AML. Methods First, we optimized the CLL-1 CAR using different spacer, transmembrane and costimulatory sequences. We used a second retroviral vector to coexpress transgenic IL15. We measured the effects of each construct on T cell phenotype and sequential (recursive) co culture assays with tumor cell targets to determine the durability of the anti tumor activity by flow cytometry. We administered CAR T cells to mice engrafted with patient derived xenografts (PDX) and AML cell line and determined anti tumor activity by bioluminescence imaging and weekly bleeding, measured serum cytokines by multiplex analysis. After euthanasia, we examined formalin-fixed/paraffin embedded sections. Unpaired two-tailed Student’s t-tests were used and values of p<0.05 were considered significant. Survival was calculated using Mantel-Cox log-rank test. Results In vitro, CLL-1 CAR T cells with interleukin-15 (IL15) were less terminally differentiated (p<0.0001) and had superior expansion compared with CD28z-CD8 CAR T cells without IL15 (p<0.001). In both AML PDX and AML cell line animal models, CLL-1 CAR T coexpressing transgenic IL15 initially expanded better than CD28z-CD8 CAR T without IL15 (p<0.0001), but produced severe acute toxicity associated with high level production of human tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), IL15 and IL2. Histopathology showed marked inflammatory changes with tissue damage in lung and liver. This acute toxicity could be managed by two strategies, individually or in combination. The excessive TNF alpha secretion could be blocked with anti-TNF alpha antibody, while excessive T cell expansion could be arrested by activation of an inducible caspase nine safety switch by administration of dimerizing drug. Both strategies successfully prolonged tumor-free survival. Conclusion Combinatorial treatment with a TNFα blocking antibody and subsequent activation of the caspase-9 control switch increased the expansion, survival and antileukemic potency of CLL-1 CAR T-cells expressing transgenic IL15 while avoiding the toxicities associated with excessive cytokine production and long-term accumulation of activated T-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinar Ataca Atilla
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mary K McKenna
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Haruko Tashiro
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Feiyan Mo
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Norihiro Watanabe
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Brian Wesley Simons
- Center for Comparative Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Alexandra McLean Stevens
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Michele S Redell
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Helen E Heslop
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Maksim Mamonkin
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Malcolm K Brenner
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Erden Atilla
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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Liu D, Badeti S, Dotti G, Jiang JG, Wang H, Dermody J, Soteropoulos P, Streck D, Birge RB, Liu C. The Role of Immunological Synapse in Predicting the Efficacy of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Immunotherapy. Cell Commun Signal 2020; 18:134. [PMID: 32843053 PMCID: PMC7446110 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-020-00617-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) immunotherapy utilizes genetically-engineered immune cells that express a unique cell surface receptor that combines tumor antigen specificity with immune cell activation. In recent clinical trials, the adoptive transfer of CAR-modified immune cells (including CAR-T and CAR-NK cells) into patients has been remarkably successful in treating multiple refractory blood cancers. To improve safety and efficacy, and expand potential applicability to other cancer types, CARs with different target specificities and sequence modifications are being developed and tested by many laboratories. Despite the overall progress in CAR immunotherapy, conventional tools to design and evaluate the efficacy and safety of CAR immunotherapies can be inaccurate, time-consuming, costly, and labor-intensive. Furthermore, existing tools cannot always determine how responsive individual patients will be to a particular CAR immunotherapy. Recent work in our laboratory suggests that the quality of the immunological synapse (IS) can accurately predict CAR-modified cell efficacy (and toxicity) that can correlate with clinical outcomes. Here we review current efforts to develop a Synapse Predicts Efficacy (SPE) system for easy, rapid and cost-effective evaluation of CAR-modified immune cell immunotherapy. Ultimately, we hypothesize the conceptual basis and clinical application of SPE will serve as an important parameter in evaluating CAR immunotherapy and significantly advance precision cancer immunotherapy. Video abstract
Graphical abstract Graphic abstract for manuscript CCAS-D-20-00136 by Liu, D., et al., ‘The Role of Immunological Synapse in Predicting the Efficacy of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Immunotherapy”. The various branches of evaluating cancer immunotherapy metaphorically represented as a Rubik’s cube. The development of a novel approach to predict the effectiveness of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-modified cells by quantifying the quality of CAR IS will introduce a new parameter to the rapidly expanding field of cancer immunotherapy. Currently, no single parameter can predict the clinical outcome or efficacy of a specific type of CAR-modified cell. IS quality will serve as a quantifiable measure to evaluate CAR products and can be used in conjunction with other conventional parameters to form a composite clinical predictor. Much like a Rubik’s cube has countless configurations, several methods and combinations of clinical metrics have arisen for evaluating the ability of a given immunotherapeutic strategy to treat cancer. The quality of IS depicting cancer immunotherapy is metaphorically expressed as a Rubik’s cube. Each face/color represents one aspect of cancer therapy. Each grid in one face indicates one factor within that aspect of cancer therapy. For example, the green color represents the tumor microenvironment, and one out of the nine grids in the green color indicates suppressor cells (suppressors in green). Changes in one factor may completely alter the entire strategy of cancer therapy. However, the quality of IS (illuminated center red grid) makes the effectiveness of CAR immunotherapy predictable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongfang Liu
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers University- New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA. .,Center for Immunity and Inflammation, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07101, USA.
| | - Saiaditya Badeti
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers University- New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jie-Gen Jiang
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers University- New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - He Wang
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers University- New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - James Dermody
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Patricia Soteropoulos
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Deanna Streck
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Raymond B Birge
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Chen Liu
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers University- New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.,Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
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CAR T cells: continuation in a revolution of immunotherapy. Lancet Oncol 2020; 21:e168-e178. [PMID: 32135120 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(19)30823-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The recent clinical successes of immunotherapy, as a result of a broader and more profound understanding of cancer immunobiology, and the leverage of this knowledge to effectively eradicate malignant cells, has revolutionised the field of cancer therapeutics. Immunotherapy is now considered the fifth pillar of cancer care, alongside surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. Recently, the success of genetically modified T cells that express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T cells) has generated considerable excitement. CAR T-cell therapy research and development has built on experience generated by laboratory research and clinical investigation of lymphokine-activated killer cells, tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, and allogeneic haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation for cancer treatment. This Review aims to provide a background on the field of adoptive T-cell therapy and the development of genetically modified T cells, most notably CAR T-cell therapy. Many challenges exist to optimise efficacy, minimise toxicity, and broaden the application of immunotherapies based on T cells.
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PSMA-Directed CAR T Cells Combined with Low-Dose Docetaxel Treatment Induce Tumor Regression in a Prostate Cancer Xenograft Model. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2020; 18:226-235. [PMID: 32728611 PMCID: PMC7372156 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2020.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
While chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy targeting CD19 has shown remarkable success in patients with lymphoid malignancies, the potency of CAR T cells in solid tumors is low so far. To improve the efficacy of CAR T cells targeting prostate carcinoma, we designed a novel CAR that recognizes a new epitope in the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and established novel paradigms to apply CAR T cells in a preclinical prostate cancer model. In vitro characterization of the D7 single-chain antibody fragment-derived anti-PSMA CAR confirmed that the choice of the co-stimulatory domain is a major determinant of CAR T cell activation, differentiation, and exhaustion. In vivo, focal injections of the PSMA CAR T cells eradicated established human prostate cancer xenografts in a preclinical mouse model. Moreover, systemic intravenous CAR T cell application significantly inhibited tumor growth in combination with non-ablative low-dose docetaxel chemotherapy, while docetaxel or CAR T cell application alone was not effective. In conclusion, the focal application of D7-derived CAR T cells and their combination with chemotherapy represent promising immunotherapeutic avenues to treat local and advanced prostate cancer in the clinic.
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CARs: Beyond T Cells and T Cell-Derived Signaling Domains. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21103525. [PMID: 32429316 PMCID: PMC7279007 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21103525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
When optimizing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy in terms of efficacy, safety, and broadening its application to new malignancies, there are two main clusters of topics to be addressed: the CAR design and the choice of transfected cells. The former focuses on the CAR construct itself. The utilized transmembrane and intracellular domains determine the signaling pathways induced by antigen binding and thereby the cell-specific effector functions triggered. The main part of this review summarizes our understanding of common signaling domains employed in CARs, their interactions among another, and their effects on different cell types. It will, moreover, highlight several less common extracellular and intracellular domains that might permit unique new opportunities. Different antibody-based extracellular antigen-binding domains have been pursued and optimized to strike a balance between specificity, affinity, and toxicity, but these have been reviewed elsewhere. The second cluster of topics is about the cellular vessels expressing the CAR. It is essential to understand the specific attributes of each cell type influencing anti-tumor efficacy, persistence, and safety, and how CAR cells crosstalk with each other and bystander cells. The first part of this review focuses on the progress achieved in adopting different leukocytes for CAR therapy.
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Current Perspectives in Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11101472. [PMID: 31575023 PMCID: PMC6826426 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11101472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Different immunotherapeutic approaches have proved to be of significant clinical value to many patients with different types of advanced cancer. However, we need more precise immunotherapies and predictive biomarkers to increase the successful response rates. The advent of next generation sequencing technologies and their applications in immuno-oncology has helped us tremendously towards this aim. We are now moving towards the realization of personalized medicine, thus, significantly increasing our expectations for a more successful management of the disease. Here, we discuss the current immunotherapeutic approaches against cancer, including immune checkpoint blockade with an emphasis on anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibodies. We also analyze a growing list of other co-inhibitory and co-stimulatory markers and emphasize the mechanism of action of the principal pathway for each of these, as well as on drugs that either have been FDA-approved or are under clinical investigation. We further discuss recent advances in other immunotherapies, including cytokine therapy, adoptive cell transfer therapy and therapeutic vaccines. We finally discuss the modulation of gut microbiota composition and response to immunotherapy, as well as how tumor-intrinsic factors and immunological processes influence the mutational and epigenetic landscape of progressing tumors and response to immunotherapy but also how immunotherapeutic intervention influences the landscape of cancer neoepitopes and tumor immunoediting.
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Phasetime: Deep Learning Approach to Detect Nuclei in Time Lapse Phase Images. J Clin Med 2019; 8:jcm8081159. [PMID: 31382487 PMCID: PMC6723258 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8081159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Time lapse microscopy is essential for quantifying the dynamics of cells, subcellular organelles and biomolecules. Biologists use different fluorescent tags to label and track the subcellular structures and biomolecules within cells. However, not all of them are compatible with time lapse imaging, and the labeling itself can perturb the cells in undesirable ways. We hypothesized that phase image has the requisite information to identify and track nuclei within cells. By utilizing both traditional blob detection to generate binary mask labels from the stained channel images and the deep learning Mask RCNN model to train a detection and segmentation model, we managed to segment nuclei based only on phase images. The detection average precision is 0.82 when the IoU threshold is to be set 0.5. And the mean IoU for masks generated from phase images and ground truth masks from experts is 0.735. Without any ground truth mask labels during the training time, this is good enough to prove our hypothesis. This result enables the ability to detect nuclei without the need for exogenous labeling.
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