1
|
Yao Z, Zeng Y, Liu C, Jin H, Wang H, Zhang Y, Ding C, Chen G, Wu D. Focusing on CD8 + T-cell phenotypes: improving solid tumor therapy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:266. [PMID: 39342365 PMCID: PMC11437975 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03195-5] [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: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 09/17/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Vigorous CD8+ T cells play a crucial role in recognizing tumor cells and combating solid tumors. How T cells efficiently recognize and target tumor antigens, and how they maintain the activity in the "rejection" of solid tumor microenvironment, are major concerns. Recent advances in understanding of the immunological trajectory and lifespan of CD8+ T cells have provided guidance for the design of more optimal anti-tumor immunotherapy regimens. Here, we review the newly discovered methods to enhance the function of CD8+ T cells against solid tumors, focusing on optimizing T cell receptor (TCR) expression, improving antigen recognition by engineered T cells, enhancing signal transduction of the TCR-CD3 complex, inducing the homing of polyclonal functional T cells to tumors, reversing T cell exhaustion under chronic antigen stimulation, and reprogramming the energy and metabolic pathways of T cells. We also discuss how to participate in the epigenetic changes of CD8+ T cells to regulate two key indicators of anti-tumor responses, namely effectiveness and persistence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhouchi Yao
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Yayun Zeng
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Huimin Jin
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Scientific Research, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 121001, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| | - Chengming Ding
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| | - Guodong Chen
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| | - Daichao Wu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ribeiro-Filho HV, Jara GE, Guerra JVS, Cheung M, Felbinger NR, Pereira JGC, Pierce BG, Lopes-de-Oliveira PS. Exploring the potential of structure-based deep learning approaches for T cell receptor design. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012489. [PMID: 39348412 PMCID: PMC11466415 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012489] [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: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 10/10/2024] [Accepted: 09/14/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Deep learning methods, trained on the increasing set of available protein 3D structures and sequences, have substantially impacted the protein modeling and design field. These advancements have facilitated the creation of novel proteins, or the optimization of existing ones designed for specific functions, such as binding a target protein. Despite the demonstrated potential of such approaches in designing general protein binders, their application in designing immunotherapeutics remains relatively underexplored. A relevant application is the design of T cell receptors (TCRs). Given the crucial role of T cells in mediating immune responses, redirecting these cells to tumor or infected target cells through the engineering of TCRs has shown promising results in treating diseases, especially cancer. However, the computational design of TCR interactions presents challenges for current physics-based methods, particularly due to the unique natural characteristics of these interfaces, such as low affinity and cross-reactivity. For this reason, in this study, we explored the potential of two structure-based deep learning protein design methods, ProteinMPNN and ESM-IF1, in designing fixed-backbone TCRs for binding target antigenic peptides presented by the MHC through different design scenarios. To evaluate TCR designs, we employed a comprehensive set of sequence- and structure-based metrics, highlighting the benefits of these methods in comparison to classical physics-based design methods and identifying deficiencies for improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helder V. Ribeiro-Filho
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gabriel E. Jara
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - João V. S. Guerra
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Melyssa Cheung
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel R. Felbinger
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - José G. C. Pereira
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Brian G. Pierce
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Paulo S. Lopes-de-Oliveira
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hutchings CJ, Sato AK. Phage display technology and its impact in the discovery of novel protein-based drugs. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:887-915. [PMID: 39074492 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2024.2367023] [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: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Phage display technology is a well-established versatile in vitro display technology that has been used for over 35 years to identify peptides and antibodies for use as reagents and therapeutics, as well as exploring the diversity of alternative scaffolds as another option to conventional therapeutic antibody discovery. Such successes have been responsible for spawning a range of biotechnology companies, as well as many complementary technologies devised to expedite the drug discovery process and resolve bottlenecks in the discovery workflow. AREAS COVERED In this perspective, the authors summarize the application of phage display for drug discovery and provide examples of protein-based drugs that have either been approved or are being developed in the clinic. The amenability of phage display to generate functional protein molecules to challenging targets and recent developments of strategies and techniques designed to harness the power of sampling diverse repertoires are highlighted. EXPERT OPINION Phage display is now routinely combined with cutting-edge technologies to deep-mine antibody-based repertoires, peptide, or alternative scaffold libraries generating a wealth of data that can be leveraged, e.g. via artificial intelligence, to enable the potential for clinical success in the discovery and development of protein-based therapeutics.
Collapse
|
4
|
Cai W, Peng S, Tian Y, Bao Y, Liu Q, Dong Y, Liang Z, Liu Q, Ren Y, Ding P, Liu J, Xu T, Li Y. Hydrophobic core evolution of major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related protein A for dramatic enhancing binding affinity. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 271:132588. [PMID: 38788878 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132588] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Interface residues at sites of protein-protein interaction (PPI) are the focus for affinity optimisation. However, protein hydrophobic cores (HCs) play critical roles and shape the protein surface. We hypothesise that manipulating protein HCs can enhance PPI interaction affinities. A cell stress molecule, major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related protein A (MICA), binds to the natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) homodimer to form three molecule interactions. MICA was used as a study subject to support our hypothesis. We redesigned MICA HCs by directed mutagenesis and isolated high-affinity variants through a newly designed partial-denature panning (PDP) method. A few mutations in MICA HCs increased the NKG2D-MICA interaction affinity by 325-5613-fold. Crystal structures of the NKG2D-MICA variant complexes indicated that mutagenesis of MICA HCs stabilised helical elements for decreasing intermolecular interactive free energy (ΔG) of the NKG2D-MICA heterotrimer. The repacking of MICA HC mutants maintained overall surface residues and the authentic binding specificity of MICA. In conclusion, this study provides a new method for MICA redesign and affinity optimisation through HC manipulation without mutating PPI interface residues. Our study introduces a novel approach to protein manipulation, potentially expanding the toolkit for protein affinity optimisation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenxuan Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; TIOC Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Siqi Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ye Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; TIOC Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yifeng Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Qiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Yan Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Zhaoduan Liang
- Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Qi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; TIOC Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yuefei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Peng Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Jinsong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Tingting Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China.
| | - Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; TIOC Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou 310018, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou 510530, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Brunnberg J, Barends M, Frühschulz S, Winter C, Battin C, de Wet B, Cole DK, Steinberger P, Tampé R. Dual role of the peptide-loading complex as proofreader and limiter of MHC-I presentation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321600121. [PMID: 38771881 PMCID: PMC11145271 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321600121] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Antigen presentation via major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules is essential for surveillance by the adaptive immune system. Central to this process is the peptide-loading complex (PLC), which translocates peptides from the cytosol to the endoplasmic reticulum and catalyzes peptide loading and proofreading of peptide-MHC-I (pMHC-I) complexes. Despite its importance, the impact of individual PLC components on the presented pMHC-I complexes is still insufficiently understood. Here, we used stoichiometrically defined antibody-nanobody complexes and engineered soluble T cell receptors (sTCRs) to quantify different MHC-I allomorphs and defined pMHC-I complexes, respectively. Thereby, we uncovered distinct effects of individual PLC components on the pMHC-I surface pool. Knockouts of components of the PLC editing modules, namely tapasin, ERp57, or calreticulin, changed the MHC-I surface composition to a reduced proportion of HLA-A*02:01 presentation compensated by a higher ratio of HLA-B*40:01 molecules. Intriguingly, these knockouts not only increased the presentation of suboptimally loaded HLA-A*02:01 complexes but also elevated the presentation of high-affinity peptides overexpressed in the cytosol. Our findings suggest that the components of the PLC editing module serve a dual role, acting not only as peptide proofreaders but also as limiters for abundant peptides. This dual function ensures the presentation of a broad spectrum of antigenic peptides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamina Brunnberg
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main60438, Germany
| | - Martina Barends
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main60438, Germany
| | - Stefan Frühschulz
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main60438, Germany
| | - Christian Winter
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main60438, Germany
| | - Claire Battin
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna1090, Austria
| | - Ben de Wet
- Immunocore Ltd., AbingdonOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | | | - Peter Steinberger
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna1090, Austria
| | - Robert Tampé
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main60438, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhao X, Shao S, Hu L. The recent advancement of TCR-T cell therapies for cancer treatment. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2024; 56:663-674. [PMID: 38557898 PMCID: PMC11187488 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2024034] [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: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapies involve infusing engineered immune cells into cancer patients to recognize and eliminate tumor cells. Adoptive cell therapy, as a form of living drug, has undergone explosive growth over the past decade. The recognition of tumor antigens by the T-cell receptor (TCR) is one of the natural mechanisms that the immune system used to eliminate tumor cells. TCR-T cell therapy, which involves introducing exogenous TCRs into patients' T cells, is a novel cell therapy strategy. TCR-T cell therapy can target the entire proteome of cancer cells. Engineering T cells with exogenous TCRs to help patients combat cancer has achieved success in clinical trials, particularly in treating solid tumors. In this review, we examine the progress of TCR-T cell therapy over the past five years. This includes the discovery of new tumor antigens, protein engineering techniques for TCR, reprogramming strategies for TCR-T cell therapy, clinical studies on TCR-T cell therapy, and the advancement of TCR-T cell therapy in China. We also propose several potential directions for the future development of TCR-T cell therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhao
- />Key Laboratory of Multi-Cell SystemsShanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyCenter for Excellence in Molecular Cell ScienceChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200031China
| | - Shuai Shao
- />Key Laboratory of Multi-Cell SystemsShanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyCenter for Excellence in Molecular Cell ScienceChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200031China
| | - Lanxin Hu
- />Key Laboratory of Multi-Cell SystemsShanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell BiologyCenter for Excellence in Molecular Cell ScienceChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200031China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhang M, Xu W, Luo L, Guan F, Wang X, Zhu P, Zhang J, Zhou X, Wang F, Ye S. Identification and affinity enhancement of T-cell receptor targeting a KRAS G12V cancer neoantigen. Commun Biol 2024; 7:512. [PMID: 38684865 PMCID: PMC11058820 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06209-2] [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: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Neoantigens derived from somatic mutations in Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog (KRAS), the most frequently mutated oncogene, represent promising targets for cancer immunotherapy. Recent research highlights the potential role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele A*11:01 in presenting these altered KRAS variants to the immune system. In this study, we successfully generate and identify murine T-cell receptors (TCRs) that specifically recognize KRAS8-16G12V from three predicted high affinity peptides. By determining the structure of the tumor-specific 4TCR2 bound to KRASG12V-HLA-A*11:01, we conduct structure-based design to create and evaluate TCR variants with markedly enhanced affinity, up to 15.8-fold. This high-affinity TCR mutant, which involved only two amino acid substitutions, display minimal conformational alterations while maintaining a high degree of specificity for the KRASG12V peptide. Our research unveils the molecular mechanisms governing TCR recognition towards KRASG12V neoantigen and yields a range of affinity-enhanced TCR mutants with significant potential for immunotherapy strategies targeting tumors harboring the KRASG12V mutation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengyu Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Wei Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lingjie Luo
- School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Fenghui Guan
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Xiangyao Wang
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Pei Zhu
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100101, China
- Department of Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xuyu Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100101, China.
- Department of Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Feng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
| | - Sheng Ye
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ribeiro-Filho HV, Jara GE, Guerra JVS, Cheung M, Felbinger NR, Pereira JGC, Pierce BG, Lopes-de-Oliveira PS. Exploring the Potential of Structure-Based Deep Learning Approaches for T cell Receptor Design. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.19.590222. [PMID: 38712216 PMCID: PMC11071404 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.19.590222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Deep learning methods, trained on the increasing set of available protein 3D structures and sequences, have substantially impacted the protein modeling and design field. These advancements have facilitated the creation of novel proteins, or the optimization of existing ones designed for specific functions, such as binding a target protein. Despite the demonstrated potential of such approaches in designing general protein binders, their application in designing immunotherapeutics remains relatively unexplored. A relevant application is the design of T cell receptors (TCRs). Given the crucial role of T cells in mediating immune responses, redirecting these cells to tumor or infected target cells through the engineering of TCRs has shown promising results in treating diseases, especially cancer. However, the computational design of TCR interactions presents challenges for current physics-based methods, particularly due to the unique natural characteristics of these interfaces, such as low affinity and cross-reactivity. For this reason, in this study, we explored the potential of two structure-based deep learning protein design methods, ProteinMPNN and ESM-IF, in designing fixed-backbone TCRs for binding target antigenic peptides presented by the MHC through different design scenarios. To evaluate TCR designs, we employed a comprehensive set of sequence- and structure-based metrics, highlighting the benefits of these methods in comparison to classical physics-based design methods and identifying deficiencies for improvement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helder V. Ribeiro-Filho
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Gabriel E. Jara
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
| | - João V. S. Guerra
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-871, Brazil
| | - Melyssa Cheung
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Nathaniel R. Felbinger
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - José G. C. Pereira
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
| | - Brian G. Pierce
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Paulo S. Lopes-de-Oliveira
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas 13083-100, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-871, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Wang L, Liang Z, Guo Y, Habimana JDD, Ren Y, Amissah OB, Mukama O, Peng S, Ding X, Lv L, Li J, Chen M, Liu Z, Huang R, Zhang Y, Li Y, Li Z, Sun Y. STING agonist diABZI enhances the cytotoxicity of T cell towards cancer cells. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:265. [PMID: 38615022 PMCID: PMC11016101 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06638-1] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Antigen-specific T cell receptor-engineered T cell (TCR-T) based immunotherapy has proven to be an effective method to combat cancer. In recent years, cross-talk between the innate and adaptive immune systems may be requisite to optimize sustained antigen-specific immunity, and the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is a promising therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. The level of expression or presentation of antigen in tumor cells affects the recognition and killing of tumor cells by TCR-T. This study aimed at investigating the potential of innate immune stimulation of T cells and engineered T cells to enhance immunotherapy for low-expression antigen cancer cells. We systematically investigated the function and mechanism of cross-talk between STING agonist diABZI and adaptive immune systems. We established NY-ESO-1 full knockout Mel526 cells for this research and found that diABZI activated STING media and TCR signaling pathways. In addition, the results of flow cytometry showed that antigens presentation from cancer cells induced by STING agonist diABZI also improved the affinity of TCR-T cells function against tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Our findings revealed that diABZI enhanced the immunotherapy efficacy of TCR-T by activating STING media and TCR signaling pathways, improving interferon-γ expression, and increasing antigens presentation of tumor cells. This indicates that STING agonist could be used as a strategy to promote TCR-T cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wang
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Zhaoduan Liang
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health GuangDong Laboratory), Guangzhou, 510005, China
| | - Yunzhuo Guo
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Jean de Dieu Habimana
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Yuefei Ren
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Obed Boadi Amissah
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Omar Mukama
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, 3900, Rwanda
| | - Siqi Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xuanyan Ding
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Linshuang Lv
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Junyi Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Min Chen
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Zhaoming Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Rongqi Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Yinchao Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
| | - Zhiyuan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
- GZMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
| | - Yirong Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Shao W, Yao Y, Yang L, Li X, Ge T, Zheng Y, Zhu Q, Ge S, Gu X, Jia R, Song X, Zhuang A. Novel insights into TCR-T cell therapy in solid neoplasms: optimizing adoptive immunotherapy. Exp Hematol Oncol 2024; 13:37. [PMID: 38570883 PMCID: PMC10988985 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-024-00504-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy in the T cell landscape exhibits efficacy in cancer treatment. Over the past few decades, genetically modified T cells, particularly chimeric antigen receptor T cells, have enabled remarkable strides in the treatment of hematological malignancies. Besides, extensive exploration of multiple antigens for the treatment of solid tumors has led to clinical interest in the potential of T cells expressing the engineered T cell receptor (TCR). TCR-T cells possess the capacity to recognize intracellular antigen families and maintain the intrinsic properties of TCRs in terms of affinity to target epitopes and signal transduction. Recent research has provided critical insight into their capability and therapeutic targets for multiple refractory solid tumors, but also exposes some challenges for durable efficacy. In this review, we describe the screening and identification of available tumor antigens, and the acquisition and optimization of TCRs for TCR-T cell therapy. Furthermore, we summarize the complete flow from laboratory to clinical applications of TCR-T cells. Last, we emerge future prospects for improving therapeutic efficacy in cancer world with combination therapies or TCR-T derived products. In conclusion, this review depicts our current understanding of TCR-T cell therapy in solid neoplasms, and provides new perspectives for expanding its clinical applications and improving therapeutic efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weihuan Shao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiran Yao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Ludi Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoran Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Tongxin Ge
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Zheng
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiuyi Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Shengfang Ge
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Gu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Renbing Jia
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xin Song
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ai Zhuang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Li Y, Zhao W, Shen Y, Xu Y, Chen S, Pan L. T Cell Receptor-Directed Bispecific T Cell Engager Targeting MHC-Linked NY-ESO-1 for Tumor Immunotherapy. Biomedicines 2024; 12:776. [PMID: 38672132 PMCID: PMC11048172 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12040776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Antibody-based bispecific T cell engagers (TCEs) that redirect T cells to kill tumor cells have shown a promising therapeutic effect on hematologic malignancies. However, tumor-specific targeting is still a challenge for TCEs, impeding the development of TCEs for solid tumor therapy. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) presents almost all intracellular peptides (including tumor-specific peptides) on the cell surface to be scanned by the TCR on T cells. With the premise of choosing optimal peptides, the final complex peptide-MHC could be the tumor-specific target for TCEs. Here, a novel TCR-directed format of a TCE targeting peptide-MHC was designed named IgG-T-TCE, which was modified from the IgG backbone and prepared in a mammalian cell expression system. The recombinant IgG-T-TCE-NY targeting NY-ESO-1157-165/HLA-A*02:01 could be generated in HEK293 cells with a glycosylated TCR and showed potency in T cell activation and redirecting T cells to specifically kill target tumor cells. We also found that the in vitro activity of IgG-T-TCE-NY could be leveraged by various anti-CD3 antibodies and Fc silencing. The IgG-T-TCE-NY efficiently inhibited tumor growth in a tumor-PBMC co-engrafted mouse model without any obvious toxicities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Li
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.X.)
| | - Wenbin Zhao
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.X.)
- Zhejiang University Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Engineering Research Center of Innovative Anticancer Drugs, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Ying Shen
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.X.)
- Zhejiang University Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Engineering Research Center of Innovative Anticancer Drugs, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Yingchun Xu
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.X.)
| | - Shuqing Chen
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.X.)
| | - Liqiang Pan
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; (Y.L.); (W.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.X.)
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wallace Z, Heunis T, Paterson RL, Suckling RJ, Grant T, Dembek M, Donoso J, Brener J, Long J, Bunjobpol W, Gibbs-Howe D, Kay DP, Leneghan DB, Godinho LF, Walker A, Singh PK, Knox A, Leonard S, Dorrell L. Instability of the HLA-E peptidome of HIV presents a major barrier to therapeutic targeting. Mol Ther 2024; 32:678-688. [PMID: 38219014 PMCID: PMC10928138 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.01.010] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Naturally occurring T cells that recognize microbial peptides via HLA-E, a nonpolymorphic HLA class Ib molecule, could provide the foundation for new universal immunotherapeutics. However, confidence in the biological relevance of putative ligands is crucial, given that the mechanisms by which pathogen-derived peptides can access the HLA-E presentation pathway are poorly understood. We systematically interrogated the HIV proteome using immunopeptidomic and bioinformatic approaches, coupled with biochemical and cellular assays. No HIV HLA-E peptides were identified by tandem mass spectrometry analysis of HIV-infected cells. In addition, all bioinformatically predicted HIV peptide ligands (>80) were characterized by poor complex stability. Furthermore, infected cell elimination assays using an affinity-enhanced T cell receptor bispecific targeted to a previously reported HIV Gag HLA-E epitope demonstrated inconsistent presentation of the peptide, despite normal HLA-E expression on HIV-infected cells. This work highlights the instability of the HIV HLA-E peptidome as a major challenge for drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zoë Wallace
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK.
| | - Tiaan Heunis
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Jose Donoso
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | - Joshua Long
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | | | - Daniel P Kay
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Andrew Knox
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | - Lucy Dorrell
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Amissah OB, Chen W, de Dieu Habimana J, Sun Y, Lin L, Liu Y, Wang L, Liu Z, Mukama O, Basnet R, Liu H, Li J, Ding X, Lv L, Chen M, Liang Y, Huang R, Li Z. NY-ESO-1-specific T cell receptor-engineered T cells and Tranilast, a TRPV2 antagonist bivalent treatment enhances the killing of esophageal cancer: a dual-targeted cancer therapeutic route. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:64. [PMID: 38336680 PMCID: PMC10858587 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03249-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Esophageal cancer (EC) is a global canker notorious for causing high mortality due to its relentless incidence rate, convoluted with unyielding recurrence and metastasis. However, these intricacies of EC are associated with an immoderate expression of NY-ESO-1 antigen, presenting a lifeline for adoptive T cell therapy. We hypothesized that naturally isolated higher-affinity T cell receptors (TCRs) that bind to NY-ESO-1 would allow T lymphocytes to target EC with a pronounced antitumor response efficacy. Also, targeting TRPV2, which is associated with tumorigenesis in EC, creates an avenue for dual-targeted therapy. We exploited the dual-targeting antitumor efficacy against EC. METHODS We isolated antigen-specific TCRs (asTCRs) from a naive library constructed with TCRs obtained from enriched cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The robustness of our asTCRs and their TCR-T cell derivatives, Tranilast (TRPV2 inhibitor), and their bivalent treatment were evaluated with prospective cross-reactive human-peptide variants and tumor cells. RESULTS Our study demonstrated that our naive unenhanced asTCRs and their TCR-Ts perpetuated their cognate HLA-A*02:01/NY-ESO-1(157-165) specificity, killing varying EC cells with higher cytotoxicity compared to the known affinity-enhanced TCR (TCRe) and its wild-type (TCR0) which targets the same NY-ESO-1 antigen. Furthermore, the TCR-Ts and Tranilast bivalent treatment showed superior EC killing compared to any of their monovalent treatments of either TCR-T or Tranilast. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that dual-targeted immunotherapy may have a superior antitumor effect. Our study presents a technique to evolve novel, robust, timely therapeutic strategies and interventions for EC and other malignancies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Obed Boadi Amissah
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China.
- GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, GIBH-CUHK Joint Research Laboratory On Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
| | - Wenfang Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jean de Dieu Habimana
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Yirong Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Lihui Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Yujie Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Ling Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Zhaoming Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Omar Mukama
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Rajesh Basnet
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hohua Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Function and Regulation in Agricultural Organisms, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
| | - Junyi Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xuanyan Ding
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lingshuang Lv
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Min Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Yalin Liang
- GZMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Rongqi Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
- GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, GIBH-CUHK Joint Research Laboratory On Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
| | - Zhiyuan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China.
- GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, GIBH-CUHK Joint Research Laboratory On Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
- GZMU-GIBH Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Zhao WB, Shen Y, Cai GX, Li YM, Liu WH, Wu JC, Xu YC, Chen SQ, Zhou Z. Superantigen-fused T cell engagers for tumor antigen-mediated robust T cell activation and tumor cell killing. Mol Ther 2024; 32:490-502. [PMID: 38098228 PMCID: PMC10861957 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.12.011] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Inadequate T cell activation has severely limited the success of T cell engager (TCE) therapy, especially in solid tumors. Enhancing T cell activity while maintaining the tumor specificity of TCEs is the key to improving their clinical efficacy. However, currently, there needs to be more effective strategies in clinical practice. Here, we design novel superantigen-fused TCEs that display robust tumor antigen-mediated T cell activation effects. These innovative drugs are not only armed with the powerful T cell activation ability of superantigens but also retain the dependence of TCEs on tumor antigens, realizing the ingenious combination of the advantages of two existing drugs. Superantigen-fused TCEs have been preliminarily proven to have good (>30-fold more potent) and specific (>25-fold more potent) antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Surprisingly, they can also induce the activation of T cell chemotaxis signals, which may promote T cell infiltration and further provide an additional guarantee for improving TCE efficacy in solid tumors. Overall, this proof-of-concept provides a potential strategy for improving the clinical efficacy of TCEs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Bin Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang University Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Engineering Research Center of Innovative Anticancer Drugs, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Ying Shen
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang University Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Engineering Research Center of Innovative Anticancer Drugs, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Guo-Xin Cai
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yi-Ming Li
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wen-Hui Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jing-Cheng Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ying-Chun Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shu-Qing Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Zhan Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang University Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Engineering Research Center of Innovative Anticancer Drugs, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou 310018, China; The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 322000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wu J, Chu T, Hao J, Lin L. SpSrtA-Catalyzed Isopeptide Ligation on Lysine Residues. Microorganisms 2024; 12:179. [PMID: 38258005 PMCID: PMC10818881 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Sortase-mediated ligation (SML) is widely used for protein bioconjugation. However, the sortase used in this strategy typically recognizes only the N-terminal oligoglycine, which is absent in most natural proteins. To broaden the spectrum of substrates compatible with SML, we focus on a novel sortase, sortase A from Streptococcus pneumoniae (SpSrtA), known for its expanded substrate specificity (N-terminal glycine, alanine, and serine). We present the first evidence showing that the reported SpSrtA mutant (SpSrtA*) can modify lysine residues in itself and other proteins. The modification sites of SpSrtA* were identified through LC-MS/MS analysis. Moreover, we discovered an optimal lysine-containing peptide tag by fusing it onto sfGFP, resulting in a labeling efficiency of 57%. Inspired by this, we applied the method to modify proteins on microorganism surfaces up to 13.5-fold. To enhance labeling efficiency, we fused the SpSrtA* onto a surface protein and achieved a 2.64-fold improvement. We further developed a high-throughput yeast display screening method for the directed evolution of SpSrtA*, achieving a 10-fold improvement in the labeling efficiency of this surface protein. Our study provides a novel strategy for modifying the lysine residues that will be a powerful addition to the protein bioconjugation toolbox.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Tianyu Chu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jian Hao
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Liang Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Al Balushi K, Al Hadhrami A, Balushi HA, Al Lawati A, Das S. Tebentafusp as a Promising Drug for the Treatment of Uveal Melanoma. Curr Drug Targets 2024; 25:149-157. [PMID: 38115619 DOI: 10.2174/0113894501280380231214105255] [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: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults and commonly occurs in the Caucasian population. The malignancy involves the uvea of the eye, which includes the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. The etiology of UM is still not well understood, but age is a risk factor. Symptoms include blurred vision, redness of the eye, floaters, dark spots, a change in the size of the pupil, and loss of vision. The location, shape, and size of the tumor are important for therapeutic purposes. Treating metastasis is always a challenge in UM cases. In cases of lung metastasis, the survival rate decreases. Treatment includes surgery, laser therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. Recently, in 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug tebentafusp. Tebentafusp was developed to target the most common HLA complex in humans. The present review discusses the indications for the use of a new drug tebentafusp, its mechanism of action, dose, pharmacokinetics, results of clinical trials conducted, and adverse effects like cytokine release syndrome. Hence, tebentafusp is the first T cell receptor (TCR) therapeutic drug that could be considered for the treatment of UM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khalid Al Balushi
- Department of Medical, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al Khoud, Muscat 123, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Abdulrahman Al Hadhrami
- Department of Medical, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al Khoud, Muscat 123, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Hamdan Al Balushi
- Department of Medical, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al Khoud, Muscat 123, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Abdullah Al Lawati
- Department of Medical, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al Khoud, Muscat 123, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Srijit Das
- Department of Human & Clinical Anatomy, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khoud, Muscat 123, Sultanate of Oman
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Klebanoff CA, Chandran SS, Baker BM, Quezada SA, Ribas A. T cell receptor therapeutics: immunological targeting of the intracellular cancer proteome. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:996-1017. [PMID: 37891435 PMCID: PMC10947610 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-023-00809-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
The T cell receptor (TCR) complex is a naturally occurring antigen sensor that detects, amplifies and coordinates cellular immune responses to epitopes derived from cell surface and intracellular proteins. Thus, TCRs enable the targeting of proteins selectively expressed by cancer cells, including neoantigens, cancer germline antigens and viral oncoproteins. As such, TCRs have provided the basis for an emerging class of oncology therapeutics. Herein, we review the current cancer treatment landscape using TCRs and TCR-like molecules. This includes adoptive cell transfer of T cells expressing endogenous or engineered TCRs, TCR bispecific engagers and antibodies specific for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-bound peptides (TCR mimics). We discuss the unique complexities associated with the clinical development of these therapeutics, such as HLA restriction, TCR retrieval, potency assessment and the potential for cross-reactivity. In addition, we highlight emerging clinical data that establish the antitumour potential of TCR-based therapies, including tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, for the treatment of diverse human malignancies. Finally, we explore the future of TCR therapeutics, including emerging genome editing methods to safely enhance potency and strategies to streamline patient identification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Klebanoff
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Smita S Chandran
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, New York, NY, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, New York, NY, USA
- Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, ID, USA
- The Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, ID, USA
| | - Sergio A Quezada
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
- Achilles Therapeutics, London, UK
| | - Antoni Ribas
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Wang S, Uchida N, Ueno K, Matsubara T, Sato T, Aida T, Ishida Y. Effects of the Magnetic Orientation of M13 Bacteriophage on Phage Display Selection. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202302261. [PMID: 37638672 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202302261] [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: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Although phage display selection using a library of M13 bacteriophage has become a powerful tool for finding peptides that bind to target materials on demand, a remaining concern of this method is the interference by the M13 main body, which is a huge filament >103 times larger than the displayed peptide, and therefore would nonspecifically adhere to the target or sterically inhibit the binding of the displayed peptide. Meanwhile, filamentous phages are known to be orientable by an external magnetic field. If M13 filaments are magnetically oriented during the library selection, their angular arrangement relative to the target surface would be changed, being expected to control the interference by the M13 main body. This study reports that the magnetic orientation of M13 filaments vertical to the target surface significantly affects the selection. When the target surface was affinitive to the M13 main body, this orientation notably suppressed the nonspecific adhesion. Furthermore, when the target surface was less affinitive to the M13 main body and intrinsically free from the nonspecific adhesion, this orientation drastically changed the population of M13 clones obtained through library selection. The method of using no chemicals but only a physical stimulus is simple, clean, and expected to expand the scope of phage display selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuxu Wang
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Uchida
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kento Ueno
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Teruhiko Matsubara
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kouhoku-ku, Yokohama, 223-8522, Japan
| | - Toshinori Sato
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kouhoku-ku, Yokohama, 223-8522, Japan
| | - Takuzo Aida
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Ishida
- RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Malviya M, Aretz Z, Molvi Z, Lee J, Pierre S, Wallisch P, Dao T, Scheinberg DA. Challenges and solutions for therapeutic TCR-based agents. Immunol Rev 2023; 320:58-82. [PMID: 37455333 PMCID: PMC11141734 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13233] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Recent development of methods to discover and engineer therapeutic T-cell receptors (TCRs) or antibody mimics of TCRs, and to understand their immunology and pharmacology, lag two decades behind therapeutic antibodies. Yet we have every expectation that TCR-based agents will be similarly important contributors to the treatment of a variety of medical conditions, especially cancers. TCR engineered cells, soluble TCRs and their derivatives, TCR-mimic antibodies, and TCR-based CAR T cells promise the possibility of highly specific drugs that can expand the scope of immunologic agents to recognize intracellular targets, including mutated proteins and undruggable transcription factors, not accessible by traditional antibodies. Hurdles exist regarding discovery, specificity, pharmacokinetics, and best modality of use that will need to be overcome before the full potential of TCR-based agents is achieved. HLA restriction may limit each agent to patient subpopulations and off-target reactivities remain important barriers to widespread development and use of these new agents. In this review we discuss the unique opportunities for these new classes of drugs, describe their unique antigenic targets, compare them to traditional antibody therapeutics and CAR T cells, and review the various obstacles that must be overcome before full application of these drugs can be realized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manish Malviya
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
| | - Zita Aretz
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
- Physiology, Biophysics & Systems Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
| | - Zaki Molvi
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
- Physiology, Biophysics & Systems Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
| | - Jayop Lee
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
| | - Stephanie Pierre
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
- Tri-Institutional Medical Scientist Program, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
| | - Patrick Wallisch
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
- Pharmacology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
| | - Tao Dao
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
| | - David A. Scheinberg
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
- Pharmacology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lu D, Chen Y, Jiang M, Wang J, Li Y, Ma K, Sun W, Zheng X, Qi J, Jin W, Chen Y, Chai Y, Zhang CWH, Liang H, Tan S, Gao GF. KRAS G12V neoantigen specific T cell receptor for adoptive T cell therapy against tumors. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6389. [PMID: 37828002 PMCID: PMC10570350 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42010-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
KRAS mutations are broadly recognized as promising targets for tumor therapy. T cell receptors (TCRs) can specifically recognize KRAS mutant neoantigens presented by human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) and mediate T cell responses to eliminate tumor cells. In the present study, we identify two TCRs specific for the 9-mer KRAS-G12V mutant neoantigen in the context of HLA-A*11:01. The TCR-T cells are constructed and display cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity upon co-culturing with varied tumor cells expressing the KRAS-G12V mutation. Moreover, 1-2C TCR-T cells show anti-tumor activity in preclinical models in female mice. The 9-mer KRAS-G12V mutant peptide exhibits a distinct conformation from the 9-mer wildtype peptide and its 10-mer counterparts. Specific recognition of the G12V mutant by TCR depends both on distinct conformation from wildtype peptide and on direct interaction with residues from TCRs. Our study reveals the mechanisms of presentation and TCR recognition of KRAS-G12V mutant peptide and describes TCRs with therapeutic potency for tumor immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Immunology, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Centre for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Centre of Regenerative Medicine and Medical BioResource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Min Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yiting Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Keke Ma
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenqiao Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xing Zheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjing Jin
- YKimmu (Beijing) Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Chen
- YKimmu (Beijing) Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Chai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Hao Liang
- Collaborative Innovation Centre of Regenerative Medicine and Medical BioResource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Shuguang Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
- Beijing Life Science Academy, Beijing, China.
| | - George F Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Life Science Academy, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Chancellor A, Alan Simmons R, Khanolkar RC, Nosi V, Beshirova A, Berloffa G, Colombo R, Karuppiah V, Pentier JM, Tubb V, Ghadbane H, Suckling RJ, Page K, Crean RM, Vacchini A, De Gregorio C, Schaefer V, Constantin D, Gligoris T, Lloyd A, Hock M, Srikannathasan V, Robinson RA, Besra GS, van der Kamp MW, Mori L, Calogero R, Cole DK, De Libero G, Lepore M. Promiscuous recognition of MR1 drives self-reactive mucosal-associated invariant T cell responses. J Exp Med 2023; 220:e20221939. [PMID: 37382893 PMCID: PMC10309188 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20221939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells use canonical semi-invariant T cell receptors (TCR) to recognize microbial riboflavin precursors displayed by the antigen-presenting molecule MR1. The extent of MAIT TCR crossreactivity toward physiological, microbially unrelated antigens remains underexplored. We describe MAIT TCRs endowed with MR1-dependent reactivity to tumor and healthy cells in the absence of microbial metabolites. MAIT cells bearing TCRs crossreactive toward self are rare but commonly found within healthy donors and display T-helper-like functions in vitro. Experiments with MR1-tetramers loaded with distinct ligands revealed significant crossreactivity among MAIT TCRs both ex vivo and upon in vitro expansion. A canonical MAIT TCR was selected on the basis of extremely promiscuous MR1 recognition. Structural and molecular dynamic analyses associated promiscuity to unique TCRβ-chain features that were enriched within self-reactive MAIT cells of healthy individuals. Thus, self-reactive recognition of MR1 represents a functionally relevant indication of MAIT TCR crossreactivity, suggesting a potentially broader role of MAIT cells in immune homeostasis and diseases, beyond microbial immunosurveillance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Chancellor
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Vladimir Nosi
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Aisha Beshirova
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Giuliano Berloffa
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rodrigo Colombo
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rory M. Crean
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
- Doctoral Training Centre in Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Alessandro Vacchini
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Corinne De Gregorio
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Verena Schaefer
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Constantin
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Gurdyal S. Besra
- School of Biosciences, Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
| | | | - Lucia Mori
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Raffaele Calogero
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Gennaro De Libero
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Pan Q, Weng D, Liu J, Han Z, Ou Y, Xu B, Peng R, Que Y, Wen X, Yang J, Zhong S, Zeng L, Chen A, Gong H, Lin Y, Chen J, Ma K, Lau JYN, Li Y, Fan Z, Zhang X. Phase 1 clinical trial to assess safety and efficacy of NY-ESO-1-specific TCR T cells in HLA-A∗02:01 patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:101133. [PMID: 37586317 PMCID: PMC10439245 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 (NY-ESO-1)-specific T cell receptor (TCR) T cell therapy is effective in tumors with NY-ESO-1 expression, but a safe and effective TCR-T cell therapeutic protocol remains to be improved. Here, we report a phase 1 investigational new drug clinical trial with TCR affinity-enhanced specific T cell therapy (TAEST16001) for targeting NY-ESO-1. Enrolled patients receive TAEST16001 cell infusion after dose-reduced lymphodepletion with cyclophosphamide (15 mg/kg/day × 3 days) combined with fludarabine (20 mg/m2/day × 3 days), and the TCR-T cells are maintained with low doses of interleukin-2 injection post-adoptive transfer. Analysis of 12 patients treated with the regimen demonstrates no treatment-related serious adverse events. The overall response rate is 41.7%. The median progression-free survival is 7.2 months, and the median duration of response is 13.1 months. The protocol of TAEST16001 cells delivers a safe and highly effective treatment for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04318964).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiuzhong Pan
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China
| | - Desheng Weng
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China
| | - Jiayong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, 52 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100142, P.R. China
| | - Zhaosheng Han
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Yusheng Ou
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Bushu Xu
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China
| | - Ruiqing Peng
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China
| | - Yi Que
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China
| | - Xizhi Wen
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China
| | - Jing Yang
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China
| | - Shi Zhong
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Lun Zeng
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Aiyuan Chen
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Haiping Gong
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Yanmei Lin
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Jiewen Chen
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Ke Ma
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China
| | - Johnson Y N Lau
- Axis Therapeutics, Ltd., Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China; Athenex, Conventus Building, 1001 Main Street, Suite 600, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Yi Li
- Xiangxue Life Science Technology (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, P.R. China.
| | - Zhengfu Fan
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Tumor, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, 52 Fucheng Road, Beijing 100142, P.R. China.
| | - Xing Zhang
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Medical Oncology Unit, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, P.R. China.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Ishii K, Davies JS, Sinkoe AL, Nguyen KA, Norberg SM, McIntosh CP, Kadakia T, Serna C, Rae Z, Kelly MC, Hinrichs CS. Multi-tiered approach to detect autoimmune cross-reactivity of therapeutic T cell receptors. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg9845. [PMID: 37494434 PMCID: PMC10371023 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg9845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cell therapy using high-affinity TCRs is a promising treatment modality for cancer. Discovery of high-affinity TCRs especially against self-antigens can require approaches that circumvent central tolerance, which may increase the risk of cross-reactivity. Despite the potential for toxicity, no standardized approach to screen cross-reactivity has been established in the context of preclinical safety evaluation. Here, we describe a practical framework to prospectively detect clinically prohibitive cross-reactivity of therapeutic TCR candidates. Cross-reactivity screening consisted of multifaceted series of assays including assessment of p-MHC tetramer binding, cell line recognition, and reactivity against candidate peptide libraries. Peptide libraries were generated using conventional contact residue motif-guided search, amino acid substitution matrix-based search unguided by motif information, and combinatorial peptide library scan-guided search. We demonstrate the additive nature of a layered approach, which efficiently identifies unsafe cross-reactivity including one undetected by conventional motif-guided search. These findings have important implications for the safe development of TCR-based therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kazusa Ishii
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John S. Davies
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Safety Assessment, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrew L. Sinkoe
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kilyna A. Nguyen
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Scott M. Norberg
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Crystal P. McIntosh
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tejas Kadakia
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Precigen, Germantown, MD, USA
| | - Carylinda Serna
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Oncology Department, Cell Therapy Unit, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Zachary Rae
- Single Cell Analysis Facility, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
- 10x Genomics, Pleasanton, CA, USA
| | | | - Christian S. Hinrichs
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Duncan and Nancy MacMillan Center of Excellence in Cancer Immunotherapy and Metabolism, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Arora P, Jain A, Kumar A. Phage design and directed evolution to evolve phage for therapy. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 200:103-126. [PMID: 37739551 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2023.03.019] [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: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Phage therapy or Phage treatment is the use of bacteriolysing phage in treating bacterial infections by using the viruses that infects and kills bacteria. This technique has been studied and practiced very long ago, but with the advent of antibiotics, it has been neglected. This foregone technique is now witnessing a revival due to development of bacterial resistance. Nowadays, with the awareness of genetic sequence of organisms, it is required that informed choices of phages have to be made for the most efficacious results. Furthermore, phages with the evolving genes are taken into consideration for the subsequent improvement in treating the patients for bacterial diseases. In addition, direct evolution methods are increasingly developing, since these are capable of creating new biological molecules having changed or unique activities, such as, improved target specificity, evolution of novel proteins with new catalytic properties or creation of nucleic acids that are capable of recognizing required pathogenic bacteria. This system is incorporates continuous evolution such as protein or genes are put under continuous evolution by providing continuous mutagenesis with least human intervention. Although, this system providing continuous directed evolution is very effective, it imposes some challenges due to requirement of heavy investment of time and resources. This chapter focuses on development of phage as a therapeutic agent against various bacteria causing diseases and it improvement using direct evolution of proteins and nucleic acids such that they target specific organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priyancka Arora
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Rama University, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Avni Jain
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Rama University, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ajay Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Rama University, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Fahad AS, Chung CY, López Acevedo SN, Boyle N, Madan B, Gutiérrez-González MF, Matus-Nicodemos R, Laflin AD, Ladi RR, Zhou J, Wolfe J, Llewellyn-Lacey S, Koup RA, Douek DC, Balfour HH, Price DA, DeKosky BJ. Cell activation-based screening of natively paired human T cell receptor repertoires. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8011. [PMID: 37198258 PMCID: PMC10192375 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31858-4] [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: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive immune therapies based on the transfer of antigen-specific T cells have been used successfully to treat various cancers and viral infections, but improved techniques are needed to identify optimally protective human T cell receptors (TCRs). Here we present a high-throughput approach to the identification of natively paired human TCRα and TCRβ (TCRα:β) genes encoding heterodimeric TCRs that recognize specific peptide antigens bound to major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHCs). We first captured and cloned TCRα:β genes from individual cells, ensuring fidelity using a suppression PCR. We then screened TCRα:β libraries expressed in an immortalized cell line using peptide-pulsed antigen-presenting cells and sequenced activated clones to identify the cognate TCRs. Our results validated an experimental pipeline that allows large-scale repertoire datasets to be annotated with functional specificity information, facilitating the discovery of therapeutically relevant TCRs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S Fahad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - Cheng Yu Chung
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - Sheila N López Acevedo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - Nicoleen Boyle
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - Bharat Madan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | | | - Rodrigo Matus-Nicodemos
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Amy D Laflin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - Rukmini R Ladi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - John Zhou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - Jacy Wolfe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA
| | - Sian Llewellyn-Lacey
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Richard A Koup
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Daniel C Douek
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Henry H Balfour
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - David A Price
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Brandon J DeKosky
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66044, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
- The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Liang Z, Chen W, Guo Y, Ren Y, Tian Y, Cai W, Bao Y, Liu Q, Ding P, Li Y. Soluble monomeric human programmed cell death-ligand 1 inhibits the functions of activated T cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1133883. [PMID: 37266424 PMCID: PMC10229872 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1133883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The presence of soluble human programmed cell death-ligand 1 (shPD-L1) in the blood of patients with cancer has been reported to be negatively correlated with disease prognosis. However, little information exists about the mechanisms underlying high levels of shPD-L1 for promoting disease progression. Methods In this study, we first analyzed the correlations between shPD-L1 and apoptosis of T cells in patients with cancer, then tested the effect of shPD-L1 on T-cell functions and the production of regulatory T cells. Results We found that the apoptosis of human peripheral PD-1+CD4+ T cells was significantly elevated in patients with cancer compared with healthy donors and was positively correlated with circulating PD-L1 levels in patients with cancer. In vitro, monomeric shPD-L1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, cytokine secretion, and cancer cell-killing activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) activated by either agonist antibodies or HATac (high-affinity T cell activation core)-NYE (NY-ESO-1 antigen). It also promoted CD4+ T cells to express forkhead family transcription factor 3 (FoxP3) for the conversion of induced T regulatory cells, which was more significant than that mediated by soluble human PD-L1 fusion protein (shPD-L1-Fc). Discussion These results confirm that soluble PD-L1 could be a candidate for inhibiting the functions of activated T cells, promoting peripheral tolerance to tumor cells, and implicating in system tumor immune escape in addition to the tumor microenvironment. This is an important mechanism explaining the negative correlation between peripheral blood PD-L1 levels and cancer prognosis. Therefore, understanding the roles of hPD-L1 in peripheral blood will be helpful for the development of precision immunotherapy programs in treating various tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoduan Liang
- Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health GuangDong Laboratory, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenfang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yunzhuo Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuefei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Ye Tian
- T-cell Immunity Optimized Cure (TIOC) Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenxuan Cai
- T-cell Immunity Optimized Cure (TIOC) Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yifeng Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qi Liu
- T-cell Immunity Optimized Cure (TIOC) Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Peng Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- T-cell Immunity Optimized Cure (TIOC) Therapeutics Limited, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Li YR, Dunn ZS, Yu Y, Li M, Wang P, Yang L. Advancing cell-based cancer immunotherapy through stem cell engineering. Cell Stem Cell 2023; 30:592-610. [PMID: 36948187 PMCID: PMC10164150 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Advances in cell-based therapy, particularly CAR-T cell therapy, have transformed the treatment of hematological malignancies. Although an important step forward for the field, autologous CAR-T therapies are hindered by high costs, manufacturing challenges, and limited efficacy against solid tumors. With ongoing progress in gene editing and culture techniques, engineered stem cells and their application in cell therapy are poised to address some of these challenges. Here, we review stem cell-based immunotherapy approaches, stem cell sources, gene engineering and manufacturing strategies, therapeutic platforms, and clinical trials, as well as challenges and future directions for the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Ruide Li
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Zachary Spencer Dunn
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Yanqi Yu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Miao Li
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pin Wang
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Lili Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Shen Y, Jin SJ, Chen YC, Liu WH, Li YM, Zhao WY, Xu YC, Chen SQ, Zhao WB. Improving the tumor selectivity of T cell engagers by logic-gated dual tumor-targeting. Pharmacol Res 2023; 192:106781. [PMID: 37119880 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Targeting single tumor antigens makes it difficult to provide sufficient tumor selectivity for T cell engagers (TCEs), leading to undesirable toxicity and even treatment failure, which is particularly serious in solid tumors. Here, we designed novel trispecific TCEs (TriTCEs) to improve the tumor selectivity of TCEs by logic-gated dual tumor-targeting. TriTCE can effectively redirect and activate T cells to kill tumor cells (~18 pM EC50) by inducing the aggregation of dual tumor antigens, which was ~70- or 750- fold more effective than the single tumor-targeted isotype controls, respectively. Further in vivo experiments indicated that TriTCE has the ability to accumulate in tumor tissue and can induce circulating T cells to infiltrate into tumor sites. Hence, TriTCE showed a stronger tumor growth inhibition ability and significantly prolonged the survival time of the mice. Finally, we revealed that this concept of logic-gated dual tumor-targeted TriTCE can be applied to target different tumor antigens. Cumulatively, we reported novel dual tumor-targeted TriTCEs that can mediate a robust T cell response by simultaneous recognition of dual tumor antigens at the same cell surface. TriTCEs allow better selective T cell activity on tumor cells, resulting in safer TCE treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Shen
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Shi-Jie Jin
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yi-Chang Chen
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wen-Hui Liu
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Hangzhou Biosun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 310015, China
| | - Yi-Ming Li
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wen-Yi Zhao
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Ying-Chun Xu
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shu-Qing Chen
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
| | - Wen-Bin Zhao
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis & Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310018, China; Key Laboratory of Prevention, Diagnosis and Therapy of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Peng X, Lei Y, Feng P, Jia L, Ma J, Zhao D, Zeng J. Characterizing the interaction conformation between T-cell receptors and epitopes with deep learning. NAT MACH INTELL 2023. [DOI: 10.1038/s42256-023-00634-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
|
30
|
Wallace Z, Kopycinski J, Yang H, McCully ML, Eggeling C, Chojnacki J, Dorrell L. Immune mobilising T cell receptors redirect polyclonal CD8 + T cells in chronic HIV infection to form immunological synapses. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18366. [PMID: 36319836 PMCID: PMC9626491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23228-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell exhaustion develops in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection due to chronic viral antigenic stimulation. This adaptive response primarily affects virus-specific CD8+ T cells, which may remain dysfunctional despite viral load-reducing antiretroviral therapy; however, abnormalities may also be evident in non-HIV-specific populations. Both could limit the efficacy of cell therapies against viral reservoirs. Here, we show that bulk (polyclonal) CD8+ T cells from people living with HIV (PLWH) express proposed markers of dysfunctional HIV-specific T cells at high levels yet form lytic immunological synapses (IS) and eliminate primary resting infected (HIV Gaglo) CD4+ T cells, when redirected by potent bispecific T cell-retargeting molecules, Immune mobilising monoclonal T cell receptors (TCR) Against Virus (ImmTAV). While PLWH CD8+ T cells are functionally impaired when compared to CD8+ T cells from HIV-naïve donors, ImmTAV redirection enables them to eliminate Gaglo CD4+ T cells that are insensitive to autologous HIV-specific cytolytic T cells. ImmTAV molecules may therefore be able to target HIV reservoirs, which represent a major barrier to a cure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zoë Wallace
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Immunocore Ltd, 92 Park Drive, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK.
| | - Jakub Kopycinski
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Hongbing Yang
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Christian Eggeling
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology & Institute of Applied Optics and Biophysics, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Jakub Chojnacki
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lucy Dorrell
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Immunocore Ltd, 92 Park Drive, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Gerber HP, Presta LG. TCR mimic compounds for pHLA targeting with high potency modalities in oncology. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1027548. [PMID: 36338746 PMCID: PMC9635445 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1027548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
pHLA complexes represent the largest class of cell surface markers on cancer cells, making them attractive for targeted cancer therapies. Adoptive cell therapies expressing TCRs that recognize tumor specific pHLAs take advantage of the unique selectivity and avidity of TCR: pHLA interactions. More recently, additional protein binding domains binding to pHLAs, known as TCR mimics (TCRm), were developed for tumor targeting of high potency therapeutic modalities, including bispecifics, ADCs, CAR T and -NK cells. TCRm compounds take advantage of the exquisite tumor specificity of certain pHLA targets, including cell lineage commitment markers and cancer testis antigens (CTAs). To achieve meaningful anti-tumor responses, it is critical that TCRm compounds integrate both, high target binding affinities and a high degree of target specificity. In this review, we describe the most advanced approaches to achieve both criteria, including affinity- and specificity engineering of TCRs, antibodies and alternative protein scaffolds. We also discuss the status of current TCRm based therapeutics developed in the clinic, key challenges, and emerging trends to improve treatment options for cancer patients treated with TCRm based therapeutics in Oncology.
Collapse
|
32
|
Dai Z, Saksena SD, Horny G, Banholzer C, Ewert S, Gifford DK. Ultra-high-diversity factorizable libraries for efficient therapeutic discovery. Genome Res 2022; 32:1787-1794. [PMID: 35738900 PMCID: PMC9528983 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276593.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The successful discovery of novel biological therapeutics by selection requires highly diverse libraries of candidate sequences that contain a high proportion of desirable candidates. Here we propose the use of computationally designed factorizable libraries made of concatenated segment libraries as a method of creating large libraries that meet an objective function at low cost. We show that factorizable libraries can be designed efficiently by representing objective functions that describe sequence optimality as an inner product of feature vectors, which we use to design an optimization method we call stochastically annealed product spaces (SAPS). We then use this approach to design diverse and efficient libraries of antibody CDR-H3 sequences with various optimized characteristics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Dai
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Sachit D Saksena
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Geraldine Horny
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christine Banholzer
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Ewert
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - David K Gifford
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Vazquez-Lombardi R, Jung JS, Schlatter FS, Mei A, Mantuano NR, Bieberich F, Hong KL, Kucharczyk J, Kapetanovic E, Aznauryan E, Weber CR, Zippelius A, Läubli H, Reddy ST. High-throughput T cell receptor engineering by functional screening identifies candidates with enhanced potency and specificity. Immunity 2022; 55:1953-1966.e10. [PMID: 36174557 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge in adoptive T cell immunotherapy is the discovery of natural T cell receptors (TCRs) with high activity and specificity to tumor antigens. Engineering synthetic TCRs for increased tumor antigen recognition is complicated by the risk of introducing cross-reactivity and by the poor correlation that can exist between binding affinity and activity of TCRs in response to antigen (peptide-MHC). Here, we developed TCR-Engine, a method combining genome editing, computational design, and deep sequencing to engineer the functional activity and specificity of TCRs on the surface of a human T cell line at high throughput. We applied TCR-Engine to successfully engineer synthetic TCRs for increased potency and specificity to a clinically relevant tumor-associated antigen (MAGE-A3) and validated their translational potential through multiple in vitro and in vivo assessments of safety and efficacy. Thus, TCR-Engine represents a valuable technology for engineering of safe and potent synthetic TCRs for immunotherapy applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Vazquez-Lombardi
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland; Engimmune Therapeutics AG, Hegenheimermattweg 167A, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland.
| | - Johanna S Jung
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice S Schlatter
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anna Mei
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Florian Bieberich
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kai-Lin Hong
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jakub Kucharczyk
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Edo Kapetanovic
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Erik Aznauryan
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cédric R Weber
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alfred Zippelius
- Department of Biomedicine, Universitätsspital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Heinz Läubli
- Department of Biomedicine, Universitätsspital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sai T Reddy
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Poole A, Karuppiah V, Hartt A, Haidar JN, Moureau S, Dobrzycki T, Hayes C, Rowley C, Dias J, Harper S, Barnbrook K, Hock M, Coles C, Yang W, Aleksic M, Lin AB, Robinson R, Dukes JD, Liddy N, Van der Kamp M, Plowman GD, Vuidepot A, Cole DK, Whale AD, Chillakuri C. Therapeutic high affinity T cell receptor targeting a KRAS G12D cancer neoantigen. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5333. [PMID: 36088370 PMCID: PMC9464187 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32811-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Neoantigens derived from somatic mutations are specific to cancer cells and are ideal targets for cancer immunotherapy. KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncogene and drives the pathogenesis of several cancers. Here we show the identification and development of an affinity-enhanced T cell receptor (TCR) that recognizes a peptide derived from the most common KRAS mutant, KRASG12D, presented in the context of HLA-A*11:01. The affinity of the engineered TCR is increased by over one million-fold yet fully able to distinguish KRASG12D over KRASWT. While crystal structures reveal few discernible differences in TCR interactions with KRASWT versus KRASG12D, thermodynamic analysis and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that TCR specificity is driven by differences in indirect electrostatic interactions. The affinity enhanced TCR, fused to a humanized anti-CD3 scFv, enables selective killing of cancer cells expressing KRASG12D. Our work thus reveals a molecular mechanism that drives TCR selectivity and describes a soluble bispecific molecule with therapeutic potential against cancers harboring a common shared neoantigen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Poole
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | | | - Annabelle Hartt
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, USA
| | - Jaafar N Haidar
- Eli Lilly & Co, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, IN, 46285, USA
| | - Sylvie Moureau
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Tomasz Dobrzycki
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Conor Hayes
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | | | - Jorge Dias
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Stephen Harper
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Keir Barnbrook
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Miriam Hock
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Charlotte Coles
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Wei Yang
- Eli Lilly & Co, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, IN, 46285, USA
| | - Milos Aleksic
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Aimee Bence Lin
- Eli Lilly & Co, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, IN, 46285, USA
| | - Ross Robinson
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Joe D Dukes
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Nathaniel Liddy
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Marc Van der Kamp
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, USA
| | - Gregory D Plowman
- Eli Lilly & Co, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, IN, 46285, USA
| | - Annelise Vuidepot
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - David K Cole
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA
| | - Andrew D Whale
- Immunocore Ltd., 92 Park Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Wallace Z, Singh PK, Dorrell L. Combination strategies to durably suppress HIV-1: Soluble T cell receptors. J Virus Erad 2022; 8:100082. [PMID: 36065296 PMCID: PMC9440443 DOI: 10.1016/j.jve.2022.100082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapeutic interventions to enhance natural HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses, such as vaccination or adoptive T cell transfer, have been a major focus of HIV cure efforts. However, these approaches have not been effective in overcoming viral immune evasion mechanisms. Soluble T cell receptor (TCR) bispecifics are a new class of 'off-the-shelf' therapeutic designed to address these limitations. These biologics are built on the Immune mobilising monoclonal TCRs against X disease (ImmTAX) platform, which was pioneered in oncology and recently validated by the FDA's approval of tebentafusp for treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma. ImmTAV® are an application of this technology undergoing clinical development for the elimination of chronic viral infections. ImmTAV molecules comprise an affinity-enhanced virus-specific TCR fused to an anti-CD3 effector domain. Engineering of the TCR confers extraordinary specificity and affinity for cognate viral antigen and the anti-CD3 enables retargeting of non-exhausted cytolytic T cells, irrespective of their specificity. These features enable ImmTAV molecules to detect and kill infected cells, even when expressing very low levels of antigen, bypassing ineffective host immune responses. Furthermore, the modularity of the platform allows for engineering of TCRs that effectively target viral variants. In this review, we discuss the progress made in the development of ImmTAV molecules as therapeutics for functional cure of chronic hepatitis B and HIV, from concept to the clinic.
Collapse
|
36
|
Füchsl F, Krackhardt AM. Paving the Way to Solid Tumors: Challenges and Strategies for Adoptively Transferred Transgenic T Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:4192. [PMID: 36077730 PMCID: PMC9454442 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14174192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells are important players in the antitumor immune response. Over the past few years, the adoptive transfer of genetically modified, autologous T cells-specifically redirected toward the tumor by expressing either a T cell receptor (TCR) or a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-has been adopted for use in the clinic. At the moment, the therapeutic application of CD19- and, increasingly, BCMA-targeting-engineered CAR-T cells have been approved and have yielded partly impressive results in hematologic malignancies. However, employing transgenic T cells for the treatment of solid tumors remains more troublesome, and numerous hurdles within the highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) need to be overcome to achieve tumor control. In this review, we focused on the challenges that these therapies must face on three different levels: infiltrating the tumor, exerting efficient antitumor activity, and overcoming T cell exhaustion and dysfunction. We aimed to discuss different options to pave the way for potent transgenic T cell-mediated tumor rejection by engineering either the TME or the transgenic T cell itself, which responds to the environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Füchsl
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, School of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Ismaningerstr. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Angela M. Krackhardt
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, School of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Ismaningerstr. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium of Translational Cancer Research (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Xu R, Du S, Zhu J, Meng F, Liu B. Neoantigen-targeted TCR-T cell therapy for solid tumors: How far from clinical application. Cancer Lett 2022; 546:215840. [DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
38
|
Hopkins JR, MacLachlan BJ, Harper S, Sewell AK, Cole DK. Unconventional modes of peptide-HLA-I presentation change the rules of TCR engagement. DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 1:kyac001. [PMID: 38566908 PMCID: PMC10917088 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyac001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The intracellular proteome of virtually every nucleated cell in the body is continuously presented at the cell surface via the human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) antigen processing pathway. This pathway classically involves proteasomal degradation of intracellular proteins into short peptides that can be presented by HLA-I molecules for interrogation by T-cell receptors (TCRs) expressed on the surface of CD8+ T cells. During the initiation of a T-cell immune response, the TCR acts as the T cell's primary sensor, using flexible loops to mould around the surface of the pHLA-I molecule to identify foreign or dysregulated antigens. Recent findings demonstrate that pHLA-I molecules can also be highly flexible and dynamic, altering their shape according to minor polymorphisms between different HLA-I alleles, or interactions with different peptides. These flexible presentation modes have important biological consequences that can, for example, explain why some HLA-I alleles offer greater protection against HIV, or why some cancer vaccine approaches have been ineffective. This review explores how these recent findings redefine the rules for peptide presentation by HLA-I molecules and extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern TCR-mediated antigen discrimination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jade R Hopkins
- Division of Infection and Immunity and Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - Bruce J MacLachlan
- Division of Infection and Immunity and Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Andrew K Sewell
- Division of Infection and Immunity and Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| | - David K Cole
- Division of Infection and Immunity and Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Oh SA, Senger K, Madireddi S, Akhmetzyanova I, Ishizuka IE, Tarighat S, Lo JH, Shaw D, Haley B, Rutz S. High-efficiency nonviral CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of human T cells using plasmid donor DNA. J Exp Med 2022; 219:213176. [PMID: 35452075 PMCID: PMC9040063 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20211530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome engineering of T lymphocytes, the main effectors of antitumor adaptive immune responses, has the potential to uncover unique insights into their functions and enable the development of next-generation adoptive T cell therapies. Viral gene delivery into T cells, which is currently used to generate CAR T cells, has limitations in regard to targeting precision, cargo flexibility, and reagent production. Nonviral methods for effective CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knock-out in primary human T cells have been developed, but complementary techniques for nonviral gene knock-in can be cumbersome and inefficient. Here, we report a convenient and scalable nonviral method that allows precise gene edits and transgene integration in primary human T cells, using plasmid donor DNA template and Cas9-RNP. This method is highly efficient for single and multiplex gene manipulation, without compromising T cell function, and is thus valuable for use in basic and translational research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soyoung A Oh
- Cancer Immunology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA
| | - Kate Senger
- Molecular Biology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA
| | | | | | | | - Somayeh Tarighat
- Cell Therapy Engineering and Development, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA
| | - Jerry H Lo
- Oncology Bioinformatics, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA
| | - David Shaw
- Cell Therapy Engineering and Development, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA
| | | | - Sascha Rutz
- Cancer Immunology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Wang L, Lan X. Rapid screening of TCR-pMHC interactions by the YAMTAD system. Cell Discov 2022; 8:30. [PMID: 35379810 PMCID: PMC8979966 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-022-00386-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Personalized immunotherapy, such as cancer vaccine and TCR-T methods, demands rapid screening of TCR-pMHC interactions. While several screening approaches have been developed, their throughput is limited. Here, the Yeast Agglutination Mediated TCR antigen Discovery system (YAMTAD) was designed and demonstrated to allow fast and unbiased library-on-library screening of TCR-pMHC interactions. Our proof-of-principle study achieved high sensitivity and specificity in identifying antigens for a given TCR and identifying TCRs recognizing a given pMHC for modest library sizes. Finally, the enrichment of high-affinity TCR-pMHC interactions by YAMTAD in library-on-library screening was demonstrated. Given the high throughput (106–108 × 106–108 in theory) and simplicity (identifying TCR-pMHC interactions without purification of TCR and pMHC) of YAMTAD, this study provides a rapid but effective platform for TCR-pMHC interaction screening, with valuable applications in future personalized immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lihui Wang
- Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xun Lan
- Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. .,Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. .,MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Barber C, De Souza VA, Paterson RL, Martin‐Urdiroz M, Mulakkal NC, Srikannathasan V, Connolly M, Phillips G, Foong‐Leong T, Pengelly R, Karuppiah V, Grant T, Dembek M, Verma A, Gibbs‐Howe D, Blicher TH, Knox A, Robinson RA, Cole DK, Leonard S. Structure-guided stabilization of pathogen-derived peptide-HLA-E complexes using non-natural amino acids conserves native TCR recognition. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:618-632. [PMID: 35108401 PMCID: PMC9306587 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The nonpolymorphic class Ib molecule, HLA-E, primarily presents peptides from HLA class Ia leader peptides, providing an inhibitory signal to NK cells via CD94/NKG2 interactions. Although peptides of pathogenic origin can also be presented by HLA-E to T cells, the molecular basis underpinning their role in antigen surveillance is largely unknown. Here, we solved a co-complex crystal structure of a TCR with an HLA-E presented peptide (pHLA-E) from bacterial (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) origin, and the first TCR-pHLA-E complex with a noncanonically presented peptide from viral (HIV) origin. The structures provided a molecular foundation to develop a novel method to introduce cysteine traps using non-natural amino acid chemistry that stabilized pHLA-E complexes while maintaining native interface contacts between the TCRs and different pHLA-E complexes. These pHLA-E monomers could be used to isolate pHLA-E-specific T cells, with obvious utility for studying pHLA-E restricted T cells, and for the identification of putative therapeutic TCRs.
Collapse
|
42
|
Dobson CS, Reich AN, Gaglione S, Smith BE, Kim EJ, Dong J, Ronsard L, Okonkwo V, Lingwood D, Dougan M, Dougan SK, Birnbaum ME. Antigen identification and high-throughput interaction mapping by reprogramming viral entry. Nat Methods 2022; 19:449-460. [PMID: 35396484 PMCID: PMC9012700 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01436-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Deciphering immune recognition is critical for understanding a broad range of diseases and for the development of effective vaccines and immunotherapies. Efforts to do so are limited by a lack of technologies capable of simultaneously capturing the complexity of adaptive immunoreceptor repertoires and the landscape of potential antigens. To address this, we present receptor-antigen pairing by targeted retroviruses, which combines viral pseudotyping and molecular engineering approaches to enable one-pot library-on-library interaction screens by displaying antigens on the surface of lentiviruses and encoding their identity in the viral genome. Antigen-specific viral infection of cell lines expressing human T or B cell receptors allows readout of both antigen and receptor identities via single-cell sequencing. The resulting system is modular, scalable and compatible with any cell type. These techniques provide a suite of tools for targeted viral entry, molecular engineering and interaction screens with broad potential applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Connor S Dobson
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anna N Reich
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie Gaglione
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Blake E Smith
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellen J Kim
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jiayi Dong
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Vintus Okonkwo
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Michael Dougan
- Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie K Dougan
- Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael E Birnbaum
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Liu X, Xu Y, Xiong W, Yin B, Huang Y, Chu J, Xing C, Qian C, Du Y, Duan T, Wang HY, Zhang N, Yu JS, An Z, Wang R. Development of a TCR-like antibody and chimeric antigen receptor against NY-ESO-1/HLA-A2 for cancer immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-004035. [PMID: 35338087 PMCID: PMC8961179 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The current therapeutic antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are capable of recognizing surface antigens, but not of intracellular proteins, thus limiting the target coverage for drug development. To mimic the feature of T-cell receptor (TCR) that recognizes the complex of major histocompatibility class I and peptide on the cell surface derived from the processed intracellular antigen, we used NY-ESO-1, a cancer-testis antigen, to develop a TCR-like fully human IgG1 antibody and its derivative, CAR-T cells, for cancer immunotherapy. Methods Human single-chain variable antibody fragment (scFv) phage library (~10∧11) was screened against HLA-A2/NY-ESO-1 (peptide 157–165) complex to obtain target-specific antibodies. The specificity and affinity of those antibodies were characterized by flow cytometry, ELISA, biolayer interferometry, and confocal imaging. The biological functions of CAR-T cells were evaluated against target tumor cells in vitro. In vivo antitumor activity was investigated in a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) model and primary melanoma tumor model in immunocompromised mice. Results Monoclonal antibody 2D2 identified from phage-displayed library specifically bound to NY-ESO-1157-165 in the context of human leukocyte antigen HLA-A*02:01 but not to non-A2 or NY-ESO-1 negative cells. The second-generation CAR-T cells engineered from 2D2 specifically recognized and eliminated A2+/NY-ESO-1+tumor cells in vitro, inhibited tumor growth, and prolonged the overall survival of mice in TNBC and primary melanoma tumor model in vivo. Conclusions This study showed the specificity of the antibody identified from human scFv phage library and demonstrated the potential antitumor activity by TCR-like CAR-T cells both in vitro and in vivo, warranting further preclinical and clinical evaluation of the TCR-like antibody in patients. The generation of TCR-like antibody and its CAR-T cells provides the state-of-the-art platform and proof-of-concept validation to broaden the scope of target antigen recognition and sheds light on the development of novel therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Liu
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA.,Institute of Biosciences and Technology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yixiang Xu
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Wei Xiong
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Bingnan Yin
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yuqian Huang
- Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA.,Xiangya School of Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Junjun Chu
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Changsheng Xing
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chen Qian
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yang Du
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Tianhao Duan
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Helen Y Wang
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ningyan Zhang
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - John S Yu
- Neurosurgical Oncology in the Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Texas Therapeutics Institute, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Rongfu Wang
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA .,Center for Inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA.,Institute of Biosciences and Technology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Engineering the T cell receptor for fun and profit: Uncovering complex biology, interrogating the immune system, and targeting disease. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 74:102358. [PMID: 35344834 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
T cell receptors (TCRs) orchestrate cellular immunity by recognizing peptide antigens bound and presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. Due to the TCR's central role in immunity and tight connection with human health, there has been significant interest in modulating TCR properties through protein engineering methods. Complicating these efforts is the complexity and vast diversity of TCR-peptide/MHC interfaces, the interdependency between TCR affinity, specificity, and cross-reactivity, and the sophisticated relationships between TCR binding properties and T cell function, many aspects of which are not well understood. Here we review TCR engineering, starting with a brief historical overview followed by discussions of more recent developments, including new efforts and opportunities to engineer TCR affinity, modulate specificity, and develop novel TCR-based constructs.
Collapse
|
45
|
Froning KJ, Sereno A, Huang F, Demarest SJ. Generalizable design parameters for soluble T cell receptor-based T cell engagers. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-004281. [PMID: 35260435 PMCID: PMC8905924 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
While most biological and cellular immunotherapies recognize extracellular targets, T cell receptor (TCR) therapeutics are unique in their ability to recognize the much larger pool of intracellular antigens found on virus-infected or cancerous cells. Recombinant T cell receptor (rTCR)-based therapeutics are gaining momentum both preclinically and clinically highlighted by recent positive phase III human clinical trial results for a TCR/CD3 bifunctional protein in uveal melanoma. Unlike antibody-based T cell engagers whose molecular formats have been widely and extensively evaluated, little data exist describing the putative activities of varied bifunctional formats using rTCRs. Here we generate rTCR/anti-CD3 bifunctionals directed toward NY-ESO-1 or MAGE-A3 with a variety of molecular formats. We show that inducing strong redirected lysis activity against tumors displaying either NY-ESO-1 or MAGE-A3 is highly restricted to small, tandem binding formats with an rTCR/antiCD3 Fab demonstrating the highest potency, rTCR/anti-CD3 single chain variable domain fragment showing similar but consistently weaker potency, and IgG-like or IgG-Fc-containing molecules demonstrating poor activity. We believe this is a universal trait of rTCR bifunctionals, given the canonical TCR/human leukocyte antigen structural paradigm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen J Froning
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Arlene Sereno
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Flora Huang
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Stephen J Demarest
- Lilly Biotechnology Center, Eli Lilly and Company, San Diego, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
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: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Füchsl F, Krackhardt AM. Adoptive Cellular Therapy for Multiple Myeloma Using CAR- and TCR-Transgenic T Cells: Response and Resistance. Cells 2022; 11:410. [PMID: 35159220 PMCID: PMC8834324 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the substantial improvement of therapeutic approaches, multiple myeloma (MM) remains mostly incurable. However, immunotherapeutic and especially T cell-based approaches pioneered the therapeutic landscape for relapsed and refractory disease recently. Targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) on myeloma cells has been demonstrated to be highly effective not only by antibody-derived constructs but also by adoptive cellular therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transgenic T cells lead to deep, albeit mostly not durable responses with manageable side-effects in intensively pretreated patients. The spectrum of adoptive T cell-transfer covers synthetic CARs with diverse specificities as well as currently less well-established T cell receptor (TCR)-based personalized strategies. In this review, we want to focus on treatment characteristics including efficacy and safety of CAR- and TCR-transgenic T cells in MM as well as the future potential these novel therapies may have. ACT with transgenic T cells has only entered clinical trials and various engineering strategies for optimization of T cell responses are necessary to overcome therapy resistance mechanisms. We want to outline the current success in engineering CAR- and TCR-T cells, but also discuss challenges including resistance mechanisms of MM for evading T cell therapy and point out possible novel strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Füchsl
- School of Medicine, Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaningerstraße 22, 81675 Munich, Germany;
| | - Angela M. Krackhardt
- School of Medicine, Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaningerstraße 22, 81675 Munich, Germany;
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner-Site Munich, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Einsteinstraße 25, 81675 Munich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Crean RM, Pudney CR, Cole DK, van der Kamp MW. Reliable In Silico Ranking of Engineered Therapeutic TCR Binding Affinities with MMPB/GBSA. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:577-590. [PMID: 35049312 PMCID: PMC9097153 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Accurate
and efficient in silico ranking of protein–protein
binding affinities is useful for protein design with applications
in biological therapeutics. One popular approach to rank binding affinities
is to apply the molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann/generalized
Born surface area (MMPB/GBSA) method to molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories.
Here, we identify protocols that enable the reliable evaluation of
T-cell receptor (TCR) variants binding to their target, peptide-human
leukocyte antigens (pHLAs). We suggest different protocols for variant
sets with a few (≤4) or many mutations, with entropy corrections
important for the latter. We demonstrate how potential outliers could
be identified in advance and that just 5–10 replicas of short
(4 ns) MD simulations may be sufficient for the reproducible and accurate
ranking of TCR variants. The protocols developed here can be applied
toward in silico screening during the optimization
of therapeutic TCRs, potentially reducing both the cost and time taken
for biologic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David K. Cole
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RY, U.K
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, U.K
| | - Marc W. van der Kamp
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
van Diest E, Hernández López P, Meringa AD, Vyborova A, Karaiskaki F, Heijhuurs S, Gumathi Bormin J, van Dooremalen S, Nicolasen MJT, Gatti LCDE, Johanna I, Straetemans T, Sebestyén Z, Beringer DX, Kuball J. Gamma delta TCR anti-CD3 bispecific molecules (GABs) as novel immunotherapeutic compounds. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003850. [PMID: 34815357 PMCID: PMC8611453 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background γ9δ2 T cells hold great promise as cancer therapeutics because of their unique capability of reacting to metabolic changes with tumor cells. However, it has proven very difficult to translate this promise into clinical success. Methods In order to better utilize the tumor reactivity of γ9δ2T cells and combine this with the great potential of T cell engager molecules, we developed a novel bispecific molecule by linking the extracellular domains of tumor-reactive γ9δ2TCRs to a CD3-binding moiety, creating gamma delta TCR anti-CD3 bispecific molecules (GABs). GABs were tested in vitro and in vivo for ability to redirect T lymphocytes to a variety of tumor cell lines and primary patient material. Results GABs utilizing naturally occurring high affinity γ9δ2TCRs efficiently induced αβT cell mediated phosphoantigen-dependent recognition of tumor cells. Reactivity was substantially modulated by variations in the Vδ2 CDR3-region and the BTN2A1-binding HV4-region between CDR2 and CDR3 of the γ-chain was crucial for functionality. GABs redirected αβT cells against a broad range of hematopoietic and solid tumor cell lines and primary acute myeloid leukemia. Furthermore, they enhanced infiltration of immune cells in a 3D bone marrow niche and left healthy tissues intact, while eradicating primary multiple myeloma cells. Lastly, GABs constructed from natural high affinity γ9δ2TCR sequences significantly reduced tumor growth in vivo in a subcutaneous myeloma xenograft model. Conclusions We conclude that GABs allow for the introduction of metabolic targeting of cancer cells to the field of T cell engagers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eline van Diest
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Patricia Hernández López
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Angelo D Meringa
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Vyborova
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Froso Karaiskaki
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sabine Heijhuurs
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Gumathi Bormin
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sanne van Dooremalen
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mara J T Nicolasen
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lucrezia C D E Gatti
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Inez Johanna
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Trudy Straetemans
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Zsolt Sebestyén
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dennis X Beringer
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jürgen Kuball
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands .,Department of Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Ch'ng ACW, Lam P, Alassiri M, Lim TS. Application of phage display for T-cell receptor discovery. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 54:107870. [PMID: 34801662 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The immune system is tasked to keep our body unharmed and healthy. In the immune system, B- and T-lymphocytes are the two main components working together to stop and eliminate invading threats like virus particles, bacteria, fungi and parasite from attacking our healthy cells. The function of antibodies is relatively more direct in target recognition as compared to T-cell receptors (TCR) which recognizes antigenic peptides being presented on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Although phage display has been widely applied for antibody presentation, this is the opposite in the case of TCR. The cell surface TCR is a relatively large and complex molecule, making presentation on phage surfaces challenging. Even so, recombinant versions and modifications have been introduced to allow the growing development of TCR in phage display. In addition, the increasing application of TCR for immunotherapy has made it an important binding motif to be developed by phage display. This review will emphasize on the application of phage display for TCR discovery as well as the engineering aspect of TCR for improved characteristics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angela Chiew Wen Ch'ng
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia
| | - Paula Lam
- CellVec Private Limited, 118518, Singapore; National University of Singapore, Department of Physiology, 117597, Singapore; Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Cancer and Stem Cells Biology Program, 169857, Singapore
| | - Mohammed Alassiri
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Theam Soon Lim
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia; Analytical Biochemistry Research Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|