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Aparicio B, Theunissen P, Hervas-Stubbs S, Fortes P, Sarobe P. Relevance of mutation-derived neoantigens and non-classical antigens for anticancer therapies. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2024; 20:2303799. [PMID: 38346926 PMCID: PMC10863374 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2303799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Efficacy of cancer immunotherapies relies on correct recognition of tumor antigens by lymphocytes, eliciting thus functional responses capable of eliminating tumor cells. Therefore, important efforts have been carried out in antigen identification, with the aim of understanding mechanisms of response to immunotherapy and to design safer and more efficient strategies. In addition to classical tumor-associated antigens identified during the last decades, implementation of next-generation sequencing methodologies is enabling the identification of neoantigens (neoAgs) arising from mutations, leading to the development of new neoAg-directed therapies. Moreover, there are numerous non-classical tumor antigens originated from other sources and identified by new methodologies. Here, we review the relevance of neoAgs in different immunotherapies and the results obtained by applying neoAg-based strategies. In addition, the different types of non-classical tumor antigens and the best approaches for their identification are described. This will help to increase the spectrum of targetable molecules useful in cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belen Aparicio
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Patrick Theunissen
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
- DNA and RNA Medicine Division, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Sandra Hervas-Stubbs
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Puri Fortes
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
- DNA and RNA Medicine Division, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Spanish Network for Advanced Therapies (TERAV ISCIII), Spain
| | - Pablo Sarobe
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
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Peng L, Sferruzza G, Yang L, Zhou L, Chen S. CAR-T and CAR-NK as cellular cancer immunotherapy for solid tumors. Cell Mol Immunol 2024; 21:1089-1108. [PMID: 39134804 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-024-01207-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic approach for combating cancers, demonstrating remarkable efficacy in relapsed/refractory hematological malignancies in both pediatric and adult patients. CAR-natural killer (CAR-NK) cell complements CAR-T cell therapy by offering several distinct advantages. CAR-NK cells do not require HLA compatibility and exhibit low safety concerns. Moreover, CAR-NK cells are conducive to "off-the-shelf" therapeutics, providing significant logistic advantages over CAR-T cells. Both CAR-T and CAR-NK cells have shown consistent and promising results in hematological malignancies. However, their efficacy against solid tumors remains limited due to various obstacles including limited tumor trafficking and infiltration, as well as an immuno-suppressive tumor microenvironment. In this review, we discuss the recent advances and current challenges of CAR-T and CAR-NK cell immunotherapies, with a specific focus on the obstacles to their application in solid tumors. We also analyze in depth the advantages and drawbacks of CAR-NK cells compared to CAR-T cells and highlight CAR-NK CAR optimization. Finally, we explore future perspectives of these adoptive immunotherapies, highlighting the increasing contribution of cutting-edge biotechnological tools in shaping the next generation of cellular immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Peng
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Giacomo Sferruzza
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Luojia Yang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Liqun Zhou
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Immunobiology Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sidi Chen
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA.
- Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Immunobiology Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Liver Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Center for Biomedical Data Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Ohta K, Sakoda Y, Adachi K, Shinozaki T, Nakajima M, Yasuda H, Nagano H, Tamada K. Therapeutic Efficacy of IL7/CCL19-Expressing CAR-T Cells in Intractable Solid Tumor Models of Glioblastoma and Pancreatic Cancer. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:2514-2524. [PMID: 39240078 PMCID: PMC11423281 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-24-0226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 08/04/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors and its combination with other anticancer therapies has emerged as a new standard of care because of the encouraging therapeutic effects in various solid cancers. Nonetheless, glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer remain resistant to immunotherapy and represent intractable cancers with the poorest prognosis. We investigated the therapeutic effects of next-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells producing IL7 and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 19 (CCL19; referred to as 7 × 19 CAR-T) in these intractable cancers. Cytotoxic activities and therapeutic effects of 7 × 19 CAR-T were evaluated in vitro and in vivo, in a model using EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII)-positive glioblastoma and anti-EGFRvIII CAR-T generated from healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), or a model using HER2-positive pancreatic cancer organoids and anti-HER2 CAR-T generated from the same patient's PBMC. Anti-EGFRvIII 7 × 19 CAR-T exhibited cytotoxic activity specific to EGFRvIII-positive tumor, induced complete rejection of glioblastoma with massive T-cell infiltration and tumor cell death in the tumor tissues, and consequently prolonged mouse survival. Anti-HER2 7 × 19 CAR-T demonstrated a potent cytotoxic activity against autologous HER2-positive pancreatic cancer organoids and induced complete rejection of autologous tumor along with prolonged mouse survival. Our results suggest that 7 × 19 CAR-T could become a therapeutic option for glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of next-generation CAR-T in an autologous model using patient-derived tumor organoids and CAR-T generated from the same patient's PBMC, in which unwanted allogeneic immune responses are fully excluded. SIGNIFICANCE Despite the clinical development of CAR T-cell therapy, its efficacy in solid cancers has yet to be established. This study explored the therapeutic potential and immunologic mechanisms of IL7/CCL19-producing CAR-T therapy in preclinical solid cancer models of glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. We found that IL7/CCL19-producing CAR-T cells generated from the patient's PBMC showed potent therapeutic effects against the solid cancer model established by inoculating organoids from the autologous tumor tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Ohta
- Department of ImmunologyYamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
- Department of Gastroenterological, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
| | - Yukimi Sakoda
- Department of ImmunologyYamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
| | - Keishi Adachi
- Department of ImmunologyYamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
| | - Taro Shinozaki
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo.
| | - Masao Nakajima
- Department of Gastroenterological, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
| | - Hiroyuki Yasuda
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo.
| | - Hiroaki Nagano
- Department of Gastroenterological, Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
| | - Koji Tamada
- Department of ImmunologyYamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
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Testa U, Castelli G, Pelosi E. CAR-T Cells in the Treatment of Nervous System Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2913. [PMID: 39199683 PMCID: PMC11352247 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2024] [Revised: 08/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-Ts) have shown a remarkable efficacy in hematological malignancies but limited responses in solid tumors. Among solid tumors, CAR-T cell therapy has been particularly explored in brain tumors. CAR-T cells have shown a limited clinical efficacy in various types of brain tumors due to several factors that have hampered their activity, including tumor antigen heterogeneity, the limited access of CAR-T cells to brain tumor cells, limited CAR-T cell trafficking and in vivo persistence and the presence of a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Despite these considerations, some recent studies have shown promising antitumor activity of GD2-CAR-T cells on diffuse midline gliomas and neuroblastomas and of CARv3-TEAM-E cells in glioblastomas. However, strategies are required to improve the effect of CAR-T cells in brain tumors, including advanced CAR-T cell design with multiple antigenic targeting and incorporation of combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Testa
- Department of Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.C.); (E.P.)
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Wittling MC, Cole AC, Brammer B, Diatikar KG, Schmitt NC, Paulos CM. Strategies for Improving CAR T Cell Persistence in Solid Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2858. [PMID: 39199630 PMCID: PMC11352972 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162858] [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: 07/02/2024] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
CAR T cells require optimization to be effective in patients with solid tumors. There are many barriers affecting their ability to succeed. One barrier is persistence, as to achieve an optimal antitumor response, infused CAR T cells must engraft and persist. This singular variable is impacted by a multitude of factors-the CAR T cell design, lymphodepletion regimen used, expansion method to generate the T cell product, and more. Additionally, external agents can be utilized to augment CAR T cells, such as the addition of novel cytokines, pharmaceutical drugs that bolster memory formation, or other agents during either the ex vivo expansion process or after CAR T cell infusion to support them in the oppressive tumor microenvironment. This review highlights many strategies being used to optimize T cell persistence as well as future directions for improving the persistence of infused cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megen C. Wittling
- Department of Surgery/Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Anna C. Cole
- Department of Surgery/Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Brianna Brammer
- School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Kailey G. Diatikar
- Department of Surgery/Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Nicole C. Schmitt
- Department of Otolaryngology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Chrystal M. Paulos
- Department of Surgery/Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Martins P, D’Souza RCJ, Skarne N, Lekieffre L, Horsefield S, Ranjankumar M, Li X, Le TT, Smith F, Smith C, Burrows J, Day BW, Khanna R. EphA3 CAR T cells are effective against glioblastoma in preclinical models. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e009403. [PMID: 39111832 PMCID: PMC11308892 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2024-009403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoptive T-cell therapy targeting antigens expressed in glioblastoma has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent or delay recurrence and prolong overall survival in this aggressive disease setting. Ephrin receptor A3 (EphA3), which is highly expressed in glioblastoma; in particular, on the tumor vasculature and brain cancer stem cells, is an ideal target for immune-based therapies. METHODS We have designed an EphA3-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) using the single chain variable fragment of a novel monoclonal antibody, and assessed its therapeutic potential against EphA3-expressing patient-derived glioblastoma neurospheres, organoids and xenografted glioblastoma tumors in immunodeficient mice. RESULTS In vitro expanded EphA3 CAR T cells from healthy individuals efficiently recognize and kill EphA3-positive glioblastoma cells in vitro. Furthermore, these effector cells demonstrated curative efficacy in an orthotopic xenograft model of glioblastoma. EphA3 CAR T cells were equally effective in targeting patient-derived neurospheres and infiltrate, disaggregate, and induce apoptosis in glioblastoma-derived organoids. CONCLUSIONS This study provides compelling evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of EphA3 CAR T-cell therapy against glioblastoma by targeting EphA3 associated with brain cancer stem cells and the tumor vasculature. The ability to target patient-derived glioblastoma underscores the translational significance of this EphA3 CAR T-cell therapy in the pursuit of effective and targeted glioblastoma treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Martins
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Niclas Skarne
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lea Lekieffre
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shane Horsefield
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Xiang Li
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thuy T Le
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Fiona Smith
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Corey Smith
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jacqueline Burrows
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bryan W Day
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- Sid Faithfull Brain Cancer Laboratory, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rajiv Khanna
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia
- The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Li N, Rodriguez JL, Yin Y, Logun MT, Zhang L, Yu S, Hicks KA, Zhang JV, Zhang L, Xie C, Wang J, Wang T, Xu J, Fraietta JA, Binder ZA, Lin Z, O'Rourke DM. Armored bicistronic CAR T cells with dominant-negative TGF-β receptor II to overcome resistance in glioblastoma. Mol Ther 2024:S1525-0016(24)00476-3. [PMID: 39086131 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have shown significant efficacy in hematological diseases. However, CAR T therapy has demonstrated limited efficacy in solid tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). One of the most important reasons is the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which promotes tumor growth and suppresses immune cells used to eliminate tumor cells. The human transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) plays a crucial role in forming the suppressive GBM TME and driving the suppression of the anti-GBM response. To mitigate TGF-β-mediated suppressive activity, we combined a dominant-negative TGF-β receptor II (dnTGFβRII) with our previous bicistronic CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2 construct, currently being evaluated in a clinical trial, to generate CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2-dnTGFβRII, a tri-modular construct we are developing for clinical application. We hypothesized that this approach would more effectively subvert resistance mechanisms observed with GBM. Our data suggest that CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2-dnTGFβRII significantly augments T cell proliferation, enhances functional responses, and improves the fitness of bystander cells, particularly by decreasing the TGF-β concentration in a TGF-β-rich TME. In addition, in vivo studies validate the safety and efficacy of the dnTGFβRII cooperating with CARs in targeting and eradicating GBM in an NSG mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nannan Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China; Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jesse L Rodriguez
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yibo Yin
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China; Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Meghan T Logun
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Logan Zhang
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shengkun Yu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211800, China
| | - Kelly A Hicks
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jiasi Vicky Zhang
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Laura Zhang
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Chuncheng Xie
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Jiabin Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Tianyu Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Jiayi Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Joseph A Fraietta
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Zev A Binder
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Zhiguo Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Donald M O'Rourke
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Ren Y, Bao X, Feng M, Xing B, Lian W, Yao Y, Wang R. CD87-targeted BiTE and CAR-T cells potently inhibit invasive nonfunctional pituitary adenomas. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024:10.1007/s11427-024-2591-7. [PMID: 38987430 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-024-2591-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Recently, bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) and chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells (CAR-Ts) have been shown to have high therapeutic efficacy in hematological tumors. CD87 is highly expressed in solid tumors with an oncogenic function. To assess their cytotoxic effects on invasive nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (iNFPAs), we first examined CD87 expression and its effects on the metabolism of iNFPA cells. We generated CD87-specific BiTE and CAR/IL-12 T cells, and their cytotoxic effects on iNFPAs cells and in mouse models were determined. CD87 had high expression in iNFPA tissue and cell samples but was undetected in noncancerous brain samples. CD87×CD3 BiTE and CD87 CAR/IL-12 T-cells showed antigenic specificity and exerted satisfactory cytotoxic effects, decreasing tumor cell proliferation in vitro and reducing existing tumors in experimental mice. Overall, the above findings suggest that CD87 is a promising target for the immunotherapeutic management of iNFPAs using anti-CD87 BiTE and CD87-specific CAR/IL-12 T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Ren
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Xinjie Bao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Ming Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Bing Xing
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Wei Lian
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Yong Yao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Renzhi Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
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Yu W, Truong NTH, Polara R, Gargett T, Tea MN, Pitson SM, Cockshell MP, Bonder CS, Ebert LM, Brown MP. Endogenous bystander killing mechanisms enhance the activity of novel FAP-specific CAR-T cells against glioblastoma. Clin Transl Immunology 2024; 13:e1519. [PMID: 38975278 PMCID: PMC11225608 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives CAR-T cells are being investigated as a novel immunotherapy for glioblastoma, but clinical success has been limited. We recently described fibroblast activation protein (FAP) as an ideal target antigen for glioblastoma immunotherapy, with expression on both tumor cells and tumor blood vessels. However, CAR-T cells targeting FAP have never been investigated as a therapy for glioblastoma. Methods We generated a novel FAP targeting CAR with CD3ζ and CD28 signalling domains and tested the resulting CAR-T cells for their lytic activity and cytokine secretion function in vitro (using real-time impedance, flow cytometry, imaging and bead-based cytokine assays), and in vivo (using a xenograft mimicking the natural heterogeneity of human glioblastoma). Results FAP-CAR-T cells exhibited target specificity against model cell lines and potent cytotoxicity against patient-derived glioma neural stem cells, even when only a subpopulation expressed FAP, indicating a bystander killing mechanism. Using co-culture assays, we confirmed FAP-CAR-T cells mediate bystander killing of antigen-negative tumor cells, but only after activation by FAP-positive target cells. This bystander killing was at least partially mediated by soluble factors and amplified by IL-2 which activated the non-transduced fraction of the CAR-T product. Finally, a low dose of intravenously administered FAP-CAR-T cells controlled, without overt toxicity, the growth of subcutaneous tumors created using a mixture of antigen-negative and antigen-positive glioblastoma cells. Conclusions Our findings advance FAP as a leading candidate for clinical CAR-T therapy of glioblastoma and highlight under-recognised antigen nonspecific mechanisms that may contribute meaningfully to the antitumor activity of CAR-T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Yu
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
- Cancer Clinical Trials UnitRoyal Adelaide HospitalAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Nga TH Truong
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
- Cancer Clinical Trials UnitRoyal Adelaide HospitalAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Ruhi Polara
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Tessa Gargett
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
- Cancer Clinical Trials UnitRoyal Adelaide HospitalAdelaideSAAustralia
- Adelaide Medical SchoolThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Melinda N Tea
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Stuart M Pitson
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
- Adelaide Medical SchoolThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Michaelia P Cockshell
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Claudine S Bonder
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
- Adelaide Medical SchoolThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Lisa M Ebert
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
- Cancer Clinical Trials UnitRoyal Adelaide HospitalAdelaideSAAustralia
- Adelaide Medical SchoolThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Michael P Brown
- Centre for Cancer BiologySA Pathology and University of South AustraliaAdelaideSAAustralia
- Cancer Clinical Trials UnitRoyal Adelaide HospitalAdelaideSAAustralia
- Adelaide Medical SchoolThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
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10
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Stergiopoulos GM, Concilio SC, Galanis E. An Update on the Clinical Status, Challenges, and Future Directions of Oncolytic Virotherapy for Malignant Gliomas. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2024; 25:952-991. [PMID: 38896326 DOI: 10.1007/s11864-024-01211-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT Malignant gliomas are common central nervous system tumors that pose a significant clinical challenge due to the lack of effective treatments. Glioblastoma (GBM), a grade 4 malignant glioma, is the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumor and is associated with poor prognosis. Current clinical trials are exploring various strategies to combat GBM, with oncolytic viruses (OVs) appearing particularly promising. In addition to ongoing and recently completed clinical trials, one OV (Teserpaturev, Delytact®) received provisional approval for GBM treatment in Japan. OVs are designed to selectively target and eliminate cancer cells while promoting changes in the tumor microenvironment that can trigger and support long-lasting anti-tumor immunity. OVs offer the potential to remodel the tumor microenvironment and reverse systemic immune exhaustion. Additionally, an increasing number of OVs are armed with immunomodulatory payloads or combined with immunotherapy approaches in an effort to promote anti-tumor responses in a tumor-targeted manner. Recently completed oncolytic virotherapy trials can guide the way for future treatment individualization through patient preselection, enhancing the likelihood of achieving the highest possible clinical success. These trials also offer valuable insight into the numerous challenges inherent in malignant glioma treatment, some of which OVs can help overcome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Evanthia Galanis
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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11
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Agosti E, Garaba A, Antonietti S, Ius T, Fontanella MM, Zeppieri M, Panciani PP. CAR-T Cells Therapy in Glioblastoma: A Systematic Review on Molecular Targets and Treatment Strategies. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7174. [PMID: 39000281 PMCID: PMC11241811 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The most common primary brain tumor is glioblastoma (GBM), yet the current therapeutic options for this disease are not promising. Although immunotherapeutic techniques have shown poor success in GBM thus far despite efforts, new developments provide optimism. One of these developments is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell treatment, which includes removing and genetically modifying autologous T cells to produce a receptor that targets a GBM antigen before reintroducing the cells into the patient's body. A number of preclinical studies have produced encouraging results, which have led to the start of clinical trials assessing these CAR-T cell treatments for GBM and other brain tumors. Although results in tumors such as diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas and lymphomas have been promising, preliminary findings in GBM have not produced any clinical benefits. The paucity of particular antigens in GBM, their inconsistent expression patterns, and the possible immunoediting-induced loss of these antigens after antigen-targeted therapy are some possible causes for this discrepancy. The goal of this systematic literature review is to assess potential approaches for creating CAR-T cells that are more effective for this indication, as well as the clinical experiences that are already being had with CAR-T cell therapy in GBM. Up until 9 May 2024, a thorough search was carried out across the three main medical databases: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Relevant Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms and keywords associated with "glioblastoma", "CAR-T", "T cell therapy", "overall survival", and "progression free survival" were employed in the search approach. Preclinical and clinical research on the application of CAR-T cells as a therapeutic approach for GBM are included in the review. A total of 838 papers were identified. Of these, 379 articles were assessed for eligibility, resulting in 8 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. The included studies were conducted between 2015 and 2023, with a total of 151 patients enrolled. The studies varied in CAR-T cell types. EGFRvIII CAR-T cells were the most frequently investigated, used in three studies (37.5%). Intravenous delivery was the most common method of delivery (62.5%). Median OS ranged from 5.5 to 11.1 months across the studies. PFS was reported in only two studies, with values of 7.5 months and 1.3 months. This systematic review highlights the evolving research on CAR-T cell therapy for GBM, emphasizing its potential despite challenges. Targeting antigens like EGFRvIII and IL13Rα2 shows promise in treating recurrent GBM. However, issues such as antigen escape, tumor heterogeneity, and immunosuppression require further optimization. Innovative delivery methods, combination therapies, and personalized approaches are crucial for enhancing CAR-T cell efficacy. Ongoing research is essential to refine these therapies and improve outcomes for GBM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Agosti
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Alexandru Garaba
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Sara Antonietti
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Tamara Ius
- Neurosurgery Unit, Head-Neck and NeuroScience Department, University Hospital of Udine, p.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Marco Maria Fontanella
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Marco Zeppieri
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, p.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Panciani
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
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12
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Weller J, Potthoff AL, Zeyen T, Schaub C, Duffy C, Schneider M, Herrlinger U. Current status of precision oncology in adult glioblastoma. Mol Oncol 2024. [PMID: 38899374 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The concept of precision oncology, the application of targeted drugs based on comprehensive molecular profiling, has revolutionized treatment strategies in oncology. This review summarizes the current status of precision oncology in glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults with a median survival below 2 years. Targeted treatments without prior target verification have consistently failed. Patients with BRAF V600E-mutated GBM benefit from BRAF/MEK-inhibition, whereas targeting EGFR alterations was unsuccessful due to poor tumor penetration, tumor cell heterogeneity, and pathway redundancies. Systematic screening for actionable molecular alterations resulted in low rates (< 10%) of targeted treatments. Efficacy was observed in one-third and currently appears to be limited to BRAF-, VEGFR-, and mTOR-directed treatments. Advancing precision oncology for GBM requires consideration of pathways instead of single alterations, new trial concepts enabling rapid and adaptive drug evaluation, a focus on drugs with sufficient bioavailability in the CNS, and the extension of target discovery and validation to the tumor microenvironment, tumor cell networks, and their interaction with immune cells and neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Weller
- Department of Neurooncology, Center for Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Zeyen
- Department of Neurooncology, Center for Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Christina Schaub
- Department of Neurooncology, Center for Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Cathrina Duffy
- Department of Neurooncology, Center for Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Ulrich Herrlinger
- Department of Neurooncology, Center for Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
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13
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Luce A, Abate M, Scognamiglio G, Montella M, Iervolino D, Campione S, Di Mauro A, Sepe O, Gigantino V, Tathode MS, Ferrara G, Monaco R, De Dominicis G, Misso G, Gentile V, Franco R, Zappavigna S, Caraglia M. Immune cell infiltration and inflammatory landscape in primary brain tumours. J Transl Med 2024; 22:521. [PMID: 38816839 PMCID: PMC11140972 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05309-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Primary malignant brain tumours are more than one-third of all brain tumours and despite the molecular investigation to identify cancer driver mutations, the current therapeutic options available are challenging due to high intratumour heterogeneity. In addition, an immunosuppressive and inflammatory tumour microenvironment strengthens cancer progression. Therefore, we defined an immune and inflammatory profiling of meningioma and glial tumours to elucidate the role of the immune infiltration in these cancer types. METHODS Using tissue microarrays of 158 brain tumour samples, we assessed CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD138, Granzyme B (GzmB), 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX), Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1), O-6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT) and Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC results were correlated using a Spearman correlation matrix. Transcript expression, correlation, and overall survival (OS) analyses were evaluated using public datasets available on GEPIA2 in Glioblastoma (GBM) and Lower Grade Glioma (LGG) cohorts. RESULTS Seven out of ten markers showed a significantly different IHC expression in at least one of the evaluated cohorts whereas CD3, CD4 and 5-LOX were differentially expressed between GBMs and astrocytomas. Correlation matrix analysis revealed that 5-LOX and GzmB expression were associated in both meningiomas and GBMs, whereas 5-LOX expression was significantly and positively correlated to TG2 in both meningioma and astrocytoma cohorts. These findings were confirmed with the correlation analysis of TCGA-GBM and LGG datasets. Profiling of mRNA levels indicated a significant increase in CD3 (CD3D, CD3E), and CD138 (SDC1) expression in GBM compared to control tissues. CD4 and 5-LOX (ALOX5) mRNA levels were significantly more expressed in tumour samples than in normal tissues in both GBM and LGG. In GBM cohort, GzmB (GZMB), SDC1 and MGMT gene expression predicted a poor overall survival (OS). Moreover, in LGG cohort, an increased expression of CD3 (CD3D, CD3E, CD3G), CD8 (CD8A), GZMB, CD20 (MS4A1), SDC1, PD-L1, ALOX5, and TG2 (TGM2) genes was associated with worse OS. CONCLUSIONS Our data have revealed that there is a positive and significant correlation between the expression of 5-LOX and GzmB, both at RNA and protein level. Further evaluation is needed to understand the interplay of 5-LOX and immune infiltration in glioma progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Luce
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio, 7, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - Marianna Abate
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio, 7, 80138, Naples, Italy
- Laboratory of Precision and Molecular Oncology, Biogem Scarl, Institute of Genetic Research, 83031, Ariano Irpino, Italy
| | - Giosuè Scognamiglio
- Pathological Anatomy and Cytopathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Montella
- Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Pathology Unit, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - Domenico Iervolino
- Pathological Anatomy and Cytopathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Severo Campione
- Department of Advanced Technology, Pathology Unit, Cardarelli Hospital, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Annabella Di Mauro
- Pathological Anatomy and Cytopathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Orlando Sepe
- Pathological Anatomy and Cytopathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Gigantino
- Pathological Anatomy and Cytopathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Madhura S Tathode
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio, 7, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - Gerardo Ferrara
- Pathological Anatomy and Cytopathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Roberto Monaco
- Department of Advanced Technology, Pathology Unit, Cardarelli Hospital, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Gianfranco De Dominicis
- Department of Advanced Technology, Pathology Unit, Cardarelli Hospital, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Gabriella Misso
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio, 7, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - Vittorio Gentile
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio, 7, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - Renato Franco
- Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Pathology Unit, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - Silvia Zappavigna
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio, 7, 80138, Naples, Italy.
| | - Michele Caraglia
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio, 7, 80138, Naples, Italy
- Laboratory of Precision and Molecular Oncology, Biogem Scarl, Institute of Genetic Research, 83031, Ariano Irpino, Italy
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14
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Nishimura CD, Corrigan D, Zheng XY, Galbo PM, Wang S, Liu Y, Wei Y, Suo L, Cui W, Mercado N, Zheng D, Zhang CC, Zang X. TOP CAR with TMIGD2 as a safe and effective costimulatory domain in CAR cells treating human solid tumors. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk1857. [PMID: 38718110 PMCID: PMC11078193 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk1857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy shows impressive efficacy treating hematologic malignancies but requires further optimization in solid tumors. Here, we developed a TMIGD2 optimized potent/persistent (TOP) CAR that incorporated the costimulatory domain of TMIGD2, a T and NK cell costimulator, and monoclonal antibodies targeting the IgV domain of B7-H3, an immune checkpoint expressed on solid tumors and tumor vasculature. Comparing second- and third-generation B7-H3 CARs containing TMIGD2, CD28, and/or 4-1BB costimulatory domains revealed superior antitumor responses in B7-H3.TMIGD2 and B7-H3.CD28.4-1BB CAR-T cells in vitro. Comparing these two constructs using in vivo orthotopic human cancer models demonstrated that B7-H3.TMIGD2 CAR-T cells had equivalent or superior antitumor activity, survival, expansion, and persistence. Mechanistically, B7-H3.TMIGD2 CAR-T cells maintained mitochondrial metabolism; produced less cytokines; and established fewer exhausted cells, more central memory cells, and a larger CD8/CD4 T cell ratio. These studies demonstrate that the TOP CAR with TMIGD2 costimulation offered distinct benefits from CD28.41BB costimulation and is effective against solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Nishimura
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Institute for Immunotherapy of Cancer, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Devin Corrigan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Institute for Immunotherapy of Cancer, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Xiang Yu Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Phillip M. Galbo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Shan Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Yao Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Yao Wei
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Linna Suo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Wei Cui
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Nadia Mercado
- Department of Biostatistics, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Cheng Cheng Zhang
- Department of Physiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Xingxing Zang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Institute for Immunotherapy of Cancer, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Urology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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15
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Lin H, Liu C, Hu A, Zhang D, Yang H, Mao Y. Understanding the immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioma: mechanistic insights and clinical perspectives. J Hematol Oncol 2024; 17:31. [PMID: 38720342 PMCID: PMC11077829 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-024-01544-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM), the predominant and primary malignant intracranial tumor, poses a formidable challenge due to its immunosuppressive microenvironment, thereby confounding conventional therapeutic interventions. Despite the established treatment regimen comprising surgical intervention, radiotherapy, temozolomide administration, and the exploration of emerging modalities such as immunotherapy and integration of medicine and engineering technology therapy, the efficacy of these approaches remains constrained, resulting in suboptimal prognostic outcomes. In recent years, intensive scrutiny of the inhibitory and immunosuppressive milieu within GBM has underscored the significance of cellular constituents of the GBM microenvironment and their interactions with malignant cells and neurons. Novel immune and targeted therapy strategies have emerged, offering promising avenues for advancing GBM treatment. One pivotal mechanism orchestrating immunosuppression in GBM involves the aggregation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), glioma-associated macrophage/microglia (GAM), and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Among these, MDSCs, though constituting a minority (4-8%) of CD45+ cells in GBM, play a central component in fostering immune evasion and propelling tumor progression, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. MDSCs deploy intricate immunosuppressive mechanisms that adapt to the dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME). Understanding the interplay between GBM and MDSCs provides a compelling basis for therapeutic interventions. This review seeks to elucidate the immune regulatory mechanisms inherent in the GBM microenvironment, explore existing therapeutic targets, and consolidate recent insights into MDSC induction and their contribution to GBM immunosuppression. Additionally, the review comprehensively surveys ongoing clinical trials and potential treatment strategies, envisioning a future where targeting MDSCs could reshape the immune landscape of GBM. Through the synergistic integration of immunotherapy with other therapeutic modalities, this approach can establish a multidisciplinary, multi-target paradigm, ultimately improving the prognosis and quality of life in patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chaxian Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ankang Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Duanwu Zhang
- Children's Hospital of Fudan University, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hui Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Institute for Translational Brain Research, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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16
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Wang AF, Hsueh B, Choi BD, Gerstner ER, Dunn GP. Immunotherapy for Brain Tumors: Where We Have Been, and Where Do We Go From Here? Curr Treat Options Oncol 2024; 25:628-643. [PMID: 38649630 DOI: 10.1007/s11864-024-01200-9] [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] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT Immunotherapy for glioblastoma (GBM) remains an intensive area of investigation. Given the seismic impact of cancer immunotherapy across a range of malignancies, there is optimism that harnessing the power of immunity will influence GBM as well. However, despite several phase 3 studies, there are still no FDA-approved immunotherapies for GBM. Importantly, the field has learned a great deal from the randomized studies to date. Today, we are continuing to better understand the disease-specific features of the microenvironment in GBM-as well as the exploitable antigenic characteristic of the tumor cells themselves-that are informing the next generation of immune-based therapeutic strategies. The coming phase of next-generation immunotherapies is thus poised to bring us closer to treatments that will improve the lives of patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander F Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Brian Hsueh
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Bryan D Choi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Brain Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Gerstner
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Stephen E. and Catherine Pappas Center for Neuro-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
- Brain Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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17
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Valerius AR, Webb LM, Sener U. Novel Clinical Trials and Approaches in the Management of Glioblastoma. Curr Oncol Rep 2024; 26:439-465. [PMID: 38546941 DOI: 10.1007/s11912-024-01519-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The purpose of this review is to discuss a wide variety of novel therapies recently studied or actively undergoing study in patients with glioblastoma. This review also discusses current and future strategies for improving clinical trial design in patients with glioblastoma to maximize efficacy in discovering effective treatments. RECENT FINDINGS Over the years, there has been significant expansion in therapy modalities studied in patients with glioblastoma. These therapies include, but are not limited to, targeted molecular therapies, DNA repair pathway targeted therapies, immunotherapies, vaccine therapies, and surgically targeted radiotherapies. Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults and unfortunately remains with poor overall survival following the current standard of care. Given the dismal prognosis, significant clinical and research efforts are ongoing with the goal of improving patient outcomes and enhancing quality and quantity of life utilizing a wide variety of novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren M Webb
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Ugur Sener
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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18
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Narsinh KH, Perez E, Haddad AF, Young JS, Savastano L, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Winkler E, de Groot J. Strategies to Improve Drug Delivery Across the Blood-Brain Barrier for Glioblastoma. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2024; 24:123-139. [PMID: 38578405 PMCID: PMC11016125 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-024-01338-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Glioblastoma remains resistant to most conventional treatments. Despite scientific advances in the past three decades, there has been a dearth of effective new treatments. New approaches to drug delivery and clinical trial design are needed. RECENT FINDINGS We discuss how the blood-brain barrier and tumor microenvironment pose challenges for development of effective therapies for glioblastoma. Next, we discuss treatments in development that aim to overcome these barriers, including novel drug designs such as nanoparticles and antibody-drug conjugates, novel methods of drug delivery, including convection-enhanced and intra-arterial delivery, and novel methods to enhance drug penetration, such as blood-brain barrier disruption by focused ultrasound and laser interstitial thermal therapy. Lastly, we address future opportunities, positing combination therapy as the best strategy for effective treatment, neoadjuvant and window-of-opportunity approaches to simultaneously enhance therapeutic effectiveness with interrogation of on-treatment biologic endpoints, and adaptive platform and basket trials as imperative for future trial design. New approaches to GBM treatment should account for the blood-brain barrier and immunosuppression by improving drug delivery, combining treatments, and integrating novel clinical trial designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazim H Narsinh
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Edgar Perez
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alexander F Haddad
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jacob S Young
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Luis Savastano
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Javier E Villanueva-Meyer
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ethan Winkler
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - John de Groot
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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19
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Bagley SJ, Logun M, Fraietta JA, Wang X, Desai AS, Bagley LJ, Nabavizadeh A, Jarocha D, Martins R, Maloney E, Lledo L, Stein C, Marshall A, Leskowitz R, Jadlowsky JK, Christensen S, Oner BS, Plesa G, Brennan A, Gonzalez V, Chen F, Sun Y, Gladney W, Barrett D, Nasrallah MP, Hwang WT, Ming GL, Song H, Siegel DL, June CH, Hexner EO, Binder ZA, O'Rourke DM. Intrathecal bivalent CAR T cells targeting EGFR and IL13Rα2 in recurrent glioblastoma: phase 1 trial interim results. Nat Med 2024; 30:1320-1329. [PMID: 38480922 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02893-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) remains a major unmet medical need, with a median overall survival of less than 1 year. Here we report the first six patients with rGBM treated in a phase 1 trial of intrathecally delivered bivalent chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and interleukin-13 receptor alpha 2 (IL13Rα2). The study's primary endpoints were safety and determination of the maximum tolerated dose. Secondary endpoints reported in this interim analysis include the frequency of manufacturing failures and objective radiographic response (ORR) according to modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria. All six patients had progressive, multifocal disease at the time of treatment. In both dose level 1 (1 ×107 cells; n = 3) and dose level 2 (2.5 × 107 cells; n = 3), administration of CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2 cells was associated with early-onset neurotoxicity, most consistent with immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), and managed with high-dose dexamethasone and anakinra (anti-IL1R). One patient in dose level 2 experienced a dose-limiting toxicity (grade 3 anorexia, generalized muscle weakness and fatigue). Reductions in enhancement and tumor size at early magnetic resonance imaging timepoints were observed in all six patients; however, none met criteria for ORR. In exploratory endpoint analyses, substantial CAR T cell abundance and cytokine release in the cerebrospinal fluid were detected in all six patients. Taken together, these first-in-human data demonstrate the preliminary safety and bioactivity of CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2 cells in rGBM. An encouraging early efficacy signal was also detected and requires confirmation with additional patients and longer follow-up time. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05168423 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Bagley
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Meghan Logun
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joseph A Fraietta
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Arati S Desai
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Linda J Bagley
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ali Nabavizadeh
- Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Danuta Jarocha
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rene Martins
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Eileen Maloney
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lester Lledo
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Carly Stein
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Amy Marshall
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rachel Leskowitz
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Julie K Jadlowsky
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shannon Christensen
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Bike Su Oner
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gabriela Plesa
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrea Brennan
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Vanessa Gonzalez
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fang Chen
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yusha Sun
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - David Barrett
- Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, Santa Monica, CA, USA
| | - MacLean P Nasrallah
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Wei-Ting Hwang
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Guo-Li Ming
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hongjun Song
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Donald L Siegel
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Carl H June
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Elizabeth O Hexner
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zev A Binder
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Donald M O'Rourke
- Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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20
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Zhu N, Chen S, Jin Y, Wang M, Fang L, Xue L, Hua D, Zhang Z, Jia M, Hao M, Zhang C. Enhancing Glioblastoma Immunotherapy with Integrated Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells through the Re-Education of Tumor-Associated Microglia and Macrophages. ACS NANO 2024; 18:11165-11182. [PMID: 38626338 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain cancer that is highly resistant to treatment including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells. Tumor-associated microglia and macrophages (TAMs) are major contributors to the immunosuppressive GBM microenvironment, which promotes tumor progression and treatment resistance. Hence, the modulation of TAMs is a promising strategy for improving the immunotherapeutic efficacy of CAR-T cells against GBM. Molecularly targeting drug pexidartinib (PLX) has been reported to re-educate TAMs toward the antitumorigenic M1-like phenotype. Here, we developed a cell-drug integrated technology to reversibly conjugate PLX-containing liposomes (PLX-Lip) to CAR-T cells and establish tumor-responsive integrated CAR-T cells (PLX-Lip/AZO-T cells) as a combination therapy for GBM. We used a mouse model of GBM to show that PLX-Lip was stably maintained on the surface of PLX-Lip/AZO-T cells in circulation and these cells could transmigrate across the blood-brain barrier and deposit PLX-Lip at the tumor site. The uptake of PLX-Lip by TAMs effectively re-educated them into the M1-like phenotype, which in turn boosted the antitumor function of CAR-T cells. GBM tumor growth was completely eradicated in 60% of the mice after receiving PLX-Lip/AZO-T cells and extended their overall survival time beyond 50 days; in comparison, the median survival time of mice in other treatment groups did not exceed 35 days. Overall, we demonstrated the successful fusion of CAR-T cells and small-molecule drugs with the cell-drug integrated technology. These integrated CAR-T cells provided a superior combination strategy for GBM treatment and presented a reference for the construction of integrated cell-based drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nianci Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Sijia Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Yu Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Meng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Luyao Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Lingjing Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Dexiang Hua
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Ziyao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Meng Jia
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Meixi Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
| | - Can Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
- Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China
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21
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Sotirov S, Dimitrov I. Tumor-Derived Antigenic Peptides as Potential Cancer Vaccines. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4934. [PMID: 38732150 PMCID: PMC11084719 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptide antigens derived from tumors have been observed to elicit protective immune responses, categorized as either tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) or tumor-specific antigens (TSAs). Subunit cancer vaccines incorporating these antigens have shown promise in inducing protective immune responses, leading to cancer prevention or eradication. Over recent years, peptide-based cancer vaccines have gained popularity as a treatment modality and are often combined with other forms of cancer therapy. Several clinical trials have explored the safety and efficacy of peptide-based cancer vaccines, with promising outcomes. Advancements in techniques such as whole-exome sequencing, next-generation sequencing, and in silico methods have facilitated the identification of antigens, making it increasingly feasible. Furthermore, the development of novel delivery methods and a deeper understanding of tumor immune evasion mechanisms have heightened the interest in these vaccines among researchers. This article provides an overview of novel insights regarding advancements in the field of peptide-based vaccines as a promising therapeutic avenue for cancer treatment. It summarizes existing computational methods for tumor neoantigen prediction, ongoing clinical trials involving peptide-based cancer vaccines, and recent studies on human vaccination experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivan Dimitrov
- Drug Design and Bioinformatics Lab, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, 2, Dunav Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria;
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22
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Montoya M, Gallus M, Phyu S, Haegelin J, de Groot J, Okada H. A Roadmap of CAR-T-Cell Therapy in Glioblastoma: Challenges and Future Perspectives. Cells 2024; 13:726. [PMID: 38727262 PMCID: PMC11083543 DOI: 10.3390/cells13090726] [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: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, with a median overall survival of less than 2 years and a nearly 100% mortality rate under standard therapy that consists of surgery followed by combined radiochemotherapy. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. The success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in hematological cancers has prompted preclinical and clinical investigations into CAR-T-cell treatment for GBM. However, recent trials have not demonstrated any major success. Here, we delineate existing challenges impeding the effectiveness of CAR-T-cell therapy for GBM, encompassing the cold (immunosuppressive) microenvironment, tumor heterogeneity, T-cell exhaustion, local and systemic immunosuppression, and the immune privilege inherent to the central nervous system (CNS) parenchyma. Additionally, we deliberate on the progress made in developing next-generation CAR-T cells and novel innovative approaches, such as low-intensity pulsed focused ultrasound, aimed at surmounting current roadblocks in GBM CAR-T-cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Montoya
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Marco Gallus
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Su Phyu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jeffrey Haegelin
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - John de Groot
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Hideho Okada
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94129, USA
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23
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Yi SY, Wei MZ, Zhao L. Targeted immunotherapy to cancer stem cells: A novel strategy of anticancer immunotherapy. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2024; 196:104313. [PMID: 38428702 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a major disease that endangers human health. Cancer drug resistance and relapse are the two main causes contributing to cancer treatment failure. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small fraction of tumor cells that are responsible for tumorigenesis, metastasis, relapse, and resistance to conventional anticancer therapies. Therefore, CSCs are considered to be the root of cancer recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance. Novel anticancer strategies need to face this new challenge and explore their efficacy against CSCs. Recently, immunotherapy has made rapid advances in cancer treatment, and its potential against CSCs is also an interesting area of research. Meanwhile, immunotherapy strategies are novel therapeutic modalities with promising results in targeting CSCs. In this review, we summarize the targeting of CSCs by various immunotherapy strategies such as monoclonal antibodies(mAb), tumor vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and chimeric antigen receptor-T cells(CAR-T) in pre-clinical and clinical studies. This review provides new insights into the application of these immunotherapeutic approaches to potential anti-tumor therapies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Yong Yi
- Department of Oncology of the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zheng Zhou, Henan Province 450007, China.
| | - Mei-Zhuo Wei
- Department of Oncology of the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zheng Zhou, Henan Province 450007, China
| | - Ling Zhao
- Department of Oncology of the Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zheng Zhou, Henan Province 450007, China.
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24
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Brown CE, Hibbard JC, Alizadeh D, Blanchard MS, Natri HM, Wang D, Ostberg JR, Aguilar B, Wagner JR, Paul JA, Starr R, Wong RA, Chen W, Shulkin N, Aftabizadeh M, Filippov A, Chaudhry A, Ressler JA, Kilpatrick J, Myers-McNamara P, Chen M, Wang LD, Rockne RC, Georges J, Portnow J, Barish ME, D'Apuzzo M, Banovich NE, Forman SJ, Badie B. Locoregional delivery of IL-13Rα2-targeting CAR-T cells in recurrent high-grade glioma: a phase 1 trial. Nat Med 2024; 30:1001-1012. [PMID: 38454126 PMCID: PMC11031404 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02875-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy is an emerging strategy to improve treatment outcomes for recurrent high-grade glioma, a cancer that responds poorly to current therapies. Here we report a completed phase I trial evaluating IL-13Rα2-targeted CAR-T cells in 65 patients with recurrent high-grade glioma, the majority being recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). Primary objectives were safety and feasibility, maximum tolerated dose/maximum feasible dose and a recommended phase 2 dose plan. Secondary objectives included overall survival, disease response, cytokine dynamics and tumor immune contexture biomarkers. This trial evolved to evaluate three routes of locoregional T cell administration (intratumoral (ICT), intraventricular (ICV) and dual ICT/ICV) and two manufacturing platforms, culminating in arm 5, which utilized dual ICT/ICV delivery and an optimized manufacturing process. Locoregional CAR-T cell administration was feasible and well tolerated, and as there were no dose-limiting toxicities across all arms, a maximum tolerated dose was not determined. Probable treatment-related grade 3+ toxicities were one grade 3 encephalopathy and one grade 3 ataxia. A clinical maximum feasible dose of 200 × 106 CAR-T cells per infusion cycle was achieved for arm 5; however, other arms either did not test or achieve this dose due to manufacturing feasibility. A recommended phase 2 dose will be refined in future studies based on data from this trial. Stable disease or better was achieved in 50% (29/58) of patients, with two partial responses, one complete response and a second complete response after additional CAR-T cycles off protocol. For rGBM, median overall survival for all patients was 7.7 months and for arm 5 was 10.2 months. Central nervous system increases in inflammatory cytokines, including IFNγ, CXCL9 and CXCL10, were associated with CAR-T cell administration and bioactivity. Pretreatment intratumoral CD3 T cell levels were positively associated with survival. These findings demonstrate that locoregional IL-13Rα2-targeted CAR-T therapy is safe with promising clinical activity in a subset of patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02208362 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine E Brown
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
| | - Jonathan C Hibbard
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Darya Alizadeh
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - M Suzette Blanchard
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Heini M Natri
- The Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Dongrui Wang
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, and Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Julie R Ostberg
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Brenda Aguilar
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jamie R Wagner
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jinny A Paul
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Renate Starr
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Robyn A Wong
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Wuyang Chen
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Noah Shulkin
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Maryam Aftabizadeh
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Aleksandr Filippov
- Department of Neurosurgery, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Ammar Chaudhry
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Julie A Ressler
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Julie Kilpatrick
- Department of Clinical Research, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Paige Myers-McNamara
- Department of Neurosurgery, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Mike Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Leo D Wang
- Departments of Immuno-Oncology and Pediatrics, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Russell C Rockne
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Joseph Georges
- Department of Neurosurgery, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jana Portnow
- Department of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Michael E Barish
- Department of Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Massimo D'Apuzzo
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | | | - Stephen J Forman
- Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories), City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Behnam Badie
- Department of Neurosurgery, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute and Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
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25
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Kembuan GJ, Kim JY, Maus MV, Jan M. Targeting solid tumor antigens with chimeric receptors: cancer biology meets synthetic immunology. Trends Cancer 2024; 10:312-331. [PMID: 38355356 PMCID: PMC11006585 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a medical breakthrough in the treatment of B cell malignancies. There is intensive focus on developing solid tumor-targeted CAR-T cell therapies. Although clinically approved CAR-T cell therapies target B cell lineage antigens, solid tumor targets include neoantigens and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) with diverse roles in tumor biology. Multiple early-stage clinical trials now report encouraging signs of efficacy for CAR-T cell therapies that target solid tumors. We review the landscape of solid tumor target antigens from the perspective of cancer biology and gene regulation, together with emerging clinical data for CAR-T cells targeting these antigens. We then discuss emerging synthetic biology strategies and their application in the clinical development of novel cellular immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele J Kembuan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joanna Y Kim
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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26
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Salvato I, Marchini A. Immunotherapeutic Strategies for the Treatment of Glioblastoma: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1276. [PMID: 38610954 PMCID: PMC11010873 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16071276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research and the best up-to-date treatments, grade 4 Glioblastoma (GBM) remains uniformly fatal with a patient median overall survival of less than 2 years. Recent advances in immunotherapy have reignited interest in utilizing immunological approaches to fight cancer. However, current immunotherapies have so far not met the anticipated expectations, achieving modest results in their journey from bench to bedside for the treatment of GBM. Understanding the intrinsic features of GBM is of crucial importance for the development of effective antitumoral strategies to improve patient life expectancy and conditions. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the distinctive characteristics of GBM that significantly influence current conventional therapies and immune-based approaches. Moreover, we present an overview of the immunotherapeutic strategies currently undergoing clinical evaluation for GBM treatment, with a specific emphasis on those advancing to phase 3 clinical studies. These encompass immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive T cell therapies, vaccination strategies (i.e., RNA-, DNA-, and peptide-based vaccines), and virus-based approaches. Finally, we explore novel innovative strategies and future prospects in the field of immunotherapy for GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Salvato
- NORLUX Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), L-1210 Luxembourg, Luxembourg;
- Laboratory of Oncolytic Virus Immuno-Therapeutics (LOVIT), Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), L-1210 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM), University of Luxembourg, L-4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Antonio Marchini
- Laboratory of Oncolytic Virus Immuno-Therapeutics (LOVIT), Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), L-1210 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Laboratory of Oncolytic Virus Immuno-Therapeutics, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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27
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Albarrán V, San Román M, Pozas J, Chamorro J, Rosero DI, Guerrero P, Calvo JC, González C, García de Quevedo C, Pérez de Aguado P, Moreno J, Cortés A, Soria A. Adoptive T cell therapy for solid tumors: current landscape and future challenges. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1352805. [PMID: 38550594 PMCID: PMC10972864 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1352805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) comprises different strategies to enhance the activity of T lymphocytes and other effector cells that orchestrate the antitumor immune response, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, T-cell receptor (TCR) gene-modified T cells, and therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The outstanding results of CAR-T cells in some hematologic malignancies have launched the investigation of ACT in patients with refractory solid malignancies. However, certain characteristics of solid tumors, such as their antigenic heterogeneity and immunosuppressive microenvironment, hamper the efficacy of antigen-targeted treatments. Other ACT modalities, such as TIL therapy, have emerged as promising new strategies. TIL therapy has shown safety and promising activity in certain immunogenic cancers, mainly advanced melanoma, with an exciting rationale for its combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, the implementation of TIL therapy in clinical practice is hindered by several biological, logistic, and economic challenges. In this review, we aim to summarize the current knowledge, available clinical results, and potential areas of future research regarding the use of T cell therapy in patients with solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Albarrán
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - María San Román
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Pozas
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Royal Marsden Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jesús Chamorro
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Diana Isabel Rosero
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Guerrero
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Calvo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos González
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Jaime Moreno
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Cortés
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ainara Soria
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
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28
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Thirumalaisamy R, Vasuki S, Sindhu SM, Mothilal TM, Srimathi V, Poornima B, Bhuvaneswari M, Hariharan M. FDA-Approved Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T Cell Therapy for Different Cancers-A Recent Perspective. Mol Biotechnol 2024:10.1007/s12033-024-01090-0. [PMID: 38459361 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-024-01090-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, and their rate of occurence has been increased in recent decades. Current review article, summarizes the novel treatment options Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T (CAR-T) cell therapy for various cancers constitute a major health and development challenge, impacting every aspect of sustainable development quoted by goal 3 good health and well-being of UN sustainable goals. WHO estimates that 70% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) by 2030, LMICs are expected to bear the brunt of the expected 24.1 million new cancer cases per year. This current review article focuses and discussed about CAR-T cell therapy for various cancers against most prevalent non-communicable disease cancer disease stipulated by WHO and UN sustainable goals. Three literature databases Google scholar, Science Direct, PubMed was utilized to search and collect CAR-T cell treatment options for different cancers published articles sources in between January 2000 and December 2023. There were a total of 18,700 papers found, with 48 of them being found to be eligible focusing various cancer treatment by CAR-T cells utilized for the study. Based on the information gathered, CAR-T cell therapy treating different cancers and their merit and its advantages in heal and improve certain cancers was also discussed in this review article with their detailed molecular mechanisms. This article also gives an insight to utilize CAR-T cell treatment protocols for rejuvenating cancer patient from such ruthless cancer disease condition thereby improving life span of cancer patients and eradication of disease in some cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Thirumalaisamy
- Department of Biotechnology, Sona College Arts and Science, Salem (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 636005, India.
| | - S Vasuki
- Department of Biotechnology, Sona College Arts and Science, Salem (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 636005, India
| | - S M Sindhu
- Department of Biotechnology, Sona College Arts and Science, Salem (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 636005, India
- Department of Biotechnology, PSGR Krishnammal College for Women (Autonomous), Coimbatore (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 641004, India
| | - T M Mothilal
- Department of Biotechnology, Sona College Arts and Science, Salem (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 636005, India
| | - V Srimathi
- Department of Biotechnology, Sona College Arts and Science, Salem (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 636005, India
| | - B Poornima
- Department of Biotechnology, Sona College Arts and Science, Salem (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 636005, India
| | - M Bhuvaneswari
- Department of Biotechnology, Sona College Arts and Science, Salem (Dt.), Tamil Nadu, 636005, India
| | - Mohan Hariharan
- Center for Applied Research, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamilnadu, 602105, India
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29
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Wang L, Matsumoto M, Akahori Y, Seo N, Shirakura K, Kato T, Katsumoto Y, Miyahara Y, Shiku H. Preclinical evaluation of a novel CAR-T therapy utilizing a scFv antibody highly specific to MAGE-A4 p230-239/HLA-A∗02:01 complex. Mol Ther 2024; 32:734-748. [PMID: 38243600 PMCID: PMC10928314 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite the revolutionary success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy for hematological malignancies, successful CAR-T therapies for solid tumors remain limited. One major obstacle is the scarcity of tumor-specific cell-surface molecules. One potential solution to overcome this barrier is to utilize antibodies that recognize peptide/major histocompatibility complex (MHCs) in a T cell receptor (TCR)-like fashion, allowing CAR-T cells to recognize intracellular tumor antigens. This study reports a highly specific single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody against the MAGE-A4p230-239/human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A∗02:01 complex (MAGE-A4 pMHC), screened from a human scFv phage display library. Indeed, retroviral vectors encoding CAR, utilizing this scFv antibody as a recognition component, efficiently recognized and lysed MAGA-A4+ tumor cells in an HLA-A∗02:01-restricted manner. Additionally, the adoptive transfer of T cells modified by the CAR-containing glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)-related receptor (GITR) intracellular domain (ICD), but not CD28 or 4-1BB ICD, significantly suppressed the growth of MAGE-A4+ HLA-A∗02:01+ tumors in an immunocompromised mouse model. Of note, a comprehensive analysis revealed that a broad range of amino acid sequences of the MAGE-A4p230-239 peptide were critical for the recognition of MAGE-A4 pMHC by these CAR-T cells, and no cross-reactivity to analogous peptides was observed. Thus, MAGE-A4-targeted CAR-T therapy using this scFv antibody may be a promising and safe treatment for solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linan Wang
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Masahiro Matsumoto
- Tokyo Laboratory 11, R&D Center, Sony Group Corporation, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Yasushi Akahori
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan; Center for Comprehensive Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Naohiro Seo
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Kazuko Shirakura
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Takuma Kato
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Yoichi Katsumoto
- Tokyo Laboratory 11, R&D Center, Sony Group Corporation, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Miyahara
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan; Center for Comprehensive Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan.
| | - Hiroshi Shiku
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan; Center for Comprehensive Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan.
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30
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Dougé A, El Ghazzi N, Lemal R, Rouzaire P. Adoptive T Cell Therapy in Solid Tumors: State-of-the Art, Current Challenges, and Upcoming Improvements. Mol Cancer Ther 2024; 23:272-284. [PMID: 37903371 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-23-0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
In solid tumors, three main complementary approaches of adoptive T-cell therapies were successively developed: tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cells, and high-affinity T-cell receptor engineered T cells. In this review, we summarized rational and main results of these three adoptive T-cell therapies in solid tumors field and gave an overview of encouraging data and their limits. Then, we listed the major remaining challenges (including tumor antigen loss, on-target/off-tumor effect, tumor access difficulties and general/local immunosubversion) and their lines of research. Finally, we gave insight into the ongoing trials in solid tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Dougé
- Medical Oncology Department, University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- EA(UR)7453 CHELTER - Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Nathan El Ghazzi
- Medical Oncology Department, University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Richard Lemal
- EA(UR)7453 CHELTER - Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Histocompatibility and Immunogenetic Department, University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Paul Rouzaire
- EA(UR)7453 CHELTER - Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Histocompatibility and Immunogenetic Department, University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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31
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Ageenko A, Vasileva N, Richter V, Kuligina E. Combination of Oncolytic Virotherapy with Different Antitumor Approaches against Glioblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2042. [PMID: 38396720 PMCID: PMC10889383 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant and aggressive tumors of the central nervous system. Despite the standard therapy consisting of maximal surgical resection and chemo- and radiotherapy, the median survival of patients with this diagnosis is about 15 months. Oncolytic virus therapy is one of the promising areas for the treatment of malignant neoplasms. In this review, we have focused on emphasizing recent achievements in virotherapy, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapeutic schemes to improve survival rate and quality of life among patients with glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa Ageenko
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Ave. 8, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Natalia Vasileva
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Ave. 8, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
- LLC "Oncostar", R&D Department, Ingenernaya Street 23, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Vladimir Richter
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Ave. 8, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Elena Kuligina
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Akad. Lavrentiev Ave. 8, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
- LLC "Oncostar", R&D Department, Ingenernaya Street 23, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
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32
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Zhu C, Ke L, Ao X, Chen Y, Cheng H, Xin H, Xu X, Loh XJ, Li Z, Lyu H, Wang Q, Zhang D, Ping Y, Wu C, Wu YL. Injectable Supramolecular Hydrogels for In Situ Programming of Car-T Cells toward Solid Tumor Immunotherapy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2310078. [PMID: 37947048 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202310078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapy is approved in the treatment of hematological malignancies, but remains far from satisfactory in solid tumor treatment due to inadequate intra-tumor CAR-T cell infiltration. Herein, an injectable supramolecular hydrogel system, based on self-assembly between cationic polymer mPEG-PCL-PEI (PPP) conjugated with T cell targeting anti-CD3e f(ab')2 fragment and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD), is designed to load plasmid CAR (pCAR) with a T cell specific CD2 promoter, which successfully achieves in situ fabrication and effective accumulation of CAR-T cells at the tumor site in humanized mice models. More importantly, due to this tumor microenvironment reprogramming, secretion of cellular inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)) or tumor killer protein granzyme B is significantly promoted, which reverses the immunosuppressive microenvironment and significantly enhances the intra-tumor CAR-T cells and cytotoxic T cells infiltration. To the best of the current knowledge, this is a pioneer report of using injectable supramolecular hydrogel for in situ reprogramming CAR-T cells, which might be beneficial for solid tumor CAR-T immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan Zhu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Lingjie Ke
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Xiang Ao
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Daping Hospital, and Department of Orthopedics, 953 Hospital of PLA Army, Shigatse Branch of Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Ying Chen
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Hongwei Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics and Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Huhu Xin
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Xiang Xu
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Daping Hospital, and Department of Orthopedics, 953 Hospital of PLA Army, Shigatse Branch of Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400042, China
| | - Xian-Jun Loh
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis, #08-03, Singapore, 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Zibiao Li
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis, #08-03, Singapore, 138634, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore, 627833, Republic of Singapore
| | - Haiyan Lyu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiamen Xianyue Hospital, Xiamen, 361012, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Yuan Ping
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Caisheng Wu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Yun-Long Wu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research and State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
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33
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Sahm K, Weiss T. [Immunotherapy against gliomas]. DER NERVENARZT 2024; 95:111-116. [PMID: 38169045 PMCID: PMC10850214 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-023-01590-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gliomas represent the most frequent malignant primary brain tumors in adults. Despite multimodal treatment concepts involving surgery, irradiation and chemotherapy, the prognosis remains poor and they are incurable. Recent insights into the interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system as well as breakthroughs in the results of other cancer types have led to the fact that various immunotherapeutic approaches against gliomas have also been investigated and in some cases specifically developed. OBJECTIVE This article provides an overview of the current status of different immunotherapeutic concepts against gliomas, highlighting the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges. Additionally, it provides an overview of currently ongoing immunotherapeutic clinical trials in Germany and neighboring countries. RESULTS Previous randomized studies on antibodies against programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD1) immune checkpoint inhibition, viral treatment and peptide vaccination targeting the variant III of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRvIII) in glioblastomas were negative with respect to survival benefits. Conversely, other immunotherapeutic approaches, such as multivalent or driver mutation-based vaccinations, cytokine-based therapy and cell therapy, demonstrated a robust scientific foundation, with at least early studies showing promising safety and pharmacodynamic effects on the tumors. DISCUSSION Currently, immunotherapies against gliomas should only be applied within the framework of well-designed clinical studies. There are still many knowledge gaps regarding the mechanisms of action and resistance of various immunotherapies. Accompanying translational research is essential to address these gaps and develop more effective therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Sahm
- Neurologische Klinik, Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim, MCTN, Universität Heidelberg, Mannheim, Deutschland
- Klinische Kooperationseinheit Neuroimmunologie und Hirntumorimmunologie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Deutschland
| | - Tobias Weiss
- Klinik für Neurologie und klinisches Neurozentrum, Universitätsspital Zürich und, Universität Zürich, Frauenklinikstr. 26, 8091, Zürich, Schweiz.
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34
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Kowalczyk A, Zarychta J, Marszołek A, Zawitkowska J, Lejman M. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell and Chimeric Antigen Receptor NK Cell Therapy in Pediatric and Adult High-Grade Glioma-Recent Advances. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:623. [PMID: 38339374 PMCID: PMC10854514 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
High-grade gliomas (HGG) account for approximately 10% of central nervous system (CNS) tumors in children and 25% of CNS tumors in adults. Despite their rare occurrence, HGG are a significant clinical problem. The standard therapeutic procedure in both pediatric and adult patients with HGG is the surgical resection of the tumor combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Despite intensive treatment, the 5-year overall survival in pediatric patients is below 20-30%. This rate is even lower for the most common HGG in adults (glioblastoma), at less than 5%. It is, therefore, essential to search for new therapeutic methods that can extend the survival rate. One of the therapeutic options is the use of immune cells (T lymphocytes/natural killer (NK) cells) expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). The objective of the following review is to present the latest results of preclinical and clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of CAR-T and CAR-NK cells in HGG therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Kowalczyk
- Student Scientific Society of Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (A.K.); (J.Z.)
| | - Julia Zarychta
- Student Scientific Society of Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (A.K.); (J.Z.)
| | - Anna Marszołek
- Student Scientific Society of Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Joanna Zawitkowska
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Monika Lejman
- Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
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35
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Losurdo A, Di Muzio A, Cianciotti BC, Dipasquale A, Persico P, Barigazzi C, Bono B, Feno S, Pessina F, Santoro A, Simonelli M. T Cell Features in Glioblastoma May Guide Therapeutic Strategies to Overcome Microenvironment Immunosuppression. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:603. [PMID: 38339353 PMCID: PMC10854506 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal primary brain tumor, bearing a survival estimate below 10% at five years, despite standard chemoradiation treatment. At recurrence, systemic treatment options are limited and the standard of care is not well defined, with inclusion in clinical trials being highly encouraged. So far, the use of immunotherapeutic strategies in GBM has not proved to significantly improve patients' prognosis in the treatment of newly diagnosed GBM, nor in the recurrent setting. Probably this has to do with the unique immune environment of the central nervous system, which harbors several immunosuppressive/pro-tumorigenic factors, both soluble (e.g., TGF-β, IL-10, STAT3, prostaglandin E2, and VEGF) and cellular (e.g., Tregs, M2 phenotype TAMs, and MDSC). Here we review the immune composition of the GBMs microenvironment, specifically focusing on the phenotype and function of the T cell compartment. Moreover, we give hints on the therapeutic strategies, such as immune checkpoint blockade, vaccinations, and adoptive cell therapy, that, interacting with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, might both target in different ways the tumor microenvironment and potentiate the activity of standard therapies. The path to be followed in advancing clinical research on immunotherapy for GBM treatment relies on a twofold strategy: testing combinatorial treatments, aiming to restore active immune anti-tumor responses, tackling immunosuppression, and additionally, designing more phase 0 and window opportunity trials with solid translational analyses to gain deeper insight into the on-treatment shaping of the GBM microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnese Losurdo
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (A.D.M.); (A.D.); (P.P.); (C.B.); (A.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy;
| | - Antonio Di Muzio
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (A.D.M.); (A.D.); (P.P.); (C.B.); (A.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy;
| | - Beatrice Claudia Cianciotti
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (B.C.C.); (S.F.)
| | - Angelo Dipasquale
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (A.D.M.); (A.D.); (P.P.); (C.B.); (A.S.)
| | - Pasquale Persico
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (A.D.M.); (A.D.); (P.P.); (C.B.); (A.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy;
| | - Chiara Barigazzi
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (A.D.M.); (A.D.); (P.P.); (C.B.); (A.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy;
| | - Beatrice Bono
- Department of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy;
| | - Simona Feno
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (B.C.C.); (S.F.)
| | - Federico Pessina
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy;
- Department of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy;
| | - Armando Santoro
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (A.D.M.); (A.D.); (P.P.); (C.B.); (A.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy;
| | - Matteo Simonelli
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20089 Milan, Italy; (A.L.); (A.D.M.); (A.D.); (P.P.); (C.B.); (A.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy;
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De Maria L, Panciani PP, Zeppieri M, Ius T, Serioli S, Piazza A, Di Giovanni E, Fontanella MM, Agosti E. A Systematic Review of the Metabolism of High-Grade Gliomas: Current Targeted Therapies and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:724. [PMID: 38255798 PMCID: PMC10815583 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
High-grade glial tumors (HGGs) exhibit aggressive growth patterns and high recurrence rates. The prevailing treatment approach comprises radiation therapy (RT), chemotherapy (CMT), and surgical resection. Despite the progress made in traditional treatments, the outlook for patients with HGGs remains bleak. Tumor metabolism is emerging as a potential target for glioma therapies, a promising approach that harnesses the metabolism to target tumor cells. However, the efficacy of therapies targeting the metabolism of HGGs remains unclear, compelling a comprehensive review. This study aimed to assess the outcome of present trials on HGG therapies targeting metabolism. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid EMBASE was conducted until November 2023. The search method used pertinent Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terminologies and keywords referring to "high-grade gliomas", "metabolism", "target therapies", "monoclonal antibodies", "overall survival", and "progression-free survival". The review analyzed studies that focused on therapies targeting the metabolism of HGGs in human subjects. These studies included both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs). Out of 284 articles identified, 23 trials met the inclusion criteria and were thoroughly analyzed. Phase II trials were the most numerous (62%). Targeted metabolic therapies were predominantly used for recurrent HGGs (67%). The most common targeted pathways were the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, 43%), the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER, 22%), the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF, 17%), and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR, 17%). In 39% of studies, the subject treatment was combined with CMT (22%), RT (4%), or both (13%). The median OS widely ranged from 4 to 26.3 months, while the median PFS ranged from 1.5 to 13 months. This systematic literature review offers a thorough exploration of the present state of metabolic therapies for HGGs. The multitude of targeted pathways underscores the intricate nature of addressing the metabolic aspects of these tumors. Despite existing challenges, these findings provide valuable insights, guiding future research endeavors. The results serve as a foundation for refining treatment strategies and enhancing patient outcomes within the complex landscape of HGGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucio De Maria
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy or (L.D.M.); (E.A.)
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pier Paolo Panciani
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy or (L.D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Marco Zeppieri
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, p.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Tamara Ius
- Neurosurgery Unit, Head-Neck and NeuroScience Department University Hospital of Udine, p.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Simona Serioli
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy or (L.D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Amedeo Piazza
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Sapienza” University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuele Di Giovanni
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marco Maria Fontanella
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy or (L.D.M.); (E.A.)
| | - Edoardo Agosti
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy or (L.D.M.); (E.A.)
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Goutnik M, Iakovidis A, Still MEH, Moor RSF, Melnick K, Yan S, Abbas M, Huang J, Ghiaseddin AP. Advancements in chimeric antigen receptor-expressing T-cell therapy for glioblastoma multiforme: Literature review and future directions. Neurooncol Adv 2024; 6:vdae025. [PMID: 38486856 PMCID: PMC10939440 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdae025] [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] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive cancer that has been difficult to treat and often requires multimodal therapy consisting of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptor-expressing (CAR-T) cells have been efficacious in treating hematological malignancies, resulting in several FDA-approved therapies. CAR-T cells have been more recently studied for the treatment of GBM, with some promising preclinical and clinical results. The purpose of this literature review is to highlight the commonly targeted antigens, results of clinical trials, novel modifications, and potential solutions for challenges that exist for CAR-T cells to become more widely implemented and effective in eradicating GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Goutnik
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Alexandria Iakovidis
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Megan E H Still
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Rachel S F Moor
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Melnick
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Sandra Yan
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Muhammad Abbas
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jianping Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Ashley P Ghiaseddin
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Pawlowski KD, Duffy JT, Gottschalk S, Balyasnikova IV. Cytokine Modification of Adoptive Chimeric Antigen Receptor Immunotherapy for Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5852. [PMID: 38136398 PMCID: PMC10741789 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell-based therapies have demonstrated limited success in solid tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). GBMs exhibit high heterogeneity and create an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). In addition, other challenges exist for CAR therapy, including trafficking and infiltration into the tumor site, proliferation, persistence of CARs once in the tumor, and reduced functionality, such as suboptimal cytokine production. Cytokine modification is of interest, as one can enhance therapy efficacy and minimize off-target toxicity by directly combining CAR therapy with cytokines, antibodies, or oncolytic viruses that alter cytokine response pathways. Alternatively, one can genetically modify CAR T-cells or CAR NK-cells to secrete cytokines or express cytokines or cytokine receptors. Finally, CARs can be genetically altered to augment or suppress intracellular cytokine signaling pathways for a more direct approach. Codelivery of cytokines with CARs is the most straightforward method, but it has associated toxicity. Alternatively, combining CAR therapy with antibodies (e.g., anti-IL-6, anti-PD1, and anti-VEGF) or oncolytic viruses has enhanced CAR cell infiltration into GBM tumors and provided proinflammatory signals to the TME. CAR T- or NK-cells secreting cytokines (e.g., IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18) have shown improved efficacy within multiple GBM subtypes. Likewise, expressing cytokine-modulating receptors in CAR cells that promote or inhibit cytokine signaling has enhanced their activity. Finally, gene editing approaches are actively being pursued to directly influence immune signaling pathways in CAR cells. In this review, we summarize these cytokine modification methods and highlight any existing gaps in the hope of catalyzing an improved generation of CAR-based therapies for glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen D. Pawlowski
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA;
| | - Joseph T. Duffy
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA;
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA;
| | - Irina V. Balyasnikova
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA;
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA
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Yu C, Hsieh K, Cherry DR, Nehlsen AD, Resende Salgado L, Lazarev S, Sindhu KK. Immune Escape in Glioblastoma: Mechanisms of Action and Implications for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and CAR T-Cell Therapy. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1528. [PMID: 38132354 PMCID: PMC10741174 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma, the most common primary brain cancer in adults, is characterized by a poor prognosis and resistance to standard treatments. The advent of immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of several cancers in recent years but has failed to demonstrate benefit in patients with glioblastoma. Understanding the mechanisms by which glioblastoma exerts tumor-mediated immune suppression in both the tumor microenvironment and the systemic immune landscape is a critical step towards developing effective immunotherapeutic strategies. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of immune escape mechanisms in glioblastoma that compromise the efficacy of immunotherapies, with an emphasis on immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. In parallel, we review data from preclinical studies that have identified additional therapeutic targets that may enhance overall treatment efficacy in glioblastoma when administered alongside existing immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kunal K. Sindhu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; (C.Y.); (D.R.C.); (A.D.N.); (L.R.S.); (S.L.)
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40
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Yoon J, Jeong M, Park JH. Intratumoral adoptive transfer of inflammatory macrophages engineered by co-activating TLR and STING signaling pathways exhibits robust antitumor activity. Clin Exp Med 2023; 23:5025-5037. [PMID: 37535193 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-023-01157-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Despite the success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in hematologic malignancies, adoptive cell therapy (ACT) has not been effective in treating solid tumors. Here, we developed an inflammatory macrophage-based ACT to effectively treat solid tumors. We engineered inflammatory macrophages to enhance their antitumor activities, including proinflammatory cytokine secretion and co-stimulatory molecule expression by co-activating toll-like receptor and stimulator of interferon genes signaling pathways. Engineered macrophages maintain an inflammatory phenotype after their adoptive transfer into the anti-inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME), whereas conventional inflammatory macrophages prepared using interferon-γ treatment are repolarized to an anti-inflammatory phenotype. In a mouse melanoma model, intratumoral adoptive transfer of engineered macrophages showed robust tumor growth inhibition by increasing CD8+ T cells in the TME and tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the blood. This study demonstrated that engineered inflammatory macrophages have potential as an effective ACT for treating solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyong Yoon
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, and KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Moonkyoung Jeong
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, and KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Ho Park
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, and KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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41
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Giardino Torchia ML, Moody G. DIALing-up the preclinical characterization of gene-modified adoptive cellular immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1264882. [PMID: 38090585 PMCID: PMC10713823 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1264882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The preclinical characterization of gene modified adoptive cellular immunotherapy candidates for clinical development often requires the use of mouse models. Gene-modified lymphocytes (GML) incorporating chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) and T-cell receptors (TCR) into immune effector cells require in vivo characterization of biological activity, mechanism of action, and preclinical safety. Typically, this characterization involves the assessment of dose-dependent, on-target, on-tumor activity in severely immunocompromised mice. While suitable for the purpose of evaluating T cell-expressed transgene function in a living host, this approach falls short in translating cellular therapy efficacy, safety, and persistence from preclinical models to humans. To comprehensively characterize cell therapy products in mice, we have developed a framework called "DIAL". This framework aims to enable an end-to-end understanding of genetically engineered cellular immunotherapies in vivo, from infusion to tumor clearance and long-term immunosurveillance. The acronym DIAL stands for Distribution, Infiltration, Accumulation, and Longevity, compartmentalizing the systemic attributes of gene-modified cellular therapy and providing a platform for optimization with the ultimate goal of improving therapeutic efficacy. This review will discuss both existent and emerging examples of DIAL characterization in mouse models, as well as opportunities for future development and optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gordon Moody
- Cell Therapy Unit, Oncology Research, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, United States
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Tang L, Huang ZP, Mei H, Hu Y. Insights gained from single-cell analysis of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy in cancer. Mil Med Res 2023; 10:52. [PMID: 37941075 PMCID: PMC10631149 DOI: 10.1186/s40779-023-00486-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy have significantly improved clinical outcomes of patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. However, progress is still hindered as clinical benefit is only available for a fraction of patients. A lack of understanding of CAR-T cell behaviors in vivo at the single-cell level impedes their more extensive application in clinical practice. Mounting evidence suggests that single-cell sequencing techniques can help perfect the receptor design, guide gene-based T cell modification, and optimize the CAR-T manufacturing conditions, and all of them are essential for long-term immunosurveillance and more favorable clinical outcomes. The information generated by employing these methods also potentially informs our understanding of the numerous complex factors that dictate therapeutic efficacy and toxicities. In this review, we discuss the reasons why CAR-T immunotherapy fails in clinical practice and what this field has learned since the milestone of single-cell sequencing technologies. We further outline recent advances in the application of single-cell analyses in CAR-T immunotherapy. Specifically, we provide an overview of single-cell studies focusing on target antigens, CAR-transgene integration, and preclinical research and clinical applications, and then discuss how it will affect the future of CAR-T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Tang
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
- Hubei Clinical Medical Center of Cell Therapy for Neoplastic Disease, Wuhan, 430022, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, The Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Zhong-Pei Huang
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
- Hubei Clinical Medical Center of Cell Therapy for Neoplastic Disease, Wuhan, 430022, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, The Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Heng Mei
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Hubei Clinical Medical Center of Cell Therapy for Neoplastic Disease, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, The Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
| | - Yu Hu
- Institute of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Hubei Clinical Medical Center of Cell Therapy for Neoplastic Disease, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, The Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430022, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Biological Targeted Therapy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
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Ge M, Zhu Y, Wei M, Piao H, He M. Improving the efficacy of anti-EGFR drugs in GBM: Where we are going? Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:188996. [PMID: 37805108 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.188996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
The therapies targeting mutations of driver genes in cancer have advanced into clinical trials for a variety of tumors. In glioblastoma (GBM), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the most commonly mutated oncogene, and targeting EGFR has been widely investigated as a promising direction. However, the results of EGFR pathway inhibitors have not been satisfactory. Limited blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, drug resistance, and pathway compensation mechanisms contribute to the failure of anti-EGFR therapies. This review summarizes recent research advances in EGFR-targeted therapy for GBM and provides insight into the reasons for the unsatisfactory results of EGFR-targeted therapy. By combining the results of preclinical studies with those of clinical trials, we discuss that improved drug penetration across the BBB, the use of multi-target combinations, and the development of peptidomimetic drugs under the premise of precision medicine may be promising strategies to overcome drug resistance in GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manxi Ge
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Yan Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Minjie Wei
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Medical Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Shenyang, China.
| | - Haozhe Piao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Miao He
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China.
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Tang OY, Binder ZA, O'Rourke DM, Bagley SJ. Optimizing CAR-T Therapy for Glioblastoma. Mol Diagn Ther 2023; 27:643-660. [PMID: 37700186 DOI: 10.1007/s40291-023-00671-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies have transformed the management of hematologic malignancies but have not yet demonstrated consistent efficacy in solid tumors. Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults and remains a major unmet medical need. Attempts at harnessing the potential of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for glioblastoma have resulted in glimpses of promise but have been met with substantial challenges. In this focused review, we discuss current and future strategies being developed to optimize chimeric antigen receptor T cells for efficacy in patients with glioblastoma, including the identification and characterization of new target antigens, reversal of T-cell dysfunction with novel chimeric antigen receptor constructs, regulatable platforms, and gene knockout strategies, and the use of combination therapies to overcome the immune-hostile microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Y Tang
- Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Zev A Binder
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Donald M O'Rourke
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Stephen J Bagley
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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Dewdney B, Jenkins MR, Best SA, Freytag S, Prasad K, Holst J, Endersby R, Johns TG. From signalling pathways to targeted therapies: unravelling glioblastoma's secrets and harnessing two decades of progress. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:400. [PMID: 37857607 PMCID: PMC10587102 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01637-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma, a rare, and highly lethal form of brain cancer, poses significant challenges in terms of therapeutic resistance, and poor survival rates for both adult and paediatric patients alike. Despite advancements in brain cancer research driven by a technological revolution, translating our understanding of glioblastoma pathogenesis into improved clinical outcomes remains a critical unmet need. This review emphasises the intricate role of receptor tyrosine kinase signalling pathways, epigenetic mechanisms, and metabolic functions in glioblastoma tumourigenesis and therapeutic resistance. We also discuss the extensive efforts over the past two decades that have explored targeted therapies against these pathways. Emerging therapeutic approaches, such as antibody-toxin conjugates or CAR T cell therapies, offer potential by specifically targeting proteins on the glioblastoma cell surface. Combination strategies incorporating protein-targeted therapy and immune-based therapies demonstrate great promise for future clinical research. Moreover, gaining insights into the role of cell-of-origin in glioblastoma treatment response holds the potential to advance precision medicine approaches. Addressing these challenges is crucial to improving outcomes for glioblastoma patients and moving towards more effective precision therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Dewdney
- Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia.
- Centre For Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Misty R Jenkins
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
| | - Sarah A Best
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
| | - Saskia Freytag
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
- Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
| | - Krishneel Prasad
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
| | - Jeff Holst
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Raelene Endersby
- Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Centre For Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Terrance G Johns
- Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
- Centre For Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
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46
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Agosti E, Zeppieri M, De Maria L, Tedeschi C, Fontanella MM, Panciani PP, Ius T. Glioblastoma Immunotherapy: A Systematic Review of the Present Strategies and Prospects for Advancements. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15037. [PMID: 37894718 PMCID: PMC10606063 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is characterized by aggressive growth and high rates of recurrence. Despite the advancements in conventional therapies, the prognosis for GBM patients remains poor. Immunotherapy has recently emerged as a potential treatment option. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the current strategies and future perspectives of the GBM immunotherapy strategies. A systematic search was conducted across major medical databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) up to 3 September 2023. The search strategy utilized relevant Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms and keywords related to "glioblastomas," "immunotherapies," and "treatment." The studies included in this review consist of randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, and cohort studies reporting on the use of immunotherapies for the treatment of gliomas in human subjects. A total of 1588 papers are initially identified. Eligibility is confirmed for 752 articles, while 655 are excluded for various reasons, including irrelevance to the research topic (627), insufficient method and results details (12), and being case-series or cohort studies (22), systematic literature reviews, or meta-analyses (3). All the studies within the systematic review were clinical trials spanning from 1995 to 2023, involving 6383 patients. Neuro-oncology published the most glioma immunotherapy-related clinical trials (15/97, 16%). Most studies were released between 2018 and 2022, averaging nine publications annually during this period. Adoptive cellular transfer chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells were the primary focus in 11% of the studies, with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), oncolytic viruses (OVs), and cancer vaccines (CVs) comprising 26%, 12%, and 51%, respectively. Phase-I trials constituted the majority at 51%, while phase-III trials were only 7% of the total. Among these trials, 60% were single arm, 39% double arm, and one multi-arm. Immunotherapies were predominantly employed for recurrent GBM (55%). The review also revealed ongoing clinical trials, including 9 on ICIs, 7 on CVs, 10 on OVs, and 8 on CAR T cells, totaling 34 trials, with phase-I trials representing the majority at 53%, and only one in phase III. Overcoming immunotolerance, stimulating robust tumor antigen responses, and countering immunosuppressive microenvironment mechanisms are critical for curative GBM immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors, show promise, with the ongoing research aiming to enhance their effectiveness. Personalized cancer vaccines, especially targeting neoantigens, offer substantial potential. Oncolytic viruses exhibited dual mechanisms and a breakthrough status in the clinical trials. CAR T-cell therapy, engineered for specific antigen targeting, yields encouraging results, particularly against IL13 Rα2 and EGFRvIII. The development of second-generation CAR T cells with improved specificity exemplifies their adaptability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Agosti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Division of Neurosurgery, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Marco Zeppieri
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, P.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy
| | - Lucio De Maria
- Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Division of Neurosurgery, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Camilla Tedeschi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Division of Neurosurgery, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Marco Maria Fontanella
- Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Division of Neurosurgery, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Pier Paolo Panciani
- Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Division of Neurosurgery, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Piazza Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy; (E.A.)
| | - Tamara Ius
- Neurosurgery Unit, Head-Neck and NeuroScience Department, University Hospital of Udine, P.le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, 33100 Udine, Italy
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Grassl N, Poschke I, Lindner K, Bunse L, Mildenberger I, Boschert T, Jähne K, Green EW, Hülsmeyer I, Jünger S, Kessler T, Suwala AK, Eisele P, Breckwoldt MO, Vajkoczy P, Grauer OM, Herrlinger U, Tonn JC, Denk M, Sahm F, Bendszus M, von Deimling A, Winkler F, Wick W, Platten M, Sahm K. A H3K27M-targeted vaccine in adults with diffuse midline glioma. Nat Med 2023; 29:2586-2592. [PMID: 37735561 PMCID: PMC10579055 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02555-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Substitution of lysine 27 to methionine in histone H3 (H3K27M) defines an aggressive subtype of diffuse glioma. Previous studies have shown that a H3K27M-specific long peptide vaccine (H3K27M-vac) induces mutation-specific immune responses that control H3K27M+ tumors in major histocompatibility complex-humanized mice. Here we describe a first-in-human treatment with H3K27M-vac of eight adult patients with progressive H3K27M+ diffuse midline glioma on a compassionate use basis. Five patients received H3K27M-vac combined with anti-PD-1 treatment based on physician's discretion. Repeat vaccinations with H3K27M-vac were safe and induced CD4+ T cell-dominated, mutation-specific immune responses in five of eight patients across multiple human leukocyte antigen types. Median progression-free survival after vaccination was 6.2 months and median overall survival was 12.8 months. One patient with a strong mutation-specific T cell response after H3K27M-vac showed pseudoprogression followed by sustained complete remission for >31 months. Our data demonstrate safety and immunogenicity of H3K27M-vac in patients with progressive H3K27M+ diffuse midline glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Grassl
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Isabel Poschke
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katharina Lindner
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lukas Bunse
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Iris Mildenberger
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tamara Boschert
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON) Mainz, German Cancer Research Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kristine Jähne
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Edward W Green
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ingrid Hülsmeyer
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Simone Jünger
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tobias Kessler
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Abigail K Suwala
- Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Philipp Eisele
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael O Breckwoldt
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Vajkoczy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver M Grauer
- Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ulrich Herrlinger
- Division of Clinical Neurooncology, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Monika Denk
- Institute of Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Felix Sahm
- Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Bendszus
- Department of Neuroradiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andreas von Deimling
- Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frank Winkler
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wick
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Platten
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
- Immune Monitoring Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON) Mainz, German Cancer Research Center, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Katharina Sahm
- DKTK CCU Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, MCTN, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
- DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
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48
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Thomas BC, Staudt DE, Douglas AM, Monje M, Vitanza NA, Dun MD. CAR T cell therapies for diffuse midline glioma. Trends Cancer 2023; 9:791-804. [PMID: 37541803 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is a fatal pediatric cancer of the central nervous system (CNS). The location and infiltrative nature of DMG prevents surgical resection and the benefits of palliative radiotherapy are temporary; median overall survival (OS) is 9-11 months. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is 'cold', and has a dominant immunosuppressive myeloid compartment with low levels of infiltrating lymphocytes and proinflammatory molecules. Because survival statistics have been stagnant for many decades, and therapies targeting the unique biology of DMG are urgently needed, this has prompted the clinical assessment of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies in this setting. We highlight the current landscape of CAR T cell therapy for DMG, the role the TIME may play in the response, and strategies to overcome treatment obstacles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryce C Thomas
- Cancer Signalling Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine, and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Precision Medicine Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Dilana E Staudt
- Cancer Signalling Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine, and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Precision Medicine Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Alicia M Douglas
- Cancer Signalling Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine, and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Precision Medicine Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Michelle Monje
- Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas A Vitanza
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA; Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Matthew D Dun
- Cancer Signalling Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine, and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Precision Medicine Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia; Paediatric Theme, Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research, College of Health, Medicine, and Wellbeing, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
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49
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Alsajjan R, Mason WP. Bispecific T-Cell Engagers and Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapies in Glioblastoma: An Update. Curr Oncol 2023; 30:8501-8549. [PMID: 37754534 PMCID: PMC10529026 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30090619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. The prognosis is extremely poor even with standard treatment of maximal safe resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Recurrence is inevitable within months, and treatment options are very limited. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CART) and bispecific T-cell engagers (TCEs) are two emerging immunotherapies that can redirect T-cells for tumor-specific killing and have shown remarkable success in hematological malignancies and been under extensive study for application in glioblastoma. While there have been multiple clinical trials showing preliminary evidence of safety and efficacy for CART, bispecific TCEs are still in the early stages of clinical testing, with preclinical studies showing very promising results. However, there are multiple shared challenges that need to be addressed in the future, including the route of delivery, antigen escape, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and toxicity resulting from the limited choice of tumor-specific antigens. Efforts are underway to optimize the design of both these treatments and find the ideal combination therapy to overcome these challenges. In this review, we describe the work that has been performed as well as novel approaches in glioblastoma and in other solid tumors that may be applicable in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roa Alsajjan
- Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Warren P. Mason
- Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
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50
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Liang T, Song Y, Gu L, Wang Y, Ma W. Insight into the Progress in CAR-T Cell Therapy and Combination with Other Therapies for Glioblastoma. Int J Gen Med 2023; 16:4121-4141. [PMID: 37720174 PMCID: PMC10503554 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s418837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain cancer in adults. It is always resistant to existing treatments, including surgical resection, postoperative radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, which leads to a dismal prognosis and a high relapse rate. Therefore, novel curative therapies are urgently needed for GBM. Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has significantly improved life expectancy for hematological malignancies patients, and thus it increases the interest in applying CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors. In the recently published research, it is indicated that there are numerous obstacles to achieve clinical benefits for solid tumors, especially for GBM, because of GBM anatomical characteristics (the blood-brain barrier and suppressive tumor microenvironment) and the tumor heterogeneity. CAR-T cells are difficult to penetrate blood-brain barrier, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which induces CAR-T cell exhaustion, impairs CAR-T cell therapy response. Moreover, under the pressure of CAR-T cell therapy, the tumor heterogeneity and tumor plasticity drive tumor evolution and therapy resistance, such as antigen escape. Nonetheless, scientists strive for strategies to overcome these hurdles, including novel CAR-T cell designs and regional delivery. For instance, the structure of multi-antigen-targeted CAR-T cells can enrich CAR-T accumulation in tumor TME and eliminate abundant tumor cells to avoid tumor antigen heterogeneity. Additionally, paired with an immune modifier and one or more stimulating domains, different generation of innovations in the structure and manufacturing of CAR-T cells have improved efficacy and persistence. While single CAR-T cell therapy receives limited clinical survival benefit. Compared with single CAR-T cell therapy, the combination therapies have supplemented the treatment paradigm. Combinatorial treatment methods consolidate the CAR-T cells efficacy by regulating the tumor microenvironment, optimizing the CAR structure, targeting the CAR-T cells to the tumor cells, reversing the tumor-immune escape mechanisms, and represent a promising avenue against GBM, based on multiple impressive research. Moreover, exciting results are also reported to be realized through combining effective therapies with CAR-T cells in preclinical and clinical trials samples, have aroused inspiration to explore the antitumor function of combination therapies. In summary, this study aims to summarize the limitation of CAR-T cell therapies and introduces novel strategies to enhance CAR-T cell function as well as prospect the potential of the therapeutic combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingyu Liang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yixuan Song
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lingui Gu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenbin Ma
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
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