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Sirini C, De Rossi L, Moresco MA, Casucci M. CAR T cells in solid tumors and metastasis: paving the way forward. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024:10.1007/s10555-024-10213-7. [PMID: 39316265 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-024-10213-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 09/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
CAR T cell therapy, hailed as a breakthrough in cancer treatment due to its remarkable outcomes in hematological malignancies, encounters significant hurdles when applied to solid tumors. While notable responses to CAR T cells remain sporadic in these patients, challenges persist due to issues such as on-target off-tumor toxicity, difficulties in their trafficking and infiltration into the tumor, and the presence of a hostile and immunosuppressive microenvironment. This review aims to explore recent endeavors aimed at overcoming these obstacles in CAR T cell therapy for solid tumors. Specifically, we will delve into promising strategies for enhancing tumor specificity through antigen targeting, addressing tumor heterogeneity, overcoming physical barriers, and counteracting the immune-suppressive microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Sirini
- Innovative Immunotherapies Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura De Rossi
- Innovative Immunotherapies Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Angiola Moresco
- Innovative Immunotherapies Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Casucci
- Innovative Immunotherapies Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132, Milan, Italy.
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2
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Mak WY, He Q, Yang W, Xu N, Zheng A, Chen M, Lin J, Shi Y, Xiang X, Zhu X. Application of MIDD to accelerate the development of anti-infectives: Current status and future perspectives. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 214:115447. [PMID: 39277035 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115447] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 09/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/17/2024]
Abstract
This review examines the role of model-informed drug development (MIDD) in advancing antibacterial and antiviral drug development, with an emphasis on the inclusion of host system dynamics into modeling efforts. Amidst the growing challenges of multidrug resistance and diminishing market returns, innovative methodologies are crucial for continuous drug discovery and development. The MIDD approach, with its robust capacity to integrate diverse data types, offers a promising solution. In particular, the utilization of appropriate modeling and simulation techniques for better characterization and early assessment of drug resistance are discussed. The evolution of MIDD practices across different infectious disease fields is also summarized, and compared to advancements achieved in oncology. Moving forward, the application of MIDD should expand into host system dynamics as these considerations are critical for the development of "live drugs" (e.g. chimeric antigen receptor T cells or bacteriophages) to address issues like antibiotic resistance or latent viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Yao Mak
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China; Clinical Research Centre (Penang General Hospital), Institute for Clinical Research, National Institute of Health, Malaysia
| | - Qingfeng He
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Wenyu Yang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Nuo Xu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Aole Zheng
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Min Chen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaying Lin
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Yufei Shi
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Xiang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China.
| | - Xiao Zhu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 201203 Shanghai, China.
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3
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Zhang MH, Scotland BL, Jiao Y, Slaby EM, Truong N, Cottingham AL, Stephanie G, Szeto GL, Pearson RM. Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles Utilize B Cells and Dendritic Cells to Elicit Distinct Antigen-Specific CD4 + and CD8 + T Cell Responses. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2024; 7:4818-4830. [PMID: 37219857 PMCID: PMC10665545 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00229] [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] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are widely studied for treating immune-mediated diseases, and dendritic cells (DCs) are potent APCs that uptake and present antigens (Ags). However, DCs face several challenges that hinder their clinical translation due to their inability to control Ag dosing and low abundance in peripheral blood. B cells are a potential alternative to DCs, but their poor nonspecific Ag uptake capabilities compromise controllable priming of T cells. Here, we developed phospholipid-conjugated Ags (L-Ags) and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (L/P-Ag NPs) as delivery platforms to expand the range of accessible APCs for use in T cell priming. These delivery platforms were evaluated using DCs, CD40-activated B cells, and resting B cells to understand the impacts of various Ag delivery mechanisms for generation of Ag-specific T cell responses. L-Ag delivery (termed depoting) of MHC class I- and II-restricted Ags successfully loaded all APC types in a tunable manner and primed both Ag-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, respectively. Incorporating L-Ags and polymer-conjugated Ags (P-Ag) into NPs can direct Ags to different uptake pathways to engineer the dynamics of presentation and shape T cell responses. DCs were capable of processing and presenting Ag delivered from both L- and P-Ag NPs, yet B cells could only utilize Ag delivered from L-Ag NPs, which led to differential cytokine secretion profiles in coculture studies. Altogether, we show that L-Ags and P-Ags can be rationally paired within a single NP to leverage distinct delivery mechanisms to access multiple Ag processing pathways in two APC types, offering a modular delivery platform for engineering Ag-specific immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H. Zhang
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
- Co-first authors
| | - Brianna L. Scotland
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
- Co-first authors
| | - Yun Jiao
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
| | - Emily M. Slaby
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
| | - Nhu Truong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Andrea L. Cottingham
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Georgina Stephanie
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
| | - Gregory L. Szeto
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
- Allen Institute for Immunology, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Ryan M. Pearson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
- University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21201
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
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4
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Hiratsuka H, Akahori Y, Maeta S, Egashira Y, Shiku H. Fast on-rates of chimeric antigen receptors enhance the sensitivity to peptide MHC via antigen rebinding. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107651. [PMID: 39122001 PMCID: PMC11407991 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107651] [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: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is a synthetic receptor that induces T cell-mediated lysis of abnormal cells. As cancer driver proteins are present at low levels on the cell surface, they can cause weak CAR reactivity, resulting in antigen sensitivity defects and consequently limited therapeutic efficacy. Although affinity maturation enhances the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy, it causes off-target cross-reactions resulting in adverse effects. Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) is an intracellular oncoprotein that is overexpressed in various tumors and restricted in normal tissues, except the testis. Therefore, PRAME could be an ideal target for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we developed an experimental CAR system comprising six single-chain variable fragments that specifically recognizes the PRAMEp301/HLA-A∗24:02 complex. Cell-mediated cytotoxicity was demonstrated using a panel of CARs with a wide range of affinities (KD = 10-10-10-7 M) and affinity modulation. CAR-T cells with fast on-rates enhance antigen sensitivity by accelerating the killing rates of these cells. Alanine scanning data demonstrated the potential of genetically engineered CARs to reduce the risk of cross-reactivity, even among CARs with high affinities. Given the correlation between on-rates and dwell time that occurs in rebinding and cell-mediated cytotoxicity, it is proposed that CAR-binding characteristics, including on-rate, play a pivotal role in the lytic capacity of peptide-major histocompatibility complex-targeting CAR-T cells, thus facilitating the development of strategies whereby genetically engineered CARs target intracellular antigens in cancer cells to lyse the cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Hiratsuka
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan.
| | - Yasushi Akahori
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan.
| | - Shingo Maeta
- Bio-Diagnostic Reagent Technology Center, Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Yuriko Egashira
- Bio-Diagnostic Reagent Technology Center, Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Shiku
- Department of Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan; Center for Comprehensive Cancer Immunotherapy, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan
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Blud D, Rubio-Reyes P, Perret R, Weinkove R. Tuning CAR T-cell therapies for efficacy and reduced toxicity. Semin Hematol 2024:S0037-1963(24)00082-9. [PMID: 39095226 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2024.07.003] [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: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies are a standard of care for certain relapsed or refractory B-cell cancers. However, many patients do not respond to CAR T-cell therapy or relapse later, short- and long-term toxicities are common, and current CAR T-cell therapies have limited efficacy for solid cancers. The gene engineering inherent in CAR T-cell manufacture offers an unprecedented opportunity to control cellular characteristics and design products that may overcome these limitations. This review summarises available methods to "tune" CAR T-cells for optimal efficacy and safety. The components of a typical CAR, and the modifications that can influence CAR T-cell function are discussed. Methods of engineering passive, inducible or autonomous control mechanisms into CAR T-cells, allowing selective limitation or enhancement of CAR T-cell activity are reviewed. The impact of manufacturing processes on CAR T-cell function are considered, including methods of limiting CAR T-cell terminal differentiation and exhaustion, and the use of specific T-cell subsets as the CAR T starting material. We discuss the use of multicistronic transgenes and multiplexed gene editing. Finally, we highlight the need for innovative clinical trial designs if we are to make the most of the opportunities offered by CAR T-cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Blud
- Cancer Immunotherapy Programme, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Patricia Rubio-Reyes
- Cancer Immunotherapy Programme, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Rachel Perret
- Cancer Immunotherapy Programme, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Robert Weinkove
- Cancer Immunotherapy Programme, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington, New Zealand; Wellington Blood & Cancer Centre, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Capital Coast & Hutt Valley, Wellington, New Zealand; Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, New Zealand.
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6
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Zheng L, Wang H, Zhou J, Shi G, Ma J, Jiang Y, Dong Z, Li J, He YQ, Wu D, Sun J, Xu C, Li Z, Wang J. Off-the-shelf CAR-NK cells targeting immunogenic cell death marker ERp57 execute robust antitumor activity and have a synergistic effect with ICD inducer oxaliplatin. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e008888. [PMID: 38964787 PMCID: PMC11227840 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2024-008888] [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: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) therapy holds great promise for treating hematologic tumors, but its efficacy in solid tumors is limited owing to the lack of suitable targets and poor infiltration of engineered NK cells. Here, we explore whether immunogenic cell death (ICD) marker ERp57 translocated from endoplasmic reticulum to cell surface after drug treatment could be used as a target for CAR-NK therapy. METHODS To target ERp57, a VHH phage display library was used for screening ERp57-targeted nanobodies (Nbs). A candidate Nb with high binding affinity to both human and mouse ERp57 was used for constructing CAR-NK cells. Various in vitro and in vivo studies were performed to assess the antitumor efficacy of the constructed CAR-NK cells. RESULTS We demonstrate that the translocation of ERp57 can not only be induced by low-dose oxaliplatin (OXP) treatment but also is spontaneously expressed on the surface of various types of tumor cell lines. Our results show that G6-CAR-NK92 cells can effectively kill various tumor cell lines in vitro on which ERp57 is induced or intrinsically expressed, and also exhibit potent antitumor effects in cancer cell-derived xenograft and patient-derived xenograft mouse models. Additionally, the antitumor activity of G6-CAR-NK92 cells is synergistically enhanced by the low-dose ICD-inducible drug OXP. CONCLUSION Collectively, our findings suggest that ERp57 can be leveraged as a new tumor antigen for CAR-NK targeting, and the resultant CAR-NK cells have the potential to be applied as a broad-spectrum immune cell therapy for various cancers by combining with ICD inducer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuhai Zheng
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Postdoctoral Research Station, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Huifang Wang
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Postdoctoral Research Station, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jihao Zhou
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Hematology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; the First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Guangwei Shi
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Neurosurgery & Medical Research Center, Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Shunde Foshan), Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jingbo Ma
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuke Jiang
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhiyu Dong
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jiexuan Li
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuan-Qiao He
- Center of Laboratory Animal Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
- Key Laboratory of New Drug Evaluation and Transformation of Jiangxi Province Nanchang Royo Biotech Co,. Ltd, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Dinglan Wu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Viral Oncology, Clinical Innovation and Research Centre (CIRC), Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jichao Sun
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Chengchao Xu
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Integrative Medicine, Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Integrative Medicine on Chronic Diseases, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Zhijie Li
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jigang Wang
- Department of Geriatrics and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics, Department of Urology, Shenzhen People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology; The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China
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7
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Nix MA, Wiita AP. Alternative target recognition elements for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells: beyond standard antibody fragments. Cytotherapy 2024; 26:729-738. [PMID: 38466264 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2024.02.024] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells are a remarkably efficacious, highly promising and rapidly evolving strategy in the field of immuno-oncology. The precision of these targeted cellular therapies is driven by the specificity of the antigen recognition element (the "binder") encoded in the CAR. This binder redirects these immune effector cells precisely toward a defined antigen on the surface of cancer cells, leading to T-cell receptor-independent tumor lysis. Currently, for tumor targeting most CAR-T cells are designed using single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) derived from murine or human immunoglobulins. However, there are several emerging alternative binder modalities that are finding increasing utility for improved CAR function beyond scFvs. METHODS Here we review the most recent developments in the use of non-canonical protein binding domains in CAR design, including nanobodies, DARPins, natural ligands, and de novo-designed protein elements. RESULTS Overall, we describe how new protein binder formats, with their unique structural properties and mechanisms of action, may possess key advantages over traditional scFv CAR designs. CONCLUSIONS These alternative binder designs may contribute to enhanced CAR-T therapeutic options and, ultimately, improved outcomes for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Nix
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Cartography Biosciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Arun P Wiita
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California, USA.
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8
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Wang Y, Huang B, Liang T, Jiang L, Wu M, Liu X, Zhu M, Song X, Zhao N, Wei H, Zheng C, Ni F. Venetoclax acts as an immunometabolic modulator to potentiate adoptive NK cell immunotherapy against leukemia. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101580. [PMID: 38776913 PMCID: PMC11228450 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101580] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy holds promise for cancer treatment; however, its efficacy remains limited, necessitating the development of alternative strategies. Here, we report that venetoclax, an FDA-approved BCL-2 inhibitor, directly activates NK cells, enhancing their cytotoxicity against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) both in vitro and in vivo, likely independent of BCL-2 inhibition. Through comprehensive approaches, including bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, avidity measurement, and functional assays, we demonstrate that venetoclax increases the avidity of NK cells to AML cells and promotes lytic granule polarization during immunological synapse (IS) formation. Notably, we identify a distinct CD161lowCD218b+ NK cell subpopulation that exhibits remarkable sensitivity to venetoclax treatment. Furthermore, venetoclax promotes mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis via the NF-κB pathway, thereby facilitating IS formation in NK cells. Collectively, our findings establish venetoclax as a multifaceted immunometabolic modulator of NK cell function and provide a promising strategy for augmenting NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy.
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MESH Headings
- Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/pharmacology
- Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/therapeutic use
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects
- Humans
- Sulfonamides/pharmacology
- Animals
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/immunology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Mice
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Cell Line, Tumor
- NF-kappa B/metabolism
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use
- Mice, Inbred NOD
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Beibei Huang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Tingting Liang
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Lai Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Mingming Wu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xinru Liu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Mingming Zhu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xian Song
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Na Zhao
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Haiming Wei
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - Changcheng Zheng
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - Fang Ni
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Institute of Immunology, The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
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9
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Stepanov AV, Xie J, Zhu Q, Shen Z, Su W, Kuai L, Soll R, Rader C, Shaver G, Douthit L, Zhang D, Kalinin R, Fu X, Zhao Y, Qin T, Baran PS, Gabibov AG, Bushnell D, Neri D, Kornberg RD, Lerner RA. Control of the antitumour activity and specificity of CAR T cells via organic adapters covalently tethering the CAR to tumour cells. Nat Biomed Eng 2024; 8:529-543. [PMID: 37798444 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01102-5] [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: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
On-target off-tumour toxicity limits the anticancer applicability of chimaeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Here we show that the tumour-targeting specificity and activity of T cells with a CAR consisting of an antibody with a lysine residue that catalytically forms a reversible covalent bond with a 1,3-diketone hapten can be regulated by the concentration of a small-molecule adapter. This adapter selectively binds to the hapten and to a chosen tumour antigen via a small-molecule binder identified via a DNA-encoded library. The adapter therefore controls the formation of a covalent bond between the catalytic antibody and the hapten, as well as the tethering of the CAR T cells to the tumour cells, and hence the cytotoxicity and specificity of the cytotoxic T cells, as we show in vitro and in mice with prostate cancer xenografts. Such small-molecule switches of T-cell cytotoxicity and specificity via an antigen-independent 'universal' CAR may enhance the control and safety profile of CAR-based cellular immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey V Stepanov
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Jia Xie
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Wenji Su
- WuXi AppTec Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | | | | | - Christoph Rader
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, University of Florida, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Geramie Shaver
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lacey Douthit
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ding Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Roman Kalinin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Xiang Fu
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yingying Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tian Qin
- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Phil S Baran
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alexander G Gabibov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - David Bushnell
- Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roger D Kornberg
- Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Richard A Lerner
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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10
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Stock S, Fertig L, Gottschlich A, Dörr J, Märkl F, Majed L, Menkhoff VD, Grünmeier R, Rejeski K, Cordas Dos Santos DM, Theurich S, von Bergwelt-Baildon M, Endres S, Subklewe M, Kobold S. Comparative performance of scFv-based anti-BCMA CAR formats for improved T cell therapy in multiple myeloma. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:100. [PMID: 38630291 PMCID: PMC11024081 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-024-03688-4] [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] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
In multiple myeloma (MM), B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed CAR T cells have emerged as a novel therapy with potential for long-term disease control. Anti-BCMA CAR T cells with a CD8-based transmembrane (TM) and CD137 (41BB) as intracellular costimulatory domain are in routine clinical use. As the CAR construct architecture can differentially impact performance and efficacy, the optimal construction of a BCMA-targeting CAR remains to be elucidated. Here, we hypothesized that varying the constituents of the CAR structure known to impact performance could shed light on how to improve established anti-BCMA CAR constructs. CD8TM.41BBIC-based anti-BCMA CAR vectors with either a long linker or a short linker between the light and heavy scFv chain, CD28TM.41BBIC-based and CD28TM.CD28IC-based anti-BCMA CAR vector systems were used in primary human T cells. MM cell lines were used as target cells. The short linker anti-BCMA CAR demonstrated higher cytokine production, whereas in vitro cytotoxicity, T cell differentiation upon activation and proliferation were superior for the CD28TM.CD28IC-based CAR. While CD28TM.CD28IC-based CAR T cells killed MM cells faster, the persistence of 41BBIC-based constructs was superior in vivo. While CD28 and 41BB costimulation come with different in vitro and in vivo advantages, this did not translate into a superior outcome for either tested model. In conclusion, this study showcases the need to study the influence of different CAR architectures based on an identical scFv individually. It indicates that current scFv-based anti-BCMA CAR with clinical utility may already be at their functional optimum regarding the known structural variations of the scFv linker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Stock
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- Department of Medicine III, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany.
| | - Luisa Fertig
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Adrian Gottschlich
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Janina Dörr
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Florian Märkl
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lina Majed
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Vivien D Menkhoff
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ruth Grünmeier
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kai Rejeski
- Department of Medicine III, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany
- Laboratory of Translational Cancer Immunology, LMU Gene Center, Munich, Germany
| | - David M Cordas Dos Santos
- Department of Medicine III, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany
- Cancer- and Immunometabolism Research Group, LMU Gene Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Theurich
- Department of Medicine III, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany
- Cancer- and Immunometabolism Research Group, LMU Gene Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael von Bergwelt-Baildon
- Department of Medicine III, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Endres
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany
- Einheit für Klinische Pharmakologie (EKLiP), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Marion Subklewe
- Department of Medicine III, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany
- Laboratory of Translational Cancer Immunology, LMU Gene Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kobold
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine IV, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, a partnership between the DKFZ Heidelberg and the LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany.
- Einheit für Klinische Pharmakologie (EKLiP), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Neuherberg, Germany.
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11
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Temple WC, Nix MA, Naik A, Izgutdina A, Huang BJ, Wicaksono G, Phojanakong P, Serrano JAC, Young EP, Ramos E, Salangsang F, Steri V, Xirenayi S, Hermiston M, Logan AC, Stieglitz E, Wiita AP. Framework humanization optimizes potency of anti-CD72 nanobody CAR-T cells for B-cell malignancies. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006985. [PMID: 38007238 PMCID: PMC10680002 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-006985] [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] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Approximately 50% of patients who receive anti-CD19 CAR-T cells relapse, and new immunotherapeutic targets are urgently needed. We recently described CD72 as a promising target in B-cell malignancies and developed nanobody-based CAR-T cells (nanoCARs) against it. This cellular therapy design is understudied compared with scFv-based CAR-T cells, but has recently become of significant interest given the first regulatory approval of a nanoCAR in multiple myeloma. METHODS We humanized our previous nanobody framework regions, derived from llama, to generate a series of humanized anti-CD72 nanobodies. These nanobody binders were inserted into second-generation CD72 CAR-T cells and were evaluated against preclinical models of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in vitro and in vivo. Humanized CD72 nanoCARs were compared with parental ("NbD4") CD72 nanoCARs and the clinically approved CD19-directed CAR-T construct tisangenlecleucel. RNA-sequencing, flow cytometry, and cytokine secretion profiling were used to determine differences between the different CAR constructs. We then used affinity maturation on the parental NbD4 construct to generate high affinity binders against CD72 to test if higher affinity to CD72 improved antitumor potency. RESULTS Toward clinical translation, here we humanize our previous nanobody framework regions, derived from llama, and surprisingly discover a clone ("H24") with enhanced potency against B-cell tumors, including patient-derived samples after CD19 CAR-T relapse. Potentially underpinning improved potency, H24 has moderately higher binding affinity to CD72 compared with a fully llama framework. However, further affinity maturation (KD<1 nM) did not lead to improvement in cytotoxicity. After treatment with H24 nanoCARs, in vivo relapse was accompanied by CD72 antigen downregulation which was partially reversible. The H24 nanobody clone was found to have no off-target binding and is therefore designated as a true clinical candidate. CONCLUSION This work supports translation of H24 CD72 nanoCARs for refractory B-cell malignancies, reveals potential mechanisms of resistance, and unexpectedly demonstrates that nanoCAR potency can be improved by framework alterations alone. These findings may have implications for future engineering of nanobody-based cellular therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- William C Temple
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Matthew A Nix
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Akul Naik
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Adila Izgutdina
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Benjamin J Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Gianina Wicaksono
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Paul Phojanakong
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth P Young
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Emilio Ramos
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Fernando Salangsang
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Veronica Steri
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Simayijiang Xirenayi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Michelle Hermiston
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Aaron C Logan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Elliot Stieglitz
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Arun P Wiita
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California, USA
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12
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Mc Laughlin AM, Milligan PA, Yee C, Bergstrand M. Model-informed drug development of autologous CAR-T cell therapy: Strategies to optimize CAR-T cell exposure leveraging cell kinetic/dynamic modeling. CPT Pharmacometrics Syst Pharmacol 2023; 12:1577-1590. [PMID: 37448343 PMCID: PMC10681459 DOI: 10.1002/psp4.13011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Autologous Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) cell therapy has been highly successful in the treatment of aggressive hematological malignancies and is also being evaluated for the treatment of solid tumors as well as other therapeutic areas. A challenge, however, is that up to 60% of patients do not sustain a long-term response. Low CAR-T cell exposure has been suggested as an underlying factor for a poor prognosis. CAR-T cell therapy is a novel therapeutic modality with unique kinetic and dynamic properties. Importantly, "clear" dose-exposure relationships do not seem to exist for any of the currently approved CAR-T cell products. In other words, dose increases have not led to a commensurate increase in the measurable in vivo frequency of transferred CAR-T cells. Therefore, alternative approaches beyond dose titration are needed to optimize CAR-T cell exposure. In this paper, we provide examples of actionable variables - design elements in CAR-T cell discovery, development, and clinical practice, which can be modified to optimize autologous CAR-T cell exposure. Most of these actionable variables can be assessed throughout the various stages of discovery and development as part of a well-informed research and development program. Model-informed drug development approaches can enable such study and program design choices from discovery through to clinical practice and can be an important contributor to cell therapy effectiveness and efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cassian Yee
- Department of Melanoma Medical OncologyThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
- Department of ImmunologyThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
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13
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Cowan AJ, Pont MJ, Sather BD, Turtle CJ, Till BG, Libby EN, Coffey DG, Tuazon SA, Wood B, Gooley T, Wu VQ, Voutsinas J, Song X, Shadman M, Gauthier J, Chapuis AG, Milano F, Maloney DG, Riddell SR, Green DJ. γ-Secretase inhibitor in combination with BCMA chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy for individuals with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: a phase 1, first-in-human trial. Lancet Oncol 2023; 24:811-822. [PMID: 37414012 PMCID: PMC10783021 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(23)00246-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND γ-Secretase inhibitors (GSIs) increase B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) density on malignant plasma cells and enhance antitumour activity of BCMA chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in preclinical models. We aimed to evaluate the safety and identify the recommended phase 2 dose of BCMA CAR T cells in combination with crenigacestat (LY3039478) for individuals with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. METHODS We conducted a phase 1, first-in-human trial combining crenigacestat with BCMA CAR T-cells at a single cancer centre in Seattle, WA, USA. We included individuals aged 21 years or older with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, previous autologous stem-cell transplant or persistent disease after more than four cycles of induction therapy, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, regardless of previous BCMA-targeted therapy. To assess the effect of the GSI on BCMA surface density on bone marrow plasma cells, participants received GSI during a pretreatment run-in, consisting of three doses administered 48 h apart. BCMA CAR T cells were infused at doses of 50 × 106 CAR T cells, 150 × 106 CAR T cells, 300 × 106 CAR T cells, and 450 × 106 CAR T cells (total cell dose), in combination with the 25 mg crenigacestat dosed three times a week for up to nine doses. The primary endpoints were the safety and recommended phase 2 dose of BCMA CAR T cells in combination with crenigacestat, an oral GSI. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03502577, and has met accrual goals. FINDINGS 19 participants were enrolled between June 1, 2018, and March 1, 2021, and one participant did not proceed with BCMA CAR T-cell infusion. 18 participants (eight [44%] men and ten [56%] women) with multiple myeloma received treatment between July 11, 2018, and April 14, 2021, with a median follow up of 36 months (95% CI 26 to not reached). The most common non-haematological adverse events of grade 3 or higher were hypophosphataemia in 14 (78%) participants, fatigue in 11 (61%), hypocalcaemia in nine (50%), and hypertension in seven (39%). Two deaths reported outside of the 28-day adverse event collection window were related to treatment. Participants were treated at doses up to 450 × 106 CAR+ cells, and the recommended phase 2 dose was not reached. INTERPRETATIONS Combining a GSI with BCMA CAR T cells appears to be well tolerated, and crenigacestat increases target antigen density. Deep responses were observed among heavily pretreated participants with multiple myeloma who had previously received BCMA-targeted therapy and those who were naive to previous BCMA-targeted therapy. Further study of GSIs given with BCMA-targeted therapeutics is warranted in clinical trials. FUNDING Juno Therapeutics-a Bristol Myers Squibb company and the National Institutes of Health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Cowan
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Margot J Pont
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Cameron J Turtle
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brian G Till
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Edward N Libby
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David G Coffey
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sherilyn A Tuazon
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brent Wood
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ted Gooley
- Statistics Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vicky Q Wu
- Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Statistics Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jenna Voutsinas
- Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Statistics Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xiaoling Song
- Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Statistics Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mazyar Shadman
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jordan Gauthier
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Aude G Chapuis
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Filippo Milano
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David G Maloney
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stanley R Riddell
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Damian J Green
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
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14
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Mensali N, Köksal H, Joaquina S, Wernhoff P, Casey NP, Romecin P, Panisello C, Rodriguez R, Vimeux L, Juzeniene A, Myhre MR, Fåne A, Ramírez CC, Maggadottir SM, Duru AD, Georgoudaki AM, Grad I, Maturana AD, Gaudernack G, Kvalheim G, Carcaboso AM, de Alava E, Donnadieu E, Bruland ØS, Menendez P, Inderberg EM, Wälchli S. ALPL-1 is a target for chimeric antigen receptor therapy in osteosarcoma. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3375. [PMID: 37291203 PMCID: PMC10250459 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39097-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OS) remains a dismal malignancy in children and young adults, with poor outcome for metastatic and recurrent disease. Immunotherapies in OS are not as promising as in some other cancer types due to intra-tumor heterogeneity and considerable off-target expression of the potentially targetable proteins. Here we show that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells could successfully target an isoform of alkaline phosphatase, ALPL-1, which is highly and specifically expressed in primary and metastatic OS. The target recognition element of the second-generation CAR construct is based on two antibodies, previously shown to react against OS. T cells transduced with these CAR constructs mediate efficient and effective cytotoxicity against ALPL-positive cells in in vitro settings and in state-of-the-art in vivo orthotopic models of primary and metastatic OS, without unexpected toxicities against hematopoietic stem cells or healthy tissues. In summary, CAR-T cells targeting ALPL-1 show efficiency and specificity in treating OS in preclinical models, paving the path for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Mensali
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hakan Köksal
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sandy Joaquina
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Patrik Wernhoff
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nicholas P Casey
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Paola Romecin
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
- Red Española de Terapias Avanzadas (TERAV)-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (RICORS, RD21/0017/0029), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carla Panisello
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
- Red Española de Terapias Avanzadas (TERAV)-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (RICORS, RD21/0017/0029), Madrid, Spain
| | - René Rodriguez
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Oncología (CIBER-ONC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lene Vimeux
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, Equipe labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, F-75014, PARIS, France
| | - Asta Juzeniene
- Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marit R Myhre
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne Fåne
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Carolina Castilla Ramírez
- Institute of Biomedicine of Sevilla (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, CSIC, University of Sevilla, CIBER-ONC, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Adil Doganay Duru
- NSU Cell Therapy Institute, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
| | - Anna-Maria Georgoudaki
- NSU Cell Therapy Institute, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Iwona Grad
- Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andrés Daniel Maturana
- Laboratory of Animal Cell Physiology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Gustav Gaudernack
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gunnar Kvalheim
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Angel M Carcaboso
- SJD Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Deu, Barcelona, 08950, Spain
| | - Enrique de Alava
- Institute of Biomedicine of Sevilla (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, CSIC, University of Sevilla, CIBER-ONC, 41013, Seville, Spain
- Department of Normal and Pathological Cytology and Histology, School of Medicine, University of Seville, 41009, Seville, Spain
| | - Emmanuel Donnadieu
- Université de Paris, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, Equipe labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, F-75014, PARIS, France
| | - Øyvind S Bruland
- Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pablo Menendez
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
- Red Española de Terapias Avanzadas (TERAV)-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (RICORS, RD21/0017/0029), Madrid, Spain
- CIBER-ONC, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Else Marit Inderberg
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Sébastien Wälchli
- Translational Research Unit, Department of Cellular Therapy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
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15
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Lee L, Lim WC, Galas-Filipowicz D, Fung K, Taylor J, Patel D, Akbar Z, Alvarez Mediavilla E, Wawrzyniecka P, Shome D, Reijmers RM, Gregg T, Wood L, Day W, Cerec V, Ferrari M, Thomas S, Cordoba S, Onuoha S, Khokhar N, Peddareddigari V, Al-Hajj M, Cavet J, Zweegman S, Rodriguez-Justo M, Youg K, Pule M, Popat R. Limited efficacy of APRIL CAR in patients with multiple myeloma indicate challenges in the use of natural ligands for CAR T-cell therapy. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006699. [PMID: 37399355 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-006699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We used a proliferating ligand (APRIL) to construct a ligand-based third generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) able to target two myeloma antigens, B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and transmembrane activator and CAML interactor. METHODS The APRIL CAR was evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT03287804, AUTO2) in patients with relapsed, refractory multiple myeloma. Eleven patients received 13 doses, the first 15×106 CARs, and subsequent patients received 75,225,600 and 900×106 CARs in a 3+3 escalation design. RESULTS The APRIL CAR was well tolerated. Five (45.5%) patients developed Grade 1 cytokine release syndrome and there was no neurotoxicity. However, responses were only observed in 45.5% patients (1×very good partial response, 3×partial response, 1×minimal response). Exploring the mechanistic basis for poor responses, we then compared the APRIL CAR to two other BCMA CARs in a series of in vitro assays, observing reduced interleukin-2 secretion and lack of sustained tumor control by APRIL CAR regardless of transduction method or co-stimulatory domain. There was also impaired interferon signaling of APRIL CAR and no evidence of autoactivation. Thus focusing on APRIL itself, we confirmed similar affinity to BCMA and protein stability in comparison to BCMA CAR binders but reduced binding by cell-expressed APRIL to soluble BCMA and reduced avidity to tumor cells. This indicated either suboptimal folding or stability of membrane-bound APRIL attenuating CAR activation. CONCLUSIONS The APRIL CAR was well tolerated, but the clinical responses observed in AUTO2 were disappointing. Subsequently, when comparing the APRIL CAR to other BCMA CARs, we observed in vitro functional deficiencies due to reduced target binding by cell-expressed ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Lee
- Research Department of Haematology, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | | | - Kent Fung
- Research Department of Haematology, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Dominic Patel
- Department of Pathology, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Leigh Wood
- Department of Haematology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jim Cavet
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | | | | | - Kwee Youg
- Research Department of Haematology, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | - Martin Pule
- Research Department of Haematology, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
- Autolus Ltd, London, UK
| | - Rakesh Popat
- Department of Haematology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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16
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Admon A. The biogenesis of the immunopeptidome. Semin Immunol 2023; 67:101766. [PMID: 37141766 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The immunopeptidome is the repertoire of peptides bound and presented by the MHC class I, class II, and non-classical molecules. The peptides are produced by the degradation of most cellular proteins, and in some cases, peptides are produced from extracellular proteins taken up by the cells. This review attempts to first describe some of its known and well-accepted concepts, and next, raise some questions about a few of the established dogmas in this field: The production of novel peptides by splicing is questioned, suggesting here that spliced peptides are extremely rare, if existent at all. The degree of the contribution to the immunopeptidome by degradation of cellular protein by the proteasome is doubted, therefore this review attempts to explain why it is likely that this contribution to the immunopeptidome is possibly overstated. The contribution of defective ribosome products (DRiPs) and non-canonical peptides to the immunopeptidome is noted and methods are suggested to quantify them. In addition, the common misconception that the MHC class II peptidome is mostly derived from extracellular proteins is noted, and corrected. It is stressed that the confirmation of sequence assignments of non-canonical and spliced peptides should rely on targeted mass spectrometry using spiking-in of heavy isotope-labeled peptides. Finally, the new methodologies and modern instrumentation currently available for high throughput kinetics and quantitative immunopeptidomics are described. These advanced methods open up new possibilities for utilizing the big data generated and taking a fresh look at the established dogmas and reevaluating them critically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arie Admon
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel.
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17
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Vu TQ, Sant'Anna LE, Kamat NP. Tuning Targeted Liposome Avidity to Cells via Lipid Phase Separation. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:1574-1584. [PMID: 36943688 PMCID: PMC10874583 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c01338] [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] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
The addition of both cell-targeting moieties and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to nanoparticle (NP) drug delivery systems is a standard approach to improve the biodistribution, specificity, and uptake of therapeutic cargo. The spatial presentation of these molecules affects avidity of the NP to target cells in part through an interplay between the local ligand concentration and the steric hindrance imposed by PEG molecules. Here, we show that lipid phase separation in nanoparticles can modulate liposome avidity by changing the proximity of PEG and targeting protein molecules on a nanoparticle surface. Using lipid-anchored nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) as a model ligand, we demonstrate that the attachment of lipid anchored Ni-NTA and PEG molecules to distinct lipid domains in nanoparticles can enhance liposome binding to cancer cells by increasing ligand clustering and reducing steric hindrance. We then use this technique to enhance the binding of RGD-modified liposomes, which can bind to integrins overexpressed on many cancer cells. These results demonstrate the potential of lipid phase separation to modulate the spatial presentation of targeting and shielding molecules on lipid nanocarriers, offering a powerful tool to enhance the efficacy of NP drug delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Q Vu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Lucas E Sant'Anna
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Neha P Kamat
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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18
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Belovezhets T, Kulemzin S, Volkova O, Najakshin A, Taranin A, Gorchakov A. Comparative Pre-Clinical Analysis of CD20-Specific CAR T Cells Encompassing 1F5-, Leu16-, and 2F2-Based Antigen-Recognition Moieties. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043698. [PMID: 36835110 PMCID: PMC9966244 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, CAR T cell therapy for patients with B cell malignancies has evolved from an experimental technique to a clinically feasible option. To date, four CAR T cell products specific for a B cell surface marker, CD19, have been approved by the FDA. Despite the spectacular rates of complete remission in r/r ALL and NHL patients, a significant proportion of patients still relapse, frequently with the CD19 low/negative tumor phenotype. To address this issue, additional B cell surface molecules such as CD20 were proposed as targets for CAR T cells. Here, we performed a side-by-side comparison of the activity of CD20-specific CAR T cells based on the antigen-recognition modules derived from the murine antibodies, 1F5 and Leu16, and from the human antibody, 2F2. Whereas CD20-specific CAR T cells differed from CD19-specific CAR T cells in terms of subpopulation composition and cytokine secretion, they displayed similar in vitro and in vivo potency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergey Kulemzin
- Almazov National Medical Research Centre, 197341 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga Volkova
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexander Najakshin
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexander Taranin
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the SB RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Andrey Gorchakov
- Almazov National Medical Research Centre, 197341 Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Correspondence:
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19
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Arman I, Haus-Cohen M, Reiter Y. The Intracellular Proteome as a Source for Novel Targets in CAR-T and T-Cell Engagers-Based Immunotherapy. Cells 2022; 12:cells12010027. [PMID: 36611821 PMCID: PMC9818436 DOI: 10.3390/cells12010027] [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: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The impressive clinical success of cancer immunotherapy has motivated the continued search for new targets that may serve to guide potent effector functions in an attempt to efficiently kill malignant cells. The intracellular proteome is an interesting source for such new targets, such as neo-antigens and others, with growing interest in their application for cell-based immunotherapies. These intracellular-derived targets are peptides presented by MHC class I molecules on the cell surface of malignant cells. These disease-specific class I HLA-peptide complexes can be targeted by specific TCRs or by antibodies that mimic TCR-specificity, termed TCR-like (TCRL) antibodies. Adoptive cell transfer of TCR engineered T cells and T-cell-receptor-like based CAR-T cells, targeted against a peptide-MHC of interest, are currently tested as cancer therapeutic agents in pre-clinical and clinical trials, along with soluble TCR- and TCRL-based agents, such as immunotoxins and bi-specific T cell engagers. Targeting the intracellular proteome using TCRL- and TCR-based molecules shows promising results in cancer immunotherapy, as exemplified by the success of the anti-gp100/HLA-A2 TCR-based T cell engager, recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma. This review is focused on the selection and isolation processes of TCR- and TCRL-based targeting moieties, with a spotlight on pre-clinical and clinical studies, examining peptide-MHC targeting agents in cancer immunotherapy.
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20
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Mao R, Kong W, He Y. The affinity of antigen-binding domain on the antitumor efficacy of CAR T cells: Moderate is better. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1032403. [PMID: 36325345 PMCID: PMC9618871 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1032403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The overall efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor modified T cells (CARTs) remain limited in solid tumors despite intensive studies that aim at targeting multiple antigens, enhancing migration, reducing tonic signaling, and improving tumor microenvironment. On the other hand, how the affinity and engaging kinetics of antigen-binding domain (ABD) affects the CART's efficacy has not been carefully investigated. In this article, we first analyzed 38 published solid tumor CART trials and correlated the response rate to their ABD affinity. Not surprisingly, majority (25 trials) of the CARTs utilized high-affinity ABDs, but generated merely 5.7% response rate. In contrast, 35% of the patients treated with the CARTs built from moderate-affinity ABDs had clinical responses. Thus, CARTs with moderate-affinity ABDs not only have less off-target toxicity, but also are more effective. We then reviewed the effects of ABD affinity on the biology and function of CARTs, providing further evidence that moderate-affinity ABDs may be better in CART development. In the end, we propose that a fast-on/fast-off (high Kon and Koff ) kinetics of CART-target engagement in solid tumor allow CARTs to generate sufficient signaling to kill tumor cells without being driven to exhaustion. We believe that studying the ABD affinity and the kinetics of CART-tumor interaction may hold a key to designing effective CARTs for solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Mao
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Wanqing Kong
- South Carolina Governors School for Science and Math, Hartsville, SC, United States
| | - Yukai He
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
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21
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Rodriguez-Marquez P, Calleja-Cervantes ME, Serrano G, Oliver-Caldes A, Palacios-Berraquero ML, Martin-Mallo A, Calviño C, Español-Rego M, Ceballos C, Lozano T, San Martin-Uriz P, Vilas-Zornoza A, Rodriguez-Diaz S, Martinez-Turrillas R, Jauregui P, Alignani D, Viguria MC, Redondo M, Pascal M, Martin-Antonio B, Juan M, Urbano-Ispizua A, Rodriguez-Otero P, Alfonso-Pierola A, Paiva B, Lasarte JJ, Inoges S, Lopez-Diaz de Cerio A, San-Miguel J, Fernandez de Larrea C, Hernaez M, Rodriguez-Madoz JR, Prosper F. CAR density influences antitumoral efficacy of BCMA CAR T cells and correlates with clinical outcome. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo0514. [PMID: 36179026 PMCID: PMC9524842 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo0514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Identification of new markers associated with long-term efficacy in patients treated with CAR T cells is a current medical need, particularly in diseases such as multiple myeloma. In this study, we address the impact of CAR density on the functionality of BCMA CAR T cells. Functional and transcriptional studies demonstrate that CAR T cells with high expression of the CAR construct show an increased tonic signaling with up-regulation of exhaustion markers and increased in vitro cytotoxicity but a decrease in in vivo BM infiltration. Characterization of gene regulatory networks using scRNA-seq identified regulons associated to activation and exhaustion up-regulated in CARHigh T cells, providing mechanistic insights behind differential functionality of these cells. Last, we demonstrate that patients treated with CAR T cell products enriched in CARHigh T cells show a significantly worse clinical response in several hematological malignancies. In summary, our work demonstrates that CAR density plays an important role in CAR T activity with notable impact on clinical response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria E. Calleja-Cervantes
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Computational Biology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Guillermo Serrano
- Computational Biology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Aina Oliver-Caldes
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Angel Martin-Mallo
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Cristina Calviño
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Marta Español-Rego
- Department of Immunology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Candela Ceballos
- Hematology Service, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Teresa Lozano
- Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | | | - Amaia Vilas-Zornoza
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Rebeca Martinez-Turrillas
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Jauregui
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Diego Alignani
- Flow Cytometry Core, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Maria C. Viguria
- Hematology Service, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Margarita Redondo
- Hematology Service, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Mariona Pascal
- Department of Immunology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beatriz Martin-Antonio
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Juan
- Department of Immunology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Immunotherapy platform Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alvaro Urbano-Ispizua
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paula Rodriguez-Otero
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ana Alfonso-Pierola
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Bruno Paiva
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Flow Cytometry Core, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Juan J. Lasarte
- Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Susana Inoges
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Immunology and Immunotherapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ascension Lopez-Diaz de Cerio
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Immunology and Immunotherapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Jesus San-Miguel
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Cancer Center Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Carlos Fernandez de Larrea
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mikel Hernaez
- Computational Biology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute (DATAI), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Juan R. Rodriguez-Madoz
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Felipe Prosper
- Hemato-Oncology Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Cancer Center Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
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22
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Lou H, Cao X. Antibody variable region engineering for improving cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Commun (Lond) 2022; 42:804-827. [PMID: 35822503 PMCID: PMC9456695 DOI: 10.1002/cac2.12330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The efficacy and specificity of conventional monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs in the clinic require further improvement. Currently, the development and application of novel antibody formats for improving cancer immunotherapy have attracted much attention. Variable region-retaining antibody fragments, such as antigen-binding fragment (Fab), single-chain variable fragment (scFv), bispecific antibody, and bi/trispecific cell engagers, are engineered with humanization, multivalent antibody construction, affinity optimization and antibody masking for targeting tumor cells and killer cells to improve antibody-based therapy potency, efficacy and specificity. In this review, we summarize the application of antibody variable region engineering and discuss the future direction of antibody engineering for improving cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hantao Lou
- Ludwig Institute of Cancer ResearchUniversity of OxfordOxfordOX3 7DRUK
- Chinese Academy for Medical Sciences Oxford InstituteNuffield Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordOX3 7FZUK
| | - Xuetao Cao
- Chinese Academy for Medical Sciences Oxford InstituteNuffield Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordOX3 7FZUK
- Department of ImmunologyCentre for Immunotherapy, Institute of Basic Medical SciencesChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijing100005P. R. China
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23
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Understanding CAR T cell-tumor interactions: Paving the way for successful clinical outcomes. MED 2022; 3:538-564. [PMID: 35963235 DOI: 10.1016/j.medj.2022.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
Since their approval 5 years ago, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have gained great importance in the daily clinical practice and treatment of hematological malignancies, although many challenges to their use remain, such as limited long-term CAR T cell efficacy due to disease resistance or recurrence. After a brief overview of CAR T cells, their approval, therapeutic successes, and ongoing limitations, this review discusses what is known about CAR T cell activation, their expansion and persistence, their mechanisms of cytotoxicity, and how the CAR design and/or tumor-intrinsic factors influence these functions. This review also examines the role of cytokines in CAR T cell-associated toxicity and their effects on CAR T cell function. Furthermore, we discuss several resistance mechanisms, including obstacles associated with CAR treatment of solid tumors. Finally, we provide a future outlook on next-generation strategies to further optimize CARs and improve clinical outcomes.
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24
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Peng H, Nerreter T, Mestermann K, Wachter J, Chang J, Hudecek M, Rader C. ROR1-targeting switchable CAR-T cells for cancer therapy. Oncogene 2022; 41:4104-4114. [PMID: 35859167 PMCID: PMC9398970 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02416-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The success of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies has prompted the development of numerous CAR-T technologies, including switchable CAR-T (sCAR-T) systems that combine a universal CAR-T with bispecific adapter proteins. Owing to their controllability and versatility, sCAR-Ts have received considerable attention. To explore the therapeutic utility of sCAR-Ts targeting the receptor tyrosine kinase ROR1, which is expressed in hematologic and solid malignancies, and to identify bispecific adaptor proteins that efficiently mediate universal CAR-T engagement, a panel of switches based on ROR1-targeting Fabs with different epitopes and affinities was compared in in vitro and in vivo models of ROR1-expressing cancers. For switches targeting overlapping or identical epitopes, potency correlated with affinity. Surprisingly, however, we identified a switch targeting a unique epitope with low affinity but mediating potent and selective antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Converted to a conventional CAR-T, the same anti-ROR1 mAb (324) outperformed a clinically investigated conventional CAR-T that is based on an anti-ROR1 mAb (R12) with ~200-fold higher affinity. Thus, demonstrating therapeutic utility on their own, sCAR-Ts also facilitate higher throughput screening for the identification of conventional CAR-T candidates for preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyong Peng
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, University of Florida, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA.
| | - Thomas Nerreter
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Strasse 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Katrin Mestermann
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Strasse 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jakob Wachter
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Strasse 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jing Chang
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, University of Florida, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Michael Hudecek
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Strasse 6, 97080, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Rader
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, University of Florida, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA.
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Leick MB, Silva H, Scarfò I, Larson R, Choi BD, Bouffard AA, Gallagher K, Schmidts A, Bailey SR, Kann MC, Jan M, Wehrli M, Grauwet K, Horick N, Frigault MJ, Maus MV. Non-cleavable hinge enhances avidity and expansion of CAR-T cells for acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer Cell 2022; 40:494-508.e5. [PMID: 35452603 PMCID: PMC9107929 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2022.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is effective in lymphoid malignancies, but there has been limited data in myeloid cancers. Here, we start with a CD27-based CAR to target CD70 ("native") in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and we find modest efficacy in vivo, consistent with prior reports. We then use orthogonal approaches to increase binding on both the tumor and CAR-T cell sides of the immune synapse: a pharmacologic approach (azacitidine) to increase antigen density of CD70 in myeloid tumors, and an engineering approach to stabilize binding of the CAR to CD70. To accomplish the latter, we design a panel of hinge-modified regions to mitigate cleavage of the extracellular portion of CD27. Our CD8 hinge and transmembrane-modified CD70 CAR-T cells are less prone to cleavage, have enhanced binding avidity, and increased expansion, leading to more potent in vivo activity. This enhanced CD70-targeted CAR is a promising candidate for further clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Harrison Silva
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bryan D Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Kathleen Gallagher
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Marc Wehrli
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Korneel Grauwet
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Nora Horick
- Department of Biostatistics, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Matthew J Frigault
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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26
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Egan JR, Abu-Shah E, Dushek O, Elliott T, MacArthur BD. Fluctuations in T cell receptor and pMHC interactions regulate T cell activation. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20210589. [PMID: 35135295 PMCID: PMC8833104 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive immune responses depend on interactions between T cell receptors (TCRs) and peptide major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) ligands located on the surface of T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs), respectively. As TCRs and pMHCs are often only present at low copy numbers their interactions are inherently stochastic, yet the role of stochastic fluctuations on T cell function is unclear. Here, we introduce a minimal stochastic model of T cell activation that accounts for serial TCR-pMHC engagement, reversible TCR conformational change and TCR aggregation. Analysis of this model indicates that it is not the strength of binding between the T cell and the APC cell per se that elicits an immune response, but rather the information imparted to the T cell from the encounter, as assessed by the entropy rate of the TCR-pMHC binding dynamics. This view provides an information-theoretic interpretation of T cell activation that explains a range of experimental observations. Based on this analysis, we propose that effective T cell therapeutics may be enhanced by optimizing the inherent stochasticity of TCR-pMHC binding dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Egan
- Mathematical Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Centre for Cancer Immunology, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.,Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Enas Abu-Shah
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK.,Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Omer Dushek
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Tim Elliott
- Institute for Life Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Centre for Cancer Immunology, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.,Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Ben D MacArthur
- Mathematical Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Alan Turing Institute, London NW1 2DB, UK
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Mao R, Hussein MS, He Y. Chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cells and their application in the immunotherapy of solid tumours. Expert Rev Mol Med 2022; 24:e7. [PMID: 35086597 PMCID: PMC9617572 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2021.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In this article, we reviewed the current literature studies and our understanding of the parameters that affect the chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T's) activation, effector function, in vivo persistence, and antitumour effects. These factors include T cell subsets and their differentiation stages, the components of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) design, the expression promoters and delivery vectors, and the CAR-T production process. The CAR signalling and CAR-T activation were also studied in comparison to TCR. The last section of the review gave special consideration of CAR design for solid tumours, focusing on strategies to improve CAR-T tumour infiltration and survival in the hostile tumour microenvironment. With several hundred clinical trials undergoing worldwide, the pace of CAR-T immunotherapy moves from bench to bedside is unprecedented. We hope that the article will provide readers a clear and comprehensive view of this rapidly evolving field and will help scientists and physician to design effective CAR-Ts immunotherapy for solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Mao
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta, USA
| | | | - Yukai He
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta, USA
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, USA
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28
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Greenman R, Pizem Y, Haus-Cohen M, Horev G, Denkberg G, Shen-Orr S, Rubinstein J, Reiter Y. Phenotypic Models of CAR T-Cell Activation Elucidate the Pivotal Regulatory Role of CAR Downmodulation. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 20:946-957. [PMID: 33649103 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-1110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) showed limited potency in solid tumors, despite durable remissions for hematopoietic malignancies. Therefore, an investigation of ways to enhance the efficacy of CARs' antitumor response has been engaged upon. We previously examined the interplay between the biophysical parameters of CAR binding (i.e., affinity, avidity, and antigen density), as regulators of CAR T-cell activity and detected nonmonotonic behaviors of affinity and antigen density and an interrelation between avidity and antigen density. Here, we built an evolving phenotypic model of CAR T-cell regulation, which suggested that receptor downmodulation is a key determinant of CAR T-cell function. We verified this assumption by measuring and manipulating receptor downmodulation and intracellular signaling processes. CAR downmodulation inhibition, via actin polymerization inhibition, but not inhibition of regulatory inhibitory phosphatases, was able to increase CAR T-cell responses. In addition, we documented trogocytosis in CAR T cells that depends on actin polymerization. In summary, our study modeled the parameters that govern CAR T-cell engagement and revealed an underappreciated mechanism of T-cell regulation. These results have a potential to predict and therefore advance the rational design of CAR T cells for adoptive cell treatments.See related article on p. 872.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raanan Greenman
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoav Pizem
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Maya Haus-Cohen
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Guy Horev
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Shai Shen-Orr
- Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jacob Rubinstein
- Faculty of Mathematics, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoram Reiter
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
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