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Lim J, Lee HK. Engineering interferons for cancer immunotherapy. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 179:117426. [PMID: 39243429 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.117426] [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: 07/18/2024] [Revised: 09/01/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Interferons are a family of cytokines that are famously known for their involvement in innate and adaptive immunity. Type I interferons (IFNs) exert pleiotropic effects on various immune cells and contribute to tumor-intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Their pleiotropic effects and ubiquitous expression on nucleated cells have made them attractive candidates for cytokine engineering to deliver to largely immunosuppressive tumors. Type III interferons were believed to play overlapping roles with type I IFNs because they share a similar signaling pathway and induce similar transcriptional programs. However, type III IFNs are unique in their cell specific receptor expression and their antitumor activity is specific to a narrow range of cell types. Thus, type III IFN based therapies may show reduced toxic side effects compared with type I IFN based treatment. In this review, we focus on the development of IFN-based therapeutics used to treat different tumors. We highlight how the development in cytokine engineering has allowed for efficient delivery of type I and type III IFNs to tumor sites and look ahead to the obstacles that are still associated with IFN-based therapies before they can be fully and safely integrated into clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juhee Lim
- Laboratory of Host Defenses, Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Heung Kyu Lee
- Laboratory of Host Defenses, Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; KAIST Institute of Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Stinson JA, Barbosa MMP, Sheen A, Momin N, Fink E, Hampel J, Selting KA, Kamerer RL, Bailey KL, Wittrup KD, Fan TM. Tumor-Localized Interleukin-2 and Interleukin-12 Combine with Radiation Therapy to Safely Potentiate Regression of Advanced Malignant Melanoma in Pet Dogs. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:4029-4043. [PMID: 38980919 PMCID: PMC11398984 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-24-0861] [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: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Cytokines IL2 and IL12 exhibit potent anticancer activity but suffer a narrow therapeutic window due to off-tumor immune cell activation. Engineering cytokines with the ability to bind and associate with tumor collagen after intratumoral injection potentiated response without toxicity in mice and was previously safe in pet dogs with sarcoma. Here, we sought to test the efficacy of this approach in dogs with advanced melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS This study examined 15 client-owned dogs with histologically or cytologically confirmed malignant melanoma that received a single 9-Gy fraction of radiotherapy, followed by six cycles of combined collagen-anchored IL2 and IL12 therapy every 2 weeks. Cytokine dosing followed a 3 + 3 dose escalation design, with the initial cytokine dose chosen from prior evaluation in canine sarcomas. No exclusion criteria for tumor stage or metastatic burden, age, weight, or neuter status were applied for this trial. RESULTS Median survival regardless of the tumor stage or dose level was 256 days, and 10/13 (76.9%) dogs that completed treatment had CT-measured tumor regression at the treated lesion. In dogs with metastatic disease, 8/13 (61.5%) had partial responses across their combined lesions, which is evidence of locoregional response. Profiling by NanoString of treatment-resistant dogs revealed that B2m loss was predictive of poor response to this therapy. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these results confirm the ability of locally administered tumor-anchored cytokines to potentiate responses at regional disease sites when combined with radiation. This evidence supports the clinical translation of this approach and highlights the utility of comparative investigation in canine cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A Stinson
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Matheus Moreno P Barbosa
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Allison Sheen
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Noor Momin
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth Fink
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jordan Hampel
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Kim A Selting
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Rebecca L Kamerer
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | | | - Karl D Wittrup
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Timothy M Fan
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
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Boersma B, Poinot H, Pommier A. Stimulating the Antitumor Immune Response Using Immunocytokines: A Preclinical and Clinical Overview. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:974. [PMID: 39204319 PMCID: PMC11357675 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16080974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cytokines are immune modulators which can enhance the immune response and have been proven to be an effective class of immunotherapy. Nevertheless, the clinical use of cytokines in cancer treatment has faced several challenges associated with poor pharmacokinetic properties and the occurrence of adverse effects. Immunocytokines (ICKs) have emerged as a promising approach to overcome the pharmacological limitations observed with cytokines. ICKs are fusion proteins designed to deliver cytokines in the tumor microenvironment by taking advantage of the stability and specificity of immunoglobulin-based scaffolds. Several technological approaches have been developed. This review focuses on ICKs designed with the most impactful cytokines in the cancer field: IL-2, TNFα, IL-10, IL-12, IL-15, IL-21, IFNγ, GM-CSF, and IFNα. An overview of the pharmacological effects of the naked cytokines and ICKs tested for cancer therapy is detailed. A particular emphasis is given on the immunomodulatory effects of ICKs associated with their technological design. In conclusion, this review highlights active ways of development of ICKs. Their already promising results observed in clinical trials are likely to be improved with the advances in targeting technologies such as cytokine/linker engineering and the design of multispecific antibodies with tumor targeting and immunostimulatory functional properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Boersma
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland;
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Hélène Poinot
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland;
- Translational Research Centre in Oncohaematology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Aurélien Pommier
- UMR1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques INSERM, Université Clermont Auvergne, BP 184, F-63005 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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4
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Daneels W, Van Parys A, Huyghe L, Rogge E, De Rouck S, Christiaen R, Zabeau L, Taveirne S, Van Dorpe J, Kley N, Cauwels A, Depla E, Tavernier J, Offner F. High efficacy of huCD20-targeted AcTaferon in humanized patient derived xenograft models of aggressive B cell lymphoma. Exp Hematol Oncol 2024; 13:59. [PMID: 38831452 PMCID: PMC11145843 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-024-00524-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Type I interferon (IFN) is a potent antitumoral drug, with an important history in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, its pleiotropic nature leads to severe dose-limiting toxicities that blunt its therapeutic potential. To achieve selective targeting of specific immune or tumor cells, AcTakines (Activity-on-Target Cytokines), i.e., immunocytokines utilizing attenuated cytokines, and clinically optimized A-Kines™ were developed. In syngeneic murine models, the CD20-targeted murine IFNα2-based AcTaferons (AFNs) have demonstrated clear antitumoral effects, with excellent tolerability. The current study explores the antitumoral potential of the humanized huCD20-Fc-AFN in 5 different humanized patient derived xenograft (PDX) models of huCD20+ aggressive B non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs). The huCD20-Fc-AFN consists of a huCD20-specific single-domain antibody (VHH) linked through a heterodimeric 'knob-in-hole' human IgG1 Fc molecule to an attenuated huIFNα2 sequence. An in vitro targeting efficacy of up to 1.000-fold could be obtained, without detectable in vivo toxicities, except for selective (on-target) and reversible B cell depletion. Treatment with huCD20-Fc-AFN significantly increased the median overall survival (mOS) in both non-humanized (mOS 31 to 45 days; HR = 0.26; p = 0.001), and humanized NSG/NOG mice (mOS 34 to 80 days; HR = 0.37; p < 0.0001). In humanized mice, there was a trend for increased survival when compared to equimolar rituximab (mOS 49 to 80 days; HR = 0.73; p = 0.09). The antitumoral effects of huCD20-Fc-AFN were partly due to direct effects of type I IFN on the tumor cells, but additional effects via the human immune system are essential to obtain long-term remissions. To conclude, huCD20-Fc-AFN could provide a novel therapeutic strategy for huCD20-expressing aggressive B-NHLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem Daneels
- Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- Department of Hematology, Ghent University Hospital, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Alexander Van Parys
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Leander Huyghe
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Elke Rogge
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Steffi De Rouck
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Jo Van Dorpe
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Niko Kley
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anje Cauwels
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Jan Tavernier
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Fritz Offner
- Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Hematology, Ghent University Hospital, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Stinson JA, Barbosa MMP, Sheen A, Momin N, Fink E, Hampel J, Selting K, Kamerer R, Bailey KL, Wittrup KD, Fan TM. Tumor-localized interleukin-2 and interleukin-12 combine with radiation therapy to safely potentiate regression of advanced malignant melanoma in pet dogs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.12.579965. [PMID: 38405716 PMCID: PMC10888855 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.12.579965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
The clinical use of interleukin-2 and -12 cytokines against cancer is limited by their narrow therapeutic windows due to on-target, off-tumor activation of immune cells when delivered systemically. Engineering IL-2 and IL-12 to bind to extracellular matrix collagen allows these cytokines to be retained within tumors after intralesional injection, overcoming these clinical safety challenges. While this approach has potentiated responses in syngeneic mouse tumors without toxicity, the complex tumor-immune interactions in human cancers are difficult to recapitulate in mouse models of cancer. This has driven an increased role for comparative oncology clinical trials in companion (pet) dogs with spontaneous cancers that feature analogous tumor and immune biology to human cancers. Here, we report the results from a dose-escalation clinical trial of intratumoral collagen-binding IL-2 and IL-12 cytokines in pet dogs with malignant melanoma, observing encouraging local and regional responses to therapy that may suggest human clinical benefit with this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A. Stinson
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | | | - Allison Sheen
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Noor Momin
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Elizabeth Fink
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Jordan Hampel
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Kimberly Selting
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Rebecca Kamerer
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | | | - K. Dane Wittrup
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Timothy M. Fan
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
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Chen H, Lee SJ, Li R, Sura A, Suen N, Dilip A, Pomogov Y, Vuppalapaty M, Suen TT, Lu C, Post Y, Li Y. BRAIDing receptors for cell-specific targeting. eLife 2024; 12:RP90221. [PMID: 38193894 PMCID: PMC10945505 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90221] [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] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Systemic toxicity is a major challenge in the development of therapeutics. Consequently, cell-type-specific targeting is needed to improve on-target efficacy while reducing off-target toxicity. Here, we describe a cell-targeting system we have termed BRAID (BRidged Activation by Intra/intermolecular Division) whereby an active molecule is divided into two inactive or less active parts that are subsequently brought together via a so-called 'bridging receptor' on the target cell. This concept was validated using the WNT/β-catenin signaling system, demonstrating that a multivalent WNT agonist molecule divided into two inactive components assembled from different epitopes via the hepatocyte receptor βKlotho induces signaling specifically on hepatocytes. These data provide proof of concept for this cell-specific targeting strategy, and in principle, this may also allow activation of multiple signaling pathways where desirable. This approach has broad application potential for other receptor systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Chen
- Surrozen IncSouth San FranciscoUnited States
| | | | - Ryan Li
- Surrozen IncSouth San FranciscoUnited States
| | - Asmiti Sura
- Surrozen IncSouth San FranciscoUnited States
| | | | | | - Yan Pomogov
- Surrozen IncSouth San FranciscoUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Yorick Post
- Surrozen IncSouth San FranciscoUnited States
| | - Yang Li
- Surrozen IncSouth San FranciscoUnited States
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7
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Van Lint S, Van Parys A, Van Den Eeckhout B, Vandamme N, Plaisance S, Verhee A, Catteeuw D, Rogge E, De Geest J, Vanderroost N, Roels J, Saeys Y, Uzé G, Kley N, Cauwels A, Tavernier J. A bispecific Clec9A-PD-L1 targeted type I interferon profoundly reshapes the tumor microenvironment towards an antitumor state. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:191. [PMID: 38031106 PMCID: PMC10685570 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01908-6] [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: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite major improvements in immunotherapeutic strategies, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment remains a major obstacle for the induction of efficient antitumor responses. In this study, we show that local delivery of a bispecific Clec9A-PD-L1 targeted type I interferon (AcTaferon, AFN) overcomes this hurdle by reshaping the tumor immune landscape.Treatment with the bispecific AFN resulted in the presence of pro-immunogenic tumor-associated macrophages and neutrophils, increased motility and maturation profile of cDC1 and presence of inflammatory cDC2. Moreover, we report empowered diversity in the CD8+ T cell repertoire and induction of a shift from naive, dysfunctional CD8+ T cells towards effector, plastic cytotoxic T lymphocytes together with increased presence of NK and NKT cells as well as decreased regulatory T cell levels. These dynamic changes were associated with potent antitumor activity. Tumor clearance and immunological memory, therapeutic immunity on large established tumors and blunted tumor growth at distant sites were obtained upon co-administration of a non-curative dose of chemotherapy.Overall, this study illuminates further application of type I interferon as a safe and efficient way to reshape the suppressive tumor microenvironment and induce potent antitumor immunity; features which are of major importance in overcoming the development of metastases and tumor cell resistance to immune attack. The strategy described here has potential for application across to a broad range of cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Van Lint
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alexander Van Parys
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
- Present Affiliation: Orionis Biosciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bram Van Den Eeckhout
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Niels Vandamme
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
- VIB Single Cell Core, VIB, Ghent-Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Annick Verhee
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dominiek Catteeuw
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Elke Rogge
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Present Affiliation: Orionis Biosciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jennifer De Geest
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Present Affiliation: Orionis Biosciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nele Vanderroost
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jana Roels
- VIB Single Cell Core, VIB, Ghent-Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yvan Saeys
- Data Mining and Modelling for Biomedicine, VIB & Center for inflammation research, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gilles Uzé
- IRMB, University Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Niko Kley
- Orionis Biosciences, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences, Boston, USA
| | - Anje Cauwels
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Present Affiliation: Orionis Biosciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Tavernier
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB & Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.
- Orionis Biosciences, Ghent, Belgium.
- Orionis Biosciences, Boston, USA.
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Santollani L, Wittrup KD. Spatiotemporally programming cytokine immunotherapies through protein engineering. Immunol Rev 2023; 320:10-28. [PMID: 37409481 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines have long been considered promising cancer immunotherapy agents due to their endogenous role in activating and proliferating lymphocytes. However, since the initial FDA approvals of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and Interferon-ɑ (IFNɑ) for oncology over 30 years ago, cytokines have achieved little success in the clinic due to narrow therapeutic windows and dose-limiting toxicities. This is attributable to the discrepancy between the localized, regulated manner in which cytokines are deployed endogenously versus the systemic, untargeted administration used to date in most exogenous cytokine therapies. Furthermore, cytokines' ability to stimulate multiple cell types, often with paradoxical effects, may present significant challenges for their translation into effective therapies. Recently, protein engineering has emerged as a tool to address the shortcomings of first-generation cytokine therapies. In this perspective, we contextualize cytokine engineering strategies such as partial agonism, conditional activation and intratumoral retention through the lens of spatiotemporal regulation. By controlling the time, place, specificity, and duration of cytokine signaling, protein engineering can allow exogenous cytokine therapies to more closely approach their endogenous exposure profile, ultimately moving us closer to unlocking their full therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciano Santollani
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - K Dane Wittrup
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Pabani A, Gainor JF. Facts and Hopes: Immunocytokines for Cancer Immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:3841-3849. [PMID: 37227449 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-22-1837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The clinical development of cytokines as cancer therapeutics has been limited due to significant toxicities generally observed with systemic administration. This narrow therapeutic window, together with relatively modest efficacy, has made natural cytokines unattractive drug candidates. Immunocytokines represent a class of next-generation cytokines designed to overcome the challenges associated with traditional cytokines. These agents seek to improve the therapeutic index of cytokines by using antibodies as vehicles for the targeted delivery of immunomodulatory agents within the local tumor microenvironment (TME). Various molecular formats and cytokine payloads have been studied. In this review, we provide an overview of the rationale, preclinical support, and current clinical development strategies for immunocytokines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aliyah Pabani
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Justin F Gainor
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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10
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Zhang Y, Xue W, Xu C, Nan Y, Mei S, Ju D, Wang S, Zhang X. Innate Immunity in Cancer Biology and Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11233. [PMID: 37510993 PMCID: PMC10379825 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411233] [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: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies including adaptive immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, have developed the treatment of cancer in clinic, and most of them focus on activating T cell immunity. Although these strategies have obtained unprecedented clinical responses, only limited subsets of cancer patients could receive long-term benefits, highlighting the demand for identifying novel targets for the new era of tumor immunotherapy. Innate immunity has been demonstrated to play a determinative role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and influence the clinical outcomes of tumor patients. A thorough comprehension of the innate immune cells that infiltrate tumors would allow for the development of new therapeutics. In this review, we outline the role and mechanism of innate immunity in TME. Moreover, we discuss innate immunity-based cancer immunotherapy in basic and clinical studies. Finally, we summarize the challenges in sufficiently motivating innate immune responses and the corresponding strategies and measures to improve anti-tumor efficacy. This review could aid the comprehension of innate immunity and inspire the creation of brand-new immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxia Zhang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Wenjing Xue
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Caili Xu
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Yanyang Nan
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Shuang Mei
- Shanghai Tinova Immune Therapeutics Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201413, China
| | - Dianwen Ju
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Shaofei Wang
- Department of Cellular and Genetic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xuyao Zhang
- Department of Biological Medicines & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
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11
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Cheng H, Yang L, Hou L, Cai Z, Yu X, Du L, Chen J, Zheng Q. Promoting immunity with novel targeting antigen delivery vehicle based on bispecific nanobody. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 119:110140. [PMID: 37116343 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
As the most potent professional antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) have been targeted in strategies to enhance vaccination efficacy. To date, targeted delivery has been mainly used for cancer therapy, with few studies focusing on vaccine antigens for animal epidemic diseases. In this study, we selected a series of mouse DC-specific nanobodies from a non-immunized camel. The four candidate nanobodies identified (Nb4, Nb13, Nb17, and Nb25), which showed efficient endocytosis of bone marrow-derived DCs, were evaluated as potential vaccine antigen targeted delivery vehicles. First, green fluorescent protein (GFP) was selected and four corresponding DCNb-GFP fusions were constructed for verification. Nb17-GFP was effective at promoting antibody production, inducing a cellular immune response, and increasing the IL-4 level. Second, foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and a FMDV-specific nanobody (Nb205) were selected and four bispecific nanobody DCNb-Nb205 fusions were generated to investigate the feasibility of a novel targeting antigen delivery vehicle. The resulting bispecific nanobody, Nb17-Nb205, could not only deliver FMDV particles instead of antigenic peptide, but also induced the production of specific antibodies, a cellular immune response, and IFN-γ and IL-4 levels upon immunization with a single subcutaneous injection. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the potential of bispecific nanobody as a novel and efficient DC-specific antigen delivery vehicle. This highlights the potential to expand targeted delivery to the field of animal epidemic diseases and provides a reference for the general application of nanotechnology in viral diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiwei Cheng
- Institute of Veterinary Immunology & Engineering, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Veterinary Biologicals, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Li Yang
- Institute of Veterinary Immunology & Engineering, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Veterinary Biologicals, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Liting Hou
- Institute of Veterinary Immunology & Engineering, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Veterinary Biologicals, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Zizheng Cai
- Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xiaoming Yu
- Institute of Veterinary Immunology & Engineering, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Veterinary Biologicals, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Luping Du
- Institute of Veterinary Immunology & Engineering, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Veterinary Biologicals, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China.
| | - Jin Chen
- Institute of Veterinary Immunology & Engineering, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Veterinary Biologicals, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China.
| | - Qisheng Zheng
- Institute of Veterinary Immunology & Engineering, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; National Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Veterinary Biologicals, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China.
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12
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Quijano-Rubio A, Bhuiyan AM, Yang H, Leung I, Bello E, Ali LR, Zhangxu K, Perkins J, Chun JH, Wang W, Lajoie MJ, Ravichandran R, Kuo YH, Dougan SK, Riddell SR, Spangler JB, Dougan M, Silva DA, Baker D. A split, conditionally active mimetic of IL-2 reduces the toxicity of systemic cytokine therapy. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:532-540. [PMID: 36316485 PMCID: PMC10110466 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01510-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The therapeutic potential of recombinant cytokines has been limited by the severe side effects of systemic administration. We describe a strategy to reduce the dose-limiting toxicities of monomeric cytokines by designing two components that require colocalization for activity and that can be independently targeted to restrict activity to cells expressing two surface markers. We demonstrate the approach with a previously designed mimetic of cytokines interleukin-2 and interleukin-15-Neoleukin-2/15 (Neo-2/15)-both for trans-activating immune cells surrounding targeted tumor cells and for cis-activating directly targeted immune cells. In trans-activation mode, tumor antigen targeting of the two components enhanced antitumor activity and attenuated toxicity compared with systemic treatment in syngeneic mouse melanoma models. In cis-activation mode, immune cell targeting of the two components selectively expanded CD8+ T cells in a syngeneic mouse melanoma model and promoted chimeric antigen receptor T cell activation in a lymphoma xenograft model, enhancing antitumor efficacy in both cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Quijano-Rubio
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Monod Bio, Inc., Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Aladdin M Bhuiyan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Huilin Yang
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Isabel Leung
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Elisa Bello
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lestat R Ali
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kevin Zhangxu
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jilliane Perkins
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jung-Ho Chun
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wentao Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marc J Lajoie
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Outpace Bio, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rashmi Ravichandran
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yun-Huai Kuo
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stephanie K Dougan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stanley R Riddell
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jamie B Spangler
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Michael Dougan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Daniel-Adriano Silva
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Monod Bio, Inc., Seattle, WA, USA.
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.
| | - David Baker
- Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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13
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Way JC, Burrill DR, Silver PA. Bioinspired Design of Artificial Signaling Systems. Biochemistry 2023; 62:178-186. [PMID: 35984429 PMCID: PMC9851155 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00368] [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: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Natural systems use weak interactions and avidity effects to give biological systems high specificity and signal-to-noise ratios. Here we describe design principles for engineering fusion proteins that target therapeutic fusion proteins to membrane-bound signaling receptors by first binding to designer-chosen co-receptors on the same cell surface. The key design elements are separate protein modules, one that has no signaling activity and binds to a cell surface receptor with high affinity and a second that binds to a receptor with low or moderate affinity and carries out a desired signaling or inhibitory activity. These principles are inspired by natural cytokines such as CNTF, IL-2, and IL-4 that bind strongly to nonsignaling receptors and then signal through low-affinity receptors. Such designs take advantage of the fact that when a protein is anchored to a cell membrane, its local concentration is extremely high with respect to those of other membrane proteins, so a second-step, low-affinity binding event is favored. Protein engineers have used these principles to design treatments for cancer, anemia, hypoxia, and HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey C. Way
- General
Biologics, Inc., 108
Fayerweather Street, Unit 2, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Devin R. Burrill
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Pamela A. Silver
- Department
of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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14
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Vasic V, Buldun C, Ritz M, Dickopf S, Georges GJ, Spick C, Peuker A, Meier T, Mayer K, Brinkmann U. Targeted chain-exchange-mediated reconstitution of a split type-I cytokine for conditional immunotherapy. MAbs 2023; 15:2245111. [PMID: 37608616 PMCID: PMC10448976 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2245111] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-cytokine fusions targeted against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are promising cancer immunotherapy agents, with many such molecules currently undergoing clinical trials. However, due to the limited number of tumor-specific targets, on-target off-tumor effects can lead to systemic toxicity. Additionally, targeted cytokines can be scavenged by cytokine receptors on peripheral cells, decreasing tumor penetration. This study aims at overcoming these issues by engineering a platform for targeted conditionally active type I cytokines. Building on our previously reported PACE (Prodrug-Activating Chain Exchange) platform, we split the type I cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4) to create two inactive IL-4 prodrugs, and fused these split IL-4 counterparts to the C-termini of antibody-like molecules that undergo proximity-induced chain exchange. In doing so, we developed IL-4 prodrugs that preferentially reconstitute into active IL-4 on target cells. We demonstrate that pre-assembled split IL-4 (without additional inactivation) retains activity and present two different strategies of splitting and inactivating IL-4. Using an IL-4 responsive cell-line, we show that IL-4 prodrugs are targeted to TAAs on target cells and regain activity upon chain exchange, primarily in a cis-activation setting. Furthermore, we demonstrate that split IL-4 complementation is also possible in a trans-activation setting, which opens up the possibility for activation of immune cells in the tumor vicinity. We demonstrate that targeted on-cell prodrug conversion is more efficient than nonspecific activation in-solution. Due to the structural similarity between IL-4 and other type I cytokines relevant in cancer immunotherapy such as IL-2, IL-15, and IL-21, cytokine-PACE may be expanded to develop a variety of targeted conditionally active cytokines for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vedran Vasic
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Can Buldun
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
- Bellevue Asset Management, Küsnacht, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Ritz
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Steffen Dickopf
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
- Discovery Biology, Morphosys AG, Planegg, Germany
| | - Guy J. Georges
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Christian Spick
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Alessa Peuker
- Reagent Research and Design, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Meier
- Reagent Research and Design, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Klaus Mayer
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brinkmann
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
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15
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Alum-anchored intratumoral retention improves the tolerability and antitumor efficacy of type I interferon therapies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205983119. [PMID: 36037341 PMCID: PMC9457244 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205983119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective antitumor immunity in mice requires activation of the type I interferon (IFN) response pathway. IFNα and IFNβ therapies have proven promising in humans, but suffer from limited efficacy and high toxicity. Intratumoral IFN retention ameliorates systemic toxicity, but given the complexity of IFN signaling, it was unclear whether long-term intratumoral retention of type I IFNs would promote or inhibit antitumor responses. To this end, we compared the efficacy of IFNα and IFNβ that exhibit either brief or sustained retention after intratumoral injection in syngeneic mouse tumor models. Significant enhancement in tumor retention, mediated by anchoring these IFNs to coinjected aluminum-hydroxide (alum) particles, greatly improved both their tolerability and efficacy. The improved efficacy of alum-anchored IFNs could be attributed to sustained pleiotropic effects on tumor cells, immune cells, and nonhematopoietic cells. Alum-anchored IFNs achieved high cure rates of B16F10 tumors upon combination with either anti-PD-1 antibody or interleukin-2. Interestingly however, these alternative combination immunotherapies yielded disparate T cell phenotypes and differential resistance to tumor rechallenge, highlighting important distinctions in adaptive memory formation for combinations of type I IFNs with other immunotherapies.
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16
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Goossens S, Cauwels A, Pieters T, De Smedt R, T'Sas S, Almeida A, Daneels W, Van Vlierberghe P, Tavernier J. Direct and indirect anti-leukemic properties of activity-on-target interferons for the treatment of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Haematologica 2022; 107:1448-1453. [PMID: 34647441 PMCID: PMC9152961 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2021.278913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Steven Goossens
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent
| | - Anje Cauwels
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Orionis Biosciences BV, B-9052 Ghent
| | - Tim Pieters
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent
| | - Renate De Smedt
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent
| | - Sara T'Sas
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent
| | - André Almeida
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent
| | - Willem Daneels
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Hematology, Ghent University Hospital, B-9000 Ghent
| | - Pieter Van Vlierberghe
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent.
| | - Jan Tavernier
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Orionis Biosciences BV, B-9052 Ghent
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17
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Herranz D. INTERFERing with the progression of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a multifaceted therapy. Haematologica 2022; 107:1232-1234. [PMID: 34647445 PMCID: PMC9152966 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2021.279549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Herranz
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
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18
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Di Trani CA, Cirella A, Arrizabalaga L, Fernandez-Sendin M, Bella A, Aranda F, Melero I, Berraondo P. Overcoming the limitations of cytokines to improve cancer therapy. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 369:107-141. [PMID: 35777862 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines are pleiotropic soluble proteins used by immune cells to orchestrate a coordinated response against pathogens and malignancies. In cancer immunotherapy, cytokine-based drugs can be developed potentiating pro-inflammatory cytokines or blocking immunosuppressive cytokines. However, the complexity of the mechanisms of action of cytokines requires the use of biotechnological strategies to minimize systemic toxicity, while potentiating the antitumor response. Sequence mutagenesis, fusion proteins and gene therapy strategies are employed to enhance the half-life in circulation, target the desired bioactivity to the tumor microenvironment, and to optimize the therapeutic window of cytokines. In this review, we provide an overview of the different strategies currently being pursued in pre-clinical and clinical studies to make the most of cytokines for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Augusta Di Trani
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Assunta Cirella
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Leire Arrizabalaga
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Myriam Fernandez-Sendin
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Angela Bella
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Fernando Aranda
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Melero
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain; Department of Oncology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Pedro Berraondo
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.
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19
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Yang J, Liu X, Cheng Y, Zhang J, Ji F, Ling Z. Roles of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Gastric Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:818314. [PMID: 35311157 PMCID: PMC8927765 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.818314] [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: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common neoplasm and the third most deadly cancer in humans worldwide. Helicobacter pylori infection is the most important causative factor of gastric carcinogenesis, and activates host innate and adaptive immune responses. As key constituents of the tumor immune microenvironment, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are increasingly attracting attention owing to their potential roles in immunosuppression. We recently reported that pDCs have vital roles in the development of immunosuppression in GC. Clarifying the contribution of pDCs to the development and progression of GC may lead to improvements in cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize current knowledge regarding immune modulation in GC, especially the roles of pDCs in GC carcinogenesis and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinpu Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xia Liu
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yiwen Cheng
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingchen Zhang
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Feng Ji
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zongxin Ling
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, China
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20
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Holder PG, Lim SA, Huang CS, Sharma P, Dagdas YS, Bulutoglu B, Sockolosky JT. Engineering interferons and interleukins for cancer immunotherapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 182:114112. [PMID: 35085624 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines are a class of potent immunoregulatory proteins that are secreted in response to various stimuli and act locally to regulate many aspects of human physiology and disease. Cytokines play important roles in cancer initiation, progression, and elimination, and thus, there is a long clinical history associated with the use of recombinant cytokines to treat cancer. However, the use of cytokines as therapeutics has been limited by cytokine pleiotropy, complex biology, poor drug-like properties, and severe dose-limiting toxicities. Nevertheless, cytokines are crucial mediators of innate and adaptive antitumor immunity and have the potential to enhance immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer. Development of immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination immunotherapies has reinvigorated interest in cytokines as therapeutics, and a variety of engineering approaches are emerging to improve the safety and effectiveness of cytokine immunotherapy. In this review we highlight recent advances in cytokine biology and engineering for cancer immunotherapy.
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21
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An anti-PD-1–GITR-L bispecific agonist induces GITR clustering-mediated T cell activation for cancer immunotherapy. NATURE CANCER 2022; 3:337-354. [PMID: 35256819 PMCID: PMC8960412 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00334-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Costimulatory receptors such as glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor–related protein (GITR) play key roles in regulating the effector functions of T cells. In human clinical trials, however, GITR agonist antibodies have shown limited therapeutic effect, which may be due to suboptimal receptor clustering-mediated signaling. To overcome this potential limitation, a rational protein engineering approach is needed to optimize GITR agonist-based immunotherapies. Here we show a bispecific molecule consisting of an anti-PD-1 antibody fused with a multimeric GITR ligand (GITR-L) that induces PD-1-dependent and FcγR-independent GITR clustering, resulting in enhanced activation, proliferation and memory differentiation of primed antigen-specific GITR+PD-1+ T cells. The anti-PD-1–GITR-L bispecific is a PD-1-directed GITR-L construct that demonstrated dose-dependent, immunologically driven tumor growth inhibition in syngeneic, genetically engineered and xenograft humanized mouse tumor models, with a dose-dependent correlation between target saturation and Ki67 and TIGIT upregulation on memory T cells. Anti-PD-1–GITR-L thus represents a bispecific approach to directing GITR agonism for cancer immunotherapy. Alvarez and colleagues develop a bispecific anti-PD-1–GITR-L agonist that activates T cells via a mechanism distinct from those found with individual PD-1 and GITR-L agonists and demonstrate its antitumor activity in mice and nonhuman primates.
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22
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Van Den Eeckhout B, Huyghe L, Van Lint S, Burg E, Plaisance S, Peelman F, Cauwels A, Uzé G, Kley N, Gerlo S, Tavernier J. Selective IL-1 activity on CD8 + T cells empowers antitumor immunity and synergizes with neovasculature-targeted TNF for full tumor eradication. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003293. [PMID: 34772757 PMCID: PMC8593706 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Clinical success of therapeutic cancer vaccines depends on the ability to mount strong and durable antitumor T cell responses. To achieve this, potent cellular adjuvants are highly needed. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) acts on CD8+ T cells and promotes their expansion and effector differentiation, but toxicity and undesired tumor-promoting side effects hamper efficient clinical application of this cytokine. Methods This ‘cytokine problem’ can be solved by use of AcTakines (Activity-on-Target cytokines), which represent fusions between low-activity cytokine mutants and cell type-specific single-domain antibodies. AcTakines deliver cytokine activity to a priori selected cell types and as such evade toxicity and unwanted off-target side effects. Here, we employ subcutaneous melanoma and lung carcinoma models to evaluate the antitumor effects of AcTakines. Results In this work, we use an IL-1β-based AcTakine to drive proliferation and effector functionality of antitumor CD8+ T cells without inducing measurable toxicity. AcTakine treatment enhances diversity of the T cell receptor repertoire and empowers adoptive T cell transfer. Combination treatment with a neovasculature-targeted tumor necrosis factor (TNF) AcTakine mediates full tumor eradication and establishes immunological memory that protects against secondary tumor challenge. Interferon-γ was found to empower this AcTakine synergy by sensitizing the tumor microenvironment to TNF. Conclusions Our data illustrate that anticancer cellular immunity can be safely promoted with an IL-1β-based AcTakine, which synergizes with other immunotherapies for efficient tumor destruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Van Den Eeckhout
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Leander Huyghe
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sandra Van Lint
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Elianne Burg
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Frank Peelman
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anje Cauwels
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gilles Uzé
- IRMB, University Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Niko Kley
- Orionis Biosciences Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah Gerlo
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium .,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Tavernier
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium .,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Orionis Biosciences Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
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23
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Jesser EA, Brady NJ, Huggins DN, Witschen PM, O'Connor CH, Schwertfeger KL. STAT5 is activated in macrophages by breast cancer cell-derived factors and regulates macrophage function in the tumor microenvironment. Breast Cancer Res 2021; 23:104. [PMID: 34743736 PMCID: PMC8573892 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-021-01481-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In breast cancer, complex interactions between tumor cells and cells within the surrounding stroma, such as macrophages, are critical for tumor growth, progression, and therapeutic response. Recent studies have highlighted the complex nature and heterogeneous populations of macrophages associated with both tumor-promoting and tumor-inhibiting phenotypes. Defining the pathways that drive macrophage function is important for understanding their complex phenotypes within the tumor microenvironment. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) transcription factors, such as STAT5, are key regulators of immune cell function. The studies described here investigate the functional contributions of STAT5 to tumor-associated macrophage function in breast cancer. METHODS Initial studies were performed using a panel of human breast cancer and mouse mammary tumor cell lines to determine the ability of tumor cell-derived factors to induce STAT5 activation in macrophages. Further studies used these models to identify soluble factors that activate STAT5 in macrophages. To delineate STAT5-specific contributions to macrophage function, a conditional model of myeloid STAT5 deletion was used for in vitro, RNA-sequencing, and in vivo studies. The effects of STAT5 deletion in macrophages on tumor cell migration and metastasis were evaluated using in vitro co-culture migration assays and an in vivo tumor cell-macrophage co-injection model. RESULTS We demonstrate here that STAT5 is robustly activated in macrophages by tumor cell-derived factors and that GM-CSF is a key cytokine stimulating this pathway. The analysis of RNA-seq studies reveals that STAT5 promotes expression of immune stimulatory genes in macrophages and that loss of STAT5 in macrophages results in increased expression of tissue remodeling factors. Finally, we demonstrate that loss of STAT5 in macrophages promotes tumor cell migration in vitro and mammary tumor metastasis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Breast cancer cells produce soluble factors, such as GM-CSF, that activate the STAT5 pathway in macrophages and drive expression of inflammatory factors. STAT5 deletion in myeloid cells enhances metastasis, suggesting that STAT5 activation in tumor-associated macrophages protects against tumor progression. Understanding mechanisms that drive macrophage function in the tumor microenvironment will ultimately lead to new approaches that suppress tumor-promoting functions while enhancing their anti-tumor functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Jesser
- Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Nicholas J Brady
- Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Danielle N Huggins
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, 6Th St SE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Patrice M Witschen
- Comparative and Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Christine H O'Connor
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, 6Th St SE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- University of Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Kathryn L Schwertfeger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, 6Th St SE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
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24
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Cauwels A, Van Lint S, Rogge E, Verhee A, Van Den Eeckhout B, Pang S, Prinz M, Kley N, Uzé G, Tavernier J. Targeting IFN activity to both B cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells induces a robust tolerogenic response and protection against EAE. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21575. [PMID: 34732771 PMCID: PMC8566508 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00891-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Type I Interferon (IFN) was the very first drug approved for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and is still frequently used as a first line therapy. However, systemic IFN also causes considerable side effects, affecting therapy adherence and dose escalation. In addition, the mechanism of action of IFN in MS is multifactorial and still not completely understood. Using AcTaferons (Activity-on-Target IFNs, AFNs), optimized IFN-based immunocytokines that allow cell-specific targeting, we have previously demonstrated that specific targeting of IFN activity to dendritic cells (DCs) can protect against experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), inducing in vivo tolerogenic protective effects, evidenced by increased indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) release by plasmacytoid (p) DCs and improved immunosuppressive capacity of regulatory T and B cells. We here report that targeting type I IFN activity specifically towards B cells also provides strong protection against EAE, and that targeting pDCs using SiglecH-AFN can significantly add to this protective effect. The superior protection achieved by simultaneous targeting of both B lymphocytes and pDCs correlated with improved IL-10 responses in B cells and conventional cDCs, and with a previously unseen very robust IDO response in several cells, including all B and T lymphocytes, cDC1 and cDC2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anje Cauwels
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Ghent University, A. Baertsoenkaai 3, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. .,Orionis Biosciences, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Sandra Van Lint
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Ghent University, A. Baertsoenkaai 3, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Elke Rogge
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Ghent University, A. Baertsoenkaai 3, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.,Orionis Biosciences, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annick Verhee
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Ghent University, A. Baertsoenkaai 3, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bram Van Den Eeckhout
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Ghent University, A. Baertsoenkaai 3, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Shengru Pang
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marco Prinz
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.,BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79106, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Niko Kley
- Orionis Biosciences, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gilles Uzé
- CNRS UMR 5235, University Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Jan Tavernier
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Ghent University, A. Baertsoenkaai 3, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. .,Orionis Biosciences, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
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25
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Dakhel S, Lizak C, Matasci M, Mock J, Villa A, Neri D, Cazzamalli S. An Attenuated Targeted-TNF Localizes to Tumors In Vivo and Regains Activity at the Site of Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:10020. [PMID: 34576184 PMCID: PMC8469155 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221810020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibody-cytokine fusion proteins (immunocytokines) are gaining importance for cancer therapy, but those products are often limited by systemic toxicity related to the activity of the cytokine payload in circulation and in secondary lymphoid organs. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is used as a pro-inflammatory payload to trigger haemorrhagic necrosis and boost anti-cancer immunity at the tumor site. Here we describe a depotentiated version of TNF (carrying the single point mutation I97A), which displayed reduced binding affinity to its cognate receptor tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR-1) and lower biocidal activity. The fusion of the TNF(I97A) mutant to the L19 antibody promoted restoration of anti-tumor activity upon accumulation on the cognate antigen, the alternatively spliced EDB domain of fibronectin. In vivo administration of high doses (375 μg/Kg) of the fusion protein showed a potent anti-tumor effect without apparent toxicity compared with the wild type protein. L19-TNFI97A holds promise for the targeted delivery of TNF activity to neoplastic lesions, helping spare normal tissues.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/metabolism
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/metabolism
- Cricetulus
- Cytokines/genetics
- Cytokines/metabolism
- Female
- Fibronectins/genetics
- Fibronectins/metabolism
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique
- Immunotherapy
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mutation
- Protein Structure, Secondary
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/genetics
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/metabolism
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I/genetics
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I/metabolism
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila Dakhel
- Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (S.D.); (C.L.); (M.M.); (J.M.); (A.V.); (D.N.)
| | - Christian Lizak
- Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (S.D.); (C.L.); (M.M.); (J.M.); (A.V.); (D.N.)
| | - Mattia Matasci
- Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (S.D.); (C.L.); (M.M.); (J.M.); (A.V.); (D.N.)
| | - Jacqueline Mock
- Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (S.D.); (C.L.); (M.M.); (J.M.); (A.V.); (D.N.)
| | - Alessandra Villa
- Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (S.D.); (C.L.); (M.M.); (J.M.); (A.V.); (D.N.)
| | - Dario Neri
- Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (S.D.); (C.L.); (M.M.); (J.M.); (A.V.); (D.N.)
- Philogen S.p.A., Piazza La Lizza, 7, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Samuele Cazzamalli
- Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland; (S.D.); (C.L.); (M.M.); (J.M.); (A.V.); (D.N.)
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26
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Sachdev S, Cabalteja CC, Cheloha RW. Strategies for targeting cell surface proteins using multivalent conjugates and chemical biology. Methods Cell Biol 2021; 166:205-222. [PMID: 34752333 PMCID: PMC8895325 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2021.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Proper function of receptors on the cell surface is essential for homeostasis. Compounds that target cell surface receptors to address dysregulation have proven exceptionally successful as therapeutic agents; however, the development of compounds with the desired specificity for receptors, cells, and tissues of choice has proven difficult in some cases. The use of compounds that can engage more than one binding site at the cell surface offers a path toward improving biological specificity or pharmacological properties. In this chapter we summarize historical context for the development of such bivalent compounds. We focus on developments in chemical methods and biological engineering to provide bivalent compounds in which the high affinity and specificity of antibodies are leveraged to create multifunctional conjugates with new and useful properties. The development of methods to meld biological macromolecules with synthetic compounds will facilitate modulation of receptor biology in ways not previously possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivani Sachdev
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Chino C Cabalteja
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ross W Cheloha
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, Bethesda, MD, United States.
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27
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Xue D, Hsu E, Fu YX, Peng H. Next-generation cytokines for cancer immunotherapy. Antib Ther 2021; 4:123-133. [PMID: 34263141 PMCID: PMC8271143 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbab014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most studies focus on the first and second signals of T cell activation. However, the roles of cytokines in immunotherapy are not fully understood, and cytokines have not been widely used in patient care. Clinical application of cytokines is limited due to their short half-life in vivo, severe toxicity at therapeutic doses, and overall lack of efficacy. Several modifications have been engineered to extend their half-life and increase tumor targeting, including polyethylene glycol conjugation, fusion to tumor-targeting antibodies, and alteration of cytokine/cell receptor-binding affinity. These modifications demonstrate an improvement in either increased antitumor efficacy or reduced toxicity. However, these cytokine engineering strategies may still be improved further, as each strategy poses advantages and disadvantages in the delicate balance of targeting tumor cells, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and peripheral immune cells. This review focuses on selected cytokines, including interferon-α, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-15, IL-21, and IL-12, in both preclinical studies and clinical applications. We review next-generation designs of these cytokines that improve half-life, tumor targeting, and antitumor efficacy. We also present our perspectives on the development of new strategies to potentiate cytokine-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diyuan Xue
- Key laboratory of Infection and Immunity Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Da Tun Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Eric Hsu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Yang-Xin Fu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Hua Peng
- Key laboratory of Infection and Immunity Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Da Tun Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
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28
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Runbeck E, Crescioli S, Karagiannis SN, Papa S. Utilizing Immunocytokines for Cancer Therapy. Antibodies (Basel) 2021; 10:antib10010010. [PMID: 33803078 PMCID: PMC8006145 DOI: 10.3390/antib10010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytokine therapy for cancer has indicated efficacy in certain diseases but is generally accompanied by severe toxicity. The field of antibody-cytokine fusion proteins (immunocytokines) arose to target these effector molecules to the tumor environment in order to expand the therapeutic window of cytokine therapy. Pre-clinical evidence has shown the increased efficacy and decreased toxicity of various immunocytokines when compared to their cognate unconjugated cytokine. These anti-tumor properties are markedly enhanced when combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and checkpoint inhibitor antibodies. Clinical trials that have continued to explore the potential of these biologics for cancer therapy have been conducted. This review covers the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical evidence for the application of immunocytokines in immuno-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Runbeck
- ImmunoEngineering Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, King’s College London, London SE19RT, UK;
| | - Silvia Crescioli
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK; (S.C.); (S.N.K.)
| | - Sophia N. Karagiannis
- St. John’s Institute of Dermatology, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, UK; (S.C.); (S.N.K.)
| | - Sophie Papa
- ImmunoEngineering Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, King’s College London, London SE19RT, UK;
- Correspondence:
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29
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Van Den Eeckhout B, Tavernier J, Gerlo S. Interleukin-1 as Innate Mediator of T Cell Immunity. Front Immunol 2021; 11:621931. [PMID: 33584721 PMCID: PMC7873566 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.621931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The three-signal paradigm tries to capture how the innate immune system instructs adaptive immune responses in three well-defined actions: (1) presentation of antigenic peptides in the context of MHC molecules, which allows for a specific T cell response; (2) T cell co-stimulation, which breaks T cell tolerance; and (3) secretion of polarizing cytokines in the priming environment, thereby specializing T cell immunity. The three-signal model provides an empirical framework for innate instruction of adaptive immunity, but mainly discusses STAT-dependent cytokines in T cell activation and differentiation, while the multi-faceted roles of type I IFNs and IL-1 cytokine superfamily members are often neglected. IL-1α and IL-1β are pro-inflammatory cytokines, produced following damage to the host (release of DAMPs) or upon innate recognition of PAMPs. IL-1 activity on both DCs and T cells can further shape the adaptive immune response with variable outcomes. IL-1 signaling in DCs promotes their ability to induce T cell activation, but also direct action of IL-1 on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, either alone or in synergy with prototypical polarizing cytokines, influences T cell differentiation under different conditions. The activities of IL-1 form a direct bridge between innate and adaptive immunity and could therefore be clinically translatable in the context of prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to empower the formation of T cell immunity. Understanding the modalities of IL-1 activity during T cell activation thus could hold major implications for rational development of the next generation of vaccine adjuvants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Van Den Eeckhout
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Tavernier
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences BV, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sarah Gerlo
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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30
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Blaauboer A, Sideras K, van Eijck CHJ, Hofland LJ. Type I interferons in pancreatic cancer and development of new therapeutic approaches. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2020; 159:103204. [PMID: 33387625 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2020.103204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has emerged as a new treatment strategy for cancer. However, its promise in pancreatic cancer has not yet been realized. Understanding the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer, and identifying new therapeutic targets to increase tumor-specific immune responses, is necessary in order to improve clinical outcomes. Type I interferons, e.g. IFN-α and -β, are considered as an important bridge between the innate and adaptive immune system. Thereby, type I IFNs induce a broad spectrum of anti-tumor effects, including immunologic, vascular, as well as direct anti-tumor effects. While IFN therapies have been around for a while, new insights into exogenous and endogenous activation of the IFN pathway have resulted in new IFN-related cancer treatment strategies. Here, we focus on the pre-clinical and clinical evidence of novel ways to take advantage of the type I IFN pathway, such as IFN based conjugates and activation of the STING and RIG-I pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Blaauboer
- Department of Surgery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Leo J Hofland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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31
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Fox LE, Locke MC, Lenschow DJ. Context Is Key: Delineating the Unique Functions of IFNα and IFNβ in Disease. Front Immunol 2020; 11:606874. [PMID: 33408718 PMCID: PMC7779635 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.606874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Type I interferons (IFNs) are critical effector cytokines of the immune system and were originally known for their important role in protecting against viral infections; however, they have more recently been shown to play protective or detrimental roles in many disease states. Type I IFNs consist of IFNα, IFNβ, IFNϵ, IFNκ, IFNω, and a few others, and they all signal through a shared receptor to exert a wide range of biological activities, including antiviral, antiproliferative, proapoptotic, and immunomodulatory effects. Though the individual type I IFN subtypes possess overlapping functions, there is growing appreciation that they also have unique properties. In this review, we summarize some of the mechanisms underlying differential expression of and signaling by type I IFNs, and we discuss examples of differential functions of IFNα and IFNβ in models of infectious disease, cancer, and autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey E. Fox
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Marissa C. Locke
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Deborah J. Lenschow
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
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32
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Van Den Eeckhout B, Van Hoecke L, Burg E, Van Lint S, Peelman F, Kley N, Uzé G, Saelens X, Tavernier J, Gerlo S. Specific targeting of IL-1β activity to CD8 + T cells allows for safe use as a vaccine adjuvant. NPJ Vaccines 2020; 5:64. [PMID: 32714571 PMCID: PMC7378068 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-020-00211-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Annual administration and reformulation of influenza vaccines is required for protection against seasonal infections. However, the induction of strong and long-lasting T cells is critical to reach broad and potentially lifelong antiviral immunity. The NLRP3 inflammasome and its product interleukin-1β (IL-1β) are pivotal mediators of cellular immune responses to influenza, yet, overactivation of these systems leads to side effects, which hamper clinical applications. Here, we present a bypass around these toxicities by targeting the activity of IL-1β to CD8+ T cells. Using this approach, we demonstrate safe inclusion of IL-1β as an adjuvant in vaccination strategies, leading to full protection of mice against a high influenza virus challenge dose by raising potent T cell responses. In conclusion, this paper proposes a class of IL-1β-based vaccine adjuvants and also provides further insight in the mechanics of cellular immune responses driven by IL-1β.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Van Den Eeckhout
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lien Van Hoecke
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Elianne Burg
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sandra Van Lint
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frank Peelman
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Niko Kley
- Orionis Biosciences Inc, Waltham, MA 02451 USA
| | - Gilles Uzé
- CNRS 5235, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Xavier Saelens
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Tavernier
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Orionis Biosciences Inc, Waltham, MA 02451 USA
| | - Sarah Gerlo
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Cauwels A, Tavernier J. Tolerizing Strategies for the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases: From ex vivo to in vivo Strategies. Front Immunol 2020; 11:674. [PMID: 32477325 PMCID: PMC7241419 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), type I diabetes (T1D), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic, incurable, incapacitating and at times even lethal conditions. Worldwide, millions of people are affected, predominantly women, and their number is steadily increasing. Currently, autoimmune patients require lifelong immunosuppressive therapy, often accompanied by severe adverse side effects and risks. Targeting the fundamental cause of autoimmunity, which is the loss of tolerance to self- or innocuous antigens, may be achieved via various mechanisms. Recently, tolerance-inducing cellular therapies, such as tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), have gained considerable interest. Their safety has already been evaluated in patients with MS, arthritis, T1D, and Crohn’s disease, and clinical trials are underway to confirm their safety and therapeutic potential. Cell-based therapies are inevitably expensive and time-consuming, requiring laborious ex vivo manufacturing. Therefore, direct in vivo targeting of tolerogenic cell types offers an attractive alternative, and several strategies are being explored. Type I IFN was the first disease-modifying therapy approved for MS patients, and approaches to endogenously induce IFN in autoimmune diseases are being pursued vigorously. We here review and discuss tolerogenic cellular therapies and targeted in vivo tolerance approaches and propose a novel strategy for cell-specific delivery of type I IFN signaling to a cell type of choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anje Cauwels
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Tavernier
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Orionis Biosciences, Ghent, Belgium
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Cheloha RW, Fischer FA, Woodham AW, Daley E, Suminski N, Gardella TJ, Ploegh HL. Improved GPCR ligands from nanobody tethering. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2087. [PMID: 32350260 PMCID: PMC7190724 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15884-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibodies conjugated to bioactive compounds allow targeted delivery of therapeutics to cell types of choice based on that antibody's specificity. Here we develop a new type of conjugate that consists of a nanobody and a peptidic ligand for a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), fused via their C-termini. We address activation of parathyroid hormone receptor-1 (PTHR1) and improve the signaling activity and specificity of otherwise poorly active N-terminal peptide fragments of PTH by conjugating them to nanobodies (VHHs) that recognize PTHR1. These C-to-C conjugates show biological activity superior to that of the parent fragment peptide in vitro. In an exploratory experiment in mice, a VHH-PTH peptide conjugate showed biological activity, whereas the corresponding free peptide did not. The lead conjugate also possesses selectivity for PTHR1 superior to that of PTH(1-34). This design approach, dubbed "conjugation of ligands and antibodies for membrane proteins" (CLAMP), can yield ligands with high potency and specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross W Cheloha
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Fabian A Fischer
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Andrew W Woodham
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Eileen Daley
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 50 Blossom Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Naomi Suminski
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Thomas J Gardella
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 50 Blossom Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
| | - Hidde L Ploegh
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Huyghe L, Van Parys A, Cauwels A, Van Lint S, De Munter S, Bultinck J, Zabeau L, Hostens J, Goethals A, Vanderroost N, Verhee A, Uzé G, Kley N, Peelman F, Vandekerckhove B, Brouckaert P, Tavernier J. Safe eradication of large established tumors using neovasculature-targeted tumor necrosis factor-based therapies. EMBO Mol Med 2020; 12:e11223. [PMID: 31912630 PMCID: PMC7709889 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201911223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic toxicities have severely limited the clinical application of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) as an anticancer agent. Activity‐on‐Target cytokines (AcTakines) are a novel class of immunocytokines with improved therapeutic index. A TNF‐based AcTakine targeted to CD13 enables selective activation of the tumor neovasculature without any detectable toxicity in vivo. Upregulation of adhesion markers supports enhanced T‐cell infiltration leading to control or elimination of solid tumors by, respectively, CAR T cells or a combination therapy with CD8‐targeted type I interferon AcTakine. Co‐treatment with a CD13‐targeted type II interferon AcTakine leads to very rapid destruction of the tumor neovasculature and complete regression of large, established tumors. As no tumor markers are needed, safe and efficacious elimination of a broad range of tumor types becomes feasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leander Huyghe
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alexander Van Parys
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anje Cauwels
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sandra Van Lint
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stijn De Munter
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jennyfer Bultinck
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Jeroen Hostens
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - An Goethals
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nele Vanderroost
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annick Verhee
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gilles Uzé
- CNRS UMR 5235, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Niko Kley
- Orionis Biosciences, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Frank Peelman
- VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bart Vandekerckhove
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Brouckaert
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Tavernier
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Orionis Biosciences, Boston, MA, USA
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36
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Lecocq Q, De Vlaeminck Y, Hanssens H, D'Huyvetter M, Raes G, Goyvaerts C, Keyaerts M, Devoogdt N, Breckpot K. Theranostics in immuno-oncology using nanobody derivatives. Am J Cancer Res 2019; 9:7772-7791. [PMID: 31695800 PMCID: PMC6831473 DOI: 10.7150/thno.34941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted therapy and immunotherapy have become mainstream in cancer treatment. However, only patient subsets benefit from these expensive therapies, and often responses are short‐lived or coincide with side effects. A growing modality in precision oncology is the development of theranostics, as this enables patient selection, treatment and monitoring. In this approach, labeled compounds and an imaging technology are used to diagnose patients and select the best treatment option, whereas for therapy, related compounds are used to target cancer cells or the tumor stroma. In this context, nanobodies and nanobody-directed therapeutics have gained interest. This interest stems from their high antigen specificity, small size, ease of labeling and engineering, allowing specific imaging and design of therapies targeting antigens on tumor cells, immune cells as well as proteins in the tumor environment. This review provides a comprehensive overview on the state-of-the-art regarding the use of nanobodies as theranostics, and their importance in the emerging field of personalized medicine.
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37
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Lambertsen KL, Finsen B, Clausen BH. Post-stroke inflammation-target or tool for therapy? Acta Neuropathol 2019; 137:693-714. [PMID: 30483945 PMCID: PMC6482288 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-018-1930-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 274] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Inflammation is currently considered a prime target for the development of new stroke therapies. In the acute phase of ischemic stroke, microglia are activated and then circulating immune cells invade the peri-infarct and infarct core. Resident and infiltrating cells together orchestrate the post-stroke inflammatory response, communicating with each other and the ischemic neurons, through soluble and membrane-bound signaling molecules, including cytokines. Inflammation can be both detrimental and beneficial at particular stages after a stroke. While it can contribute to expansion of the infarct, it is also responsible for infarct resolution, and influences remodeling and repair. Several pre-clinical and clinical proof-of-concept studies have suggested the effectiveness of pharmacological interventions that target inflammation post-stroke. Experimental evidence shows that targeting certain inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and IL-10, holds promise. However, as these cytokines possess non-redundant protective and immunoregulatory functions, their neutralization or augmentation carries a risk of unwanted side effects, and clinical translation is, therefore, challenging. This review summarizes the cell biology of the post-stroke inflammatory response and discusses pharmacological interventions targeting inflammation in the acute phase after a stroke that may be used alone or in combination with recanalization therapies. Development of next-generation immune therapies should ideally aim at selectively neutralizing pathogenic immune signaling, enhancing tissue preservation, promoting neurological recovery and leaving normal function intact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Lykke Lambertsen
- Department of Neurobiology Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense, Denmark.
- Department of Clinical Research, BRIDGE-Brain Research-Inter-Disciplinary Guided Excellence, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense C, Denmark.
- Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, 5000, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Bente Finsen
- Department of Neurobiology Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, BRIDGE-Brain Research-Inter-Disciplinary Guided Excellence, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Bettina Hjelm Clausen
- Department of Neurobiology Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, BRIDGE-Brain Research-Inter-Disciplinary Guided Excellence, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense C, Denmark
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38
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Liang Y, Tang H, Guo J, Qiu X, Yang Z, Ren Z, Sun Z, Bian Y, Xu L, Xu H, Shen J, Han Y, Dong H, Peng H, Fu YX. Targeting IFNα to tumor by anti-PD-L1 creates feedforward antitumor responses to overcome checkpoint blockade resistance. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4586. [PMID: 30389912 PMCID: PMC6214895 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06890-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many patients remain unresponsive to intensive PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy despite the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. We propose that impaired innate sensing might limit the complete activation of tumor-specific T cells after PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. Local delivery of type I interferons (IFNs) restores antigen presentation, but upregulates PD-L1, dampening subsequent T-cell activation. Therefore, we armed anti-PD-L1 antibody with IFNα (IFNα-anti-PD-L1) to create feedforward responses. Here, we find that a synergistic effect is achieved to overcome both type I IFN and checkpoint blockade therapy resistance with the least side effects in advanced tumors. Intriguingly, PD-L1 expressed in either tumor cells or tumor-associated host cells is sufficient for fusion protein targeting. IFNα-anti-PD-L1 activates IFNAR signaling in host cells, but not in tumor cells to initiate T-cell reactivation. Our data suggest that a next-generation PD-L1 antibody armed with IFNα improves tumor targeting and antigen presentation, while countering innate or T-cell-driven PD-L1 upregulation within tumor. Despite the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, many patients do not respond to PD-L1/PD-1 blockade therapy. Here they show that PD-L1 antibody armed with interferon-α (IFNα) improves tumor targeting and antigen presentation while countering innate or T-cell-drive PD-L1 upregulation, and overcomes resistance to checkpoint blockade therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Liang
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Haidong Tang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. .,Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA.
| | - Jingya Guo
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiangyan Qiu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA
| | - Zecheng Yang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhenhua Ren
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA
| | - Zhichen Sun
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yingjie Bian
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Lily Xu
- Department of Biology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
| | - Hairong Xu
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Jiao Shen
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yanfei Han
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Haidong Dong
- Departments of Urology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Hua Peng
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Yang-Xin Fu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75235, USA.
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Osaki T, Nakanishi T, Aoki M, Omizu T, Nishiura D, Kitamura M. Soluble Expression in Escherichia coli of a Single-Domain Antibody-Tumor Necrosis Factor α Fusion Protein Specific for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor. Monoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother 2018; 37:20-25. [PMID: 29474158 DOI: 10.1089/mab.2017.0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor-targeted antibody-cytokine fusion proteins, called immunocytokines, are expected to be a useful platform for the development of effective antitumor therapeutic agents; however, their design and cost-efficient production remain as challenges. In this study, we constructed an antibody-cytokine fusion protein (Ia1-TNFα) comprising the single-domain antibody Ia1, which targets epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpressed in epithelial tumors and a tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) domain, which has antitumor activity. Ia1-TNFα was produced in a soluble form by using an Escherichia coli expression system, and after affinity purification of the culture supernatant, an yield of ∼2 mg/L of cell culture was obtained. Gel filtration analysis showed that Ia1-TNFα existed predominantly as a trimer, which is consistent with the multimerization state of TNFα. Ia1-TNFα exhibited approximately 7-fold lower TNFα biological activity than that of TNFα itself. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that Ia1-TNFα specifically bound to EGFR-expressing tumor cells and that its binding activity was higher than that of monovalent Ia1, suggesting that the fusion protein bound to the tumor cells multivalently. Altogether, these results show that fusion of TNFα with a single-domain antibody could be a cost-efficient means of producing antitumor therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Osaki
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University , Osaka, Japan
| | - Takeshi Nakanishi
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University , Osaka, Japan
| | - Motoshi Aoki
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University , Osaka, Japan
| | - Takahiro Omizu
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University , Osaka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Nishiura
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University , Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaya Kitamura
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University , Osaka, Japan
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40
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Spangler JB, Trotta E, Tomala J, Peck A, Young TA, Savvides CS, Silveria S, Votavova P, Salafsky J, Pande VS, Kovar M, Bluestone JA, Garcia KC. Engineering a Single-Agent Cytokine/Antibody Fusion That Selectively Expands Regulatory T Cells for Autoimmune Disease Therapy. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2018; 201:2094-2106. [PMID: 30104245 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1800578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
IL-2 has been used to treat diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmune disorders, but its concurrent immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive effects hinder efficacy. IL-2 orchestrates immune cell function through activation of a high-affinity heterotrimeric receptor (composed of IL-2Rα, IL-2Rβ, and common γ [γc]). IL-2Rα, which is highly expressed on regulatory T (TReg) cells, regulates IL-2 sensitivity. Previous studies have shown that complexation of IL-2 with the JES6-1 Ab preferentially biases cytokine activity toward TReg cells through a unique mechanism whereby IL-2 is exchanged from the Ab to IL-2Rα. However, clinical adoption of a mixed Ab/cytokine complex regimen is limited by stoichiometry and stability concerns. In this study, through structure-guided design, we engineered a single agent fusion of the IL-2 cytokine and JES6-1 Ab that, despite being covalently linked, preserves IL-2 exchange, selectively stimulating TReg expansion and exhibiting superior disease control to the mixed IL-2/JES6-1 complex in a mouse colitis model. These studies provide an engineering blueprint for resolving a major barrier to the implementation of functionally similar IL-2/Ab complexes for treatment of human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie B Spangler
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.,Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Eleonora Trotta
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Jakub Tomala
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 14220 Prague 4-Krc, Czech Republic
| | - Ariana Peck
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | | | | | - Stephanie Silveria
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Petra Votavova
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 14220 Prague 4-Krc, Czech Republic
| | | | - Vijay S Pande
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; and
| | - Marek Kovar
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 14220 Prague 4-Krc, Czech Republic
| | - Jeffrey A Bluestone
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143.,Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - K Christopher Garcia
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305; .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.,Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
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41
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A New Venue of TNF Targeting. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19051442. [PMID: 29751683 PMCID: PMC5983675 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19051442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The first Food and Drug Administration-(FDA)-approved drugs were small, chemically-manufactured and highly active molecules with possible off-target effects, followed by protein-based medicines such as antibodies. Conventional antibodies bind a specific protein and are becoming increasingly important in the therapeutic landscape. A very prominent class of biologicals are the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) drugs that are applied in several inflammatory diseases that are characterized by dysregulated TNF levels. Marketing of TNF inhibitors revolutionized the treatment of diseases such as Crohn’s disease. However, these inhibitors also have undesired effects, some of them directly associated with the inherent nature of this drug class, whereas others are linked with their mechanism of action, being pan-TNF inhibition. The effects of TNF can diverge at the level of TNF format or receptor, and we discuss the consequences of this in sepsis, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration. Recently, researchers tried to design drugs with reduced side effects. These include molecules with more specificity targeting one specific TNF format or receptor, or that neutralize TNF in specific cells. Alternatively, TNF-directed biologicals without the typical antibody structure are manufactured. Here, we review the complications related to the use of conventional TNF inhibitors, together with the anti-TNF alternatives and the benefits of selective approaches in different diseases.
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42
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Doherty MR, Jackson MW. The Critical, Clinical Role of Interferon-Beta in Regulating Cancer Stem Cell Properties in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. DNA Cell Biol 2018; 37:513-516. [PMID: 29750542 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2018.4247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) the deadliest form of this disease currently lacks a targeted therapy and is characterized by increased risk of metastasis and presence of therapeutically resistant cancer stem cells (CSC). Recent evidence has demonstrated that the presence of an interferon (IFN)/signal transducer of activated transcription 1 (STAT1) gene signature correlates with improved therapeutic response and overall survival in TNBC patients. In agreement with these clinical observations, our recent work has demonstrated, in a cell model of TNBC that CSC have intrinsically repressed IFN signaling. Administration of IFN-β represses CSC properties, inducing a less aggressive non-CSC state. Moreover, an elevated IFN-β gene signature correlated with repressed CSC-related genes and an increased presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in TNBC specimens. We therefore propose that IFN-β be considered as a potential therapeutic option in the treatment of TNBC, to repress the CSC properties responsible for therapy failure. Future studies aim to improve methods to target delivery of IFN-β to tumors, to maximize therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary R Doherty
- 1 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Mark W Jackson
- 1 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio.,2 Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio
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SAMHD1 acts at stalled replication forks to prevent interferon induction. Nature 2018; 557:57-61. [PMID: 29670289 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0050-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 292] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
SAMHD1 was previously characterized as a dNTPase that protects cells from viral infections. Mutations in SAMHD1 are implicated in cancer development and in a severe congenital inflammatory disease known as Aicardi-Goutières syndrome. The mechanism by which SAMHD1 protects against cancer and chronic inflammation is unknown. Here we show that SAMHD1 promotes degradation of nascent DNA at stalled replication forks in human cell lines by stimulating the exonuclease activity of MRE11. This function activates the ATR-CHK1 checkpoint and allows the forks to restart replication. In SAMHD1-depleted cells, single-stranded DNA fragments are released from stalled forks and accumulate in the cytosol, where they activate the cGAS-STING pathway to induce expression of pro-inflammatory type I interferons. SAMHD1 is thus an important player in the replication stress response, which prevents chronic inflammation by limiting the release of single-stranded DNA from stalled replication forks.
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Cauwels A, Van Lint S, Paul F, Garcin G, De Koker S, Van Parys A, Wueest T, Gerlo S, Van der Heyden J, Bordat Y, Catteeuw D, Rogge E, Verhee A, Vandekerckhove B, Kley N, Uzé G, Tavernier J. Delivering Type I Interferon to Dendritic Cells Empowers Tumor Eradication and Immune Combination Treatments. Cancer Res 2017; 78:463-474. [PMID: 29187401 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-1980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
An ideal generic cancer immunotherapy should mobilize the immune system to destroy tumor cells without harming healthy cells and remain active in case of recurrence. Furthermore, it should preferably not rely on tumor-specific surface markers, as these are only available in a limited set of malignancies. Despite approval for treatment of various cancers, clinical application of cytokines is still impeded by their multiple toxic side effects. Type I IFN has a long history in the treatment of cancer, but its multifaceted activity pattern and complex side effects prevent its clinical use. Here we develop AcTakines (Activity-on-Target cytokines), optimized (mutated) immunocytokines that are up to 1,000-fold more potent on target cells, allowing specific signaling in selected cell types only. Type I IFN-derived AcTaferon (AFN)-targeting Clec9A+ dendritic cells (DC) displayed strong antitumor activity in murine melanoma, breast carcinoma, and lymphoma models and against human lymphoma in humanized mice without any detectable toxic side effects. Combined with immune checkpoint blockade, chemotherapy, or low-dose TNF, complete tumor regression and long-lasting tumor immunity were observed, still without adverse effects. Our findings indicate that DC-targeted AFNs provide a novel class of highly efficient, safe, and broad-spectrum off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapeutics with no need for a tumor marker.Significance: Targeted type I interferon elicits powerful antitumor efficacy, similar to wild-type IFN, but without any toxic side effects. Cancer Res; 78(2); 463-74. ©2017 AACR.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Apoptosis
- Cell Proliferation
- Combined Modality Therapy
- Cytokines/chemistry
- Cytokines/metabolism
- Dendritic Cells/immunology
- Dendritic Cells/metabolism
- Dendritic Cells/pathology
- Female
- Immunotherapy
- Interferon Type I/pharmacology
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology
- Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/therapy
- Melanoma, Experimental/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/metabolism
- Melanoma, Experimental/pathology
- Melanoma, Experimental/therapy
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
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Affiliation(s)
- Anje Cauwels
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sandra Van Lint
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Franciane Paul
- CNRS UMR 5235, University Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Stefaan De Koker
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alexander Van Parys
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Sarah Gerlo
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - José Van der Heyden
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yann Bordat
- CNRS UMR 5235, University Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Dominiek Catteeuw
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Elke Rogge
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annick Verhee
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bart Vandekerckhove
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Niko Kley
- Orionis Biosciences, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gilles Uzé
- CNRS UMR 5235, University Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jan Tavernier
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- Orionis Biosciences, Boston, Massachusetts
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Cauwels A, Van Lint S, Garcin G, Bultinck J, Paul F, Gerlo S, Van der Heyden J, Bordat Y, Catteeuw D, De Cauwer L, Rogge E, Verhee A, Uzé G, Tavernier J. A safe and highly efficient tumor-targeted type I interferon immunotherapy depends on the tumor microenvironment. Oncoimmunology 2017; 7:e1398876. [PMID: 29399401 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2017.1398876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite approval for the treatment of various malignancies, clinical application of cytokines such as type I interferon (IFN) is severely impeded by their systemic toxicity. AcTakines (Activity-on-Target cytokines) are optimized immunocytokines that, when injected in mice, only reveal their activity upon cell-specific impact. We here show that type I IFN-derived AcTaferon targeted to the tumor displays strong antitumor activity without any associated toxicity, in contrast with wild type IFN. Treatment with CD20-targeted AcTaferon of CD20+ lymphoma tumors or melanoma tumors engineered to be CD20+, drastically reduced tumor growth. This antitumor effect was completely lost in IFNAR- or Batf3-deficient mice, and depended on IFN signaling in conventional dendritic cells. Also the presence of, but not the IFN signaling in, CD8+ T lymphocytes was critical for proficient antitumor effects. When combined with immunogenic chemotherapy, low-dose TNF, or immune checkpoint blockade strategies such as anti-PDL1, anti-CTLA4 or anti-LAG3, complete tumor regressions and subsequent immunity (memory) were observed, still without any concomitant morbidity, again in sharp contrast with wild type IFN. Interestingly, the combination therapy of tumor-targeted AcTaferon with checkpoint inhibiting antibodies indicated its ability to convert nonresponding tumors into responders. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that AcTaferon targeted to tumor-specific surface markers may provide a safe and generic addition to cancer (immuno)therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anje Cauwels
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sandra Van Lint
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geneviève Garcin
- University Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier, France
| | - Jennyfer Bultinck
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Present address: Oxyrane, Zwijnaarde-Gent, Belgium
| | - Franciane Paul
- University Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier, France
| | - Sarah Gerlo
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - José Van der Heyden
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yann Bordat
- University Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier, France
| | - Dominiek Catteeuw
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lode De Cauwer
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Present address: Argenx BVBA, Zwijnaarde-Gent, Belgium
| | - Elke Rogge
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annick Verhee
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gilles Uzé
- University Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier, France
| | - Jan Tavernier
- Cytokine Receptor Laboratory, Flanders Institute of Biotechnology, VIB Medical Biotechnology Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Ospelnikova TP, Noseikina EM, Gaiderova LA, Ershov FI. THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF ALPHA-INTERFERON PREPARATIONS DURING SOCIALLY-SIGNIFICANT HUMAN DISEASES OF VIRAL ETIOLOGY. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND IMMUNOBIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.36233/0372-9311-2016-5-109-121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Interferons (IFN) belong to key cytokine? of innate and adaptive immune response and play an important role in anti-viral and anti-tumor protection. At the same time, they possess a pronounced immune-modulating, anti-proliferative and anti-fibrotic effect. A general comparative characteristic of human IFN type I (a/(3), IFN type II (y) and IFN type III (X) and nosological directionality of contemporary drugs created on their base is examined in the review. Epidemiologic parameters for main socially-significant human diseases of viral etiology are presented: influenza and other ARVis, herpes infection, chronic viral hepatitis В, C and D. Main attention is given to analysis of effectiveness of therapeutic application of preparations based on IFNa during the indicated infections, a specter of main IFNa induced side effects is listed. Recent achievements on the path of creation of principally new drugs based on IFN, that have lower toxicity and higher clinical effectiveness, as well as perspectives of application of preparations based on recombinant IFN for therapy of potentially dangerous diseases are examined.
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Pogue SL, Taura T, Bi M, Yun Y, Sho A, Mikesell G, Behrens C, Sokolovsky M, Hallak H, Rosenstock M, Sanchez E, Chen H, Berenson J, Doyle A, Nock S, Wilson DS. Targeting Attenuated Interferon-α to Myeloma Cells with a CD38 Antibody Induces Potent Tumor Regression with Reduced Off-Target Activity. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162472. [PMID: 27611189 PMCID: PMC5017640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interferon-α (IFNα) has been prescribed to effectively treat multiple myeloma (MM) and other malignancies for decades. Its use has waned in recent years, however, due to significant toxicity and a narrow therapeutic index (TI). We sought to improve IFNα's TI by, first, attaching it to an anti-CD38 antibody, thereby directly targeting it to MM cells, and, second, by introducing an attenuating mutation into the IFNα portion of the fusion protein rendering it relatively inactive on normal, CD38 negative cells. This anti-CD38-IFNα(attenuated) immunocytokine, or CD38-Attenukine™, exhibits 10,000-fold increased specificity for CD38 positive cells in vitro compared to native IFNα and, significantly, is ~6,000-fold less toxic to normal bone marrow cells in vitro than native IFNα. Moreover, the attenuating mutation significantly decreases IFNα biomarker activity in cynomolgus macaques indicating that this approach may yield a better safety profile in humans than native IFNα or a non-attenuated IFNα immunocytokine. In human xenograft MM tumor models, anti-CD38-IFNα(attenuated) exerts potent anti-tumor activity in mice, inducing complete tumor regression in most cases. Furthermore, anti-CD38-IFNα(attenuated) is more efficacious than standard MM treatments (lenalidomide, bortezomib, dexamethasone) and exhibits strong synergy with lenalidomide and with bortezomib in xenograft models. Our findings suggest that tumor-targeted attenuated cytokines such as IFNα can promote robust tumor killing while minimizing systemic toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Pogue
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tetsuya Taura
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - Mingying Bi
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - Yong Yun
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - Angela Sho
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - Glen Mikesell
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - Collette Behrens
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Sydney, Australia
| | - Maya Sokolovsky
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Netanya, Israel
| | - Hussein Hallak
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Netanya, Israel
| | - Moti Rosenstock
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Netanya, Israel
| | - Eric Sanchez
- The Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research, West Hollywood, California, United States of America
| | - Haiming Chen
- The Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research, West Hollywood, California, United States of America
| | - James Berenson
- The Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research, West Hollywood, California, United States of America
| | - Anthony Doyle
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Sydney, Australia
| | - Steffen Nock
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
| | - David S. Wilson
- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Global Branded Biologics Division, Redwood City, California, United States of America
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Venetz D, Koovely D, Weder B, Neri D. Targeted Reconstitution of Cytokine Activity upon Antigen Binding using Split Cytokine Antibody Fusion Proteins. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:18139-47. [PMID: 27402834 PMCID: PMC5000063 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.737734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The targeted assembly of antibody products upon antigen binding represents a novel strategy for the reconstitution of potent therapeutic activity at the site of disease, sparing healthy tissues. We demonstrate that interleukin-12, a heterodimeric pro-inflammatory cytokine consisting of the disulfide-linked p40 and p35 subunits, can be reconstituted by sequential reassembly of fusion proteins based on antibody fragments and interleukin-12 subunit mutants. Analysis of the immunostimulatory properties of interleukin-12 and its derivatives surprisingly revealed that the mutated p35 subunit partially retained the activity of the parental cytokine, whereas the p40 subunit alone was not able to stimulate T cells or natural killer cells. The concept of stepwise antibody-based reassembly of split cytokines could be useful for the development of other anticancer therapeutics with improved safety and tolerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Venetz
- From the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Danil Koovely
- From the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bruce Weder
- From the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- From the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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Steeland S, Vandenbroucke RE, Libert C. Nanobodies as therapeutics: big opportunities for small antibodies. Drug Discov Today 2016; 21:1076-113. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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50
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Targeted erythropoietin selectively stimulates red blood cell expansion in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:5245-50. [PMID: 27114509 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1525388113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The design of cell-targeted protein therapeutics can be informed by natural protein-protein interactions that use cooperative physical contacts to achieve cell type specificity. Here we applied this approach in vivo to the anemia drug erythropoietin (EPO), to direct its activity to EPO receptors (EPO-Rs) on red blood cell (RBC) precursors and prevent interaction with EPO-Rs on nonerythroid cells, such as platelets. Our engineered EPO molecule was mutated to weaken its affinity for EPO-R, but its avidity for RBC precursors was rescued via tethering to an antibody fragment that specifically binds the human RBC marker glycophorin A (huGYPA). We systematically tested the impact of these engineering steps on in vivo markers of efficacy, side effects, and pharmacokinetics. huGYPA transgenic mice dosed with targeted EPO exhibited elevated RBC levels, with only minimal platelet effects. This in vivo selectivity depended on the weakening EPO mutation, fusion to the RBC-specific antibody, and expression of huGYPA. The terminal plasma half-life of targeted EPO was ∼28.3 h in transgenic mice vs. ∼15.5 h in nontransgenic mice, indicating that huGYPA on mature RBCs acted as a significant drug sink but did not inhibit efficacy. In a therapeutic context, our targeting approach may allow higher restorative doses of EPO without platelet-mediated side effects, and also may improve drug pharmacokinetics. These results demonstrate how rational drug design can improve in vivo specificity, with potential application to diverse protein therapeutics.
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