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Webb MJ, Sangsuwannukul T, van Vloten J, Evgin L, Kendall B, Tonne J, Thompson J, Metko M, Moore M, Chiriboga Yerovi MP, Olin M, Borgatti A, McNiven M, Monga SPS, Borad MJ, Melcher A, Roberts LR, Vile R. Expression of tumor antigens within an oncolytic virus enhances the anti-tumor T cell response. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5442. [PMID: 38937436 PMCID: PMC11211353 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49286-x] [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: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Although patients benefit from immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) therapy in a broad variety of tumors, resistance may arise from immune suppressive tumor microenvironments (TME), which is particularly true of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Since oncolytic viruses (OV) can generate a highly immune-infiltrated, inflammatory TME, OVs could potentially restore ICI responsiveness via recruitment, priming, and activation of anti-tumor T cells. Here we find that on the contrary, an oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus, expressing interferon-ß (VSV-IFNß), antagonizes the effect of anti-PD-L1 therapy in a partially anti-PD-L1-responsive model of HCC. Cytometry by Time of Flight shows that VSV-IFNß expands dominant anti-viral effector CD8 T cells with concomitant relative disappearance of anti-tumor T cell populations, which are the target of anti-PD-L1. However, by expressing a range of HCC tumor antigens within VSV, combination OV and anti-PD-L1 therapeutic benefit could be restored. Our data provide a cautionary message for the use of highly immunogenic viruses as tumor-specific immune-therapeutics by showing that dominant anti-viral T cell responses can inhibit sub-dominant anti-tumor T cell responses. However, through encoding tumor antigens within the virus, oncolytic virotherapy can generate anti-tumor T cell populations upon which immune checkpoint blockade can effectively work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason J Webb
- Department of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | | | - Jacob van Vloten
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Laura Evgin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z1L3, Canada
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Department, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, V5Z1L3, Canada
| | - Benjamin Kendall
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Jason Tonne
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Jill Thompson
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Muriel Metko
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Madelyn Moore
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | | | - Michael Olin
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Antonella Borgatti
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Clinical Investigation Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Mark McNiven
- Mayo Center for Biomedical Discovery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Satdarshan P S Monga
- Pittsburgh Liver Institute, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Mitesh J Borad
- Department of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, 85054, USA
| | - Alan Melcher
- Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, London, SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Lewis R Roberts
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Richard Vile
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Joan Reece Department of Immuno-oncology, King's College London, London, UK.
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Vile R, Webb M, van Vloten J, Evgin L, Sangsuwannukul T, Kendall B, Tonne J, Thompson J, Metko M, Moore M, Yerovi MC, McNiven M, Monga S, Borad M, Roberts L. Chimerization of the Anti-Viral CD8 + T Cell Response with A Broad Anti-Tumor T Cell Response Reverses Inhibition of Checkpoint Blockade Therapy by Oncolytic Virotherapy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3576281. [PMID: 38045348 PMCID: PMC10690324 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3576281/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Although immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) has produced profound survival benefits in a broad variety of tumors, a proportion of patients do not respond. Treatment failure is in part due to immune suppressive tumor microenvironments (TME), which is particularly true of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Since oncolytic viruses (OV) can generate a highly immune-infiltrated, inflammatory TME, we developed a vesicular stomatitis virus expressing interferon-ß (VSV-IFNß) as a viro-immunotherapy against HCC. Since HCC standard of care atezolizumab/bevacizumab incorporates ICI, we tested the hypothesis that pro-inflammatory VSV-IFNß would recruit, prime, and activate anti-tumor T cells, whose activity anti-PD-L1 ICI would potentiate. However, in a partially anti-PD-L1-responsive model of HCC, addition of VSV-IFNß abolished anti-PD-L1 therapy. Cytometry by Time of Flight showed that VSV-IFNß expanded dominant anti-viral effector CD8 T cells with concomitant, relative disappearance of anti-tumor T cell populations which are the target of anti-PD-L1. However, by expressing a range of HCC tumor antigens within VSV, the potent anti-viral response became amalgamated with an anti-tumor T cell response generating highly significant cures compared to anti-PD-L1 ICI alone. Our data provide a cautionary message for the use of highly immunogenic viruses as tumor-specific immune-therapeutics by showing that dominant anti-viral T cell responses can inhibit sub-dominant anti-tumor T cell responses. However, by chimerizing anti-viral and anti-tumor T cell responses through encoding tumor antigens within the virus, oncolytic virotherapy can be purposed for very effective immune driven tumor clearance and can generate anti-tumor T cell populations upon which immune checkpoint blockade can effectively work.
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