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Orentas RJ. A positive take on negative selection for CAR-T manufacturing. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2024; 32:101218. [PMID: 38445044 PMCID: PMC10914473 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2024.101218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Rimas J. Orentas
- Caring Cross, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 910 Clopper Road, Suite 200 S, Gaithersburg, MD 20892, USA
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2
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Marin D, Li Y, Basar R, Rafei H, Daher M, Dou J, Mohanty V, Dede M, Nieto Y, Uprety N, Acharya S, Liu E, Wilson J, Banerjee P, Macapinlac HA, Ganesh C, Thall PF, Bassett R, Ammari M, Rao S, Cao K, Shanley M, Kaplan M, Hosing C, Kebriaei P, Nastoupil LJ, Flowers CR, Moseley SM, Lin P, Ang S, Popat UR, Qazilbash MH, Champlin RE, Chen K, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K. Safety, efficacy and determinants of response of allogeneic CD19-specific CAR-NK cells in CD19 + B cell tumors: a phase 1/2 trial. Nat Med 2024; 30:772-784. [PMID: 38238616 PMCID: PMC10957466 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02785-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
There is a pressing need for allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-immune cell therapies that are safe, effective and affordable. We conducted a phase 1/2 trial of cord blood-derived natural killer (NK) cells expressing anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor and interleukin-15 (CAR19/IL-15) in 37 patients with CD19+ B cell malignancies. The primary objectives were safety and efficacy, defined as day 30 overall response (OR). Secondary objectives included day 100 response, progression-free survival, overall survival and CAR19/IL-15 NK cell persistence. No notable toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome, neurotoxicity or graft-versus-host disease were observed. The day 30 and day 100 OR rates were 48.6% for both. The 1-year overall survival and progression-free survival were 68% and 32%, respectively. Patients who achieved OR had higher levels and longer persistence of CAR-NK cells. Receiving CAR-NK cells from a cord blood unit (CBU) with nucleated red blood cells ≤ 8 × 107 and a collection-to-cryopreservation time ≤ 24 h was the most significant predictor for superior outcome. NK cells from these optimal CBUs were highly functional and enriched in effector-related genes. In contrast, NK cells from suboptimal CBUs had upregulation of inflammation, hypoxia and cellular stress programs. Finally, using multiple mouse models, we confirmed the superior antitumor activity of CAR/IL-15 NK cells from optimal CBUs in vivo. These findings uncover new features of CAR-NK cell biology and underscore the importance of donor selection for allogeneic cell therapies. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03056339 .
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Affiliation(s)
- David Marin
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ye Li
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rafet Basar
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hind Rafei
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - May Daher
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jinzhuang Dou
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Vakul Mohanty
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Merve Dede
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yago Nieto
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nadima Uprety
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sunil Acharya
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Enli Liu
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jeffrey Wilson
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pinaki Banerjee
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Homer A Macapinlac
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christina Ganesh
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Peter F Thall
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Roland Bassett
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mariam Ammari
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sheetal Rao
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kai Cao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mayra Shanley
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mecit Kaplan
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chitra Hosing
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Partow Kebriaei
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Loretta J Nastoupil
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christopher R Flowers
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sadie Mae Moseley
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paul Lin
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sonny Ang
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Uday R Popat
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Muzaffar H Qazilbash
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Richard E Champlin
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ken Chen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Shpall
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Katayoun Rezvani
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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3
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Parwani KK, Branella GM, Burnham RE, Burnham AJ, Bustamante AYS, Foppiani EM, Knight KA, Petrich BG, Horwitz EM, Doering CB, Spencer HT. Directing the migration of serum-free, ex vivo-expanded Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1331322. [PMID: 38487542 PMCID: PMC10937339 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Vγ9Vδ2 T cells represent a promising cancer therapy platform because the implementation of allogenic, off-the-shelf product candidates is possible. However, intravenous administration of human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells manufactured under good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant, serum-free conditions are not tested easily in most mouse models, mainly because they lack the ability to migrate from the blood to tissues or tumors. We demonstrate that these T cells do not migrate from the circulation to the mouse bone marrow (BM), the site of many malignancies. Thus, there is a need to better characterize human γδ T-cell migration in vivo and develop strategies to direct these cells to in vivo sites of therapeutic interest. To better understand the migration of these cells and possibly influence their migration, NSG mice were conditioned with agents to clear BM cellular compartments, i.e., busulfan or total body irradiation (TBI), or promote T-cell migration to inflamed BM, i.e., incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), prior to administering γδ T cells. Conditioning with TBI, unlike busulfan or IFA, increases the percentage and number of γδ T cells accumulating in the mouse BM, and cells in the peripheral blood (PB) and BM display identical surface protein profiles. To better understand the mechanism by which cells migrate to the BM, mice were conditioned with TBI and administered γδ T cells or tracker-stained red blood cells. The mechanism by which γδ T cells enter the BM after radiation is passive migration from the circulation, not homing. We tested if these ex vivo-expanded cells can migrate based on chemokine expression patterns and showed that it is possible to initiate homing by utilizing highly expressed chemokine receptors on the expanded γδ T cells. γδ T cells highly express CCR2, which provides chemokine attraction to C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2)-expressing cells. IFNγ-primed mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) (γMSCs) express CCL2, and we developed in vitro and in vivo models to test γδ T-cell homing to CCL2-expressing cells. Using an established neuroblastoma NSG mouse model, we show that intratumorally-injected γMSCs increase the homing of γδ T cells to this tumor. These studies provide insight into the migration of serum-free, ex vivo-expanded Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in NSG mice, which is critical to understanding the fundamental properties of these cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran K Parwani
- Cancer Biology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Gianna M Branella
- Cancer Biology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Rebecca E Burnham
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Andre J Burnham
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Austre Y Schiaffino Bustamante
- Cancer Biology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Elisabetta Manuela Foppiani
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kristopher A Knight
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | | | - Edwin M Horwitz
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Christopher B Doering
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - H Trent Spencer
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Branella GM, Lee JY, Okalova J, Parwani KK, Alexander JS, Arthuzo RF, Fedanov A, Yu B, McCarty D, Brown HC, Chandrakasan S, Petrich BG, Doering CB, Spencer HT. Ligand-based targeting of c-kit using engineered γδ T cells as a strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1294555. [PMID: 38022523 PMCID: PMC10679681 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1294555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The application of immunotherapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy or bi-specific T cell engager (BiTE) therapy to manage myeloid malignancies has proven more challenging than for B-cell malignancies. This is attributed to a shortage of leukemia-specific cell-surface antigens that distinguish healthy from malignant myeloid populations, and the inability to manage myeloid depletion unlike B-cell aplasia. Therefore, the development of targeted therapeutics for myeloid malignancies, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), requires new approaches. Herein, we developed a ligand-based CAR and secreted bi-specific T cell engager (sBite) to target c-kit using its cognate ligand, stem cell factor (SCF). c-kit is highly expressed on AML blasts and correlates with resistance to chemotherapy and poor prognosis, making it an ideal candidate for which to develop targeted therapeutics. We utilize γδ T cells as a cytotoxic alternative to αβ T cells and a transient transfection system as both a safety precaution and switch to remove alloreactive modified cells that may hinder successful transplant. Additionally, the use of γδ T cells permits its use as an allogeneic, off-the-shelf therapeutic. To this end, we show mSCF CAR- and hSCF sBite-modified γδ T cells are proficient in killing c-kit+ AML cell lines and sca-1+ murine bone marrow cells in vitro. In vivo, hSCF sBite-modified γδ T cells moderately extend survival of NSG mice engrafted with disseminated AML, but therapeutic efficacy is limited by lack of γδ T-cell homing to murine bone marrow. Together, these data demonstrate preclinical efficacy and support further investigation of SCF-based γδ T-cell therapeutics for the treatment of myeloid malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianna M. Branella
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jasmine Y. Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jennifer Okalova
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Molecular Systems Pharmacology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kiran K. Parwani
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jordan S. Alexander
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Raquel F. Arthuzo
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Andrew Fedanov
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Bing Yu
- Expression Therapeutics, Inc., Tucker, GA, United States
| | - David McCarty
- Expression Therapeutics, Inc., Tucker, GA, United States
| | | | - Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | | | - Christopher B. Doering
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Molecular Systems Pharmacology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - H. Trent Spencer
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Molecular Systems Pharmacology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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5
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Pilgrim AA, Jonus HC, Ho A, Cole AC, Shim J, Goldsmith KC. The yes-associated protein (YAP) is associated with resistance to anti-GD2 immunotherapy in neuroblastoma through downregulation of ST8SIA1. Oncoimmunology 2023; 12:2240678. [PMID: 37554309 PMCID: PMC10405770 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2023.2240678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma often relapse with chemotherapy-resistant, incurable disease. Relapsed neuroblastomas harbor chemo-resistant mesenchymal tumor cells and increased expression/activity of the transcriptional co-regulator, the Yes-Associated Protein (YAP). Patients with relapsed neuroblastoma are often treated with immunotherapy such as the anti-GD2 antibody, dinutuximab, in combination with chemotherapy. We have previously shown that YAP mediates both chemotherapy and MEK inhibitor resistance in relapsed RAS mutated neuroblastoma and so posited that YAP might also be involved in anti-GD2 antibody resistance. We now show that YAP genetic inhibition significantly enhances sensitivity of mesenchymal neuroblastomas to dinutuximab and gamma delta (γδ) T cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, YAP inhibition induces increased GD2 cell surface expression through upregulation of ST8SIA1, the gene encoding GD3 synthase and the rate-limiting enzyme in GD2 biosynthesis. The mechanism of ST8SIA1 suppression by YAP is independent of PRRX1 expression, a mesenchymal master transcription factor, suggesting YAP may be the downstream effector of mesenchymal GD2 resistance. These results therefore identify YAP as a therapeutic target to augment GD2 immunotherapy responses in patients with neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeiye A. Pilgrim
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hunter C. Jonus
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andrew Ho
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anna C. Cole
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jenny Shim
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Kelly C. Goldsmith
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
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6
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Bold A, Gross H, Holzmann E, Knop S, Hoeres T, Wilhelm M. An optimized cultivation method for future in vivo application of γδ T cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1185564. [PMID: 37539052 PMCID: PMC10394837 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1185564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
γδ T cells, with their properties of both the innate and acquired immune systems, are suitable candidates for cellular immunotherapy in cancer. Because of their non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding T cell receptor, allogenic transfer is feasible without relevant graft versus host reactions. In recent years, much experience has been gained with ex vivo expansion and stimulation of γδ T cells using bisphosphonates and Interleukin 2. Unfortunately, many current stimulation protocols are based on the use of xenogenic materials and other potentially hazardous supplements, which conflicts with basic principles of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Adherence to the concept and current guidelines of GMP is state of the art for production of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) like cell therapeutics and a necessity for clinical use under a regulatory perspective. In this study, we developed a new stimulation protocol that induces a marked increase of γδ T cell counts and allows for an easier transition from research to clinical applications with minimized regulatory workload. It reliably leads to a cell product with a purity of more than 90% γδ T cells and improved in vitro anti-tumor activity compared to our previous standard procedure. Furthermore, by investigating correlations between properties of unstimulated γδ T cells and proliferation rate as well as degranulation ability of stimulated γδ T cells, we can draw conclusions about suitable donors. Finally, we examined if expansion can be improved by pulsing zoledronate and/or using Interleukin 15 with or without Interleukin 2. Significant improvements can be achieved with respect to intrinsic and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Our results demonstrate that the stimulation protocol presented here leads to an improved γδ T cell product for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bold
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Heike Gross
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Holzmann
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Knop
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Timm Hoeres
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
- Fraunhofer-Institute for Translational Medicine & Pharmacology (ITMP), Clinical Research, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Martin Wilhelm
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
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Becker SA, Petrich BG, Yu B, Knight KA, Brown HC, Raikar SS, Doering CB, Spencer HT. Enhancing the effectiveness of γδ T cells by mRNA transfection of chimeric antigen receptors or bispecific T cell engagers. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2023; 29:145-157. [PMID: 37387794 PMCID: PMC10300408 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2023.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) utilizing γδ T cells is becoming a promising option for the treatment of cancer, because it offers an off-the-shelf allogeneic product that is safe, potent, and clinically effective. Approaches to engineer or enhance immune-competent cells for ACT, like expression of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or combination treatments with bispecific T cell engagers, have improved the specificity and cytotoxic potential of ACTs and have shown great promise in preclinical and clinical settings. Here, we test whether electroporation of γδ T cells with CAR or secreted bispecific T cell engager (sBite) mRNA is an effective approach to improve the cytotoxicity of γδ T cells. Using a CD19-specific CAR, approximately 60% of γδ T cells are modified after mRNA electroporation and these cells show potent anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo against two CD19-positive cancer cell lines. In addition, expression and secretion of a CD19 sBite enhances γδ T cell cytotoxicity, both in vitro and in vivo, and promotes killing of target cells by modified and unmodified γδ T cells. Taken together, we show that transient transfection of γδ T cells with CAR or sBite mRNA by electroporation can be an effective treatment platform as a cancer therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A. Becker
- Molecular and System Pharmacology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Bing Yu
- Expression Therapeutics, Inc, Tucker, GA, USA
| | - Kristopher A. Knight
- Molecular and System Pharmacology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Sunil S. Raikar
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christopher B. Doering
- Molecular and System Pharmacology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - H. Trent Spencer
- Molecular and System Pharmacology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
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8
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Esteso G, Felgueres MJ, García-Jiménez ÁF, Reyburn-Valés C, Benguría A, Vázquez E, Reyburn HT, Aguiló N, Martín C, Puentes E, Murillo I, Rodríguez E, Valés-Gómez M. BCG-activation of leukocytes is sufficient for the generation of donor-independent innate anti-tumor NK and γδ T-cells that can be further expanded in vitro. Oncoimmunology 2022; 12:2160094. [PMID: 36567803 PMCID: PMC9788708 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2022.2160094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the nonpathogenic Mycobacterium bovis strain used as tuberculosis vaccine, has been successfully used as treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer for decades, and suggested to potentiate cellular and humoral immune responses. However, the exact mechanism of action is not fully understood. We previously described that BCG mainly activated anti-tumor cytotoxic NK cells with upregulation of CD56 and a CD16+ phenotype. Now, we show that stimulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells with iBCG, a preparation based on BCG-Moreau, expands oligoclonal γδ T-cells, with a cytotoxic phenotype, together with anti-tumor CD56high CD16+ NK cells. We have used scRNA-seq, flow cytometry, and functional assays to characterize these BCG-activated γδ T-cells in detail. They had a high IFNγ secretion signature with expression of CD27+ and formed conjugates with bladder cancer cells. BCG-activated γδ T-cells proliferated strongly in response to minimal doses of cytokines and had anti-tumor functions, although not fully based on degranulation. BCG was sufficient to stimulate proliferation of γδ T-cells when cultured with other PBMC; however, BCG alone did not stimulate expansion of purified γδ T-cells. The characterization of these non-donor restricted lymphocyte populations, which can be expanded in vitro, could provide a new approach to prepare cell-based immunotherapy tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Esteso
- Department of Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - María José Felgueres
- Department of Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Álvaro F. García-Jiménez
- Department of Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Christina Reyburn-Valés
- Department of Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Benguría
- Servicio de Genómica, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Vázquez
- Servicio de Genómica, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Hugh T. Reyburn
- Department of Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nacho Aguiló
- Grupo de Genética de Micobacterias, Departamento de Microbiología y Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza, IIS-Aragon; Zaragoza, Spain and CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III; Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Martín
- Grupo de Genética de Micobacterias, Departamento de Microbiología y Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza, IIS-Aragon; Zaragoza, Spain and CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III; Madrid, Spain,Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, IIS Aragon; Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Eugenia Puentes
- Clinical Research Department y Research & Development Department, Biofabri, Grupo Zendal, O’Porriño, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Ingrid Murillo
- Clinical Research Department y Research & Development Department, Biofabri, Grupo Zendal, O’Porriño, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Esteban Rodríguez
- Clinical Research Department y Research & Development Department, Biofabri, Grupo Zendal, O’Porriño, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Mar Valés-Gómez
- Department of Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain,CONTACT Mar Valés-Gómez Department of Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
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Human Vδ2 T Cells and Their Versatility for Immunotherapeutic Approaches. Cells 2022; 11:cells11223572. [PMID: 36429001 PMCID: PMC9688761 DOI: 10.3390/cells11223572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gamma/delta (γδ) T cells are innate-like immune effectors that are a critical component linking innate and adaptive immune responses. They are recognized for their contribution to tumor surveillance and fight against infectious diseases. γδ T cells are excellent candidates for cellular immunotherapy due to their unique properties to recognize and destroy tumors or infected cells. They do not depend on the recognition of a single antigen but rather a broad-spectrum of diverse ligands through expression of various cytotoxic receptors. In this manuscript, we review major characteristics of the most abundant circulating γδ subpopulation, Vδ2 T cells, their immunotherapeutic potential, recent advances in expansion protocols, their preclinical and clinical applications for several infectious diseases and malignancies, and how additional modulation could enhance their therapeutic potential.
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