1
|
Zak J, Pratumchai I, Marro BS, Marquardt KL, Zavareh RB, Lairson LL, Oldstone MBA, Varner JA, Hegerova L, Cao Q, Farooq U, Kenkre VP, Bachanova V, Teijaro JR. JAK inhibition enhances checkpoint blockade immunotherapy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. Science 2024; 384:eade8520. [PMID: 38900864 DOI: 10.1126/science.ade8520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Unleashing antitumor T cell activity by checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy is effective in cancer patients, but clinical responses are limited. Cytokine signaling through the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway correlates with checkpoint immunotherapy resistance. We report a phase I clinical trial of the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib with anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab in Hodgkin lymphoma patients relapsed or refractory following checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy. The combination yielded a best overall response rate of 53% (10/19). Ruxolitinib significantly reduced neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios and percentages of myeloid suppressor cells but increased numbers of cytokine-producing T cells. Ruxolitinib rescued the function of exhausted T cells and enhanced the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade in preclinical solid tumor and lymphoma models. This synergy was characterized by a switch from suppressive to immunostimulatory myeloid cells, which enhanced T cell division.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaroslav Zak
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Isaraphorn Pratumchai
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Brett S Marro
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kristi L Marquardt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Luke L Lairson
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael B A Oldstone
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Judith A Varner
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Livia Hegerova
- Division of Hematology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Qing Cao
- Biostatistics Core, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Umar Farooq
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Vaishalee P Kenkre
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Veronika Bachanova
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - John R Teijaro
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ali LR, Lenehan PJ, Cardot-Ruffino V, Dias Costa A, Katz MH, Bauer TW, Nowak JA, Wolpin BM, Abrams TA, Patel A, Clancy TE, Wang J, Mancias JD, Reilley MJ, Stucky CCH, Bekaii-Saab TS, Elias R, Merchant N, Slingluff CL, Rahma OE, Dougan SK. PD-1 Blockade Induces Reactivation of Nonproductive T-Cell Responses Characterized by NF-κB Signaling in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:542-553. [PMID: 37733830 PMCID: PMC10831338 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-1444] [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: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) trials have evaluated CTLA-4 and/or PD-(L)1 blockade in patients with advanced disease in which bulky tumor burden and limited time to develop antitumor T cells may have contributed to poor clinical efficacy. Here, we evaluated peripheral blood and tumor T cells from patients with PDAC receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation plus anti-PD-1 (pembrolizumab) versus chemoradiation alone. We analyzed whether PD-1 blockade successfully reactivated T cells in the blood and/or tumor to determine whether lack of clinical benefit could be explained by lack of reactivated T cells versus other factors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We used single-cell transcriptional profiling and TCR clonotype tracking to identify TCR clonotypes from blood that match clonotypes in the tumor. RESULTS PD-1 blockade increases the flux of TCR clonotypes entering cell cycle and induces an IFNγ signature like that seen in patients with other GI malignancies who respond to PD-1 blockade. However, these reactivated T cells have a robust signature of NF-κB signaling not seen in cases of PD-1 antibody response. Among paired samples between blood and tumor, several of the newly cycling clonotypes matched activated T-cell clonotypes observed in the tumor. CONCLUSIONS Cytotoxic T cells in the blood of patients with PDAC remain sensitive to reinvigoration by PD-1 blockade, and some have tumor-recognizing potential. Although these T cells proliferate and have a signature of IFN exposure, they also upregulate NF-κB signaling, which potentially counteracts the beneficial effects of anti-PD-1 reinvigoration and marks these T cells as non-productive contributors to antitumor immunity. See related commentary by Lander and DeNardo, p. 474.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lestat R. Ali
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Patrick J. Lenehan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Victoire Cardot-Ruffino
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andressa Dias Costa
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew H.G. Katz
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Todd W. Bauer
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Jonathan A. Nowak
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Brian M. Wolpin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Thomas A. Abrams
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anuj Patel
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Thomas E. Clancy
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jiping Wang
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Joseph D. Mancias
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew J. Reilley
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | | | | | - Rawad Elias
- Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute, Hartford, Connecticut
| | - Nipun Merchant
- Department of Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Craig L. Slingluff
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Osama E. Rahma
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stephanie K. Dougan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|