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Morel VJ, Rössler J, Bernasconi M. Targeted immunotherapy and nanomedicine for rhabdomyosarcoma: The way of the future. Med Res Rev 2024; 44:2730-2773. [PMID: 38885148 DOI: 10.1002/med.22059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood. Histology separates two main subtypes: embryonal RMS (eRMS; 60%-70%) and alveolar RMS (aRMS; 20%-30%). The aggressive aRMS carry one of two characteristic chromosomal translocations that result in the expression of a PAX3::FOXO1 or PAX7::FOXO1 fusion transcription factor; therefore, aRMS are now classified as fusion-positive (FP) RMS. Embryonal RMS have a better prognosis and are clinically indistinguishable from fusion-negative (FN) RMS. Next to histology and molecular characteristics, RMS risk groupings are now available defining low risk tumors with excellent outcomes and advanced stage disease with poor prognosis, with an overall survival of about only 20% despite intensified multimodal treatment. Therefore, development of novel effective targeted strategies to increase survival and to decrease long-term side effects is urgently needed. Recently, immunotherapies and nanomedicine have been emerging for potent and effective tumor treatments with minimal side effects, raising hopes for effective and safe cures for RMS patients. This review aims to describe the most relevant preclinical and clinical studies in immunotherapy and targeted nanomedicine performed so far in RMS and to provide an insight in future developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Judith Morel
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jochen Rössler
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michele Bernasconi
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
- Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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2
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Canciani G, Fabozzi F, Pinacchio C, Ceccarelli M, Del Bufalo F. Developing CAR T-Cell Therapies for Pediatric Solid Tumors. Paediatr Drugs 2024:10.1007/s40272-024-00653-7. [PMID: 39382819 DOI: 10.1007/s40272-024-00653-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 10/10/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies, inducing notable and durable clinical responses. However, for solid tumors, including but not limited to pediatric tumors, several peculiar biological features posed substantial challenges for achieving comparable results. Despite sound pre-clinical evidence of the ability of CAR T cells to eradicate solid malignancies, their activity remains suboptimal when facing the in vivo complexity of solid tumors, characterized by antigen heterogeneity, scarce T-cell infiltration, and an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Neuroblastoma was amongst the first tumors to be evaluated as a potential candidate for GD2-targeting CAR T cells, which recently documented promising results in high-risk, heavily pre-treated patients. Moreover, innovative engineering strategies for generating more potent and persistent CAR T cells suggest the possibility to reproduce, and potentially improve, these promising results on a larger scale. In the next years, harnessing the full therapeutic potential of CAR T cells and other immunotherapeutic strategies may open new possibilities for effectively treating the most aggressive forms of pediatric tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Canciani
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
- Residency School of Pediatrics, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Fabozzi
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Pinacchio
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Manuela Ceccarelli
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Del Bufalo
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy.
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3
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Ren Y, Bao X, Feng M, Xing B, Lian W, Yao Y, Wang R. CD87-targeted BiTE and CAR-T cells potently inhibit invasive nonfunctional pituitary adenomas. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:2169-2185. [PMID: 38987430 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-024-2591-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Recently, bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) and chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells (CAR-Ts) have been shown to have high therapeutic efficacy in hematological tumors. CD87 is highly expressed in solid tumors with an oncogenic function. To assess their cytotoxic effects on invasive nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (iNFPAs), we first examined CD87 expression and its effects on the metabolism of iNFPA cells. We generated CD87-specific BiTE and CAR/IL-12 T cells, and their cytotoxic effects on iNFPAs cells and in mouse models were determined. CD87 had high expression in iNFPA tissue and cell samples but was undetected in noncancerous brain samples. CD87×CD3 BiTE and CD87 CAR/IL-12 T-cells showed antigenic specificity and exerted satisfactory cytotoxic effects, decreasing tumor cell proliferation in vitro and reducing existing tumors in experimental mice. Overall, the above findings suggest that CD87 is a promising target for the immunotherapeutic management of iNFPAs using anti-CD87 BiTE and CD87-specific CAR/IL-12 T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Ren
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Xinjie Bao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Ming Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Bing Xing
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Wei Lian
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Yong Yao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Renzhi Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
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4
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Williamson HK, Mendes PM. An integrated perspective on measuring cytokines to inform CAR-T bioprocessing. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 75:108405. [PMID: 38997052 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells are emerging as a generation-defining therapeutic however their manufacture remains a major barrier to meeting increased market demand. Monitoring critical quality attributes (CQAs) and critical process parameters (CPPs) during manufacture would vastly enrich acquired information related to the process and product, providing feedback to enable real-time decision making. Here we identify specific CAR-T cytokines as value-adding analytes and discuss their roles as plausible CPPs and CQAs. High sensitivity sensing technologies which can be easily integrated into manufacture workflows are essential to implement real-time monitoring of these cytokines. We therefore present biosensors as enabling technologies and evaluate recent advancements in cytokine detection in cell cultures, offering promising translatability to CAR-T biomanufacture. Finally, we outline emerging sensing technologies with future promise, and provide an overall outlook on existing gaps to implementation and the optimal sensing platform to enable cytokine monitoring in CAR-T biomanufacture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah K Williamson
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Paula M Mendes
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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5
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Fan M, Zheng J, Huang Y, Lu M, Shang Z, Du M. Nanoparticle-mediated universal CAR-T therapy. Int J Pharm 2024; 666:124779. [PMID: 39349228 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124779] [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: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 09/16/2024] [Accepted: 09/27/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has been highly successful in treating hematological malignancies, leading to significant advancements in the cancer immunotherapy field. However, the typical CAR-T therapy necessitates the enrichment of patients' own leukocytes for ex vivo production of CAR-T cells, this customized pattern requires a complicated and time-consuming manufacturing procedure, making it costly and less accessible. The off-the-shelf universal CAR-T strategy could reduce manufacturing costs and realize timely drug administration, presenting as an ideal substitute for typical CAR-T therapy. Utilizing nanocarriers for targeted gene delivery is one of the approaches for the realization of universal CAR-T therapy, as biocompatible and versatile nanoparticles could deliver CAR genes to generate CAR-T cells in vivo. Nanoparticle-mediated in situ generation of CAR-T cells possesses multiple advantages, including lowered cost, simplified manufacturing procedure, and shortened administration time, this strategy is anticipated to provide a potentially cost-effective alternative to current autologous CAR-T cell manufacturing, thus facilitating the prevalence and improvement of CAR-T therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingliang Fan
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiayu Zheng
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yue Huang
- School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingxia Lu
- State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhi Shang
- Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Mingwei Du
- Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China.
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6
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Vorri SC, Holl NJ, Leeming M, Apostolova P, Marple A, Ravich JW, Canbaz A, Rahnama R, Choe J, Modi A, Fearnow AD, Walsh STR, Pearce EL, Varadhan R, Bonifant CL. Activation of Cell-Intrinsic Signaling in CAR-T Cells via a Chimeric IL7R Domain. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:2359-2373. [PMID: 39186002 PMCID: PMC11382189 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-24-0286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells can effectively treat leukemias, but sustained antitumor responses can be hindered by a lack of CAR T-cell persistence. Cytotoxic effector T cells are short-lived, and establishment of CAR-T cells with memory to ensure immune surveillance is important. Memory T cells depend on cytokine support, with IL7 activation of the IL7 receptor (IL7R) being critical. However, IL7R surface expression is negatively regulated by exposure to IL7. We aimed to support CAR T-cell persistence by equipping CAR-T cells with a sustained IL7Rα signal. We engineered T cells to constitutively secrete IL7 or to express an anti-acute myeloid leukemia-targeted IL7Rα-chimeric cytokine receptor (CCR) and characterized the phenotype of these cell types. Canonical downstream signaling was activated in CCR-T cells with IL7R activation. When coexpressed with a cytotoxic CAR, functionality of both the CCR and CAR was maintained. We designed hybrid CAR-CCR and noted membrane proximity of the intracellular domains as vital for signaling. These data show cell-intrinsic cytokine support with canonical signaling, and functionality can be provided via expression of an IL7Rα domain whether independently expressed or incorporated into a cytotoxic CAR for use in anticancer therapy. SIGNIFICANCE To improve the phenotype of tumor-directed T-cell therapy, we show that provision of cell-intrinsic IL7R-mediated signaling is preferable to activation of cells with exogenous IL7. We engineer this signaling via independent receptor engineering and incorporation into a CAR and validate maintained antigen-specific cytotoxic activity.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Interleukin-7/metabolism
- Interleukin-7/genetics
- Receptors, Interleukin-7/metabolism
- Receptors, Interleukin-7/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/immunology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Interleukin-7 Receptor alpha Subunit
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Affiliation(s)
- Stamatia C Vorri
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Natalie J Holl
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michael Leeming
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Petya Apostolova
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Division of Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andrew Marple
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jonas W Ravich
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ata Canbaz
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ruyan Rahnama
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jun Choe
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Arjun Modi
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Adam D Fearnow
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Scott T R Walsh
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Erika L Pearce
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ravi Varadhan
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Challice L Bonifant
- Department of Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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7
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Saleh HA, Mitwasi N, R Loureiro L, Kegler A, Soto KEG, Hoffmann L, Crespo E, Arndt C, Bergmann R, Bachmann M, Feldmann A. RevCAR-expressing immune effector cells for targeting of Fn14-positive glioblastoma. Cancer Gene Ther 2024; 31:1323-1334. [PMID: 38582787 PMCID: PMC11405279 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-024-00766-8] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
In recent studies, we have established the unique adapter chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) platform RevCAR which uses, as an extracellular CAR domain, a peptide epitope instead of an antibody domain. RevCAR adapters (termed RevCAR target modules, RevTMs) are bispecific antibodies that enable the reversible ON/OFF switch of the RevCAR system, improving the safety compared to conventional CARs. Here, we describe for the first time its use for retargeting of both T and NK-92 cells. In addition, we describe the development and preclinical validation of a novel RevTM for targeting of the fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) surface receptor which is overexpressed on Glioblastoma (GBM) cells, and therefore serves as a promising target for the treatment of GBM. The novel RevTM efficiently redirects RevCAR modified T and NK-92 cells and leads to the killing of GBM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Tumor cell killing is associated with increased IL-2, TNF-α and/or IFN-γ secretion. Hence, these findings give an insight into the complementary potential of both RevCAR T and NK-92 systems as a safe and specific immunotherapeutic approach against GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haidy A Saleh
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nicola Mitwasi
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Liliana R Loureiro
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Alexandra Kegler
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Karla Elizabeth González Soto
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lydia Hoffmann
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Eugenia Crespo
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Claudia Arndt
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany
- Mildred Scheel Early Career Center, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ralf Bergmann
- Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Michael Bachmann
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany.
- National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC), Germany: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany.
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Anja Feldmann
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Department of Radioimmunology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, D-01328, Dresden, Germany.
- National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC), Germany: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany.
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
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8
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Testa U, Castelli G, Pelosi E. CAR-T Cells in the Treatment of Nervous System Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2913. [PMID: 39199683 PMCID: PMC11352247 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2024] [Revised: 08/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-Ts) have shown a remarkable efficacy in hematological malignancies but limited responses in solid tumors. Among solid tumors, CAR-T cell therapy has been particularly explored in brain tumors. CAR-T cells have shown a limited clinical efficacy in various types of brain tumors due to several factors that have hampered their activity, including tumor antigen heterogeneity, the limited access of CAR-T cells to brain tumor cells, limited CAR-T cell trafficking and in vivo persistence and the presence of a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Despite these considerations, some recent studies have shown promising antitumor activity of GD2-CAR-T cells on diffuse midline gliomas and neuroblastomas and of CARv3-TEAM-E cells in glioblastomas. However, strategies are required to improve the effect of CAR-T cells in brain tumors, including advanced CAR-T cell design with multiple antigenic targeting and incorporation of combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Testa
- Department of Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; (G.C.); (E.P.)
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9
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Zarychta J, Kowalczyk A, Marszołek A, Zawitkowska J, Lejman M. Strategies to overcome tumor microenvironment immunosuppressive effect on the functioning of CAR-T cells in high-grade glioma. Ther Adv Med Oncol 2024; 16:17588359241266140. [PMID: 39156126 PMCID: PMC11327996 DOI: 10.1177/17588359241266140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite significant progress in the treatment of some types of cancer, high-grade gliomas (HGGs) remain a significant clinical problem. In the case of glioblastoma (GBM), the most common solid tumor of the central nervous system in adults, the average survival time from diagnosis is only 15-18 months, despite the use of intensive multimodal therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells, which have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of certain hematologic malignancies, are a new, promising therapeutic option. However, the efficacy of CAR-T cells in solid tumors is lower due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Reprogramming the immunosuppressive TME toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype therefore seems particularly important because it may allow for increasing the effectiveness of CAR-T cells in the therapy of solid tumors. The following literature review aims to present the results of preclinical studies showing the possibilities of improving the efficacy of CAR-T in the TME of GBM by reprogramming the TME toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype. It may be achievable thanks to the use of CAR-T in a synergistic therapy in combination with oncolytic viruses, radiotherapy, or epigenetic inhibitors, as well as by supporting CAR-T cells crossing of the blood-brain barrier, normalizing impaired angiogenesis in the TME, improving CAR-T effector functions by cytokine signaling or by blocking/knocking out T-cell inhibitors, and modulating the microRNA expression. The use of CAR-T cells modified in this way in synergistic therapy could lead to the longer survival of patients with HGG by inducing an endogenous anti-tumor response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Zarychta
- Student Scientific Society of Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Adrian Kowalczyk
- Student Scientific Society of Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Anna Marszołek
- Student Scientific Society of Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Joanna Zawitkowska
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Transplantology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Monika Lejman
- Independent Laboratory of Genetic Diagnostics, Medical University of Lublin, A. Racławickie 1, Lublin 20-093, Poland
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10
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Lin FY, Stuckert A, Tat C, White M, Ruggieri L, Zhang H, Mehta B, Lapteva N, Mei Z, Major A, Thakkar S, Shum T, Parikh K, Wu MF, Lindsay HB, Scherer L, Shekar M, Baxter P, Wang T, Grilley B, Moeller K, Hicks J, Roy A, Anastas J, Malbari F, Aldave G, Chintagumpala M, Blaney S, Parsons DW, Brenner MK, Heslop HE, Rooney CM, Omer B. Phase I Trial of GD2.CART Cells Augmented With Constitutive Interleukin-7 Receptor for Treatment of High-Grade Pediatric CNS Tumors. J Clin Oncol 2024; 42:2769-2779. [PMID: 38771986 PMCID: PMC11305939 DOI: 10.1200/jco.23.02019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE T cells modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CARTs) have demonstrated efficacy for hematologic malignancies; however, benefit for patients with CNS tumors has been limited. To enhance T cell activity against GD2+ CNS malignancies, we modified GD2-directed CART cells (GD2.CARTs) with a constitutively active interleukin (IL)-7 receptor (C7R-GD2.CARTs). METHODS Patients age 1-21 years with H3K27-altered diffuse midline glioma (DMG) or other recurrent GD2-expressing CNS tumors were eligible for this phase I trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04099797). All subjects received standard-of-care adjuvant radiation therapy or chemotherapy before study enrollment. The first treatment cohort received GD2.CARTs alone (1 × 107 cells/m2), and subsequent cohorts received C7R-GD2.CARTs at two dose levels (1 × 107 cells/m2; 3 × 107 cells/m2). Standard lymphodepletion with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine was included at all dose levels. RESULTS Eleven patients (age 4-18 years) received therapy without dose-limiting toxicity. The GD2.CART cohort did not experience toxicity, but had disease progression after brief improvement of residual neurologic deficits (≤3 weeks). The C7R-GD2.CART cohort developed grade 1 tumor inflammation-associated neurotoxicity in seven of eight (88%) cases, controllable with anakinra. Cytokine release syndrome was observed in six of eight (75%, grade 1 in all but one patient) and associated with increased circulating IL-6 and IP-10 (P < .05). Patients receiving C7R-GD2.CARTs experienced temporary improvement from baseline neurologic deficits (range, 2 to >12 months), and seven of eight (88%) remained eligible for additional treatment cycles (range 2-4 cycles). Partial responses by iRANO criteria were observed in two of seven (29%) patients with DMG treated by C7R-GD2.CARTs. CONCLUSION Intravenous GD2.CARTs with and without C7R were well tolerated. Patients treated with C7R-GD2.CARTs exhibited transient improvement of neurologic deficits and increased circulating cytokines/chemokines. Treatment with C7R-GD2.CARTs represents a novel approach warranting further investigation for children with these incurable CNS cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Y. Lin
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Austin Stuckert
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Candise Tat
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Mark White
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Lucia Ruggieri
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Birju Mehta
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Natalia Lapteva
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Zhuyong Mei
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Angela Major
- Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Sachin Thakkar
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Thomas Shum
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Kathan Parikh
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Meng-Fen Wu
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Holly B. Lindsay
- Department of Pediatrics Heme-Onc and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Colorado Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO
| | - Lauren Scherer
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Meghan Shekar
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Patricia Baxter
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Tao Wang
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Bambi Grilley
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Karen Moeller
- Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - John Hicks
- Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Angshumoy Roy
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
- Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Jamie Anastas
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Fatema Malbari
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Guillermo Aldave
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Murali Chintagumpala
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Susan Blaney
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - D. Williams Parsons
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Malcolm K. Brenner
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Helen E. Heslop
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Cliona M. Rooney
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Bilal Omer
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
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11
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Baumgärtner LAF, Ettich J, Balles H, Lapp DJ, Mossner S, Bassenge C, Ouzin M, Hanenberg H, Scheller J, Floss DM. Unpaired cysteine insertions favor transmembrane dimerization and induce ligand-independent constitutive cytokine receptor signaling. Biol Chem 2024; 405:531-544. [PMID: 38695485 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2023-0344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Naturally occurring gain-of-function (GOF) mutants have been identified in patients for a variety of cytokine receptors. Although this constitutive activation of cytokine receptors is strongly associated with malignant disorders, ligand-independent receptor activation is also a useful tool in synthetic biology e.g. to improve adoptive cellular therapies with genetically modified T-cells. Balanced Interleukin (IL-)7 signaling via a heterodimer of IL-7 receptor (IL-7Rα) and the common γ-chain (γc) controls T- and B-cell development and expansion, whereas uncontrolled IL-7 signaling can drive acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) development. The ALL-driver mutation PPCL in the transmembrane domain of IL-7Rα is a mutational insertion of the four amino acids proline-proline-cysteine-leucine and leads to ligand-independent receptor dimerization and constitutive activation. We showed here in the cytokine-dependent pre-B-cell line Ba/F3 that the PPCL-insertion in a synthetic version of the IL-7Rα induced γc-independent STAT5 and ERK phosphorylation and also proliferation of the cells and that booster-stimulation by arteficial ligands additionally generated non-canonical STAT3 phosphorylation via the synthetic IL-7Rα-PPCL-receptors. Transfer of the IL-7Rα transmembrane domain with the PPCL insertion into natural and synthetic cytokine receptor chains of the IL-6, IL-12 and Interferon families also resulted in constitutive receptor signaling. In conclusion, our data suggested that the insertion of the mutated PPCL IL-7Rα transmembrane domain is an universal approach to generate ligand-independent, constitutively active cytokine receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Affrica Felicitas Baumgärtner
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Ettich
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Helene Balles
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dorothee Johanna Lapp
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sofie Mossner
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christin Bassenge
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Meryem Ouzin
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Scheller
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Doreen Manuela Floss
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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12
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Mog BJ, Marcou N, DiNapoli SR, Pearlman AH, Nichakawade TD, Hwang MS, Douglass J, Hsiue EHC, Glavaris S, Wright KM, Konig MF, Paul S, Wyhs N, Ge J, Miller MS, Azurmendi P, Watson E, Pardoll DM, Gabelli SB, Bettegowda C, Papadopoulos N, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, Zhou S. Preclinical studies show that Co-STARs combine the advantages of chimeric antigen and T cell receptors for the treatment of tumors with low antigen densities. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadg7123. [PMID: 38985855 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adg7123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Two types of engineered T cells have been successfully used to treat patients with cancer, one with an antigen recognition domain derived from antibodies [chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)] and the other derived from T cell receptors (TCRs). CARs use high-affinity antigen-binding domains and costimulatory domains to induce T cell activation but can only react against target cells with relatively high amounts of antigen. TCRs have a much lower affinity for their antigens but can react against target cells displaying only a few antigen molecules. Here, we describe a new type of receptor, called a Co-STAR (for costimulatory synthetic TCR and antigen receptor), that combines aspects of both CARs and TCRs. In Co-STARs, the antigen-recognizing components of TCRs are replaced by high-affinity antibody fragments, and costimulation is provided by two modules that drive NF-κB signaling (MyD88 and CD40). Using a TCR-mimic antibody fragment that targets a recurrent p53 neoantigen presented in a common human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele, we demonstrate that T cells equipped with Co-STARs can kill cancer cells bearing low densities of antigen better than T cells engineered with conventional CARs and patient-derived TCRs in vitro. In mouse models, we show that Co-STARs mediate more robust T cell expansion and more durable tumor regressions than TCRs similarly modified with MyD88 and CD40 costimulation. Our data suggest that Co-STARs may have utility for other peptide-HLA antigens in cancer and other targets where antigen density may limit the efficacy of engineered T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Mog
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Nikita Marcou
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Sarah R DiNapoli
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Alexander H Pearlman
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Tushar D Nichakawade
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Michael S Hwang
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jacqueline Douglass
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Emily Han-Chung Hsiue
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Stephanie Glavaris
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Katharine M Wright
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Maximilian F Konig
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Suman Paul
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Nicolas Wyhs
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jiaxin Ge
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Michelle S Miller
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - P Azurmendi
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Evangeline Watson
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Drew M Pardoll
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Sandra B Gabelli
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Chetan Bettegowda
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Nickolas Papadopoulos
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kenneth W Kinzler
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Bert Vogelstein
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Shibin Zhou
- Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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13
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Lee SW, Lee HM. Engineered T Cell Receptor for Cancer Immunotherapy. Biomol Ther (Seoul) 2024; 32:424-431. [PMID: 38844787 PMCID: PMC11214961 DOI: 10.4062/biomolther.2023.197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Among the therapeutic strategies in cancer immunotherapy-such as immune-modulating antibodies, cancer vaccines, or adoptive T cell transfer-T cells have been an attractive target due to their cytotoxicity toward tumor cells and the tumor antigen-specific binding of their receptors. Leveraging the unique properties of T cells, chimeric antigen receptor-T cells and T cell receptor (TCR)-T cells were developed through genetic modification of their receptors, enhancing the specificity and effectiveness of T cell therapy. Adoptive cell transfer of chimeric antigen receptor-T cells has been successful for the treatment of hematological malignancies. To expand T cell therapy to solid tumors, T cells are modified to express defined TCR targeting tumor associated antigen, which is called TCR-T therapy. This review discusses anti-tumor T cell therapies, with a focus on engineered TCR-T cell therapy. We outline the characteristics of TCR-T cell therapy and its clinical application to non-hematological malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Won Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Dongduk Women’s University, Seoul 02748, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyang-Mi Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Dongduk Women’s University, Seoul 02748, Republic of Korea
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14
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Chen J, Hu X, Zhao J, Yin X, Zheng L, Guo J, Chen J, Wang Y, Sheng X, Dong H, Liu X, Zhang X, Liang J, Liu H, Yao J, Liu J, Shen Y, Chen Z, He Z, Wang Y, Chen N, Nie L, Zhang M, Pan X, Chen Y, Liu H, Zhang Y, Tang Y, Zhu S, Zhao J, Dai J, Wang Z, Zeng Y, Wang Z, Huang H, Liu Z, Shen P, Zeng H, Sun G. Memory/Active T-Cell Activation Is Associated with Immunotherapeutic Response in Fumarate Hydratase-Deficient Renal Cell Carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:2571-2581. [PMID: 38512114 PMCID: PMC11145163 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-2760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma (FH-deficient RCC) is a rare and lethal subtype of kidney cancer. However, the optimal treatments and molecular correlates of benefits for FH-deficient RCC are currently lacking. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A total of 91 patients with FH-deficient RCC from 15 medical centers between 2009 and 2022 were enrolled in this study. Genomic and bulk RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) were performed on 88 and 45 untreated FH-deficient RCCs, respectively. Single-cell RNA-seq was performed to identify biomarkers for treatment response. Main outcomes included disease-free survival (DFS) for localized patients, objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) for patients with metastasis. RESULTS In the localized setting, we found that a cell-cycle progression signature enabled to predict disease progression. In the metastatic setting, first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor plus tyrosine kinase inhibitor (ICI+TKI) combination therapy showed satisfactory safety and was associated with a higher ORR (43.2% vs. 5.6%), apparently superior PFS (median PFS, 17.3 vs. 9.6 months, P = 0.016) and OS (median OS, not reached vs. 25.7 months, P = 0.005) over TKI monotherapy. Bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data revealed an enrichment of memory and effect T cells in responders to ICI plus TKI combination therapy. Furthermore, we identified a signature of memory and effect T cells that was associated with the effectiveness of ICI plus TKI combination therapy. CONCLUSIONS ICI plus TKI combination therapy may represent a promising treatment option for metastatic FH-deficient RCC. A memory/active T-cell-derived signature is associated with the efficacy of ICI+TKI but necessitates further validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junru Chen
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xu Hu
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Junjie Zhao
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoxue Yin
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Linmao Zheng
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jingjing Guo
- West China Biomedical Big Data Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianhui Chen
- Department of Urology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yongquan Wang
- Department of Urology, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xinan Sheng
- Department of Genitourinary Oncology, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Haiying Dong
- Department of Urology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaodong Liu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Xingming Zhang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiayu Liang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Haolin Liu
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jin Yao
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiyan Liu
- Department of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yali Shen
- Department of Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhibin Chen
- Department of Urology, The First People's Hospital of Neijiang, Neijiang, China
| | - Zhengyu He
- Department of Urology, Yaan People's Hospital, Yaan, China
| | - Yaodong Wang
- Department of Urology, Mianyang Central Hospital, Mianyang, China
| | - Ni Chen
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ling Nie
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Mengni Zhang
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiuyi Pan
- Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuntian Chen
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Haoyang Liu
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yaowen Zhang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yanfeng Tang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Sha Zhu
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jinge Zhao
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jindong Dai
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zilin Wang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuhao Zeng
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhipeng Wang
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Haojie Huang
- Institute of Urological Cancer Research, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhenhua Liu
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Pengfei Shen
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hao Zeng
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Guangxi Sun
- Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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15
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Hegde M, Navai S, DeRenzo C, Joseph SK, Sanber K, Wu M, Gad AZ, Janeway KA, Campbell M, Mullikin D, Nawas Z, Robertson C, Mathew PR, Zhang H, Mehta B, Bhat RR, Major A, Shree A, Gerken C, Kalra M, Chakraborty R, Thakkar SG, Dakhova O, Salsman VS, Grilley B, Lapteva N, Gee A, Dotti G, Bao R, Salem AH, Wang T, Brenner MK, Heslop HE, Wels WS, Hicks MJ, Gottschalk S, Ahmed N. Autologous HER2-specific CAR T cells after lymphodepletion for advanced sarcoma: a phase 1 trial. NATURE CANCER 2024; 5:880-894. [PMID: 38658775 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-024-00749-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
In this prospective, interventional phase 1 study for individuals with advanced sarcoma, we infused autologous HER2-specific chimeric antigen receptor T cells (HER2 CAR T cells) after lymphodepletion with fludarabine (Flu) ± cyclophosphamide (Cy): 1 × 108 T cells per m2 after Flu (cohort A) or Flu/Cy (cohort B) and 1 × 108 CAR+ T cells per m2 after Flu/Cy (cohort C). The primary outcome was assessment of safety of one dose of HER2 CAR T cells after lymphodepletion. Determination of antitumor responses was the secondary outcome. Thirteen individuals were treated in 14 enrollments, and seven received multiple infusions. HER2 CAR T cells expanded after 19 of 21 infusions. Nine of 12 individuals in cohorts A and B developed grade 1-2 cytokine release syndrome. Two individuals in cohort C experienced dose-limiting toxicity with grade 3-4 cytokine release syndrome. Antitumor activity was observed with clinical benefit in 50% of individuals treated. The tumor samples analyzed showed spatial heterogeneity of immune cells and clustering by sarcoma type and by treatment response. Our results affirm HER2 as a CAR T cell target and demonstrate the safety of this therapeutic approach in sarcoma. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT00902044 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Meenakshi Hegde
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Shoba Navai
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christopher DeRenzo
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Sujith K Joseph
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Khaled Sanber
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mengfen Wu
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ahmed Z Gad
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Katherine A Janeway
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew Campbell
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dolores Mullikin
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zeid Nawas
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Catherine Robertson
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pretty R Mathew
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Birju Mehta
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Raksha R Bhat
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Angela Major
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ankita Shree
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Claudia Gerken
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mamta Kalra
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rikhia Chakraborty
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sachin G Thakkar
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Olga Dakhova
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Vita S Salsman
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bambi Grilley
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Natalia Lapteva
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Adrian Gee
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Riyue Bao
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Tao Wang
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Malcolm K Brenner
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Helen E Heslop
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Winfried S Wels
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - M John Hicks
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Nabil Ahmed
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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16
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Naik S, Velasquez MP, Gottschalk S. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy in childhood acute myeloid leukemia: how far are we from a clinical application? Haematologica 2024; 109:1656-1667. [PMID: 38832421 PMCID: PMC11141645 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2023.283817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Recurrent and/or refractory (R/R) pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a recalcitrant disease with poor outcomes. Cell therapy with genetically modified immune effector cells holds the promise to improve outcomes for R/R AML since it relies on cytotoxic mechanisms that are distinct from chemotherapeutic agents. While T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T cells) showed significant anti-AML activity in preclinical models, early phase clinical studies have demonstrated limited activity, irrespective of the targeted AML antigen. Lack of efficacy is most likely multifactorial, including: (i) a limited array of AML-specific targets and target antigen heterogeneity; (ii) the aggressive nature of R/R AML and heavy pretreatment of patients; (iii) T-cell product manufacturing, and (iv) limited expansion and persistence of the CAR T cells, which is in part driven by the immunosuppressive AML microenvironment. Here we review the results of early phase clinical studies with AML-specific CAR T cells, and avenues investigators are exploring to improve their effector function.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Child
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Treatment Outcome
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Tumor Microenvironment/immunology
- Animals
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
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17
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Talleur AC, Fabrizio VA, Aplenc R, Grupp SA, Mackall C, Majzner R, Nguyen R, Rouce R, Moskop A, McNerney KO. INSPIRED Symposium Part 5: Expanding the Use of CAR T Cells in Children and Young Adults. Transplant Cell Ther 2024; 30:565-579. [PMID: 38588880 PMCID: PMC11139555 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2024.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in relapsed/refractory (r/r) B cell malignancies, including in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Expanding this success to other hematologic and solid malignancies is an area of active research and, although challenges remain, novel solutions have led to significant progress over the past decade. Ongoing clinical trials for CAR T cell therapy for T cell malignancies and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have highlighted challenges, including antigen specificity with off-tumor toxicity and persistence concerns. In T cell malignancies, notable challenges include CAR T cell fratricide and prolonged T cell aplasia, which are being addressed with strategies such as gene editing and suicide switch technologies. In AML, antigen identification remains a significant barrier, due to shared antigens across healthy hematopoietic progenitor cells and myeloid blasts. Strategies to limit persistence and circumvent the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) created by AML are also being explored. CAR T cell therapies for central nervous system and solid tumors have several challenges, including tumor antigen heterogeneity, immunosuppressive and hypoxic TME, and potential for off-target toxicity. Numerous CAR T cell products have been designed to overcome these challenges, including "armored" CARs and CAR/T cell receptor (TCR) hybrids. Strategies to enhance CAR T cell delivery, augment CAR T cell performance in the TME, and ensure the safety of these products have shown promising results. In this manuscript, we will review the available evidence for CAR T cell use in T cell malignancies, AML, central nervous system (CNS), and non-CNS solid tumor malignancies, and recommend areas for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee C Talleur
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
| | - Vanessa A Fabrizio
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplant, Children's Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Richard Aplenc
- Division of Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Stephan A Grupp
- Division of Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Crystal Mackall
- Department of Pediatrics, Department of Medicine, Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | | | - Rosa Nguyen
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Rayne Rouce
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
| | - Amy Moskop
- Division of Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Kevin O McNerney
- Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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18
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Yoshikawa T, Ito Y, Wu Z, Kasuya H, Nakashima T, Okamoto S, Amaishi Y, Zhang H, Li Y, Matsukawa T, Inoue S, Kagoya Y. Development of a chimeric cytokine receptor that captures IL-6 and enhances the antitumor response of CAR-T cells. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101526. [PMID: 38670095 PMCID: PMC11148643 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101526] [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: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cell therapy is suboptimal in most cancers, necessitating further improvement in their therapeutic actions. However, enhancing antitumor T cell response inevitably confers an increased risk of cytokine release syndrome associated with monocyte-derived interleukin-6 (IL-6). Thus, an approach to simultaneously enhance therapeutic efficacy and safety is warranted. Here, we develop a chimeric cytokine receptor composed of the extracellular domains of GP130 and IL6RA linked to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain of IL-7R mutant that constitutively activates the JAK-STAT pathway (G6/7R or G6/7R-M452L). CAR-T cells with G6/7R efficiently absorb and degrade monocyte-derived IL-6 in vitro. The G6/7R-expressing CAR-T cells show superior expansion and persistence in vivo, resulting in durable antitumor response in both liquid and solid tumor mouse models. Our strategy can be widely applicable to CAR-T cell therapy to enhance its efficacy and safety, irrespective of the target antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiaki Yoshikawa
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan
| | - Yusuke Ito
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan
| | - Zhiwen Wu
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan
| | - Hitomi Kasuya
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan
| | - Takahiro Nakashima
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan; Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya City University Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan
| | | | | | - Haosong Zhang
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan; Division of Cellular Oncology, Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Yang Li
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan; Division of Cellular Oncology, Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Matsukawa
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Satoshi Inoue
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan
| | - Yuki Kagoya
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan; Division of Cellular Oncology, Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
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19
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Amorós-Pérez B, Rivas-Pardo B, Gómez del Moral M, Subiza JL, Martínez-Naves E. State of the Art in CAR-T Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors: Is There a Sweeter Future? Cells 2024; 13:725. [PMID: 38727261 PMCID: PMC11083689 DOI: 10.3390/cells13090725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has proven to be a powerful treatment for hematological malignancies. The situation is very different in the case of solid tumors, for which no CAR-T-based therapy has yet been approved. There are many factors contributing to the absence of response in solid tumors to CAR-T cells, such as the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), T cell exhaustion, or the lack of suitable antigen targets, which should have a stable and specific expression on tumor cells. Strategies being developed to improve CAR-T-based therapy for solid tumors include the use of new-generation CARs such as TRUCKs or bi-specific CARs, the combination of CAR therapy with chemo- or radiotherapy, the use of checkpoint inhibitors, and the use of oncolytic viruses. Furthermore, despite the scarcity of targets, a growing number of phase I/II clinical trials are exploring new solid-tumor-associated antigens. Most of these antigens are of a protein nature; however, there is a clear potential in identifying carbohydrate-type antigens associated with tumors, or carbohydrate and proteoglycan antigens that emerge because of aberrant glycosylations occurring in the context of tumor transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Amorós-Pérez
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ORL, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense of Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (B.A.-P.); (B.R.-P.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Inmunotek S.L., 28805 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Benigno Rivas-Pardo
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ORL, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense of Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (B.A.-P.); (B.R.-P.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Gómez del Moral
- Department of Cellular Biology, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense of Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | | | - Eduardo Martínez-Naves
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ORL, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense of Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (B.A.-P.); (B.R.-P.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
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20
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Zhu W, Zhang Z, Chen J, Chen X, Huang L, Zhang X, Huang X, Ma N, Xu W, Yi X, Lu X, Fu X, Li S, Mo G, Wang Y, Yuan G, Zang M, Li Q, Jiang X, He Y, Wu S, He Y, Li Y, Hou J. A novel engineered IL-21 receptor arms T-cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T cells) against hepatocellular carcinoma. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:101. [PMID: 38643203 PMCID: PMC11032311 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01792-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Strategies to improve T cell therapy efficacy in solid tumors such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are urgently needed. The common cytokine receptor γ chain (γc) family cytokines such as IL-2, IL-7, IL-15 and IL-21 play fundamental roles in T cell development, differentiation and effector phases. This study aims to determine the combination effects of IL-21 in T cell therapy against HCC and investigate optimized strategies to utilize the effect of IL-21 signal in T cell therapy. The antitumor function of AFP-specific T cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T) was augmented by exogenous IL-21 in vitro and in vivo. IL-21 enhanced proliferation capacity, promoted memory differentiation, downregulated PD-1 expression and alleviated apoptosis in TCR-T after activation. A novel engineered IL-21 receptor was established, and TCR-T armed with the novel engineered IL-21 receptors (IL-21R-TCR-T) showed upregulated phosphorylated STAT3 expression without exogenous IL-21 ligand. IL-21R-TCR-T showed better proliferation upon activation and superior antitumor function in vitro and in vivo. IL-21R-TCR-T exhibited a less differentiated, exhausted and apoptotic phenotype than conventional TCR-T upon repetitive tumor antigen stimulation. The novel IL-21 receptor in our study programs powerful TCR-T and can avoid side effects induced by IL-21 systemic utilization. The novel IL-21 receptor creates new opportunities for next-generation TCR-T against HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinzhang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lei Huang
- Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle, UK
| | - Xiaoyong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Na Ma
- Department of Pathology, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Weikang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Siwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guoheng Mo
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiyue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guosheng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengya Zang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaotao Jiang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yajing He
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sha Wu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Microbiome Medicine Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Proteomics of Guangdong Province, Demonstration Center for Experimental Education of Basic Medical Sciences of China, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yukai He
- Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Yongyin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Jinlin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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21
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Sakunrangsit N, Khuisangeam N, Inthanachai T, Yodsurang V, Taechawattananant P, Suppipat K, Tawinwung S. Incorporating IL7 receptor alpha signaling in the endodomain of B7H3-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells mediates antitumor activity in glioblastoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:98. [PMID: 38619641 PMCID: PMC11018726 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-024-03685-7] [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: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
CAR-T-cell therapy has shown promise in treating hematological malignancies but faces challenges in treating solid tumors due to impaired T-cell function in the tumor microenvironment. To provide optimal T-cell activation, we developed a B7 homolog 3 protein (B7H3)-targeting CAR construct consisting of three activation signals: CD3ζ (signal 1), 41BB (signal 2), and the interleukin 7 receptor alpha (IL7Rα) cytoplasmic domain (signal 3). We generated B7H3 CAR-T cells with different lengths of the IL7Rα cytoplasmic domain, including the full length (IL7R-L), intermediate length (IL7R-M), and short length (IL7R-S) domains, and evaluated their functionality in vitro and in vivo. All the B7H3-IL7Rα CAR-T cells exhibited a less differentiated phenotype and effectively eliminated B7H3-positive glioblastoma in vitro. Superiority was found in B7H3 CAR-T cells contained the short length of the IL7Rα cytoplasmic domain. Integration of the IL7R-S cytoplasmic domain maintained pSTAT5 activation and increased T-cell proliferation while reducing activation-induced cell death. Moreover, RNA-sequencing analysis of B7H3-IL7R-S CAR-T cells after coculture with a glioblastoma cell line revealed downregulation of proapoptotic genes and upregulation of genes associated with T-cell proliferation compared with those in 2nd generation B7H3 CAR-T cells. In animal models, compared with conventional CAR-T cells, B7H3-IL7R-S CAR-T cells suppressed tumor growth and prolonged overall survival. Our study demonstrated the therapeutic potential of IL7Rα-incorporating CAR-T cells for glioblastoma treatment, suggesting a promising strategy for augmenting the effectiveness of CAR-T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nithidol Sakunrangsit
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Nattarika Khuisangeam
- Medical Microbiology, Interdisciplinary and International Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Thananya Inthanachai
- Medical Microbiology, Interdisciplinary and International Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Varalee Yodsurang
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Pasrawin Taechawattananant
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Koramit Suppipat
- Department of Research Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Cellular Immunotherapy Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Thailand Hub of Talents in Cancer Immunotherapy (TTCI), Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Supannikar Tawinwung
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Cellular Immunotherapy Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Thailand Hub of Talents in Cancer Immunotherapy (TTCI), Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
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22
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Bell M, Lange S, Sejdiu BI, Ibanez J, Shi H, Sun X, Meng X, Nguyen P, Sutton M, Wagner J, Kc A, Langfitt D, Patil SL, Tan H, Pandey RV, Li Y, Yuan ZF, Anido AA, Ho M, Sheppard H, Vogel P, Yu J, Peng J, Chi H, Babu MM, Krenciute G, Gottschalk S. Modular chimeric cytokine receptors with leucine zippers enhance the antitumour activity of CAR T cells via JAK/STAT signalling. Nat Biomed Eng 2024; 8:380-396. [PMID: 38036617 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01143-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
The limited availability of cytokines in solid tumours hinders maintenance of the antitumour activity of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Cytokine receptor signalling pathways in CAR T cells can be activated by transgenic expression or injection of cytokines in the tumour, or by engineering the activation of cognate cytokine receptors. However, these strategies are constrained by toxicity arising from the activation of bystander cells, by the suboptimal biodistribution of the cytokines and by downregulation of the cognate receptor. Here we show that replacement of the extracellular domains of heterodimeric cytokine receptors in T cells with two leucine zipper motifs provides optimal Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription signalling. Such chimeric cytokine receptors, which can be generated for common γ-chain receptors, interleukin-10 and -12 receptors, enabled T cells to survive cytokine starvation without induction of autonomous cell growth, and augmented the effector function of CAR T cells in vitro in the setting of chronic antigen exposure and in human tumour xenografts in mice. As a modular design, leucine zippers can be used to generate constitutively active cytokine receptors in effector immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Bell
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shannon Lange
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Besian I Sejdiu
- Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jorge Ibanez
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Hao Shi
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Xiang Sun
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Xiaoxi Meng
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Phuong Nguyen
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Morgan Sutton
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jessica Wagner
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Anil Kc
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Deanna Langfitt
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Sagar L Patil
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Haiyan Tan
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Ram Vinay Pandey
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yuxin Li
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Zuo-Fei Yuan
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Alejandro Allo Anido
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Mitchell Ho
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Heather Sheppard
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Peter Vogel
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jiyang Yu
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Junmin Peng
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Hongbo Chi
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - M Madan Babu
- Center of Excellence for Data Driven Discovery, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Giedre Krenciute
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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23
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Kann MC, Schneider EM, Almazan AJ, Lane IC, Bouffard AA, Supper VM, Takei HN, Tepper A, Leick MB, Larson RC, Ebert BL, Maus MV, Jan M. Chemical genetic control of cytokine signaling in CAR-T cells using lenalidomide-controlled membrane-bound degradable IL-7. Leukemia 2024; 38:590-600. [PMID: 38123696 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-02113-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
CAR-T cell therapy has emerged as a breakthrough therapy for the treatment of relapsed and refractory hematologic malignancies. However, insufficient CAR-T cell expansion and persistence is a leading cause of treatment failure. Exogenous or transgenic cytokines have great potential to enhance CAR-T cell potency but pose the risk of exacerbating toxicities. Here we present a chemical-genetic system for spatiotemporal control of cytokine function gated by the off-patent anti-cancer molecular glue degrader drug lenalidomide and its analogs. When co-delivered with a CAR, a membrane-bound, lenalidomide-degradable IL-7 fusion protein enforced a clinically favorable T cell phenotype, enhanced antigen-dependent proliferative capacity, and enhanced in vivo tumor control. Furthermore, cyclical pharmacologic combined control of CAR and cytokine abundance enabled the deployment of highly active, IL-7-augmented CAR-T cells in a dual model of antitumor potency and T cell hyperproliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily M Schneider
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Antonio J Almazan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isabel C Lane
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Valentina M Supper
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hana N Takei
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander Tepper
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin L Ebert
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Max Jan
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Program, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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24
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Kagoya Y. Cytokine signaling in chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. Int Immunol 2024; 36:49-56. [PMID: 37591521 PMCID: PMC10872714 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxad033] [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: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy using chimeric antigen-receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells can induce robust antitumor responses against hematologic malignancies. However, its efficacy is not durable in the majority of the patients, warranting further improvement of T-cell functions. Cytokine signaling is one of the key cascades regulating T-cell survival and effector functions. In addition to cytokines that use the common γ chain as a receptor subunit, multiple cytokines regulate T-cell functions directly or indirectly. Modulating cytokine signaling in CAR-T cells by genetic engineering is one promising strategy to augment their therapeutic efficacy. These strategies include ectopic expression of cytokines, cytokine receptors, and synthetic molecules that mimic endogenous cytokine signaling. Alternatively, autocrine IL-2 signaling can be augmented through reprogramming of CAR-T cell properties through transcriptional and epigenetic modification. On the other hand, cytokine production by CAR-T cells triggers systemic inflammatory responses, which mainly manifest as adverse events such as cytokine-release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity. In addition to inhibiting direct inflammatory mediators such as IL-6 and IL-1 released from activated macrophages, suppression of T-cell-derived cytokines associated with the priming of macrophages can be accomplished through genetic modification of CAR-T cells. In this review, I will outline recently developed synthetic biology approaches to exploit cytokine signaling to enhance CAR-T cell functions. I will also discuss therapeutic target molecules to prevent or alleviate CAR-T cell-related toxicities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Kagoya
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
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25
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Munoz AM, Urak R, Taus E, Hsieh HJ, Awuah D, Vyas V, Lim L, Jin K, Lin SH, Priceman SJ, Clark MC, Goldberg L, Forman SJ, Wang X. Dexamethasone potentiates chimeric antigen receptor T cell persistence and function by enhancing IL-7Rα expression. Mol Ther 2024; 32:527-539. [PMID: 38140726 PMCID: PMC10861975 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.12.017] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Dexamethasone (dex) is a glucocorticoid that is a mainstay for the treatment of inflammatory pathologies, including immunotherapy-associated toxicities, yet the specific impact of dex on the activity of CAR T cells is not fully understood. We assessed whether dex treatment given ex vivo or as an adjuvant in vivo with CAR T cells impacted the phenotype or function of CAR T cells. We demonstrated that CAR T cell expansion and function were not inhibited by dex. We confirmed this observation using multiple CAR constructs and tumor models, suggesting that this is a general phenomenon. Moreover, we determined that dex upregulated interleukin-7 receptor α on CAR T cells and increased the expression of genes involved in activation, migration, and persistence when supplemented ex vivo. Direct delivery of dex and IL-7 into tumor-bearing mice resulted in increased persistence of adoptively transferred CAR T cells and complete tumor regression. Overall, our studies provide insight into the use of dex to enhance CAR T cell therapy and represent potential novel strategies for augmenting CAR T cell function during production as well as following infusion into patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlie M Munoz
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Ryan Urak
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Ellie Taus
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Hui-Ju Hsieh
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Dennis Awuah
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Vibhuti Vyas
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Laura Lim
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Katherine Jin
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Shu-Hong Lin
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Saul J Priceman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Mary C Clark
- Department of Clinical Translational Project Development, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Lior Goldberg
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Stephen J Forman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Xiuli Wang
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
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26
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Zhang X, Wang J, Tan Y, Chen C, Tang S, Zhao S, Qin Q, Huang H, Duan S. Nanobodies in cytokine‑mediated immunotherapy and immunoimaging (Review). Int J Mol Med 2024; 53:12. [PMID: 38063273 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2023.5336] [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: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytokines are the main regulators of innate and adaptive immunity, mediating communications between the cells of the immune system and regulating biological functions, including cell motility, differentiation, growth and apoptosis. Cytokines and cytokine receptors have been used in the treatment of tumors and autoimmune diseases, and to intervene in cytokine storms. Indeed, the use of monoclonal antibodies to block cytokine‑receptor interactions, as well as antibody‑cytokine fusion proteins has exhibited immense potential for the treatment of tumors and autoimmune diseases. Compared with these traditional types of antibodies, nanobodies not only maintain a high affinity and specificity, but also have the advantages of high thermal stability, a high capacity for chemical manipulation, low immunogenicity, good tissue permeability, rapid clearance and economic production. Thus, nanobodies have extensive potential for use in the diagnosis and treatment of cytokine‑related diseases. The present review summarizes the application of nanobodies in cytokine‑mediated immunotherapy and immunoimaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochen Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Medicine, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Ying Tan
- Department of Medicine, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Chaoting Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Shuang Tang
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Shimei Zhao
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Qiuhong Qin
- Department of Medicine, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Hansheng Huang
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
| | - Siliang Duan
- Department of Medicine, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 545005, P.R. China
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27
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Pievani A, Biondi M, Tettamanti S, Biondi A, Dotti G, Serafini M. CARs are sharpening their weapons. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e008275. [PMID: 38296592 PMCID: PMC10831441 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-008275] [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: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Pievani
- Tettamanti Center and Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
| | - Marta Biondi
- Tettamanti Center and Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Sarah Tettamanti
- Tettamanti Center and Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
| | - Andrea Biondi
- Tettamanti Center and Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marta Serafini
- Tettamanti Center and Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
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28
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Abstract
Evidence implicating Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ephrin ligands (that together make up the 'Eph system') in cancer development and progression has been accumulating since the discovery of the first Eph receptor approximately 35 years ago. Advances in the past decade and a half have considerably increased the understanding of Eph receptor-ephrin signalling mechanisms in cancer and have uncovered intriguing new roles in cancer progression and drug resistance. This Review focuses mainly on these more recent developments. I provide an update on the different mechanisms of Eph receptor-ephrin-mediated cell-cell communication and cell autonomous signalling, as well as on the interplay of the Eph system with other signalling systems. I further discuss recent advances in elucidating how the Eph system controls tumour expansion, invasiveness and metastasis, supports cancer stem cells, and drives therapy resistance. In addition to functioning within cancer cells, the Eph system also mediates the reciprocal communication between cancer cells and cells of the tumour microenvironment. The involvement of the Eph system in tumour angiogenesis is well established, but recent findings also demonstrate roles in immune cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix. Lastly, I discuss strategies under evaluation for therapeutic targeting of Eph receptors-ephrins in cancer and conclude with an outlook on promising future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena B Pasquale
- Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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29
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Chamorro DF, Somes LK, Hoyos V. Engineered Adoptive T-Cell Therapies for Breast Cancer: Current Progress, Challenges, and Potential. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:124. [PMID: 38201551 PMCID: PMC10778447 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer remains a significant health challenge, and novel treatment approaches are critically needed. This review presents an in-depth analysis of engineered adoptive T-cell therapies (E-ACTs), an innovative frontier in cancer immunotherapy, focusing on their application in breast cancer. We explore the evolving landscape of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T-cell receptor (TCR) T-cell therapies, highlighting their potential and challenges in targeting breast cancer. The review addresses key obstacles such as target antigen selection, the complex breast cancer tumor microenvironment, and the persistence of engineered T-cells. We discuss the advances in overcoming these barriers, including strategies to enhance T-cell efficacy. Finally, our comprehensive analysis of the current clinical trials in this area provides insights into the future possibilities and directions of E-ACTs in breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego F. Chamorro
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.F.C.); (L.K.S.)
| | - Lauren K. Somes
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.F.C.); (L.K.S.)
| | - Valentina Hoyos
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.F.C.); (L.K.S.)
- Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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30
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Lickefett B, Chu L, Ortiz-Maldonado V, Warmuth L, Barba P, Doglio M, Henderson D, Hudecek M, Kremer A, Markman J, Nauerth M, Negre H, Sanges C, Staber PB, Tanzi R, Delgado J, Busch DH, Kuball J, Luu M, Jäger U. Lymphodepletion - an essential but undervalued part of the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy cycle. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1303935. [PMID: 38187393 PMCID: PMC10770848 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1303935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Lymphodepletion (LD) or conditioning is an essential step in the application of currently used autologous and allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies as it maximizes engraftment, efficacy and long-term survival of CAR-T. Its main modes of action are the depletion and modulation of endogenous lymphocytes, conditioning of the microenvironment for improved CAR-T expansion and persistence, and reduction of tumor load. However, most LD regimens provide a broad and fairly unspecific suppression of T-cells as well as other hematopoietic cells, which can also lead to severe side effects, particularly infections. We reviewed 1271 published studies (2011-2023) with regard to current LD strategies for approved anti-CD19 CAR-T products for large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). Fludarabine (Flu) and cyclophosphamide (Cy) (alone or in combination) were the most commonly used agents. A large number of different schemes and combinations have been reported. In the respective schemes, doses of Flu and Cy (range 75-120mg/m2 and 750-1.500mg/m2) and wash out times (range 2-5 days) differed substantially. Furthermore, combinations with other agents such as bendamustine (benda), busulfan or alemtuzumab (for allogeneic CAR-T) were described. This diversity creates a challenge but also an opportunity to investigate the impact of LD on cellular kinetics and clinical outcomes of CAR-T. Only 21 studies explicitly investigated in more detail the influence of LD on safety and efficacy. As Flu and Cy can potentially impact both the in vivo activity and toxicity of CAR-T, a more detailed analysis of LD outcomes will be needed before we are able to fully assess its impact on different T-cell subsets within the CAR-T product. The T2EVOLVE consortium propagates a strategic investigation of LD protocols for the development of optimized conditioning regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benno Lickefett
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lulu Chu
- Cell Therapy Clinical Pharmacology and Modeling, Takeda, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Linda Warmuth
- Institut für Med. Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Technische Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Pere Barba
- Hematology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Matteo Doglio
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - David Henderson
- Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (AG), Business Development & Licensing & Open Innovation (OI), Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Hudecek
- Lehrstuhl für Zelluläre Immuntherapie, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Kremer
- ITTM S.A. (Information Technology for Translational Medicine), Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Janet Markman
- Cell Therapy Clinical Pharmacology and Modeling, Takeda, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Magdalena Nauerth
- Institut für Med. Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Technische Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Helene Negre
- Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Suresnes, France
| | - Carmen Sanges
- Lehrstuhl für Zelluläre Immuntherapie, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Philipp B. Staber
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rebecca Tanzi
- Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Suresnes, France
| | - Julio Delgado
- Department of Hematology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dirk H. Busch
- Institut für Med. Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Technische Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kuball
- Legal and Regulatory Affairs Committee of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Maik Luu
- Lehrstuhl für Zelluläre Immuntherapie, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Jäger
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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31
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Pawlowski KD, Duffy JT, Gottschalk S, Balyasnikova IV. Cytokine Modification of Adoptive Chimeric Antigen Receptor Immunotherapy for Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5852. [PMID: 38136398 PMCID: PMC10741789 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell-based therapies have demonstrated limited success in solid tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). GBMs exhibit high heterogeneity and create an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). In addition, other challenges exist for CAR therapy, including trafficking and infiltration into the tumor site, proliferation, persistence of CARs once in the tumor, and reduced functionality, such as suboptimal cytokine production. Cytokine modification is of interest, as one can enhance therapy efficacy and minimize off-target toxicity by directly combining CAR therapy with cytokines, antibodies, or oncolytic viruses that alter cytokine response pathways. Alternatively, one can genetically modify CAR T-cells or CAR NK-cells to secrete cytokines or express cytokines or cytokine receptors. Finally, CARs can be genetically altered to augment or suppress intracellular cytokine signaling pathways for a more direct approach. Codelivery of cytokines with CARs is the most straightforward method, but it has associated toxicity. Alternatively, combining CAR therapy with antibodies (e.g., anti-IL-6, anti-PD1, and anti-VEGF) or oncolytic viruses has enhanced CAR cell infiltration into GBM tumors and provided proinflammatory signals to the TME. CAR T- or NK-cells secreting cytokines (e.g., IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18) have shown improved efficacy within multiple GBM subtypes. Likewise, expressing cytokine-modulating receptors in CAR cells that promote or inhibit cytokine signaling has enhanced their activity. Finally, gene editing approaches are actively being pursued to directly influence immune signaling pathways in CAR cells. In this review, we summarize these cytokine modification methods and highlight any existing gaps in the hope of catalyzing an improved generation of CAR-based therapies for glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen D. Pawlowski
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA;
| | - Joseph T. Duffy
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA;
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA;
| | - Irina V. Balyasnikova
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA;
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA
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32
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Dagher OK, Posey AD. Forks in the road for CAR T and CAR NK cell cancer therapies. Nat Immunol 2023; 24:1994-2007. [PMID: 38012406 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01659-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
The advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has resulted in unprecedented long-term clearance of relapse/refractory hematological malignancies in both pediatric and adult patients. However, severe toxicities, such as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity, associated with CAR T cells affect therapeutic utility; and treatment efficacies for solid tumors are still not impressive. As a result, engineering strategies that modify other immune cell types, especially natural killer (NK) cells have arisen. Owing to both CAR-dependent and CAR-independent (innate immune-mediated) antitumor killing capacity, major histocompatibility complex-independent cytotoxicity, reduced risk of alloreactivity and lack of major CAR T cell toxicities, CAR NK cells constitute one of the promising next-generation CAR immune cells that are also amenable as 'off-the-shelf' therapeutics. In this Review, we compare CAR T and CAR NK cell therapies, with particular focus on immunological synapses, engineering strategies and challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oula K Dagher
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Avery D Posey
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Wala JA, Hanna GJ. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2023; 37:1149-1168. [PMID: 37353377 DOI: 10.1016/j.hoc.2023.05.009] [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: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
We review chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for solid tumors. We discuss patient selection factors and aspects of clinical management. We describe challenges including physical and molecular barriers to trafficking CAR-Ts, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and difficulty finding cell surface target antigens. The application of new approaches in synthetic biology and cellular engineering toward solid tumor CAR-Ts is described. Finally, we summarize reported and ongoing clinical trials of CAR-T therapies for select disease sites such as head and neck (including thyroid cancer), lung, central nervous system (glioblastoma, neuroblastoma, glioma), sarcoma, genitourinary (prostate, renal, bladder, kidney), breast and ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah A Wala
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Dana Building 2nd Floor, Room 2-140, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Glenn J Hanna
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Dana Building 2nd Floor, Room 2-140, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Kizerwetter M, Pietz K, Tomasovic LM, Spangler JB. Empowering gene delivery with protein engineering platforms. Gene Ther 2023; 30:775-782. [PMID: 36529795 PMCID: PMC10277311 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-022-00379-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The repertoire of therapeutic proteins has been substantially augmented by molecular engineering approaches, which have seen remarkable advancement in recent years. In particular, advances in directed evolution technologies have empowered the development of custom-designed proteins with novel and disease-relevant functions. Whereas engineered proteins have typically been administered through systemic injection of the purified molecule, exciting progress in gene delivery affords the opportunity to elicit sustained production of the engineered proteins by targeted cells in the host organism. Combining developments at the leading edge of protein engineering and gene delivery has catapulted a new wave of molecular and cellular therapy approaches, which harbor great promise for personalized and precision medicine. This mini-review outlines currently used display platforms for protein evolution and describes recent examples of how the resulting engineered proteins have been incorporated into DNA- and cell-based therapeutic platforms, both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, the strategies detailed herein provide a framework for synthesizing molecular engineering workflows with gene therapy systems for a breadth of applications in research and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Kizerwetter
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kevin Pietz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Luke M Tomasovic
- Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jamie B Spangler
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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35
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Lacan C, Caron J, Tarantino N, Fouquet B, Cherai M, Parizot C, Morel V, Souchet L, Uzunov M, Gorochov G, Nguyen-Quoc S, Sourdeau E, Vieillard V, Miyara M, Vinit A, Solorzano S, Soussain C, Houillier C, Metz C, Autran B, Litvinova E, Le Garff-Tavernier M, Norol F, Roos-Weil D, Choquet S, Guihot A, Baron M. CAR T-cell therapy for central nervous system lymphomas: blood and cerebrospinal fluid biology, and outcomes. Haematologica 2023; 108:3485-3490. [PMID: 37345469 PMCID: PMC10690903 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2023.282875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Claire Lacan
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, CNRS EMR 8255, CIMI-Paris, F-75013 Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Jonathan Caron
- Centre de recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Cell Death and Drug Resistance in Lymphoproliferative Disorders Team, Sorbonne Université, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes, Université Paris Diderot, Paris
| | - Nadine Tarantino
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, CNRS EMR 8255, CIMI-Paris, F-75013 Paris
| | - Baptiste Fouquet
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Immunology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Mustapha Cherai
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Immunology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Christophe Parizot
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Immunology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Véronique Morel
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Laetitia Souchet
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Madalina Uzunov
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Guy Gorochov
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Immunology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Stéphanie Nguyen-Quoc
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, CNRS EMR 8255, CIMI-Paris, F-75013 Paris, France.; Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Elise Sourdeau
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Biological Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Vincent Vieillard
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, CNRS EMR 8255, CIMI-Paris, F-75013 Paris
| | - Makoto Miyara
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Immunology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Angélique Vinit
- Sorbonne Université, UMS37-PASS, Plateforme de cytométrie CyPS, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Silvia Solorzano
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Carole Soussain
- Hematology Unit, Institut Curie, site de Saint-Cloud et Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, INSERM U932, Paris
| | - Caroline Houillier
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau, ICM, Department of Neurology 2-Mazarin, AP-HP, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Carole Metz
- Sorbonne Université, Unité REQPHARM, Pharmacie à Usage Intérieur, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Brigitte Autran
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, CNRS EMR 8255, CIMI-Paris, F-75013 Paris
| | - Elena Litvinova
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Immunology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Magali Le Garff-Tavernier
- Centre de recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Cell Death and Drug Resistance in Lymphoproliferative Disorders Team, Sorbonne Université, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Department of Biological Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris
| | - Françoise Norol
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Damien Roos-Weil
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Sylvan Choquet
- Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France
| | - Amélie Guihot
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, CNRS EMR 8255, CIMI-Paris, F-75013 Paris
| | - Marine Baron
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, CNRS EMR 8255, CIMI-Paris, F-75013 Paris, France.; Sorbonne Université, Department of Clinical Haematology, AP-HP, Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, F-75013 Paris France.
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36
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Ruella M, Korell F, Porazzi P, Maus MV. Mechanisms of resistance to chimeric antigen receptor-T cells in haematological malignancies. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:976-995. [PMID: 37907724 PMCID: PMC10965011 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-023-00807-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells have recently emerged as a powerful therapeutic approach for the treatment of patients with chemotherapy-refractory or relapsed blood cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Nevertheless, resistance to CAR-T cell therapies occurs in most patients. In this Review, we summarize the resistance mechanisms to CAR-T cell immunotherapy by analysing CAR-T cell dysfunction, intrinsic tumour resistance and the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. We discuss current research strategies to overcome multiple resistance mechanisms, including optimization of the CAR design, improvement of in vivo T cell function and persistence, modulation of the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment and synergistic combination strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Ruella
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Felix Korell
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Patrizia Porazzi
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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37
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Giardino Torchia ML, Moody G. DIALing-up the preclinical characterization of gene-modified adoptive cellular immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1264882. [PMID: 38090585 PMCID: PMC10713823 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1264882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The preclinical characterization of gene modified adoptive cellular immunotherapy candidates for clinical development often requires the use of mouse models. Gene-modified lymphocytes (GML) incorporating chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) and T-cell receptors (TCR) into immune effector cells require in vivo characterization of biological activity, mechanism of action, and preclinical safety. Typically, this characterization involves the assessment of dose-dependent, on-target, on-tumor activity in severely immunocompromised mice. While suitable for the purpose of evaluating T cell-expressed transgene function in a living host, this approach falls short in translating cellular therapy efficacy, safety, and persistence from preclinical models to humans. To comprehensively characterize cell therapy products in mice, we have developed a framework called "DIAL". This framework aims to enable an end-to-end understanding of genetically engineered cellular immunotherapies in vivo, from infusion to tumor clearance and long-term immunosurveillance. The acronym DIAL stands for Distribution, Infiltration, Accumulation, and Longevity, compartmentalizing the systemic attributes of gene-modified cellular therapy and providing a platform for optimization with the ultimate goal of improving therapeutic efficacy. This review will discuss both existent and emerging examples of DIAL characterization in mouse models, as well as opportunities for future development and optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gordon Moody
- Cell Therapy Unit, Oncology Research, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, United States
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38
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Tang L, Pan S, Wei X, Xu X, Wei Q. Arming CAR-T cells with cytokines and more: Innovations in the fourth-generation CAR-T development. Mol Ther 2023; 31:3146-3162. [PMID: 37803832 PMCID: PMC10638038 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.09.021] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) therapy has shown great potential in tumor treatment. However, many factors impair the efficacy of CAR-T therapy, such as antigenic heterogeneity and loss, limited potency and persistence, poor infiltration capacity, and a suppressive tumor microenvironment. To overcome these obstacles, recent studies have reported a new generation of CAR-T cells expressing cytokines called armored CAR-T, TRUCK-T, or the fourth-generation CAR-T. Here we summarize the strategies of arming CAR-T cells with natural or synthetic cytokine signals to enhance their anti-tumor capacity. Moreover, we summarize the advances in CAR-T cells expressing non-cytokine proteins, such as membrane receptors, antibodies, enzymes, co-stimulatory molecules, and transcriptional factors. Furthermore, we discuss several prospective strategies for armored CAR-T therapy development. Altogether, these ideas may provide new insights for the innovations of the next-generation CAR-T therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Tang
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Sheng Pan
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Xuyong Wei
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China.
| | - Qiang Wei
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China.
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39
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Giordano Attianese GMP, Ash S, Irving M. Coengineering specificity, safety, and function into T cells for cancer immunotherapy. Immunol Rev 2023; 320:166-198. [PMID: 37548063 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive T-cell transfer (ACT) therapies, including of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and T cells gene-modified to express either a T cell receptor (TCR) or a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), have demonstrated clinical efficacy for a proportion of patients and cancer-types. The field of ACT has been driven forward by the clinical success of CD19-CAR therapy against various advanced B-cell malignancies, including curative responses for some leukemia patients. However, relapse remains problematic, in particular for lymphoma. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, relative limited efficacy has been demonstrated for ACT of non-hematological solid tumors. Indeed, in addition to pre-infusion challenges including lymphocyte collection and manufacturing, ACT failure can be attributed to several biological processes post-transfer including, (i) inefficient tumor trafficking, infiltration, expansion and retention, (ii) chronic antigen exposure coupled with insufficient costimulation resulting in T-cell exhaustion, (iii) a range of barriers in the tumor microenvironment (TME) mediated by both tumor cells and suppressive immune infiltrate, (iv) tumor antigen heterogeneity and loss, or down-regulation of antigen presentation machinery, (v) gain of tumor intrinsic mechanisms of resistance such as to apoptosis, and (vi) various forms of toxicity and other adverse events in patients. Affinity-optimized TCRs can improve T-cell function and innovative CAR designs as well as gene-modification strategies can be used to coengineer specificity, safety, and function into T cells. Coengineering strategies can be designed not only to directly support the transferred T cells, but also to block suppressive barriers in the TME and harness endogenous innate and adaptive immunity. Here, we review a selection of the remarkable T-cell coengineering strategies, including of tools, receptors, and gene-cargo, that have been developed in recent years to augment tumor control by ACT, more and more of which are advancing to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Maria Paola Giordano Attianese
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Ash
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Melita Irving
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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40
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Li S, Wang X, Liu L, Liu J, Rao J, Yuan Z, Gao L, Li Y, Luo L, Li G, Li Z, Li S, He J, Zhang L, Chen L, Huang W, Yin P, Li C, Li X, Wang Y, Dong Y, Zhang D, Zang Q, Chen Y, Shen L, Li W, Cao W, Zhang X, Wang S. CD7 targeted "off-the-shelf" CAR-T demonstrates robust in vivo expansion and high efficacy in the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory T cell malignancies. Leukemia 2023; 37:2176-2186. [PMID: 37700087 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-02018-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) represents an area of highly unmet medical needs. Once relapsed, patients have limited treatment options and poor prognosis. T-ALL antigens such as CD7 is extensively expressed in normal T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, and extending the success of CAR-T therapy to T cell malignancies was challenged by CAR-T cell fratricide, high production cost, and potential product contaminations. GC027 is an "off-the-shelf" allogeneic CD7 targeted CAR-T therapeutic product for T cell malignancies. It demonstrated superior cell expansion and antileukemia efficacy in mouse xenograft model. In our previous study, we observed promising efficacy results in the first two relapsed and refractory(R/R) T-ALL patients treated with GC027. In the expanded study, 11 out of 12 patients had rapid eradication of T-lymphoblasts and reached complete response within 1-month after GC027 infusion. GC027 cells expanded quickly beginning at infusion and reached to peak around 5-10 days after infusion. For most patients with a response(9/11), GC027 could not be detected via flow cytometry or qPCR 4 weeks after infusion. One patient had progression free survival of >3 years. With manageable toxicity profile, GC027 demonstrated superior clinical efficacy to standard chemotherapy regimens in (R/R) T cell malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi Li
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Xinxin Wang
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Lin Liu
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Jia Liu
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Jun Rao
- Xinqiao Hospital, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Zhongtao Yuan
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Li Gao
- Xinqiao Hospital, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Yu Li
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Le Luo
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Gui Li
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Zhimin Li
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Sheng Li
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Jiaping He
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Lihua Zhang
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Lvzhe Chen
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Wenhui Huang
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Ping Yin
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Chunmin Li
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Xiaoping Li
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Youcheng Wang
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Yancheng Dong
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Dingsong Zhang
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Qingying Zang
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Yingnian Chen
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China
| | - Lianjun Shen
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Wenling Li
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Wei Cao
- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 200030, China.
| | - Xi Zhang
- Xinqiao Hospital, Chongqing, 400037, China.
| | - Sanbin Wang
- 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of People's Liberation Army of China, Kunming, 650100, Yunnan, China.
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Sharma S, Sauer T, Omer BA, Shum T, Rollins LA, Rooney CM. Constitutive Interleukin-7 Cytokine Signaling Enhances the Persistence of Epstein-Barr Virus-Specific T-Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15806. [PMID: 37958791 PMCID: PMC10649234 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115806] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The efficacy of therapeutic T-cells is limited by a lack of positive signals and excess inhibitory signaling in tumor microenvironments. We previously showed that a constitutively active IL7 receptor (C7R) enhanced the persistence, expansion, and anti-tumor activity of T-cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), and C7R-modified GD2.CAR T-cells are currently undergoing clinical trials. To determine if the C7R could also enhance the activity of T-cells recognizing tumors via their native T-cell receptors (TCRs), we evaluated its effects in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific T-cells (EBVSTs) that have produced clinical benefits in patients with EBV-associated malignancies. EBVSTs were generated by stimulation of peripheral blood T-cells with overlapping peptide libraries spanning the EBV lymphoma antigens, LMP1, LMP2, and EBNA 1, followed by retroviral vector transduction to express the C7R. The C7R increased STAT5 signaling in EBVSTs and enhanced their expansion over 30 days of culture in the presence or absence of exogenous cytokines. C7R-EBVSTs maintained EBV antigen specificity but were dependent on TCR stimulation for continued expansion. C7R-EBVSTs produced more rapid lymphoma control in a murine xenograft model than unmodified EBVSTs and persisted for longer. The findings have led to a clinical trial, evaluating C7R-EBVSTs for the treatment of refractory or relapsed EBV-positive lymphoma (NCT04664179).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandhya Sharma
- Graduate Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.S.)
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Tim Sauer
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Bilal A. Omer
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Thomas Shum
- Graduate Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.S.)
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lisa A. Rollins
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Cliona M. Rooney
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology-Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Li Z, Zhao L, Zhang Y, Zhu L, Mu W, Ge T, Jin J, Tan J, Cheng J, Wang J, Wang N, Zhou X, Chen L, Chang Z, Liu C, Bian Z, Liu B, Ye L, Lan Y, Huang L, Zhou J. Functional diversification and dynamics of CAR-T cells in patients with B-ALL. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113263. [PMID: 37851569 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding of cellular evolution and molecular programs of chimeric antigen receptor-engineered (CAR)-T cells post-infusion is pivotal for developing better treatment strategies. Here, we construct a longitudinal high-precision single-cell transcriptomic landscape of 7,578 CAR-T cells from 26 patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) post-infusion. We molecularly identify eight CAR-T cell subtypes, including three cytotoxic subtypes with distinct kinetics and three dual-identity subtypes with non-T cell characteristics. Remarkably, long-term remission is coincident with the dominance of cytotoxic subtypes, while leukemia progression is correlated with the emergence of subtypes with B cell transcriptional profiles, which have dysfunctional features and might predict relapse. We further validate in vitro that the generation of B-featured CAR-T cells is induced by excessive tumor antigen stimulation or suppressed TCR signaling, while it is relieved by exogenous IL-12. Moreover, we define transcriptional hallmarks of CAR-T cell subtypes and reveal their molecular changes along computationally inferred cellular evolution in vivo. Collectively, these results decipher functional diversification and dynamics of peripheral CAR-T cells post-infusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongcheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology, Senior Department of Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100071, China.
| | - Lei Zhao
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Li Zhu
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Wei Mu
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Tong Ge
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Jin Jin
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Jiaqi Tan
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Jiali Cheng
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Jue Wang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Na Wang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Xiaoxi Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Liting Chen
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Zhilin Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Chen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Zhilei Bian
- Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China; Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
| | - Bing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology, Senior Department of Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100071, China; State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing 100850, China; Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Lilin Ye
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
| | - Yu Lan
- Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Liang Huang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
| | - Jianfeng Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Immunotherapy Research Center for Hematologic Diseases of Hubei Province, Wuhan 432826, China; National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
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43
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Appelbaum J, Wei J, Mukherjee R, Ishida T, Rosser J, Saxby C, Chase J, Carlson M, Sather C, Rahfeldt W, Meechan M, Baldwin M, Flint L, Spurrell C, Gustafson J, Johnson A, Jensen M. Context-specific synthetic T cell promoters from assembled transcriptional elements. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3339290. [PMID: 37886484 PMCID: PMC10602160 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3339290/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Genetic engineering of human lymphocytes for therapeutic applications is constrained by a lack of transgene transcriptional control, resulting in a compromised therapeutic index. Incomplete understanding of transcriptional logic limits the rational design of contextually responsive genetic modules1. Here, we juxtaposed rationally curated transcriptional response element (TRE) oligonucleotides by random concatemerization to generate a library from which we selected context-specific inducible synthetic promoters (iSynPros). Through functional selection, we screened an iSynPro library for "IF-THEN" logic-gated transcriptional responses in human CD8+ T cells expressing a 4-1BB second generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). iSynPros exhibiting stringent off-states in quiescent T cells and CAR activation-dependent transcriptional responsiveness were cloned and subjected to TRE composition and pattern analysis, as well as performance in regulating candidate antitumor potency enhancement modules. These data reveal synthetic TRE grammar can mediate logic-gated transgene transcription in human T cells that, when applied to CAR T cell engineering, enhance potency and improve therapeutic indices.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jia Wei
- Seattle Children's Research Institute
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Alsajjan R, Mason WP. Bispecific T-Cell Engagers and Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapies in Glioblastoma: An Update. Curr Oncol 2023; 30:8501-8549. [PMID: 37754534 PMCID: PMC10529026 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30090619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. The prognosis is extremely poor even with standard treatment of maximal safe resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Recurrence is inevitable within months, and treatment options are very limited. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CART) and bispecific T-cell engagers (TCEs) are two emerging immunotherapies that can redirect T-cells for tumor-specific killing and have shown remarkable success in hematological malignancies and been under extensive study for application in glioblastoma. While there have been multiple clinical trials showing preliminary evidence of safety and efficacy for CART, bispecific TCEs are still in the early stages of clinical testing, with preclinical studies showing very promising results. However, there are multiple shared challenges that need to be addressed in the future, including the route of delivery, antigen escape, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and toxicity resulting from the limited choice of tumor-specific antigens. Efforts are underway to optimize the design of both these treatments and find the ideal combination therapy to overcome these challenges. In this review, we describe the work that has been performed as well as novel approaches in glioblastoma and in other solid tumors that may be applicable in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roa Alsajjan
- Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
| | - Warren P. Mason
- Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada
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45
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Tennant MD, New C, Ferreira LMR, O'Neil RT. Efficient T cell adoptive transfer in lymphoreplete hosts mediated by transient activation of Stat5 signaling. Mol Ther 2023; 31:2591-2599. [PMID: 37481703 PMCID: PMC10492021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.07.015] [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: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Lymphodepleting pre-conditioning is a nearly universal component of T cell adoptive transfer protocols. The side effects of pre-conditioning regimens used in adoptive cell therapy are clinically significant and include pan-cytopenia, immune suppression, and reactive myelopoiesis. We conducted studies to test the hypothesis that the mechanisms underlying effective engraftment are cell autonomous and not dependent on a lymphodepleted host immune status. These studies leveraged mouse models to examine the role of Stat5 signaling during T cell adoptive transfer. We observed that, by transiently expressing a constitutively active mutamer of Stat5b during the process of adoptive transfer, we could completely obviate the need for lymphodepletion prior to adoptive transfer. Using several functional assays, we benchmark the function of the engrafted T cells against T cells transferred after conventional lymphodepletion. These studies identify a cell-autonomous mechanism driven by transient Stat5b signaling with lasting effects on T cell phenotype and function. Furthermore, the results presented suggest that adoptive T cell therapy could be improved by removing lymphodepletion protocols entirely and replacing them with RNA transfection of T cells with transcripts encoding active Stat5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D Tennant
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Christina New
- Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Department of Pediatric Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Leonardo M R Ferreira
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Department of Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Richard T O'Neil
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
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46
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Scherer LD, Rouce RH. Targeted cellular therapy for treatment of relapsed or refractory leukemia. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2023; 36:101481. [PMID: 37612000 DOI: 10.1016/j.beha.2023.101481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
While the mainstay of treatment for high-risk or relapsed, refractory leukemia has historically revolved around allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT), targeted immunotherapies have emerged as a promising therapeutic option, especially given the poor prognosis of patients who relapse after allo-HSCT. Novel cellular immunotherapies that harness the cytotoxic abilities of the immune system in a targeted manner (often called "adoptive" cell therapy), have changed the way we treat r/r hematologic malignancies and continue to change the treatment landscape given the rapid evolution of these powerful, yet sophisticated precision therapies that often offer a less toxic alternative to conventional salvage therapies. Importantly, adoptive cell therapy can be allo-HSCT-enabling or a therapeutic option for patients in whom transplantation has failed or is contraindicated. A solid understanding of the core concepts of adoptive cell therapy is necessary for stem cell transplant physicians, nurses and ancillary staff given its proximity to the transplant field as well as its inherent complexities that require specific expertise in compliant manufacturing, clinical application, and risk mitigation. Here we will review use of targeted cellular therapy for the treatment of r/r leukemia, focusing on chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR T-cells) given the remarkable sustained clinical responses leading to commercial approval for several hematologic indications including leukemia, with brief discussion of other promising investigational cellular immunotherapies and special considerations for sustainability and scalability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren D Scherer
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, USA; Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, USA
| | - Rayne H Rouce
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, USA; Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, USA.
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47
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Righi M, Gannon I, Robson M, Srivastava S, Kokalaki E, Grothier T, Nannini F, Allen C, Bai YV, Sillibourne J, Cordoba S, Thomas S, Pule M. Enhancing CAR T-cell Therapy Using Fab-Based Constitutively Heterodimeric Cytokine Receptors. Cancer Immunol Res 2023; 11:1203-1221. [PMID: 37352396 PMCID: PMC10472109 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-22-0640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive T-cell therapy aims to achieve lasting tumor clearance, requiring enhanced engraftment and survival of the immune cells. Cytokines are paramount modulators of T-cell survival and proliferation. Cytokine receptors signal via ligand-induced dimerization, and this principle has been hijacked utilizing nonnative dimerization domains. A major limitation of current technologies resides in the absence of a module that recapitulates the natural cytokine receptor heterodimeric pairing. To circumvent this, we created a new engineered cytokine receptor able to constitutively recreate receptor-heterodimer utilizing the heterodimerization domain derived from the IgG1 antibody (dFab_CCR). We found that the signal delivered by the dFab_CCR-IL2 proficiently mimicked the cytokine receptor heterodimerization, with transcriptomic signatures like those obtained by activation of the native IL2 receptor. Moreover, we found that this dimerization structure was agnostic, efficiently activating signaling through four cytokine receptor families. Using a combination of in vivo and in vitro screening approaches, we characterized a library of 18 dFab_CCRs coexpressed with a clinically relevant solid tumor-specific GD2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Based on this characterization, we suggest that the coexpression of either the common β-chain GMCSF or the IL18 dFab_CCRs is optimal to improve CAR T-cell expansion, engraftment, and efficacy. Our results demonstrate how Fab dimerization is efficient and versatile in recapitulating a cytokine receptor heterodimerization signal. This module could be applied for the enhancement of adoptive T-cell therapies, as well as therapies based on other immune cell types. Furthermore, these results provide a choice of cytokine signal to incorporate with adoptive T-cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Francesco Nannini
- Department of Haematology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Martin Pule
- Autolus Therapeutics, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Haematology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Hesari M, Attar Z, Soltani-Shirazi S, Keshavarzian O, Taheri R, Tabrizi R, Fouladseresht H. The Therapeutic Values of IL-7/IL-7R and the Recombinant Derivatives in Glioma: A Narrative Review. J Interferon Cytokine Res 2023; 43:319-334. [PMID: 37566474 DOI: 10.1089/jir.2023.0050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is essential for maintaining the immune system's defense functions by regulating the development and homeostasis of lymphocytes. Findings have shown the high efficacy of IL-7/IL-7 receptor (IL-7R)-based immunotherapy on various malignancies, with confirmation in both animal models and humans. In recent years, the progression-free survival and overall survival of patients suffering from gliomas significantly increased by introducing C7R-expressing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells and long-acting IL-7 agonists such as NT-I7 (rhIL-7-hyFc, Efineptakin alfa). However, the effect of IL-7-based immunotherapies on the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapy (when used simultaneously with chemotherapy agents) is still ambiguous and requires further studies. This article first reviews the pathophysiological roles of IL-7/IL-7R in tumors, focusing on gliomas. Subsequently, it discusses the therapeutic values of IL-7/IL-7R and the recombinant derivatives in gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zeinab Attar
- Recombinant Proteins Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Shakiba Soltani-Shirazi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | | | - Reza Taheri
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Reza Tabrizi
- Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Hamed Fouladseresht
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Zhang Z, Liu C, Wang M, Sun R, Yang Z, Hua Z, Wu Y, Wu M, Wang H, Qiu W, Yin H, Yang M. Treating solid tumors with TCR-based chimeric antigen receptor targeting extra domain B-containing fibronectin. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e007199. [PMID: 37586774 PMCID: PMC10432677 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-007199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The suppression of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells by the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a crucial obstacle in the T-cell-based treatment of solid tumors. Extra domain B (EDB)-fibronectin is an oncofetal antigen expressed on the endothelium layer of the neovasculature and cancer cells. Though recognized as a T cell therapy target, engineered CAR T cells thus far have failed to demonstrate satisfactory in vivo efficacy. In this study, we report that targeting EDB-fibronectin by redirected TCR-CAR T cells (rTCR-CAR) bypasses the suppressive TME for solid tumor treatment and sufficiently suppressed tumor growth.We generated EDB-targeting CAR by fusing single-chain variable fragment to CD3ε, resulting in rTCR-CAR. Human primary T cells and Jurkat cells were used to study the EDB-targeting T cells. Differences to the traditional second-generation CAR T cell in signaling, immune synapse formation, and T cell exhaustion were characterized. Cytotoxicity of the rTCR-CAR T cells was tested in vitro, and therapeutic efficacies were demonstrated using xenograft models. METHODS RESULTS: In the xenograft models, the rTCR-CAR T cells demonstrated in vivo efficacies superior to that based on traditional CAR design. A significant reduction in tumor vessel density was observed alongside tumor growth inhibition, extending even to tumor models established with EDB-negative cancer cells. The rTCR-CAR bound to immobilized EDB, and the binding led to immune synapse structures superior to that formed by second-generation CARs. By a mechanism similar to that for the conventional TCR complex, EDB-fibronectin activated the rTCR-CAR, resulting in rTCR-CAR T cells with low basal activation levels and increased in vivo expansion. CONCLUSION Our study has demonstrated the potential of rTCR-CAR T cells targeting the EDB-fibronectin as an anticancer therapeutic. Engineered to possess antiangiogenic and cytotoxic activities, the rTCR-CAR T cells showed therapeutic efficacies not impacted by the suppressive TMEs. These combined characteristics of a single therapeutic agent point to its potential to achieve sustained control of solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijie Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chang Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Muhan Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Rongcheng Sun
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Cell Tech Medical Research Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhe Yang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhen Hua
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yushuang Wu
- Jiangsu Cell Tech Medical Research Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Mengting Wu
- Jiangsu Cell Tech Medical Research Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hang Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wen Qiu
- Department of Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hongping Yin
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Meijia Yang
- Jiangsu Cell Tech Medical Research Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Sooreshjani M, Tripathi S, Dussold C, Najem H, de Groot J, Lukas RV, Heimberger AB. The Use of Targeted Cytokines as Cancer Therapeutics in Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3739. [PMID: 37509400 PMCID: PMC10378451 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15143739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytokines play an important role in regulating the immune response. Although there is great interest in exploiting cytokines for cancer immunotherapy, their clinical potential is limited by their pleiotropic properties and instability. A variety of cancer cell-intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics pose a barrier to effective treatments including cytokines. Recent studies using gene and cell therapy offer new opportunities for targeting cytokines or their receptors, demonstrating that they are actionable targets. Current efforts such as virotherapy, systemic cytokine therapy, and cellular and gene therapy have provided novel strategies that incorporate cytokines as potential therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma. Ongoing research on characterizing the tumor microenvironment will be informative for prioritization and combinatorial strategies of cytokines for future clinical trials. Unique therapeutic opportunities exist at the convergence of cytokines that play a dual role in tumorigenesis and immune modulation. Here, we discuss the underlying strategies in pre- and clinical trials aiming to enhance treatment outcomes in glioblastoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moloud Sooreshjani
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Shashwat Tripathi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Corey Dussold
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Hinda Najem
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - John de Groot
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Rimas V. Lukas
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Amy B. Heimberger
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL60611, USA
- Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center, 303 E. Superior Street, 6-516, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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