An engineered antibody fragment targeting mutant β-catenin via major histocompatibility complex I neoantigen presentation

RLpMIEC: High-Affinity Peptide Generation Targeting Major Histocompatibility Complex-I Guided and Interpreted by Interaction Spectrum-Navigated Reinforcement Learning

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a vital role in presenting epitopes (short peptides from pathogenic proteins) to T-cell receptors (TCRs) to trigger the subsequent immune responses. Vaccine design targeting MHC generally aims to find epitopes with a high binding affinity for MHC presentation. Nevertheless, to find novel epitopes usually requires high-throughput screening of bulk peptide database, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, more unaffordable, and very expensive. Excitingly, the past several years have witnessed the great success of artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields, such as natural language processing (NLP, e.g., GPT-4), protein structure prediction and engineering (e.g., AlphaFold2), and so on. Therefore, herein, we propose a deep reinforcement-learning (RL)-based generative algorithm, RLpMIEC, to quantitatively design peptide targeting MHC-I systems. Specifically, RLpMIEC combines the energetic spectrum (namely, the molecular interaction energy component, MIEC) based on the peptide-MHC interaction and the sequence information to generate peptides with strong binding affinity and precise MIEC spectra to accelerate the discovery of candidate peptide vaccines. RLpMIEC performs well in all the generative capability evaluations and can generate peptides with strong binding affinities and precise MIECs and, moreover, with high interpretability, demonstrating its powerful capability in participation for accelerating peptide-based vaccine development.

Personalised neoantigen-based therapy in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has become one of the most common tumours with high morbidity, mortality and distinctive evolution mechanism. The neoantigens arising from the somatic mutations have become considerable treatment targets in the management of CRC. As cancer-specific aberrant peptides, neoantigens can trigger the robust host immune response and exert anti-tumour effects while minimising the emergence of adverse events commonly associated with alternative therapeutic regimens. In this review, we summarised the mechanism, generation, identification and prognostic significance of neoantigens, as well as therapeutic strategies challenges of neoantigen-based therapy in CRC. The evidence suggests that the establishment of personalised neoantigen-based therapy holds great promise as an effective treatment approach for patients with CRC.

Hydrophobic interactions dominate the recognition of a KRAS G12V neoantigen

Specificity remains a major challenge to current therapeutic strategies for cancer. Mutation associated neoantigens (MANAs) are products of genetic alterations, making them highly specific therapeutic targets. MANAs are HLA-presented (pHLA) peptides derived from intracellular mutant proteins that are otherwise inaccessible to antibody-based therapeutics. Here, we describe the cryo-EM structure of an antibody-MANA pHLA complex. Specifically, we determine a TCR mimic (TCRm) antibody bound to its MANA target, the KRASG12V peptide presented by HLA-A*03:01. Hydrophobic residues appear to account for the specificity of the mutant G12V residue. We also determine the structure of the wild-type G12 peptide bound to HLA-A*03:01, using X-ray crystallography. Based on these structures, we perform screens to validate the key residues required for peptide specificity. These experiments led us to a model for discrimination between the mutant and the wild-type peptides presented on HLA-A*03:01 based exclusively on hydrophobic interactions.

Rapid Generation and Molecular Docking Analysis of Single-Chain Fragment Variable (scFv) Antibody Selected by Ribosome Display Targeting Cholecystokinin B Receptor (CCK-BR) for Reduction of Chronic Neuropathic Pain

A robust cell-free platform technology, ribosome display in combination with cloning, expression, and purification was utilized to develop single chain Fragment variable (scFv) antibody variants as pain therapy directed at the mouse cholecystokinin B (CCK-B) receptor. Three effective CCK-B peptide-specific scFvs were generated through ribosomal display technology. Soluble expression and ELISA analysis showed that one antibody, scFv77-2 had the highest binding and could be purified from bacterial cells in large quantities. Octet measurements further revealed that the CCK-B scFv77-2 antibody had binding kinetics of K_D = 1.794 × 10^-8 M. Molecular modeling and docking analyses suggested that the scFv77-2 antibody shaped a proper cavity to embed the whole CCK-B peptide molecule and that a steady-state complex was formed relying on intermolecular forces, including hydrogen bonding, electrostatic force, and hydrophobic interactions. Thus, the scFv antibody can be applied for mechanistic intermolecular interactions and functional in vivo studies of CCK-BR. The high affinity scFv77-2 antibody showed good efficacy with binding to CCK-BR tested in a chronic pain model. In vivo studies validated the efficacy of the CCK-B receptor (CCK-BR) scFv77-2 antibody as a potential therapy for chronic trigeminal nerve injury-induced pain. Mice were given a single dose of the CCK-B receptor (CCK-BR) scFv antibody 3 weeks after induction of a chronic trigeminal neuropathic pain model, during the transition from acute to chronic pain. The long-term effectiveness for the reduction of mechanical hypersensitivity was evident, persisting for months. The anxiety- and depression-related behaviors typically accompanying persisting hypersensitivity subsequently never developed in the mice given CCK-BR scFv. The effectiveness of the antibody is the basis for further development of the lead CCK-BR scFv as a promising non-opioid therapeutic for chronic pain and the long-term reduction of chronic pain- and anxiety-related behaviors.

Neoantigens: promising targets for cancer therapy

Recent advances in neoantigen research have accelerated the development and regulatory approval of tumor immunotherapies, including cancer vaccines, adoptive cell therapy and antibody-based therapies, especially for solid tumors. Neoantigens are newly formed antigens generated by tumor cells as a result of various tumor-specific alterations, such as genomic mutation, dysregulated RNA splicing, disordered post-translational modification, and integrated viral open reading frames. Neoantigens are recognized as non-self and trigger an immune response that is not subject to central and peripheral tolerance. The quick identification and prediction of tumor-specific neoantigens have been made possible by the advanced development of next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic technologies. Compared to tumor-associated antigens, the highly immunogenic and tumor-specific neoantigens provide emerging targets for personalized cancer immunotherapies, and serve as prospective predictors for tumor survival prognosis and immune checkpoint blockade responses. The development of cancer therapies will be aided by understanding the mechanism underlying neoantigen-induced anti-tumor immune response and by streamlining the process of neoantigen-based immunotherapies. This review provides an overview on the identification and characterization of neoantigens and outlines the clinical applications of prospective immunotherapeutic strategies based on neoantigens. We also explore their current status, inherent challenges, and clinical translation potential.

The rapid and highly parallel identification of antibodies with defined biological activities by SLISY

The therapeutic applications of antibodies are manifold and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 provides a cogent example of the value of rapidly identifying biologically active antibodies. We describe an approach called SLISY (Sequencing-Linked ImmunoSorbent assaY) that in a single experiment can assess the binding specificity of millions of clones, be applied to any screen that links DNA sequence to a potential binding moiety, and requires only a single round of biopanning. We demonstrate this approach using an scFv library applied to cellular and protein targets to identify specific or broadly reacting antibodies. For a cellular target, we use paired HLA knockout cell lines to identify a panel of antibodies specific to HLA-A3. For a protein target, SLISY identifies 1279 clones that bound to the Receptor Binding Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, with >40% of tested clones also neutralizing its interaction with ACE2 in in vitro assays. Using a multi-comparison SLISY against the Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants, we recovered clones that exhibited broad-spectrum neutralizing potential in vitro. By evaluating millions of scFvs simultaneously against multiple targets, SLISY allows the rapid identification of candidate scFvs with defined binding profiles facilitating the identification of antibodies with the desired biological activity.

Cancer Immunotherapy Beyond Checkpoint Blockade: JACC: CardioOncology State-of-the-Art Review

Avoidance of immune destruction is recognized as one of the hallmarks of cancer development. Although first predicted as a potential antitumor treatment modality more than 50 years ago, the widespread clinical use of cancer immunotherapies has only recently become a reality. Cancer immunotherapy works by reactivation of a stalled pre-existing immune response or by eliciting a de novo immune response, and its toolkit comprises antibodies, vaccines, cytokines, and cell-based therapies. The treatment paradigm in some malignancies has completely changed over the past 10 to 15 years. Massive efforts in preclinical development have led to a surge of clinical trials testing innovative therapeutic approaches as monotherapy and, increasingly, in combination. Here we provide an overview of approved and emerging antitumor immune therapies, focusing on the rich landscape of therapeutic approaches beyond those that block the canonical PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 axes and placing them in the context of the latest understanding of tumor immunology.

TCR-mimic bispecific antibodies to target the HIV-1 reservoir

HIV-1 infection is incurable due to the persistence of the virus in a latent reservoir of resting memory CD4+ T cells. “Shock-and-kill” approaches that seek to induce HIV-1 gene expression, protein production, and subsequent targeting by the host immune system have been unsuccessful due to a lack of effective latency-reversing agents (LRAs) and kill strategies. In an effort to develop reagents that could be used to promote killing of infected cells, we constructed T cell receptor (TCR)-mimic antibodies to HIV-1 peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC). Using phage display, we panned for phages expressing antibody-like variable sequences that bound HIV-1 pMHC generated using the common HLA-A*02:01 allele. We targeted three epitopes in Gag and reverse transcriptase identified and quantified via Poisson detection mass spectrometry from cells infected in vitro with a pseudotyped HIV-1 reporter virus (NL4.3 dEnv). Sequences isolated from phages that bound these pMHC were cloned into a single-chain diabody backbone (scDb) sequence, such that one fragment is specific for an HIV-1 pMHC and the other fragment binds to CD3ε, an essential signal transduction subunit of the TCR. Thus, these antibodies utilize the sensitivity of T cell signaling as readouts for antigen processing and as agents to promote killing of infected cells. Notably, these scDbs are exquisitely sensitive and specific for the peptide portion of the pMHC. Most importantly, one scDb caused killing of infected cells presenting a naturally processed target pMHC. This work lays the foundation for a novel therapeutic killing strategy toward elimination of the HIV-1 reservoir.

Mutation-guided therapeutics

Development of bispecific antibodies to target mutant peptides in cancer.

Structural engineering of chimeric antigen receptors targeting HLA-restricted neoantigens

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have emerged as a promising class of therapeutic agents, generating remarkable responses in the clinic for a subset of human cancers. One major challenge precluding the wider implementation of CAR therapy is the paucity of tumor-specific antigens. Here, we describe the development of a CAR targeting the tumor-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) with R140Q mutation presented on the cell surface in complex with a common human leukocyte antigen allele, HLA-B*07:02. Engineering of the hinge domain of the CAR, as well as crystal structure-guided optimization of the IDH2^R140Q-HLA-B*07:02-targeting moiety, enhances the sensitivity and specificity of CARs to enable targeting of this HLA-restricted neoantigen. This approach thus holds promise for the development and optimization of immunotherapies specific to other cancer driver mutations that are difficult to target by conventional means.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cells in the clinic currently target cell-type-specific extracellular antigens on malignant cells. Here, authors engineer tumor-specific chimeric antigen receptor T cells that target human leukocyte antigen-presented neoantigens derived from mutant intracellular proteins.

Liquid Biopsy, ctDNA Diagnosis through NGS

Liquid biopsy with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiling by next-generation sequencing holds great promise to revolutionize clinical oncology. It relies on the basis that ctDNA represents the real-time status of the tumor genome which contains information of genetic alterations. Compared to tissue biopsy, liquid biopsy possesses great advantages such as a less demanding procedure, minimal invasion, ease of frequent sampling, and less sampling bias. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods have come to a point that both the cost and performance are suitable for clinical diagnosis. Thus, profiling ctDNA by NGS technologies is becoming more and more popular since it can be applied in the whole process of cancer diagnosis and management. Further developments of liquid biopsy ctDNA testing will be beneficial for cancer patients, paving the way for precision medicine. In conclusion, profiling ctDNA with NGS for cancer diagnosis is both biologically sound and technically convenient.

Targeting public neoantigens for cancer immunotherapy

Several current immunotherapy approaches target private neoantigens derived from mutations that are unique to individual patients' tumors. However, immunotherapeutic agents can also be developed against public neoantigens derived from recurrent mutations in cancer driver genes. The latter approaches target proteins that are indispensable for tumor growth, and each therapeutic agent can be applied to numerous patients. Here we review the opportunities and challenges involved in the identification of suitable public neoantigen targets and the development of therapeutic agents targeting them.

Targeting loss of heterozygosity for cancer-specific immunotherapy

Developing therapeutic agents with potent antitumor activity that spare normal tissues remains a significant challenge. Clonal loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a widespread and irreversible genetic alteration that is exquisitely specific to cancer cells. We hypothesized that LOH events can be therapeutically targeted by "inverting" the loss of an allele in cancer cells into an activating signal. Here we describe a proof-of-concept approach utilizing engineered T cells approximating NOT-gate Boolean logic to target counterexpressed antigens resulting from LOH events in cancer. The NOT gate comprises a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting the allele of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) that is retained in the cancer cells and an inhibitory CAR (iCAR) targeting the HLA allele that is lost in the cancer cells. We demonstrate that engineered T cells incorporating such NOT-gate logic can be activated in a genetically predictable manner in vitro and in mice to kill relevant cancer cells. This therapeutic approach, termed NASCAR (Neoplasm-targeting Allele-Sensing CAR), could, in theory, be extended to LOH of other polymorphic genes that result in altered cell surface antigens in cancers.

Targeting a neoantigen derived from a common TP53 mutation

TP53 (tumor protein p53) is the most commonly mutated cancer driver gene, but drugs that target mutant tumor suppressor genes, such as TP53, are not yet available. Here, we describe the identification of an antibody highly specific to the most common TP53 mutation (R175H, in which arginine at position 175 is replaced with histidine) in complex with a common human leukocyte antigen-A (HLA-A) allele on the cell surface. We describe the structural basis of this specificity and its conversion into an immunotherapeutic agent: a bispecific single-chain diabody. Despite the extremely low p53 peptide-HLA complex density on the cancer cell surface, the bispecific antibody effectively activated T cells to lyse cancer cells that presented the neoantigen in vitro and in mice. This approach could in theory be used to target cancers containing mutations that are difficult to target in conventional ways.

Bispecific antibodies targeting mutant RAS neoantigens

Mutations in the RAS oncogenes occur in multiple cancers, and ways to target these mutations has been the subject of intense research for decades. Most of these efforts are focused on conventional small-molecule drugs rather than antibody-based therapies because the RAS proteins are intracellular. Peptides derived from recurrent RAS mutations, G12V and Q61H/L/R, are presented on cancer cells in the context of two common human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, HLA-A3 and HLA-A1, respectively. Using phage display, we isolated single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) specific for each of these mutant peptide-HLA complexes. The scFvs did not recognize the peptides derived from the wild-type form of RAS proteins or other related peptides. We then sought to develop an immunotherapeutic agent that was capable of killing cells presenting very low levels of these RAS-derived peptide-HLA complexes. Among many variations of bispecific antibodies tested, one particular format, the single-chain diabody (scDb), exhibited superior reactivity to cells expressing low levels of neoantigens. We converted the scFvs to this scDb format and demonstrated that they were capable of inducing T cell activation and killing of target cancer cells expressing endogenous levels of the mutant RAS proteins and cognate HLA alleles. CRISPR-mediated alterations of the HLA and RAS genes provided strong genetic evidence for the specificity of the scDbs. Thus, this approach could be applied to other common oncogenic mutations that are difficult to target by conventional means, allowing for more specific anticancer therapeutics.