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Sharma G, Round J, Teng F, Ali Z, May C, Yung E, Holt RA. A synthetic cytotoxic T cell platform for rapidly prototyping TCR function. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:182. [PMID: 39160299 PMCID: PMC11333705 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00669-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Current tools for functionally profiling T cell receptors with respect to cytotoxic potency and cross-reactivity are hampered by difficulties in establishing model systems to test these proteins in the contexts of different HLA alleles and against broad arrays of potential antigens. We have implemented a granzyme-activatable sensor of T cell cytotoxicity in a universal prototyping platform which enables facile recombinant expression of any combination of TCR-, peptide-, and class I MHC-coding sequences and direct assessment of resultant responses. This system consists of an engineered cell platform based on the immortalized natural killer cell line, YT-Indy, and the MHC-null antigen-presenting cell line, K562. These cells were engineered to furnish the YT-Indy/K562 pair with appropriate protein domains required for recombinant TCR expression and function in a non-T cell chassis, integrate a fluorescence-based target-centric early detection reporter of cytotoxic function, and deploy a set of protective genetic interventions designed to preserve antigen-presenting cells for subsequent capture and downstream characterization. Our data show successful reconstitution of the surface TCR complex in the YT-Indy cell line at biologically relevant levels. We also demonstrate successful induction and highly sensitive detection of antigen-specific response in multiple distinct model TCRs. Additionally, we monitored destruction of targets in co-culture and found that our survival-optimized system allowed for complete preservation after 24 h exposure to cytotoxic effectors. With this bioplatform, we anticipate investigators will be empowered to rapidly express and characterize T cell receptor responses, generate knowledge regarding the patterns of T cell receptor recognition, and optimize therapeutic T cell receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Govinda Sharma
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - James Round
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Fei Teng
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Zahra Ali
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Chris May
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Eric Yung
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Robert A Holt
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
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2
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Faghfuri E. Recent advances in personalized cancer immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, T cells and vaccines. Per Med 2024; 21:45-57. [PMID: 38088165 DOI: 10.2217/pme-2023-0054] [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] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The results of genomic and molecular profiling of cancer patients can be effectively applied to immunotherapy agents, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, to select the most appropriate treatment. In addition, accurate prediction of neoantigens facilitates the development of individualized cancer vaccines and T-cell therapy. This review summarizes the biomarker(s) predicting responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors and focuses on current strategies to identify and isolate neoantigen-reactive T cells as well as the clinical development of neoantigen-based therapeutics. The results suggest that maximal T-cell stimulation and expansion can be achieved with combination therapies that enhance antigen-presenting cells' function and optimal T-cell priming in lymph nodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elnaz Faghfuri
- Digestive Disease Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, 5613658115, Iran
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3
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Sharma G, Round J, Teng F, Ali Z, May C, Yung E, Holt RA. A Synthetic Cytotoxic T cell Platform for Rapidly Prototyping TCR Function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.20.567960. [PMID: 38045272 PMCID: PMC10690155 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.20.567960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Current tools for functionally profiling T cell receptors with respect to cytotoxic potency and cross-reactivity are hampered by difficulties in establishing model systems to test these proteins in the contexts of different HLA alleles and against broad arrays of potential antigens. We have implemented and validated a granzyme-activatable sensor of T cell cytotoxicity in a novel universal prototyping platform which enables facile recombinant expression of any combination of TCR-, peptide-, and class I MHC-coding sequences and direct assessment of resultant responses. This system consists of an engineered cell platform based on the immortalized natural killer cell line, YT-Indy, and the MHC-null antigen-presenting cell line, K562. These cells were engineered using contemporary gene-editing techniques to furnish the YT-Indy/K562 pair with appropriate protein domains required for recombinant TCR expression and function in a non-T cell chassis, integrate a fluorescence-based target-centric early detection reporter of cytotoxic function, and deploy a set of protective genetic interventions designed to preserve antigen-presenting cells for subsequent capture and downstream characterization. Our data show successful reconstitution of the surface TCR complex in the YT-Indy cell line at biologically relevant levels. We also demonstrate successful induction and highly sensitive detection of antigen-specific response in multiple distinct model TCRs, with significant responses (p < 0.05 and Cohen's d >1.9) in all cases. Additionally, we monitored destruction of targets in co-culture and found that our survival-optimized system allowed for complete preservation after 24-hour exposure to cytotoxic effectors. With this bioplatform, we anticipate investigators will be empowered to rapidly express and characterize T cell receptor responses, generate new knowledge regarding the patterns of T cell receptor recognition, and optimize novel therapeutic T cell receptors for improved cytotoxic potential and reduced cross-reactivity to undesired antigenic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Govinda Sharma
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre; British Columbia Cancer Research Institute; 675 W 10 Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3; Canada
| | - James Round
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre; British Columbia Cancer Research Institute; 675 W 10 Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3; Canada
| | - Fei Teng
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre; British Columbia Cancer Research Institute; 675 W 10 Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3; Canada
| | - Zahra Ali
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre; British Columbia Cancer Research Institute; 675 W 10 Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3; Canada
| | - Chris May
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre; British Columbia Cancer Research Institute; 675 W 10 Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3; Canada
| | - Eric Yung
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre; British Columbia Cancer Research Institute; 675 W 10 Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3; Canada
| | - Robert A. Holt
- Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre; British Columbia Cancer Research Institute; 675 W 10 Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1L3; Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics; University of British Columbia; C201 – 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1; Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry; Simon Fraser University; SSB8166 – 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6; Canada
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4
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Wang Z, Ahmed S, Labib M, Wang H, Wu L, Bavaghar-Zaeimi F, Shokri N, Blanco S, Karim S, Czarnecka-Kujawa K, Sargent EH, McGray AJR, de Perrot M, Kelley SO. Isolation of tumour-reactive lymphocytes from peripheral blood via microfluidic immunomagnetic cell sorting. Nat Biomed Eng 2023; 7:1188-1203. [PMID: 37037966 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01023-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
The clinical use of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes for the treatment of solid tumours is hindered by the need to obtain large and fresh tumour fractions, which is often not feasible in patients with unresectable tumours or recurrent metastases. Here we show that circulating tumour-reactive lymphocytes (cTRLs) can be isolated from peripheral blood at high yield and purity via microfluidic immunomagnetic cell sorting, allowing for comprehensive downstream analyses of these rare cells. We observed that CD103 is strongly expressed by the isolated cTRLs, and that in mice with subcutaneous tumours, tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes isolated from the tumours and rapidly expanded CD8+CD103+ cTRLs isolated from blood are comparably potent and respond similarly to immune checkpoint blockade. We also show that CD8+CD103+ cTRLs isolated from the peripheral blood of patients and co-cultured with tumour cells dissociated from their resected tumours resulted in the enrichment of interferon-γ-secreting cell populations with T-cell-receptor clonotypes substantially overlapping those of the patients' tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes. Therapeutically potent cTRLs isolated from peripheral blood may advance the clinical development of adoptive cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongjie Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sharif Ahmed
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Mahmoud Labib
- Department of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Hansen Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Licun Wu
- Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fatemeh Bavaghar-Zaeimi
- Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nastaran Shokri
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Soraly Blanco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Saraf Karim
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kasia Czarnecka-Kujawa
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Edward H Sargent
- The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - A J Robert McGray
- Department of Immunology, Division of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Marc de Perrot
- Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Immunology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shana O Kelley
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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5
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Martin SD, Bhuiyan I, Soleimani M, Wang G. Biomarkers for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Renal Cell Carcinoma. J Clin Med 2023; 12:4987. [PMID: 37568390 PMCID: PMC10419620 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12154987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has revolutionized renal cell carcinoma treatment. Patients previously thought to be palliative now occasionally achieve complete cures from ICI. However, since immunotherapies stimulate the immune system to induce anti-tumor immunity, they often lead to adverse autoimmunity. Furthermore, some patients receive no benefit from ICI, thereby unnecessarily risking adverse events. In many tumor types, PD-L1 expression levels, immune infiltration, and tumor mutation burden predict the response to ICI and help inform clinical decision making to better target ICI to patients most likely to experience benefits. Unfortunately, renal cell carcinoma is an outlier, as these biomarkers fail to discriminate between positive and negative responses to ICI therapy. Emerging biomarkers such as gene expression profiles and the loss of pro-angiogenic proteins VHL and PBRM-1 show promise for identifying renal cell carcinoma cases likely to respond to ICI. This review provides an overview of the mechanistic underpinnings of different biomarkers and describes the theoretical rationale for their use. We discuss the effectiveness of each biomarker in renal cell carcinoma and other cancer types, and we introduce novel biomarkers that have demonstrated some promise in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer D. Martin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada;
| | - Ishmam Bhuiyan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada;
| | - Maryam Soleimani
- Division of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada;
- British Columbia Cancer Vancouver Centre, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6, Canada
| | - Gang Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada;
- British Columbia Cancer Vancouver Centre, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6, Canada
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6
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Millar DG, Yang SYC, Sayad A, Zhao Q, Nguyen LT, Warner K, Sangster AG, Nakatsugawa M, Murata K, Wang BX, Shaw P, Clarke B, Bernardini MQ, Pugh T, Thibault P, Hirano N, Perreault C, Ohashi PS. Identification of antigenic epitopes recognized by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in high grade serous ovarian cancer by multi-omics profiling of the auto-antigen repertoire. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2023:10.1007/s00262-023-03413-7. [PMID: 36943460 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03413-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing tumor cell killing by tumor-specific T cells hold great potential for reducing tumor burden and prolonging survival of cancer patients. Although many potential tumor antigens have been described, identifying relevant targets when designing anti-cancer vaccines or targeted cell therapies remains a challenge. To identify novel, potentially immunogenic candidate tumor antigens, we performed integrated tumor transcriptomic, seromic, and proteomic analyses of high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) patient tumor samples. We identified tumor neo-antigens and over-expressed antigens using whole exome and RNA sequencing and examined these in relation to patient-matched auto-antibody repertoires. Focusing on MHC class I epitopes recognized by CD8+ T cells, HLA-binding epitopes were identified or predicted from the highly expressed, mutated, or auto-antibody target antigen, or MHC-associated peptides (MAPs). Recognition of candidate antigenic peptides was assessed within the tumor-infiltrating T lymphocyte (TIL) population expanded from each patient. Known tumor-associated antigens (TAA) and cancer/testis antigens (CTA) were commonly found in the auto-antibody and MAP repertoires and CD8+ TILs recognizing epitopes from these antigens were detected, although neither expression level nor the presence of auto-antibodies correlated with TIL recognition. Auto-antibodies against tumor-mutated antigens were found in most patients, however, no TIL recognition of the highest predicted affinity neo-epitopes was detected. Using high expression level, auto-antibody recognition, and epitope prediction algorithms, we identified epitopes in 5 novel antigens (MOB1A, SOCS3, TUBB, PRKAR1A, CCDC6) recognized by HGSC patient TILs. Furthermore, selection of epitopes from the MAP repertoire identified 5 additional targets commonly recognized by multiple patient TILs. We find that the repertoire of TIL specificities includes recognition of highly expressed and immunogenic self-antigens that are processed and presented by tumors. These results indicate an ongoing autoimmune response against a range of self-antigens targeted by HGSC TILs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas G Millar
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - S Y Cindy Yang
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Azin Sayad
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Qingchuan Zhao
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Linh T Nguyen
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Kathrin Warner
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Ami G Sangster
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Munehide Nakatsugawa
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Kenji Murata
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Ben X Wang
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Patricia Shaw
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Blaise Clarke
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Marcus Q Bernardini
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Cancer Clinical Research Unit (CCRU), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Trevor Pugh
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Pierre Thibault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Naoto Hirano
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Claude Perreault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Pamela S Ohashi
- Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada.
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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7
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Research progress of neoantigens in gynecologic cancers. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 112:109236. [PMID: 36113318 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The incidence and mortality of gynecological cancers have increased over the past decade. In the absence of effective treatment strategies, many advanced patients develop resistance to conventional therapies and have poor prognosis. Neoantigens have emerged as a novel tumor-specific antigen (TSA) that arises from genomic mutations in tumor cells. With higher immunogenicity than tumor-associated antigens (TAA), they have no risk of developing autoimmune response, leading them an attractive candidate for tumor therapeutic vaccines. With the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, the identification of neoantigens has been gradually improved, and the scope of application of neoantigen vaccines has continued to expand. Combined with other therapies such as immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) or adoptive cell therapy (ACT), the application of neoantigen in gynecological cancers has extended to clinical practice. Here, we reviewed the preclinical and clinical studies of neoantigens in gynecological cancers.
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8
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Immune Tumor Microenvironment in Ovarian Cancer Ascites. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810692. [PMID: 36142615 PMCID: PMC9504085 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) has a specific type of metastasis, via transcoelomic, and most of the patients are diagnosed at advanced stages with multiple tumors spread within the peritoneal cavity. The role of Malignant Ascites (MA) is to serve as a transporter of tumor cells from the primary location to the peritoneal wall or to the surface of the peritoneal organs. MA comprise cellular components with tumor and non-tumor cells and acellular components, creating a unique microenvironment capable of modifying the tumor behavior. These microenvironment factors influence tumor cell proliferation, progression, chemoresistance, and immune evasion, suggesting that MA play an active role in OC progression. Tumor cells induce a complex immune suppression that neutralizes antitumor immunity, leading to disease progression and treatment failure, provoking a tumor-promoting environment. In this review, we will focus on the High-Grade Serous Carcinoma (HGSC) microenvironment with special attention to the tumor microenvironment immunology.
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9
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Dunn GP, Sherpa N, Manyanga J, Johanns TM. Considerations for personalized neoantigen vaccination in Malignant glioma. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 186:114312. [PMID: 35487282 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain cancer diagnosed and still carry a poor prognosis despite aggressive multimodal management. Despite the continued advances in immunotherapy for other cancer types, however, there remain no FDA approved immunotherapies for cancers such as glioblastoma. OF the many approaches being explored, cancer vaccine programs are undergoing a renaissance due to the technological advances and personalized nature of their contemporary design. Neoantigen vaccines are a form of immunotherapy involving the use of DNA, mRNA, and proteins derived from non-synonymous mutations identified in patient tumor tissue samples to stimulate tumor-specific T-cell reactivity leading to enhance tumor targeting. In the last several years, the study of neoantigens as a therapeutic target has increased, with the routine workflow implementation of comprehensive next generation sequencing and in silico peptide binding prediction algorithms. Several neoantigen vaccine platforms are being evaluated in clinical trials for malignancies including melanoma, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and glioblastoma, among others. In this review, we will review the concept of neoantigen discovery using cancer immunogenomics approaches in glioblastoma and explore the disease-specific issues being addressed in the design of effective personalized cancer vaccine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ngima Sherpa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jimmy Manyanga
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Tanner M Johanns
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
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10
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Isolation of Neoantigen-Specific Human T Cell Receptors from Different Human and Murine Repertoires. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14071842. [PMID: 35406613 PMCID: PMC8998067 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14071842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary T cell-based immunotherapy has achieved remarkable clinical responses in patients with cancer. Neoepitope-specific T cells can specifically recognize mutated tumor cells and have led to tumor regression in mouse models and clinical studies. However, isolating neoepitope-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) from the patients’ own repertoire has shown limited success. Sourcing T cell repertoires, other than the patients’ own, has certain advantages: the availability of larger amounts of blood from healthy donors, circumventing tumor-related immunosuppression in patients, and including different donors to broaden the pool of specific T cells. Here, for the first time, a side-by-side comparison of three different TCR donor repertoires, including patients and HLA-matched allogenic healthy human repertoires, as well as repertoires of transgenic mice, is performed. Our results support recent studies that using not only healthy donor T cell repertoires, but also transgenic mice might be a viable strategy for isolating TCRs with known specificity directed against neoantigens for adoptive T cell therapy. Abstract (1) Background: Mutation-specific T cell receptor (TCR)-based adoptive T cell therapy represents a truly tumor-specific immunotherapeutic strategy. However, isolating neoepitope-specific TCRs remains a challenge. (2) Methods: We investigated, side by side, different TCR repertoires—patients’ peripheral lymphocytes (PBLs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), PBLs of healthy donors, and a humanized mouse model—to isolate neoepitope-specific TCRs against eight neoepitope candidates from a colon cancer and an ovarian cancer patient. Neoepitope candidates were used to stimulate T cells from different repertoires in vitro to generate neoepitope-specific T cells and isolate the specific TCRs. (3) Results: We isolated six TCRs from healthy donors, directed against four neoepitope candidates and one TCR from the murine T cell repertoire. Endogenous processing of one neoepitope, for which we isolated one TCR from both human and mouse-derived repertoires, could be shown. No neoepitope-specific TCR could be generated from the patients’ own repertoire. (4) Conclusion: Our data indicate that successful isolation of neoepitope-specific TCRs depends on various factors such as the heathy donor’s TCR repertoire or the presence of a tumor microenvironment allowing neoepitope-specific immune responses of the host. We show the advantage and feasibility of using healthy donor repertoires and humanized mouse TCR repertoires to generate mutation-specific TCRs with different specificities, especially in a setting when the availability of patient material is limited.
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Cascio S, Chandler C, Zhang L, Sinno S, Gao B, Onkar S, Bruno TC, Vignali DAA, Mahdi H, Osmanbeyoglu HU, Vlad AM, Coffman LG, Buckanovich RJ. Cancer-associated MSC drive tumor immune exclusion and resistance to immunotherapy, which can be overcome by Hedgehog inhibition. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabi5790. [PMID: 34767446 PMCID: PMC8589308 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi5790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the impact of cancer-associated mesenchymal stem cells (CA-MSCs) on ovarian tumor immunity. In patient samples, CA-MSC presence inversely correlates with the presence of intratumoral CD8+ T cells. Using an immune “hot” mouse ovarian cancer model, we found that CA-MSCs drive CD8+ T cell tumor immune exclusion and reduce response to anti–PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) via secretion of numerous chemokines (Ccl2, Cx3cl1, and Tgf-β1), which recruit immune-suppressive CD14+Ly6C+Cx3cr1+ monocytic cells and polarize macrophages to an immune suppressive Ccr2hiF4/80+Cx3cr1+CD206+ phenotype. Both monocytes and macrophages express high levels of transforming growth factor β–induced (Tgfbi) protein, which suppresses NK cell activity. Hedgehog inhibitor (HHi) therapy reversed CA-MSC effects, reducing myeloid cell presence and expression of Tgfbi, increasing intratumoral NK cell numbers, and restoring response to ICI therapy. Thus, CA-MSCs regulate antitumor immunity, and CA-MSC hedgehog signaling is an important target for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Cascio
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Chelsea Chandler
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Linan Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
| | - Sarah Sinno
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Bingsi Gao
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sayali Onkar
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Tullia C. Bruno
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Dario A. A. Vignali
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Haider Mahdi
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Hatice U. Osmanbeyoglu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Anda M. Vlad
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Lan G. Coffman
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Ronald J. Buckanovich
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
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12
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Verdon DJ, Jenkins MR. Identification and Targeting of Mutant Peptide Neoantigens in Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4245. [PMID: 34439399 PMCID: PMC8391927 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13164245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, adoptive cell transfer and checkpoint blockade therapies have revolutionized immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. Advances in whole exome/genome sequencing and bioinformatic detection of tumour-specific genetic variations and the amino acid sequence alterations they induce have revealed that T cell mediated anti-tumour immunity is substantially directed at mutated peptide sequences, and the identification and therapeutic targeting of patient-specific mutated peptide antigens now represents an exciting and rapidly progressing frontier of personalized medicine in the treatment of cancer. This review outlines the historical identification and validation of mutated peptide neoantigens as a target of the immune system, and the technical development of bioinformatic and experimental strategies for detecting, confirming and prioritizing both patient-specific or "private" and frequently occurring, shared "public" neoantigenic targets. Further, we examine the range of therapeutic modalities that have demonstrated preclinical and clinical anti-tumour efficacy through specifically targeting neoantigens, including adoptive T cell transfer, checkpoint blockade and neoantigen vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Verdon
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
| | - Misty R. Jenkins
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- La Trobe Institute of Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
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13
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Kumar A, Watkins R, Vilgelm AE. Cell Therapy With TILs: Training and Taming T Cells to Fight Cancer. Front Immunol 2021; 12:690499. [PMID: 34140957 PMCID: PMC8204054 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.690499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The rationale behind cancer immunotherapy is based on the unequivocal demonstration that the immune system plays an important role in limiting cancer initiation and progression. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) is a form of cancer immunotherapy that utilizes a patient’s own immune cells to find and eliminate tumor cells, however, donor immune cells can also be employed in some cases. Here, we focus on T lymphocyte (T cell)-based cancer immunotherapies that have gained significant attention after initial discoveries that graft-versus-tumor responses were mediated by T cells. Accumulating knowledge of T cell development and function coupled with advancements in genetics and data science has enabled the use of a patient’s own (autologous) T cells for ACT (TIL ACTs). In TIL ACT, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are collected from resected tumor material, enhanced and expanded ex-vivo, and delivered back to the patient as therapeutic agents. ACT with TILs has been shown to cause objective tumor regression in several types of cancers including melanoma, cervical squamous cell carcinoma, and cholangiocarcinoma. In this review, we provide a brief history of TIL ACT and discuss the current state of TIL ACT clinical development in solid tumors. We also discuss the niche of TIL ACT in the current cancer therapy landscape and potential strategies for patient selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrendra Kumar
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.,The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Reese Watkins
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.,The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Anna E Vilgelm
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.,The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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14
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Laumont CM, Wouters MCA, Smazynski J, Gierc NS, Chavez EA, Chong LC, Thornton S, Milne K, Webb JR, Steidl C, Nelson BH. Single-cell Profiles and Prognostic Impact of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Coexpressing CD39, CD103, and PD-1 in Ovarian Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:4089-4100. [PMID: 33963000 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-4394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are strongly associated with survival in most cancers; however, the tumor-reactive subset that drives this prognostic effect remains poorly defined. CD39, CD103, and PD-1 have been independently proposed as markers of tumor-reactive CD8+ TIL in various cancers. We evaluated the phenotype, clonality, and prognostic significance of TIL expressing various combinations of these markers in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC), a malignancy in need of more effective immunotherapeutic approaches. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Expression of CD39, CD103, PD-1, and other immune markers was assessed by high-dimensional flow cytometry, single-cell sequencing, and multiplex immunofluorescence of primary and matched pre/post-chemotherapy HGSC specimens. RESULTS Coexpression of CD39, CD103, and PD-1 ("triple-positive" phenotype) demarcated subsets of CD8+ TIL and CD4+ regulatory T cells (Treg) with a highly activated/exhausted phenotype. Triple-positive CD8+ TIL exhibited reduced T-cell receptor (TCR) diversity and expressed genes involved in both cytolytic and humoral immunity. Triple-positive Tregs exhibited higher TCR diversity and a tumor-resident phenotype. Triple-positive TIL showed superior prognostic impact relative to TIL expressing other combinations of these markers. TIGIT was uniquely upregulated on triple-positive CD8+ effector cells relative to their CD4+ Treg counterparts. CONCLUSIONS Coexpression of CD39, CD103, and PD-1 demarcates highly activated CD8+ and CD4+ TIL with inferred roles in cytolytic, humoral, and regulatory immune functions. Triple-positive TIL demonstrate exceptional prognostic significance and express compelling targets for combination immunotherapy, including PD-1, CD39, and TIGIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline M Laumont
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Julian Smazynski
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicole S Gierc
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Elizabeth A Chavez
- Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lauren C Chong
- Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shelby Thornton
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Katy Milne
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John R Webb
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christian Steidl
- Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Brad H Nelson
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. .,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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15
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Meng Q, Wu Y, Sui X, Meng J, Wang T, Lin Y, Wang Z, Zhou X, Qi Y, Du J, Gao Y. POTN: A Human Leukocyte Antigen-A2 Immunogenic Peptides Screening Model and Its Applications in Tumor Antigens Prediction. Front Immunol 2020; 11:02193. [PMID: 33133063 PMCID: PMC7579403 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Whole genome/exome sequencing data for tumors are now abundant, and many tumor antigens, especially mutant antigens (neoantigens), have been identified for cancer immunotherapy. However, only a small fraction of the peptides from these antigens induce cytotoxic T cell responses. Therefore, efficient methods to identify these antigenic peptides are crucial. The current models of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding and antigenic prediction are still inaccurate. In this study, 360 9-mer peptides with verified immunological activity were selected to construct a prediction of tumor neoantigen (POTN) model, an immunogenic prediction model specifically for the human leukocyte antigen-A2 allele. Based on the physicochemical properties of amino acids, such as the residue propensity, hydrophobicity, and organic solvent/water, we found that the predictive capability of POTN is superior to that of the prediction programs SYPEITHI, IEDB, and NetMHCpan 4.0. We used POTN to screen peptides for the cancer-testis antigen located on the X chromosome, and we identified several peptides that may trigger immunogenicity. We synthesized and measured the binding affinity and immunogenicity of these peptides and found that the accuracy of POTN is higher than that of NetMHCpan 4.0. Identifying the properties related to the T cell response or immunogenicity paves the way to understanding the MHC/peptide/T cell receptor complex. In conclusion, POTN is an efficient prediction model for screening high-affinity immunogenic peptides from tumor antigens, and thus provides useful information for developing cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Meng
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yahong Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xinghua Sui
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jingjie Meng
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Tingting Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yan Lin
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhiwei Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiuman Zhou
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yuanming Qi
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jiangfeng Du
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanfeng Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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16
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Li Q, Ding ZY. The Ways of Isolating Neoantigen-Specific T Cells. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1347. [PMID: 32850430 PMCID: PMC7431921 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized the standard of care for a range of malignancies. Accumulating evidence suggests that the success of immunotherapy is likely attributable to neoantigen-specific T cells. Thus, adoptive cell therapy with these neoantigen-specific T cells is highly promising. This strategy has proven to successfully elicit tumor regression or even complete remission in metastatic cancer patients. However, a fundamental challenge is to effectively identify and isolate neoantigen-specific T cells or their T cell receptors (TCRs), from either tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) or peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), and many methods have been developed to this end. In this review, we focus on the current proposed strategies for identifying and isolating neoantigen-specific T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Li
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhen-Yu Ding
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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17
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Zamora AE, Crawford JC, Allen EK, Guo XZJ, Bakke J, Carter RA, Abdelsamed HA, Moustaki A, Li Y, Chang TC, Awad W, Dallas MH, Mullighan CG, Downing JR, Geiger TL, Chen T, Green DR, Youngblood BA, Zhang J, Thomas PG. Pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia generate abundant and functional neoantigen-specific CD8 + T cell responses. Sci Transl Med 2020; 11:11/498/eaat8549. [PMID: 31243155 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aat8549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cancer arises from the accumulation of genetic alterations, which can lead to the production of mutant proteins not expressed by normal cells. These mutant proteins can be processed and presented on the cell surface by major histocompatibility complex molecules as neoepitopes, allowing CD8+ T cells to mount responses against them. For solid tumors, only an average 2% of neoepitopes predicted by algorithms have detectable endogenous antitumor T cell responses. This suggests that low mutation burden tumors, which include many pediatric tumors, are poorly immunogenic. Here, we report that pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have tumor-associated neoepitope-specific CD8+ T cells, responding to 86% of tested neoantigens and recognizing 68% of the tested neoepitopes. These responses include a public neoantigen from the ETV6-RUNX1 fusion that is targeted in seven of nine tested patients. We characterized phenotypic and transcriptional profiles of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) at the single-cell level and found a heterogeneous population that included highly functional effectors. Moreover, we observed immunodominance hierarchies among the CD8+ TILs restricted to one or two putative neoepitopes. Our results indicate that robust antitumor immune responses are induced in pediatric ALL despite their low mutation burdens and emphasize the importance of immunodominance in shaping cellular immune responses. Furthermore, these data suggest that pediatric cancers may be amenable to immunotherapies aimed at enhancing immune recognition of tumor-specific neoantigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony E Zamora
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jeremy Chase Crawford
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - E Kaitlynn Allen
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Xi-Zhi J Guo
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Jesse Bakke
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.,Department of Foundational Sciences, College of Medicine, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48858, USA
| | - Robert A Carter
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Hossam A Abdelsamed
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Ardiana Moustaki
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Yongjin Li
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Ti-Cheng Chang
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Walid Awad
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Mari H Dallas
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Charles G Mullighan
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - James R Downing
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Terrence L Geiger
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Taosheng Chen
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Douglas R Green
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Benjamin A Youngblood
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jinghui Zhang
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Paul G Thomas
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. .,Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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18
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Bianchi V, Harari A, Coukos G. Neoantigen-Specific Adoptive Cell Therapies for Cancer: Making T-Cell Products More Personal. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1215. [PMID: 32695101 PMCID: PMC7333784 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutation-derived neoantigens are taking central stage as a determinant in eliciting effective antitumor immune responses following adoptive T-cell therapies. These mutations are patient-specific, and their targeting calls for highly personalized pipelines. The promising clinical outcomes of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy have spurred interest in generating T-cell infusion products that have been selectively enriched in neoantigen (or autologous tumor) reactivity. The implementation of an isolation step, prior to T-cell in vitro expansion and reinfusion, may provide a way to improve the overall response rates achieved to date by adoptive T-cell therapies in metastatic cancer patients. Here we provide an overview of the main technologies [i.e., peptide major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) multimers, cytokine capture, and activation markers] to enrich infiltrating or circulating T-cells in predefined neoantigen specificities (or tumor reactivity). The unique technical and regulatory challenges faced by such highly specialized and patient-specific manufacturing T-cell platforms are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bianchi
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Center of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Harari
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Center of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - George Coukos
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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19
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Gros A, Tran E, Parkhurst MR, Ilyas S, Pasetto A, Groh EM, Robbins PF, Yossef R, Garcia-Garijo A, Fajardo CA, Prickett TD, Jia L, Gartner JJ, Ray S, Ngo L, Wunderllich JR, Yang JC, Rosenberg SA. Recognition of human gastrointestinal cancer neoantigens by circulating PD-1+ lymphocytes. J Clin Invest 2020; 129:4992-5004. [PMID: 31609250 DOI: 10.1172/jci127967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor-resident lymphocytes can mount a response against neoantigens expressed in microsatellite-stable gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, and adoptive transfer of neoantigen-specific lymphocytes has demonstrated antitumor activity in selected patients. However, whether peripheral blood could be used as an alternative minimally invasive source to identify lymphocytes targeting neoantigens in patients with GI cancer with relatively low mutation burden is unclear. We used a personalized high-throughput screening strategy to investigate whether PD-1 expression in peripheral blood could be used to identify CD8+ or CD4+ lymphocytes recognizing neoantigens identified by whole-exome sequencing in 7 patients with GI cancer. We found that neoantigen-specific lymphocytes were preferentially enriched in the CD8+PD-1+/hi or CD4+PD-1+/hi subsets, but not in the corresponding bulk or PD-1- fractions. In 6 of 7 individuals analyzed we identified circulating CD8+ and CD4+ lymphocytes targeting 6 and 4 neoantigens, respectively. Moreover, neoantigen-reactive T cells and a T cell receptor (TCR) isolated from the CD8+PD-1+ subsets recognized autologous tumor, albeit at reduced levels, in 2 patients with available cell lines. These data demonstrate the existence of circulating T cells targeting neoantigens in GI cancer patients and provide an approach to generate enriched populations of personalized neoantigen-specific lymphocytes and isolate TCRs that could be exploited therapeutically to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Gros
- Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Cellex Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eric Tran
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Maria R Parkhurst
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sadia Ilyas
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anna Pasetto
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eric M Groh
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Paul F Robbins
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Rami Yossef
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Carlos A Fajardo
- Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Cellex Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Todd D Prickett
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Li Jia
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jared J Gartner
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Satyajit Ray
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Lien Ngo
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - James C Yang
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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20
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Chruściel E, Urban-Wójciuk Z, Arcimowicz Ł, Kurkowiak M, Kowalski J, Gliwiński M, Marjański T, Rzyman W, Biernat W, Dziadziuszko R, Montesano C, Bernardini R, Marek-Trzonkowska N. Adoptive Cell Therapy-Harnessing Antigen-Specific T Cells to Target Solid Tumours. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E683. [PMID: 32183246 PMCID: PMC7140076 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12030683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, much research has been focused on the field of adoptive cell therapies (ACT) that use native or genetically modified T cells as therapeutic tools. Immunotherapy with T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) demonstrated great success in the treatment of haematologic malignancies, whereas adoptive transfer of autologous tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) proved to be highly effective in metastatic melanoma. These encouraging results initiated many studies where ACT was tested as a treatment for various solid tumours. In this review, we provide an overview of the challenges of T cell-based immunotherapies of solid tumours. We describe alternative approaches for choosing the most efficient T cells for cancer treatment in terms of their tumour-specificity and phenotype. Finally, we present strategies for improvement of anti-tumour potential of T cells, including combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elżbieta Chruściel
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland; (E.C.); (Z.U.-W.); (M.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Zuzanna Urban-Wójciuk
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland; (E.C.); (Z.U.-W.); (M.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Łukasz Arcimowicz
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland; (E.C.); (Z.U.-W.); (M.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Małgorzata Kurkowiak
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland; (E.C.); (Z.U.-W.); (M.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Jacek Kowalski
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland; (E.C.); (Z.U.-W.); (M.K.); (J.K.)
- Department of Pathomorphology, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Mateusz Gliwiński
- Department of Medical Immunology, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Tomasz Marjański
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (T.M.); (W.R.)
| | - Witold Rzyman
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (T.M.); (W.R.)
| | - Wojciech Biernat
- Department of Pathomorphology, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Rafał Dziadziuszko
- Department of Oncology and Radiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland;
| | - Carla Montesano
- Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Roberta Bernardini
- Department of Biology and Interdepartmental Center CIMETA, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska
- International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS), University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland; (E.C.); (Z.U.-W.); (M.K.); (J.K.)
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Cellular Therapies, Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland
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21
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Mösch A, Raffegerst S, Weis M, Schendel DJ, Frishman D. Machine Learning for Cancer Immunotherapies Based on Epitope Recognition by T Cell Receptors. Front Genet 2019; 10:1141. [PMID: 31798635 PMCID: PMC6878726 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last years, immunotherapies have shown tremendous success as treatments for multiple types of cancer. However, there are still many obstacles to overcome in order to increase response rates and identify effective therapies for every individual patient. Since there are many possibilities to boost a patient's immune response against a tumor and not all can be covered, this review is focused on T cell receptor-mediated therapies. CD8+ T cells can detect and destroy malignant cells by binding to peptides presented on cell surfaces by MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class I molecules. CD4+ T cells can also mediate powerful immune responses but their peptide recognition by MHC class II molecules is more complex, which is why the attention has been focused on CD8+ T cells. Therapies based on the power of T cells can, on the one hand, enhance T cell recognition by introducing TCRs that preferentially direct T cells to tumor sites (so called TCR-T therapy) or through vaccination to induce T cells in vivo. On the other hand, T cell activity can be improved by immune checkpoint inhibition or other means that help create a microenvironment favorable for cytotoxic T cell activity. The manifold ways in which the immune system and cancer interact with each other require not only the use of large omics datasets from gene, to transcript, to protein, and to peptide but also make the application of machine learning methods inevitable. Currently, discovering and selecting suitable TCRs is a very costly and work intensive in vitro process. To facilitate this process and to additionally allow for highly personalized therapies that can simultaneously target multiple patient-specific antigens, especially neoepitopes, breakthrough computational methods for predicting antigen presentation and TCR binding are urgently required. Particularly, potential cross-reactivity is a major consideration since off-target toxicity can pose a major threat to patient safety. The current speed at which not only datasets grow and are made available to the public, but also at which new machine learning methods evolve, is assuring that computational approaches will be able to help to solve problems that immunotherapies are still facing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Mösch
- Department of Bioinformatics, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
- Medigene Immunotherapies GmbH, a subsidiary of Medigene AG, Planegg, Germany
| | - Silke Raffegerst
- Medigene Immunotherapies GmbH, a subsidiary of Medigene AG, Planegg, Germany
| | - Manon Weis
- Medigene Immunotherapies GmbH, a subsidiary of Medigene AG, Planegg, Germany
| | - Dolores J. Schendel
- Medigene Immunotherapies GmbH, a subsidiary of Medigene AG, Planegg, Germany
| | - Dmitrij Frishman
- Department of Bioinformatics, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
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22
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Rapid selection and identification of functional CD8 + T cell epitopes from large peptide-coding libraries. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4553. [PMID: 31591401 PMCID: PMC6779888 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12444-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells recognize and eliminate infected or malignant cells that present peptide epitopes derived from intracellularly processed antigens on their surface. However, comprehensive profiling of specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-bound peptide epitopes that are naturally processed and capable of eliciting a functional T cell response has been challenging. Here, we report a method for deep and unbiased T cell epitope profiling, using in vitro co-culture of CD8+ T cells together with target cells transduced with high-complexity, epitope-encoding minigene libraries. Target cells that are subject to cytotoxic attack from T cells in co-culture are isolated prior to apoptosis by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and characterized by sequencing the encoded minigenes. We then validate this highly parallelized method using known murine T cell receptor/peptide-MHC pairs and diverse minigene-encoded epitope libraries. Our data thus suggest that this epitope profiling method allows unambiguous and sensitive identification of naturally processed and MHC-presented peptide epitopes.
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23
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Abstract
Malignant transformation of cells depends on accumulation of DNA damage. Over the past years we have learned that the T cell-based immune system frequently responds to the neoantigens that arise as a consequence of this DNA damage. Furthermore, recognition of neoantigens appears an important driver of the clinical activity of both T cell checkpoint blockade and adoptive T cell therapy as cancer immunotherapies. Here we review the evidence for the relevance of cancer neoantigens in tumor control and the biological properties of these antigens. We discuss recent technological advances utilized to identify neoantigens, and the T cells that recognize them, in individual patients. Finally, we discuss strategies that can be employed to exploit cancer neoantigens in clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ton N Schumacher
- Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands; , .,Oncode Institute, 3521AL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter Scheper
- Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands; , .,Oncode Institute, 3521AL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Pia Kvistborg
- Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ,
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24
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Yossef R, Tran E, Deniger DC, Gros A, Pasetto A, Parkhurst MR, Gartner JJ, Prickett TD, Cafri G, Robbins PF, Rosenberg SA. Enhanced detection of neoantigen-reactive T cells targeting unique and shared oncogenes for personalized cancer immunotherapy. JCI Insight 2018; 3:122467. [PMID: 30282837 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.122467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) targeting neoantigens can mediate tumor regression in selected patients with metastatic epithelial cancer. However, effectively identifying and harnessing neoantigen-reactive T cells for patient treatment remains a challenge and it is unknown whether current methods to detect neoantigen-reactive T cells are missing potentially clinically relevant neoantigen reactivities. We thus investigated whether the detection of neoantigen-reactive TILs could be enhanced by enriching T cells that express PD-1 and/or T cell activation markers followed by microwell culturing to avoid overgrowth of nonreactive T cells. In 6 patients with metastatic epithelial cancer, this method led to the detection of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells targeting 18 and 1 neoantigens, respectively, compared with 6 and 2 neoantigens recognized by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, respectively, when using our standard TIL fragment screening approach. In 2 patients, no recognition of mutated peptides was observed using our conventional screen, while our high-throughput approach led to the identification of 5 neoantigen-reactive T cell receptors (TCRs) against 5 different mutations from one patient and a highly potent MHC class II-restricted KRASG12V-reactive TCR from a second patient. In addition, in a metastatic tumor sample from a patient with serous ovarian cancer, we isolated 3 MHC class II-restricted TCRs targeting the TP53G245S hot-spot mutation. In conclusion, this approach provides a highly sensitive platform to isolate clinically relevant neoantigen-reactive T cells or their TCRs for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rami Yossef
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Eric Tran
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,Earle A. Chiles Research Institute and the Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Drew C Deniger
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Alena Gros
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,Medical Oncology Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Pg. Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Pasetto
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Maria R Parkhurst
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jared J Gartner
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Todd D Prickett
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gal Cafri
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Paul F Robbins
- Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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25
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Bezu L, Kepp O, Cerrato G, Pol J, Fucikova J, Spisek R, Zitvogel L, Kroemer G, Galluzzi L. Trial watch: Peptide-based vaccines in anticancer therapy. Oncoimmunology 2018; 7:e1511506. [PMID: 30524907 PMCID: PMC6279318 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1511506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based anticancer vaccination aims at stimulating an immune response against one or multiple tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) following immunization with purified, recombinant or synthetically engineered epitopes. Despite high expectations, the peptide-based vaccines that have been explored in the clinic so far had limited therapeutic activity, largely due to cancer cell-intrinsic alterations that minimize antigenicity and/or changes in the tumor microenvironment that foster immunosuppression. Several strategies have been developed to overcome such limitations, including the use of immunostimulatory adjuvants, the co-treatment with cytotoxic anticancer therapies that enable the coordinated release of damage-associated molecular patterns, and the concomitant blockade of immune checkpoints. Personalized peptide-based vaccines are also being explored for therapeutic activity in the clinic. Here, we review recent preclinical and clinical progress in the use of peptide-based vaccines as anticancer therapeutics.Abbreviations: CMP: carbohydrate-mimetic peptide; CMV: cytomegalovirus; DC: dendritic cell; FDA: Food and Drug Administration; HPV: human papillomavirus; MDS: myelodysplastic syndrome; MHP: melanoma helper vaccine; NSCLC: non-small cell lung carcinoma; ODD: orphan drug designation; PPV: personalized peptide vaccination; SLP: synthetic long peptide; TAA: tumor-associated antigen; TNA: tumor neoantigen
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucillia Bezu
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris Sud/Paris XI, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.,Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.,Equipe 11 labellisée Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers,Paris, France.,U1138, INSERM, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes/Paris V, Paris, France.,Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Paris VI, Paris, France
| | - Oliver Kepp
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.,Equipe 11 labellisée Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers,Paris, France.,U1138, INSERM, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes/Paris V, Paris, France.,Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Paris VI, Paris, France
| | - Giulia Cerrato
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.,Equipe 11 labellisée Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers,Paris, France.,U1138, INSERM, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes/Paris V, Paris, France.,Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Paris VI, Paris, France
| | - Jonathan Pol
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.,Equipe 11 labellisée Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers,Paris, France.,U1138, INSERM, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes/Paris V, Paris, France.,Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Paris VI, Paris, France
| | - Jitka Fucikova
- Sotio, Prague, Czech Republic.,Dept. of Immunology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Radek Spisek
- Sotio, Prague, Czech Republic.,Dept. of Immunology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Laurence Zitvogel
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Paris Sud/Paris XI, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.,Center of Clinical Investigations in Biotherapies of Cancer (CICBT) 1428, Villejuif, France.,INSERM, U1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France.,Equipe 11 labellisée Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers,Paris, France.,U1138, INSERM, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes/Paris V, Paris, France.,Université Pierre et Marie Curie/Paris VI, Paris, France.,Pôle de Biologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France.,Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lorenzo Galluzzi
- Université Paris Descartes/Paris V, Paris, France.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.,Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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26
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The Tumor Microenvironment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Its Influence on Response to Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2018. [PMID: 30042343 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10080242] [] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy as a treatment for cancer is a growing field of endeavor but reports of success have been limited for epithelial ovarian cancer. Overcoming the challenges to developing more effective therapeutic approaches lies in a better understanding of the factors in cancer cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment that limit response to immunotherapies. This article provides an overview of some ovarian cancer cell features such as tumor-associated antigens, ovarian cancer-derived exosomes, tumor mutational burden and overexpression of immunoinhibitory molecules. Moreover, we describe relevant cell types found in epithelial ovarian tumors including immune cells (T and B lymphocytes, Tregs, NK cells, TAMs, MDSCs) and other components found in the tumor microenvironment including fibroblasts and the adipocytes in the omentum. We focus on how those components may influence responses to standard treatments or immunotherapies.
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27
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The Tumor Microenvironment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Its Influence on Response to Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2018. [PMID: 30042343 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10080242]+[] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy as a treatment for cancer is a growing field of endeavor but reports of success have been limited for epithelial ovarian cancer. Overcoming the challenges to developing more effective therapeutic approaches lies in a better understanding of the factors in cancer cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment that limit response to immunotherapies. This article provides an overview of some ovarian cancer cell features such as tumor-associated antigens, ovarian cancer-derived exosomes, tumor mutational burden and overexpression of immunoinhibitory molecules. Moreover, we describe relevant cell types found in epithelial ovarian tumors including immune cells (T and B lymphocytes, Tregs, NK cells, TAMs, MDSCs) and other components found in the tumor microenvironment including fibroblasts and the adipocytes in the omentum. We focus on how those components may influence responses to standard treatments or immunotherapies.
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28
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Rodriguez GM, Galpin KJC, McCloskey CW, Vanderhyden BC. The Tumor Microenvironment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Its Influence on Response to Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10:E242. [PMID: 30042343 PMCID: PMC6116043 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10080242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy as a treatment for cancer is a growing field of endeavor but reports of success have been limited for epithelial ovarian cancer. Overcoming the challenges to developing more effective therapeutic approaches lies in a better understanding of the factors in cancer cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment that limit response to immunotherapies. This article provides an overview of some ovarian cancer cell features such as tumor-associated antigens, ovarian cancer-derived exosomes, tumor mutational burden and overexpression of immunoinhibitory molecules. Moreover, we describe relevant cell types found in epithelial ovarian tumors including immune cells (T and B lymphocytes, Tregs, NK cells, TAMs, MDSCs) and other components found in the tumor microenvironment including fibroblasts and the adipocytes in the omentum. We focus on how those components may influence responses to standard treatments or immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galaxia M Rodriguez
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
| | - Kristianne J C Galpin
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
| | - Curtis W McCloskey
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
| | - Barbara C Vanderhyden
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
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29
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Clifford C, Vitkin N, Nersesian S, Reid-Schachter G, Francis JA, Koti M. Multi-omics in high-grade serous ovarian cancer: Biomarkers from genome to the immunome. Am J Reprod Immunol 2018; 80:e12975. [DOI: 10.1111/aji.12975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cole Clifford
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
| | - Natasha Vitkin
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
- Cancer Biology and Genetics; Queen's Cancer Research Institute; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
| | - Sarah Nersesian
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
- Cancer Biology and Genetics; Queen's Cancer Research Institute; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
| | | | - Julie-Ann Francis
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Kingston Health Sciences Center; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
| | - Madhuri Koti
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
- Cancer Biology and Genetics; Queen's Cancer Research Institute; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Kingston Health Sciences Center; Queen's University; Kingston ON Canada
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30
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Karpanen T, Olweus J. The Potential of Donor T-Cell Repertoires in Neoantigen-Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1718. [PMID: 29321773 PMCID: PMC5732232 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells can recognize peptides encoded by mutated genes, but analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes suggests that very few neoantigens spontaneously elicit T-cell responses. This may be an important reason why immune checkpoint inhibitors are mainly effective in tumors with a high mutational burden. Reasons for clinically insufficient responses to neoantigens might be inefficient priming, inhibition, or deletion of the cognate T cells. Responses can be dramatically improved by cancer immunotherapy such as checkpoint inhibition, but often with temporary effects. By contrast, T cells from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donors can cure diseases such as chronic myeloid leukemia. The therapeutic effect is mediated by donor T cells recognizing polymorphic peptides for which the donor and patient are disparate, presented on self-HLA. Donor T-cell repertoires are unbiased by the immunosuppressive environment of the tumor. A recent study demonstrated that T cells from healthy individuals are able to respond to neoantigens that are ignored by tumor-infiltrating T cells of melanoma patients. In this review, we discuss possible reasons why neoantigens escape host T cells and how these limitations may be overcome by utilization of donor-derived T-cell repertoires to facilitate rational design of neoantigen-targeted immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terhi Karpanen
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, and K.G. Jebsen Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Johanna Olweus
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, and K.G. Jebsen Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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