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Sferruzza G, Consoli S, Dono F, Evangelista G, Giugno A, Pronello E, Rollo E, Romozzi M, Rossi L, Pensato U. A systematic review of immunotherapy in high-grade glioma: learning from the past to shape future perspectives. Neurol Sci 2024; 45:2561-2578. [PMID: 38308708 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-024-07350-w] [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: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
High-grade gliomas (HGGs) constitute the most common malignant primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis despite the standard multimodal therapy. In recent years, immunotherapy has changed the prognosis of many cancers, increasing the hope for HGG therapy. We conducted a comprehensive search on PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases to include relevant studies. This study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Fifty-two papers were finally included (44 phase II and eight phase III clinical trials) and further divided into four different subgroups: 14 peptide vaccine trials, 15 dendritic cell vaccination (DCV) trials, six immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) trials, and 17 miscellaneous group trials that included both "active" and "passive" immunotherapies. In the last decade, immunotherapy created great hope to increase the survival of patients affected by HGGs; however, it has yielded mostly dismal results in the setting of phase III clinical trials. An in-depth analysis of these clinical results provides clues about common patterns that have led to failures at the clinical level and helps shape the perspective for the next generation of immunotherapies in neuro-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Sferruzza
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
| | - Stefano Consoli
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Center of Advanced Studies and Technologies (CAST), "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Fedele Dono
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Center of Advanced Studies and Technologies (CAST), "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Giacomo Evangelista
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
- Center of Advanced Studies and Technologies (CAST), "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Alessia Giugno
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Neurology, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Edoardo Pronello
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - Eleonora Rollo
- Department of Neurosciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Marina Romozzi
- Department of Neurosciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucrezia Rossi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Cattinara University Hospital, ASUGI, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Umberto Pensato
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Via Rita Levi Montalcini 4, Pieve Emanuele, 20072, Milan, Italy
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Via Manzoni 56, Rozzano, 20089, Milan, Italy
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Chakraborty A, Yang C, Kresak JL, Silver AJ, Feier D, Tian G, Andrews M, Sobanjo OO, Hodge ED, Engelbart MK, Huang J, Harrison JK, Sarkisian MR, Mitchell DA, Deleyrolle LP. KR158 Spheres Harboring Slow-Cycling Cells Recapitulate High-Grade Glioma Features in an Immunocompetent System. Cells 2024; 13:938. [PMID: 38891070 PMCID: PMC11171638 DOI: 10.3390/cells13110938] [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: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) poses a significant challenge in clinical oncology due to its aggressive nature, heterogeneity, and resistance to therapies. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a critical role in GBM, particularly in treatment resistance and tumor relapse, emphasizing the need to comprehend the mechanisms regulating these cells. Also, their multifaceted contributions to the tumor microenvironment (TME) underline their significance, driven by their unique properties. This study aimed to characterize glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), specifically slow-cycling cells (SCCs), in an immunocompetent murine GBM model to explore their similarities with their human counterparts. Using the KR158 mouse model, we confirmed that SCCs isolated from this model exhibited key traits and functional properties akin to human SCCs. KR158 murine SCCs, expanded in the gliomasphere assay, demonstrated sphere forming ability, self-renewing capacity, positive tumorigenicity, enhanced stemness and resistance to chemotherapy. Together, our findings validate the KR158 murine model as a framework to investigate GSCs and SCCs in GBM pathology, and explore specifically the SCC-immune system communications, understand their role in disease progression, and evaluate the effect of therapeutic strategies targeting these specific connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avirup Chakraborty
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
- Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Changlin Yang
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
- Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Jesse L. Kresak
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Aryeh J. Silver
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
| | - Diana Feier
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
| | - Guimei Tian
- Department of Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Michael Andrews
- College of Dental Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA
| | - Olusegun O. Sobanjo
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
| | - Ethan D. Hodge
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
| | - Mia K. Engelbart
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
| | - Jianping Huang
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
- Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Jeffrey K. Harrison
- Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA
| | - Matthew R. Sarkisian
- Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Duane A. Mitchell
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
- Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
| | - Loic P. Deleyrolle
- Adam Michael Rosen Neuro-Oncology Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA (A.J.S.)
- Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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3
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Wang H, Medina R, Ye J, Zhang Y, Chakraborty S, Valenzuela A, Uher O, Hadrava Vanova K, Sun M, Sang X, Park DM, Zenka J, Gilbert MR, Pacak K, Zhuang Z. rWTC-MBTA Vaccine Induces Potent Adaptive Immune Responses Against Glioblastomas via Dynamic Activation of Dendritic Cells. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2308280. [PMID: 38298111 PMCID: PMC11005728 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202308280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Despite strides in immunotherapy, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains challenging due to low inherent immunogenicity and suppressive tumor microenvironment. Converting "cold" GBMs to "hot" is crucial for immune activation and improved outcomes. This study comprehensively characterized a therapeutic vaccination strategy for preclinical GBM models. The vaccine consists of Mannan-BAM-anchored irradiated whole tumor cells, Toll-like receptor ligands [lipoteichoic acid (LTA), polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly (I:C)), and resiquimod (R-848)], and anti-CD40 agonistic antibody (rWTC-MBTA). Intracranial GBM models (GL261, SB28 cells) are used to evaluate the vaccine efficacy. A substantial number of vaccinated mice exhibited complete regression of GBM tumors in a T-cell-dependent manner, with no significant toxicity. Long-term tumor-specific immune memory is confirmed upon tumor rechallenge. In the vaccine-draining lymph nodes of the SB28 model, rWTC-MBTA vaccination triggered a major rise in conventional dendritic cell type 1 (cDC1) 12 h post-treatment, followed by an increase in conventional dendritic cell type 2 (cDC2), monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC), and plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) on Day 5 and Day 13. Enhanced cytotoxicity of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in vaccinated mice is verified in co-culture with tumor cells. Analyses of immunosuppressive signals (T-cell exhaustion, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), M2 macrophages) in the GBM microenvironment suggest potential combinations with other immunotherapies for enhanced efficacy. In conclusion, the authors findings demonstrate that rWTC-MBTA induces potent and long-term adaptive immune responses against GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herui Wang
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
- Present address:
Staff Scientist Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer Institute Center for Cancer ResearchNational Institutes of HealthBuilding 37 Room 100437 Convent Dr.BethesdaMD20892USA
| | - Rogelio Medina
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
| | - Juan Ye
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
| | - Yaping Zhang
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
| | | | - Alex Valenzuela
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
| | - Ondrej Uher
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentNational Institutes of Health9000 Rockville PikeBethesdaMD20892USA
| | - Katerina Hadrava Vanova
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentNational Institutes of Health9000 Rockville PikeBethesdaMD20892USA
| | - Mitchell Sun
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
| | - Xueyu Sang
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
| | - Deric M. Park
- John Theurer Cancer CenterHUMCHackensack Meridian School of Medicine92 2nd StHackensackNJ07601USA
| | - Jan Zenka
- Department of Medical BiologyFaculty of ScienceUniversity of South BohemiaČeské Budějovice37005Czech Republic
| | - Mark R. Gilbert
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
| | - Karel Pacak
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentNational Institutes of Health9000 Rockville PikeBethesdaMD20892USA
| | - Zhengping Zhuang
- Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer InstituteNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMaryland10022USA
- Present address:
Senior Investigator Neuro‐Oncology BranchNational Cancer Institute Center for Cancer ResearchNational Institutes of HealthBuilding 37 Room 100037 Convent DrBethesdaMD20892USA
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Srivastava PK. Cancer neoepitopes viewed through negative selection and peripheral tolerance: a new path to cancer vaccines. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e176740. [PMID: 38426497 PMCID: PMC10904052 DOI: 10.1172/jci176740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
A proportion of somatic mutations in tumors create neoepitopes that can prime T cell responses that target the MHC I-neoepitope complexes on tumor cells, mediating tumor control or rejection. Despite the compelling centrality of neoepitopes to cancer immunity, we know remarkably little about what constitutes a neoepitope that can mediate tumor control in vivo and what distinguishes such a neoepitope from the vast majority of similar candidate neoepitopes that are inefficacious in vivo. Studies in mice as well as clinical trials have begun to reveal the unexpected paradoxes in this area. Because cancer neoepitopes straddle that ambiguous ground between self and non-self, some rules that are fundamental to immunology of frankly non-self antigens, such as viral or model antigens, do not appear to apply to neoepitopes. Because neoepitopes are so similar to self-epitopes, with only small changes that render them non-self, immune response to them is regulated at least partially the way immune response to self is regulated. Therefore, neoepitopes are viewed and understood here through the clarifying lens of negative thymic selection. Here, the emergent questions in the biology and clinical applications of neoepitopes are discussed critically and a mechanistic and testable framework that explains the complexity and translational potential of these wonderful antigens is proposed.
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Chakraborty A, Yang C, Kresak JL, Silver A, Feier D, Tian G, Andrews M, Sobanjo OO, Hodge ED, Engelbart MK, Huang J, Harrison JK, Sarkisian MR, Mitchell DA, Deleyrolle LP. KR158 spheres harboring slow-cycling cells recapitulate GBM features in an immunocompetent system. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.26.577279. [PMID: 38501121 PMCID: PMC10945590 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.26.577279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) poses a significant challenge in clinical oncology due to its aggressive nature, heterogeneity, and resistance to therapies. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a critical role in GBM, particularly in treatment-resistance and tumor relapse, emphasizing the need to comprehend the mechanisms regulating these cells. Also, their multifaceted contributions to the tumor-microenvironment (TME) underline their significance, driven by their unique properties. This study aimed to characterize glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), specifically slow-cycling cells (SCCs), in an immunocompetent murine GBM model to explore their similarities with their human counterparts. Using the KR158 mouse model, we confirmed that SCCs isolated from this model exhibited key traits and functional properties akin to human SCCs. KR158 murine SCCs, expanded in the gliomasphere assay, demonstrated sphere forming ability, self-renewing capacity, positive tumorigenicity, enhanced stemness and resistance to chemotherapy. Together, our findings validate the KR158 murine model as a framework to investigate GSCs and SCCs in GBM-pathology, and explore specifically the SCC-immune system communications, understand their role in disease progression, and evaluate the effect of therapeutic strategies targeting these specific connections.
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Mishchenko TA, Turubanova VD, Gorshkova EN, Krysko O, Vedunova MV, Krysko DV. Glioma: bridging the tumor microenvironment, patient immune profiles and novel personalized immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1299064. [PMID: 38274827 PMCID: PMC10809268 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1299064] [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: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor, characterized by a consistently high patient mortality rate and a dismal prognosis affecting both survival and quality of life. Substantial evidence underscores the vital role of the immune system in eradicating tumors effectively and preventing metastasis, underscoring the importance of cancer immunotherapy which could potentially address the challenges in glioma therapy. Although glioma immunotherapies have shown promise in preclinical and early-phase clinical trials, they face specific limitations and challenges that have hindered their success in further phase III trials. Resistance to therapy has been a major challenge across many experimental approaches, and as of now, no immunotherapies have been approved. In addition, there are several other limitations facing glioma immunotherapy in clinical trials, such as high intra- and inter-tumoral heterogeneity, an inherently immunosuppressive microenvironment, the unique tissue-specific interactions between the central nervous system and the peripheral immune system, the existence of the blood-brain barrier, which is a physical barrier to drug delivery, and the immunosuppressive effects of standard therapy. Therefore, in this review, we delve into several challenges that need to be addressed to achieve boosted immunotherapy against gliomas. First, we discuss the hurdles posed by the glioma microenvironment, particularly its primary cellular inhabitants, in particular tumor-associated microglia and macrophages (TAMs), and myeloid cells, which represent a significant barrier to effective immunotherapy. Here we emphasize the impact of inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) on the migration of Th17 cells into the tumor microenvironment, converting it into an immunologically "hot" environment and enhancing the effectiveness of ongoing immunotherapy. Next, we address the challenge associated with the accurate identification and characterization of the primary immune profiles of gliomas, and their implications for patient prognosis, which can facilitate the selection of personalized treatment regimens and predict the patient's response to immunotherapy. Finally, we explore a prospective approach to developing highly personalized vaccination strategies against gliomas, based on the search for patient-specific neoantigens. All the pertinent challenges discussed in this review will serve as a compass for future developments in immunotherapeutic strategies against gliomas, paving the way for upcoming preclinical and clinical research endeavors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana A. Mishchenko
- Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Victoria D. Turubanova
- Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
- Neuroscience Research Institute, National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Ekaterina N. Gorshkova
- Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Olga Krysko
- Cell Death Investigation and Therapy Laboratory, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maria V. Vedunova
- Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnologies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitri V. Krysko
- Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
- Cell Death Investigation and Therapy Laboratory, Anatomy and Embryology Unit, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Pathophysiology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
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Ponomarev AV, Shubina IZ, Sokolova ZA, Baryshnikova MA, Kosorukov VS. Transplantable Murine Tumors in the Studies of Peptide Antitumor Vaccines. Oncol Rev 2024; 17:12189. [PMID: 38260723 PMCID: PMC10800450 DOI: 10.3389/or.2023.12189] [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: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have shown that antitumor vaccines based on synthetic peptides are safe and can induce both CD8+ and CD4+ tumor-specific T cell responses. However, clinical results are still scarce, and such approach to antitumor treatment has not gained a wide implication, yet. Recently, particular advances have been achieved due to tumor sequencing and the search for immunogenic neoantigens caused by mutations. One of the most important issues for peptide vaccines, along with the choice of optimal adjuvants and vaccination regimens, is the search for effective target antigens. Extensive studies of peptide vaccines, including those on murine models, are required to reveal the effective vaccine constructs. The review presents transplantable murine tumors with the detected peptides that showed antitumor efficacy as a vaccine compound.
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Iorgulescu JB, Ruthen N, Ahn R, Panagioti E, Gokhale PC, Neagu M, Speranza MC, Eschle BK, Soroko KM, Piranlioglu R, Datta M, Krishnan S, Yates KB, Baker GJ, Jain RK, Suvà ML, Neuberg D, White FM, Chiocca EA, Freeman GJ, Sharpe AH, Wu CJ, Reardon DA. Antigen presentation deficiency, mesenchymal differentiation, and resistance to immunotherapy in the murine syngeneic CT2A tumor model. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1297932. [PMID: 38213329 PMCID: PMC10782385 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1297932] [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: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The GL261 and CT2A syngeneic tumor lines are frequently used as immunocompetent orthotopic mouse models of human glioblastoma (huGBM) but demonstrate distinct differences in their responses to immunotherapy. Methods To decipher the cell-intrinsic mechanisms that drive immunotherapy resistance in CT2A-luc and to define the aspects of human cancer biology that these lines can best model, we systematically compared their characteristics using whole exome and transcriptome sequencing, and protein analysis through immunohistochemistry, Western blot, flow cytometry, immunopeptidomics, and phosphopeptidomics. Results The transcriptional profiles of GL261-luc2 and CT2A-luc tumors resembled those of some huGBMs, despite neither line sharing the essential genetic or histologic features of huGBM. Both models exhibited striking hypermutation, with clonal hotspot mutations in RAS genes (Kras p.G12C in GL261-luc2 and Nras p.Q61L in CT2A-luc). CT2A-luc distinctly displayed mesenchymal differentiation, upregulated angiogenesis, and multiple defects in antigen presentation machinery (e.g. Tap1 p.Y488C and Psmb8 p.A275P mutations) and interferon response pathways (e.g. copy number losses of loci including IFN genes and reduced phosphorylation of JAK/STAT pathway members). The defect in MHC class I expression could be overcome in CT2A-luc by interferon-γ treatment, which may underlie the modest efficacy of some immunotherapy combinations. Additionally, CT2A-luc demonstrated substantial baseline secretion of the CCL-2, CCL-5, and CCL-22 chemokines, which play important roles as myeloid chemoattractants. Conclusion Although the clinical contexts that can be modeled by GL261 and CT2A for huGBM are limited, CT2A may be an informative model of immunotherapy resistance due to its deficits in antigen presentation machinery and interferon response pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Bryan Iorgulescu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Neil Ruthen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ryuhjin Ahn
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Eleni Panagioti
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Prafulla C. Gokhale
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Martha Neagu
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Maria C. Speranza
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Benjamin K. Eschle
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kara M. Soroko
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Raziye Piranlioglu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Meenal Datta
- Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Shanmugarajan Krishnan
- Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kathleen B. Yates
- The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gregory J. Baker
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Program in Therapeutic Science, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Rakesh K. Jain
- Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mario L. Suvà
- The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Donna Neuberg
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Forest M. White
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - E. Antonio Chiocca
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gordon J. Freeman
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Arlene H. Sharpe
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Catherine J. Wu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
- The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - David A. Reardon
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States
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Lunavat TR, Nieland L, Vrijmoet AB, Zargani-Piccardi A, Samaha Y, Breyne K, Breakefield XO. Roles of extracellular vesicles in glioblastoma: foes, friends and informers. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1291177. [PMID: 38074665 PMCID: PMC10704464 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1291177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GB) tumors are one of the most insidious cancers which take over the brain and defy therapy. Over time and in response to treatment the tumor and the brain cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) undergo many genetic/epigenetic driven changes in their phenotypes and this is reflected in the cellular contents within the extracellular vesicles (EVs) they produce. With the result that some EVs try to subdue the tumor (friends of the brain), while others participate in the glioblastoma takeover (foes of the brain) in a dynamic and ever changing process. Monitoring the contents of these EVs in biofluids can inform decisions based on GB status to guide therapeutic intervention. This review covers primarily recent research describing the different cell types in the brain, as well as the tumor cells, which participate in this EV deluge. This includes EVs produced by the tumor which manipulate the transcriptome of normal cells in their environment in support of tumor growth (foes), as well as responses of normal cells which try to restrict tumor growth and invasion, including traveling to cervical lymph nodes to present tumor neo-antigens to dendritic cells (DCs). In addition EVs released by tumors into biofluids can report on the status of living tumor cells via their cargo and thus serving as biomarkers. However, EVs released by tumor cells and their influence on normal cells in the tumor microenvironment is a major factor in immune suppression and coercion of normal brain cells to join the GB "band wagon". Efforts are being made to deploy EVs as therapeutic vehicles for drugs and small inhibitory RNAs. Increasing knowledge about EVs in the TME is being utilized to track tumor progression and response to therapy and even to weaponize EVs to fight the tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taral R. Lunavat
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lisa Nieland
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, RC, Netherlands
| | - Anne B. Vrijmoet
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Ayrton Zargani-Piccardi
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Youssef Samaha
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Koen Breyne
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Xandra O. Breakefield
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
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10
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Zheng Y, Ma X, Feng S, Zhu H, Chen X, Yu X, Shu K, Zhang S. Dendritic cell vaccine of gliomas: challenges from bench to bed. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1259562. [PMID: 37781367 PMCID: PMC10536174 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1259562] [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: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliomas account for the majority of brain malignant tumors. As the most malignant subtype of glioma, glioblastoma (GBM) is barely effectively treated by traditional therapies (surgery combined with radiochemotherapy), resulting in poor prognosis. Meanwhile, due to its "cold tumor" phenotype, GBM fails to respond to multiple immunotherapies. As its capacity to prime T cell response, dendritic cells (DCs) are essential to anti-tumor immunity. In recent years, as a therapeutic method, dendritic cell vaccine (DCV) has been immensely developed. However, there have long been obstacles that limit the use of DCV yet to be tackled. As is shown in the following review, the role of DCs in anti-tumor immunity and the inhibitory effects of tumor microenvironment (TME) on DCs are described, the previous clinical trials of DCV in the treatment of GBM are summarized, and the challenges and possible development directions of DCV are analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoyu Ma
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shouchang Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongtao Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xingjiang Yu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kai Shu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Suojun Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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11
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Su T, Zhou S, Yang S, Humble N, Zhang F, Yu G, Bos PD, Cheng F, Valerie K, Zhu G. Lymph node-targeting adjuvant/neoantigen-codelivering vaccines for combination glioblastoma radioimmunotherapy. Theranostics 2023; 13:4304-4315. [PMID: 37649594 PMCID: PMC10465217 DOI: 10.7150/thno.84443] [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: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal type of adult brain cancer. Current GBM standard of care, including radiotherapy, often ends up with cancer recurrence, resulting in limited long-term survival benefits for GBM patients. Immunotherapy, such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), has thus far shown limited clinical benefit for GBM patients. Therapeutic vaccines hold great potential to elicit anti-cancer adaptive immunity, which can be synergistically combined with ICB and radiotherapy. Peptide vaccines are attractive for their ease of manufacturing and stability, but their therapeutic efficacy has been limited due to poor vaccine co-delivery and the limited ability of monovalent antigen vaccines to prevent tumor immune evasion. To address these challenges, here, we report GBM radioimmunotherapy that combines radiotherapy, ICB, and multivalent lymph-node-targeting adjuvant/antigen-codelivering albumin-binding vaccines (AAco-AlbiVax). Specifically, to codeliver peptide neoantigens and adjuvant CpG to lymph nodes (LNs), we developed AAco-AlbiVax based on a Y-shaped DNA scaffold that was site-specifically conjugated with CpG, peptide neoantigens, and albumin-binding maleimide-modified Evans blue derivative (MEB). As a result, these vaccines elicited antitumor immunity including neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses in mice. In orthotopic GBM mice, the combination of AAco-AlbiVax, ICB, and fractionated radiation enhanced GBM therapeutic efficacy. However, radioimmunotherapy only trended more efficacious over radiotherapy alone. Taken together, these studies underscore the great potential of radioimmunotherapy for GBM, and future optimization of treatment dosing and scheduling would improve the therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Su
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences; The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Shurong Zhou
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences; The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy; Biointerfaces Institute. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Suling Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences; The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy; Biointerfaces Institute. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Nicholas Humble
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine; The Developmental Therapeutics Program Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Fuwu Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Guocan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Paula D. Bos
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine; Cancer Biology Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Furong Cheng
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences; The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Kristoffer Valerie
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine; The Developmental Therapeutics Program Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Guizhi Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences; The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy; Biointerfaces Institute. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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12
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Chen CH, Chin RL, Hartley GP, Lea ST, Engel BJ, Hsieh CE, Prasad R, Roszik J, Shingu T, Lizee GA, Heimberger AB, Millward SW, Hu J, Hong DS, Curran MA. Novel murine glioblastoma models that reflect the immunotherapy resistance profile of a human disease. Neuro Oncol 2023; 25:1415-1427. [PMID: 36705543 PMCID: PMC10398813 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad025] [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: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The lack of murine glioblastoma models that mimic the immunobiology of human disease has impeded basic and translational immunology research. We, therefore, developed murine glioblastoma stem cell lines derived from Nestin-CreERT2QkL/L; Trp53L/L; PtenL/L (QPP) mice driven by clinically relevant genetic mutations common in human glioblastoma. This study aims to determine the immune sensitivities of these QPP lines in immunocompetent hosts and their underlying mechanisms. METHODS The differential responsiveness of QPP lines was assessed in the brain and flank in untreated, anti-PD-1, or anti-CTLA-4 treated mice. The impact of genomic landscape on the responsiveness of each tumor was measured through whole exome sequencing. The immune microenvironments of sensitive (QPP7) versus resistant (QPP8) lines were compared in the brain using flow cytometry. Drivers of flank sensitivity versus brain resistance were also measured for QPP8. RESULTS QPP lines are syngeneic to C57BL/6J mice and demonstrate varied sensitivities to T cell immune checkpoint blockade ranging from curative responses to complete resistance. Infiltrating tumor immune analysis of QPP8 reveals improved T cell fitness and augmented effector-to-suppressor ratios when implanted subcutaneously (sensitive), which are absent on implantation in the brain (resistant). Upregulation of PD-L1 across the myeloid stroma acts to establish this state of immune privilege in the brain. In contrast, QPP7 responds to checkpoint immunotherapy even in the brain likely resulting from its elevated neoantigen burden. CONCLUSIONS These syngeneic QPP models of glioblastoma demonstrate clinically relevant profiles of immunotherapeutic sensitivity and potential utility for both mechanistic discovery and evaluation of immune therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Hsien Chen
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Neurology, Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Renee L Chin
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Genevieve P Hartley
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Spencer T Lea
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Brian J Engel
- Departement of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Cheng-En Hsieh
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Rishika Prasad
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Jason Roszik
- Departement of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Takashi Shingu
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Gregory A Lizee
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Departement of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Amy B Heimberger
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Steven W Millward
- Departement of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Jian Hu
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - David S Hong
- Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Michael A Curran
- UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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13
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Su T, Liu X, Lin S, Cheng F, Zhu G. Ionizable polymeric nanocarriers for the codelivery of bi-adjuvant and neoantigens in combination tumor immunotherapy. Bioact Mater 2023; 26:169-180. [PMID: 36883121 PMCID: PMC9982230 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ionizable lipid nanocarriers have made historical contribution to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Here, we report ionizable polymeric nanoparticles that co-deliver bi-adjuvant and neoantigen peptides for cancer immunotherapy in combination with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Current cancer ICB benefits only a small subset of patients, largely due to a lack of pre-existing target cells and checkpoint targets for ICB, tumor antigenic heterogeneity, and tumor immunosuppression. Therapeutic vaccines hold the potential to enhance ICB therapeutic efficacy by expanding antitumor cell repertoires, upregulating immune checkpoint levels and hence sensitizing ICB, and reducing tumor immunosuppression. Chemically defined peptide vaccines are attractive, but their current therapeutic efficacy has been limited due to 1) poor vaccine delivery to immunomodulatory lymph nodes (LNs) and antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs), 2) poor immunostimulant adjuvant efficacy with restricted target cell subsets in humans, 3) limited adjuvant/Ag codelivery to enhance Ag immunogenicity, and 4) limited ability to overcome tumor antigenic heterogeneity. Here, we developed nanovaccines (NVs) using pH-responsive polymeric micellular nanoparticles (NPs) for the codelivery of bi-adjuvant [Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 agonist R848 and TLR9 agonist CpG] and peptide neoantigens (neoAgs) to draining LNs for efficient Ag presentation in a broad range of APC subsets. These NVs potentiated the immunogenicity of peptide Ags and elicits robust antitumor T cell responses with memory, and remodeled the tumor immune milium with reduced tumor immunosuppression. As a result, NVs significantly enhanced ICB therapeutic efficacy for murine colorectal tumors and orthotopic glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). These results suggest marked potential of bi-adjuvant/neoAg-codelivering NVs for combination cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Su
- Center for Translational Medicine, Precision Medicine Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences, Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmacy, The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Xiang Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences, Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmacy, The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Shuibin Lin
- Center for Translational Medicine, Precision Medicine Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Furong Cheng
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences, Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmacy, The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Guizhi Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences, Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmacy, The Developmental Therapeutics Program, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
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14
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Cultrara C, Uhl C, Kirby K, Abed Elrazaq E, Zellander A, Andrews DW, Scott CB, Galluzzi L, Exley MA, Zilberberg J. A biologic-device combination product delivering tumor-derived antigens elicits immunogenic cell death-associated immune responses against glioblastoma. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006880. [PMID: 37550054 PMCID: PMC10407365 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-006880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND IGV-001 is a personalized, autologous cancer cell-based immunotherapy conceived to deliver a tumor-derived antigenic payload in the context of immunostimulatory signals to patients with glioblastoma (GBM). IGV-001 consists of patient-derived GBM cells treated with an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide against insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) and placed in proprietary biodiffusion chambers (BDCs). The BDCs are then exposed to 5-6 Gy radiation and implanted at abdominal sites for ~48 hours. IGV-001 has previously been shown to be generally safe with promising clinical activity in newly diagnosed GBM patients. METHODS Mouse (m) or human (h) variants of IGV-001 were prepared using GL261 mouse GBM cells or human GBM cells, respectively. BDCs containing vehicle or mIGV-001 were implanted in the flanks of C57BL/6 albino female mice in preventative and therapeutic experiments, optionally in combination with a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blocker. Bioactivity of the general approach was also measured against hepatocellular carcinoma Hepa 1-6 cells. Mice were followed for the growth of subsequently implanted or pre-existing tumors and survival. Draining lymph nodes from mice receiving mIGV-001 were immunophenotyped. mIGV-001 and hIGV-001 were analyzed for extracellular ATP and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) as indicators of immunogenic cell death (ICD), along with flow cytometric analysis of viability, surface calreticulin, and reactive oxygen species. Stress and cell death-related pathways were analyzed by immunoblotting. RESULTS IGV-001 causes oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress in GL261 cells, resulting in a cytotoxic response that enables the release of antigenic material and immunostimulatory, ICD-associated molecules including ATP and HMGB1 from BDCs. Immunophenotyping confirmed that IGV-001 increases the percentage of dendritic cells, as well as effector, and effector memory T cells in BDC-draining lymph nodes. Consistent with these observations, preventative IGV-001 limited tumor progression and extended overall survival in mice intracranially challenged with GL261 cells, a benefit that was associated with an increase in tumor-specific T cells with effector features. Similar findings were obtained in the Hepa 1-6 model. Moreover, therapeutically administered IGV-001 combined with PD-1 delayed progression in GBM-bearing mice. CONCLUSIONS These results support treatment with IGV-001 to induce clinically relevant ICD-driven anticancer immune responses in patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher Uhl
- Department of Research, Imvax, Inc, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kenneth Kirby
- Department of Research, Imvax, Inc, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Amelia Zellander
- Department of Research, Imvax, Inc, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David W Andrews
- Department of Neurosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Clinical Operations, Imvax, Inc, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Lorenzo Galluzzi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mark A Exley
- Department of Research, Imvax, Inc, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jenny Zilberberg
- Department of Research, Imvax, Inc, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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15
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He A, Li X, Dai Z, Li Q, Zhang Y, Ding M, Wen ZF, Mou Y, Dong H. Nanovaccine-based strategies for lymph node targeted delivery and imaging in tumor immunotherapy. J Nanobiotechnology 2023; 21:236. [PMID: 37482608 PMCID: PMC10364424 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-023-01989-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic tumor vaccines have attracted considerable attention in the past decade; they can induce tumor regression, eradicate minimal residual disease, establish lasting immune memory and avoid non-specific and adverse side effects. However, the challenge in the field of therapeutic tumor vaccines is ensuring the delivery of immune components to the lymph nodes (LNs) to activate immune cells. The clinical response rate of traditional therapeutic tumor vaccines falls short of expectations due to inadequate lymph node delivery. With the rapid development of nanotechnology, a large number of nanoplatform-based LN-targeting nanovaccines have been exploited for optimizing tumor immunotherapies. In addition, some nanovaccines possess non-invasive visualization performance, which is benefit for understanding the kinetics of nanovaccine exposure in LNs. Herein, we present the parameters of nanoplatforms, such as size, surface modification, shape, and deformability, which affect the LN-targeting functions of nanovaccines. The recent advances in nanoplatforms with different components promoting LN-targeting are also summarized. Furthermore, emerging LNs-targeting nanoplatform-mediated imaging strategies to both improve targeting performance and enhance the quality of LN imaging are discussed. Finally, we summarize the prospects and challenges of nanoplatform-based LN-targeting and /or imaging strategies, which optimize the clinical efficacy of nanovaccines in tumor immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ao He
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Xiaoye Li
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Zhuo Dai
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Meng Ding
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Zhi-Fa Wen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, 210004, China.
| | - Yongbin Mou
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
| | - Heng Dong
- Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, 30 Zhongyang Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
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16
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Ren AL, Wu JY, Lee SY, Lim M. Translational Models in Glioma Immunotherapy Research. Curr Oncol 2023; 30:5704-5718. [PMID: 37366911 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30060428] [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: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a promising therapeutic domain for the treatment of gliomas. However, clinical trials of various immunotherapeutic modalities have not yielded significant improvements in patient survival. Preclinical models for glioma research should faithfully represent clinically observed features regarding glioma behavior, mutational load, tumor interactions with stromal cells, and immunosuppressive mechanisms. In this review, we dive into the common preclinical models used in glioma immunology, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and highlight examples of their utilization in translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Ren
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Janet Y Wu
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Si Yeon Lee
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94304, USA
| | - Michael Lim
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94304, USA
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17
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Segura-Collar B, Hiller-Vallina S, de Dios O, Caamaño-Moreno M, Mondejar-Ruescas L, Sepulveda-Sanchez JM, Gargini R. Advanced immunotherapies for glioblastoma: tumor neoantigen vaccines in combination with immunomodulators. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:79. [PMID: 37165457 PMCID: PMC10171733 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01569-y] [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: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Glial-origin brain tumors, including glioblastomas (GBM), have one of the worst prognoses due to their rapid and fatal progression. From an oncological point of view, advances in complete surgical resection fail to eliminate the entire tumor and the remaining cells allow a rapid recurrence, which does not respond to traditional therapeutic treatments. Here, we have reviewed new immunotherapy strategies in association with the knowledge of the immune micro-environment. To understand the best lines for the future, we address the advances in the design of neoantigen vaccines and possible new immune modulators. Recently, the efficacy and availability of vaccine development with different formulations, especially liposome plus mRNA vaccines, has been observed. We believe that the application of new strategies used with mRNA vaccines in combination with personalized medicine (guided by different omic's strategies) could give good results in glioma therapy. In addition, a large part of the possible advances in new immunotherapy strategies focused on GBM may be key improving current therapies of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), given the fact that this type of tumor has been highly refractory to ICI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berta Segura-Collar
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas I+12, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Pathology and Neurooncology Unit, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, Av. de Córdoba, S/N, 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Hiller-Vallina
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas I+12, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Pathology and Neurooncology Unit, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, Av. de Córdoba, S/N, 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Olaya de Dios
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas I+12, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, UFIEC, 28222, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Marta Caamaño-Moreno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas I+12, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Pathology and Neurooncology Unit, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, Av. de Córdoba, S/N, 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucia Mondejar-Ruescas
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas I+12, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Pathology and Neurooncology Unit, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, Av. de Córdoba, S/N, 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan M Sepulveda-Sanchez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas I+12, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain
- Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Gargini
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas I+12, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain.
- Pathology and Neurooncology Unit, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, Av. de Córdoba, S/N, 28041, Madrid, Spain.
- Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, 28041, Madrid, Spain.
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18
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Dmello C, Zhao J, Chen L, Gould A, Castro B, Arrieta VA, Zhang DY, Kim KS, Kanojia D, Zhang P, Miska J, Yeeravalli R, Habashy K, Saganty R, Kang SJ, Fares J, Liu C, Dunn G, Bartom E, Schipma MJ, Hsu PD, Alghamri MS, Lesniak MS, Heimberger AB, Rabadan R, Lee-Chang C, Sonabend AM. Checkpoint kinase 1/2 inhibition potentiates anti-tumoral immune response and sensitizes gliomas to immune checkpoint blockade. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1566. [PMID: 36949040 PMCID: PMC10033639 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36878-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Whereas the contribution of tumor microenvironment to the profound immune suppression of glioblastoma (GBM) is clear, tumor-cell intrinsic mechanisms that regulate resistance to CD8 T cell mediated killing are less understood. Kinases are potentially druggable targets that drive tumor progression and might influence immune response. Here, we perform an in vivo CRISPR screen to identify glioma intrinsic kinases that contribute to evasion of tumor cells from CD8 T cell recognition. The screen reveals checkpoint kinase 2 (Chek2) to be the most important kinase contributing to escape from CD8 T-cell recognition. Genetic depletion or pharmacological inhibition of Chek2 with blood-brain-barrier permeable drugs that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials, in combination with PD-1 or PD-L1 blockade, lead to survival benefit in multiple preclinical glioma models. Mechanistically, loss of Chek2 enhances antigen presentation, STING pathway activation and PD-L1 expression in mouse gliomas. Analysis of human GBMs demonstrates that Chek2 expression is inversely associated with antigen presentation and T-cell activation. Collectively, these results support Chek2 as a promising target for enhancement of response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy in GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crismita Dmello
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Junfei Zhao
- Program for Mathematical Genomics, Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Li Chen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Andrew Gould
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Brandyn Castro
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Section of Neurological Surgery, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Victor A Arrieta
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- PECEM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Daniel Y Zhang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kwang-Soo Kim
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Deepak Kanojia
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jason Miska
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ragini Yeeravalli
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Karl Habashy
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ruth Saganty
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Seong Jae Kang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jawad Fares
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Connor Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gavin Dunn
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
- The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Elizabeth Bartom
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Matthew J Schipma
- NUSeq Core, Center for Genetic Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Patrick D Hsu
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Mahmoud S Alghamri
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Maciej S Lesniak
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Amy B Heimberger
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Raul Rabadan
- Program for Mathematical Genomics, Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Department of Pathology, Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Catalina Lee-Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Adam M Sonabend
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Northwestern Medicine Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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19
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Kilian M, Sheinin R, Tan CL, Friedrich M, Krämer C, Kaminitz A, Sanghvi K, Lindner K, Chih YC, Cichon F, Richter B, Jung S, Jähne K, Ratliff M, Prins RM, Etminan N, von Deimling A, Wick W, Madi A, Bunse L, Platten M. MHC class II-restricted antigen presentation is required to prevent dysfunction of cytotoxic T cells by blood-borne myeloids in brain tumors. Cancer Cell 2023; 41:235-251.e9. [PMID: 36638785 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy critically depends on fitness of cytotoxic and helper T cell responses. Dysfunctional cytotoxic T cell states in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are a major cause of resistance to immunotherapy. Intratumoral myeloid cells, particularly blood-borne myeloids (bbm), are key drivers of T cell dysfunction in the TME. We show here that major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII)-restricted antigen presentation on bbm is essential to control the growth of brain tumors. Loss of MHCII on bbm drives dysfunctional intratumoral tumor-reactive CD8+ T cell states through increased chromatin accessibility and expression of Tox, a critical regulator of T cell exhaustion. Mechanistically, MHCII-dependent activation of CD4+ T cells restricts myeloid-derived osteopontin that triggers a chronic activation of NFAT2 in tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells. In summary, we provide evidence that MHCII-restricted antigen presentation on bbm is a key mechanism to directly maintain functional cytotoxic T cell states in brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kilian
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ron Sheinin
- Department of Pathology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Chin Leng Tan
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mirco Friedrich
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christopher Krämer
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ayelet Kaminitz
- Department of Pathology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Khwab Sanghvi
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katharina Lindner
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Immune Monitoring Unit, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yu-Chan Chih
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frederik Cichon
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Joint Immunotherapeutics Laboratory of the DKFZ-Bayer Innovation Alliance, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Richter
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Jung
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kristine Jähne
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Miriam Ratliff
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Robert M Prins
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nima Etminan
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas von Deimling
- DKTK CCU Neuropathology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neuropathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wick
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Asaf Madi
- Department of Pathology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Lukas Bunse
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Michael Platten
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Immune Monitoring Unit, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany; Helmholtz Institute of Translational Oncology (HI-TRON), Mainz, Germany; DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
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20
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Schaettler MO, Desai R, Wang AZ, Livingstone AJ, Kobayashi DK, Coxon AT, Bowman-Kirigin JA, Liu CJ, Li M, Bender DE, White MJ, Kranz DM, Johanns TM, Dunn GP. TCR-engineered adoptive cell therapy effectively treats intracranial murine glioblastoma. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006121. [PMID: 36808076 PMCID: PMC9944319 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-006121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoptive cellular therapies with chimeric antigen receptor T cells have revolutionized the treatment of some malignancies but have shown limited efficacy in solid tumors such as glioblastoma and face a scarcity of safe therapeutic targets. As an alternative, T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered cellular therapy against tumor-specific neoantigens has generated significant excitement, but there exist no preclinical systems to rigorously model this approach in glioblastoma. METHODS We employed single-cell PCR to isolate a TCR specific for the Imp3D81N neoantigen (mImp3) previously identified within the murine glioblastoma model GL261. This TCR was used to generate the Mutant Imp3-Specific TCR TransgenIC (MISTIC) mouse in which all CD8 T cells are specific for mImp3. The therapeutic efficacy of neoantigen-specific T cells was assessed through a model of cellular therapy consisting of the transfer of activated MISTIC T cells and interleukin 2 into lymphodepleted tumor-bearing mice. We employed flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and whole-exome and RNA sequencing to examine the factors underlying treatment response. RESULTS We isolated and characterized the 3×1.1C TCR that displayed a high affinity for mImp3 but no wild-type cross-reactivity. To provide a source of mImp3-specific T cells, we generated the MISTIC mouse. In a model of adoptive cellular therapy, the infusion of activated MISTIC T cells resulted in rapid intratumoral infiltration and profound antitumor effects with long-term cures in a majority of GL261-bearing mice. The subset of mice that did not respond to the adoptive cell therapy showed evidence of retained neoantigen expression but intratumoral MISTIC T cell dysfunction. The efficacy of MISTIC T cell therapy was lost in mice bearing a tumor with heterogeneous mImp3 expression, showcasing the barriers to targeted therapy in polyclonal human tumors. CONCLUSIONS We generated and characterized the first TCR transgenic against an endogenous neoantigen within a preclinical glioma model and demonstrated the therapeutic potential of adoptively transferred neoantigen-specific T cells. The MISTIC mouse provides a powerful novel platform for basic and translational studies of antitumor T-cell responses in glioblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian O Schaettler
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Rupen Desai
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Anthony Z Wang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Dale K Kobayashi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Andrew T Coxon
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jay A Bowman-Kirigin
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Connor J Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mao Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Diane E Bender
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael J White
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - David M Kranz
- Biochemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Tanner M Johanns
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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21
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Frederico SC, Zhang X, Hu B, Kohanbash G. Pre-clinical models for evaluating glioma targeted immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1092399. [PMID: 36700223 PMCID: PMC9870312 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1092399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Gliomas have an extremely poor prognosis in both adult and pediatric patient populations as these tumors are known to grow aggressively and respond poorly to standard of care treatment. Currently, treatment for gliomas involves surgical resection followed by chemoradiation therapy. However, some gliomas, such as diffuse midline glioma, have more limited treatment options such as radiotherapy alone. Even with these interventions, the prognosis for those diagnosed with a glioma remains poor. Immunotherapy is highly effective for some cancers and there is great interest in the development of effective immunotherapies for the treatment of gliomas. Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of immunotherapies targeted to gliomas have largely failed to date, and we believe this is partially due to the poor choice in pre-clinical mouse models that are used to evaluate these immunotherapies. A key consideration in evaluating new immunotherapies is the selection of pre-clinical models that mimic the glioma-immune response in humans. Multiple pre-clinical options are currently available, each one with their own benefits and limitations. Informed selection of pre-clinical models for testing can facilitate translation of more promising immunotherapies in the clinical setting. In this review we plan to present glioma cell lines and mouse models, as well as alternatives to mouse models, that are available for pre-clinical glioma immunotherapy studies. We plan to discuss considerations of model selection that should be made for future studies as we hope this review can serve as a guide for investigators as they choose which model is best suited for their study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C. Frederico
- School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Xiaoran Zhang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Baoli Hu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Gary Kohanbash
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States,*Correspondence: Gary Kohanbash,
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22
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Bowman-Kirigin JA, Desai R, Saunders BT, Wang AZ, Schaettler MO, Liu CJ, Livingstone AJ, Kobayashi DK, Durai V, Kretzer NM, Zipfel GJ, Leuthardt EC, Osbun JW, Chicoine MR, Kim AH, Murphy KM, Johanns TM, Zinselmeyer BH, Dunn GP. The Conventional Dendritic Cell 1 Subset Primes CD8+ T Cells and Traffics Tumor Antigen to Drive Antitumor Immunity in the Brain. Cancer Immunol Res 2023; 11:20-37. [PMID: 36409838 PMCID: PMC10725570 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-22-0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) antigen-presenting cell (APC) that primes antitumor CD8+ T-cell responses remains undefined. Elsewhere in the body, the conventional dendritic cell 1 (cDC1) performs this role. However, steady-state brain parenchyma cDC1 are extremely rare; cDCs localize to the choroid plexus and dura. Thus, whether the cDC1 play a function in presenting antigen derived from parenchymal sources in the tumor setting remains unknown. Using preclinical glioblastoma (GBM) models and cDC1-deficient mice, we explored the presently unknown role of cDC1 in CNS antitumor immunity. We determined that, in addition to infiltrating the brain tumor parenchyma itself, cDC1 prime neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells against brain tumors and mediate checkpoint blockade-induced survival benefit. We observed that cDC, including cDC1, isolated from the tumor, the dura, and the CNS-draining cervical lymph nodes harbored a traceable fluorescent tumor antigen. In patient samples, we observed several APC subsets (including the CD141+ cDC1 equivalent) infiltrating glioblastomas, meningiomas, and dura. In these same APC subsets, we identified a tumor-specific fluorescent metabolite of 5-aminolevulinic acid, which fluorescently labeled tumor cells during fluorescence-guided GBM resection. Together, these data elucidate the specialized behavior of cDC1 and suggest that cDC1 play a significant role in CNS antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay A. Bowman-Kirigin
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rupen Desai
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brian T. Saunders
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Anthony Z. Wang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Maximilian O. Schaettler
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Connor J. Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Dale K. Kobayashi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Vivek Durai
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nicole M. Kretzer
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gregory J. Zipfel
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Eric C. Leuthardt
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joshua W. Osbun
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael R. Chicoine
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Albert H. Kim
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kenneth M. Murphy
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tanner M. Johanns
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bernd H. Zinselmeyer
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gavin P. Dunn
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Andrew M and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Brain Tumor Center/Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Current affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA USA
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23
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Khan SM, Desai R, Coxon A, Livingstone A, Dunn GP, Petti A, Johanns TM. Impact of CD4 T cells on intratumoral CD8 T-cell exhaustion and responsiveness to PD-1 blockade therapy in mouse brain tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2022-005293. [PMID: 36543376 PMCID: PMC9772691 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioblastoma is a fatal disease despite aggressive multimodal therapy. PD-1 blockade, a therapy that reinvigorates hypofunctional exhausted CD8 T cells (Tex) in many malignancies, has not shown efficacy in glioblastoma. Loss of CD4 T cells can lead to an exhausted CD8 T-cell phenotype, and terminally exhausted CD8 T cells (Tex term) do not respond to PD-1 blockade. GL261 and CT2A are complementary orthotopic models of glioblastoma. GL261 has a functional CD4 T-cell compartment and is responsive to PD-1 blockade; notably, CD4 depletion abrogates this survival benefit. CT2A is composed of dysfunctional CD4 T cells and is PD-1 blockade unresponsive. We leverage these models to understand the impact of CD4 T cells on CD8 T-cell exhaustion and PD-1 blockade sensitivity in glioblastoma. METHODS Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on flow sorted tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from female C57/BL6 mice implanted with each model, with and without PD-1 blockade therapy. CD8+ and CD4+ T cells were identified and separately analyzed. Survival analyses were performed comparing PD-1 blockade therapy, CD40 agonist or combinatorial therapy. RESULTS The CD8 T-cell compartment of the models is composed of heterogenous CD8 Tex subsets, including progenitor exhausted CD8 T cells (Tex prog), intermediate Tex, proliferating Tex, and Tex term. GL261 is enriched with the PD-1 responsive Tex prog subset relative to the CT2A and CD4-depleted GL261 models, which are composed predominantly of the PD-1 blockade refractory Tex term subset. Analysis of the CD4 T-cell compartments revealed that the CT2A microenvironment is enriched with a suppressive Treg subset and an effector CD4 T-cell subset that expresses an inhibitory interferon-stimulated (Isc) signature. Finally, we demonstrate that addition of CD40 agonist to PD-1 blockade therapy improves survival in CT2A tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSIONS Here, we describe that dysfunctional CD4 T cells are associated with terminal CD8 T-cell exhaustion, suggesting CD4 T cells impact PD-1 blockade efficacy by controlling the severity of exhaustion. Given that CD4 lymphopenia is frequently observed in patients with glioblastoma, this may represent a basis for resistance to PD-1 blockade. We demonstrate that CD40 agonism may circumvent a dysfunctional CD4 compartment to improve PD-1 blockade responsiveness, supporting a novel synergistic immunotherapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saad M Khan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Rupen Desai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Andrew Coxon
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Alexandra Livingstone
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Allegra Petti
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Tanner M Johanns
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
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Dunn GP, Sherpa N, Manyanga J, Johanns TM. Considerations for personalized neoantigen vaccination in Malignant glioma. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 186:114312. [PMID: 35487282 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain cancer diagnosed and still carry a poor prognosis despite aggressive multimodal management. Despite the continued advances in immunotherapy for other cancer types, however, there remain no FDA approved immunotherapies for cancers such as glioblastoma. OF the many approaches being explored, cancer vaccine programs are undergoing a renaissance due to the technological advances and personalized nature of their contemporary design. Neoantigen vaccines are a form of immunotherapy involving the use of DNA, mRNA, and proteins derived from non-synonymous mutations identified in patient tumor tissue samples to stimulate tumor-specific T-cell reactivity leading to enhance tumor targeting. In the last several years, the study of neoantigens as a therapeutic target has increased, with the routine workflow implementation of comprehensive next generation sequencing and in silico peptide binding prediction algorithms. Several neoantigen vaccine platforms are being evaluated in clinical trials for malignancies including melanoma, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and glioblastoma, among others. In this review, we will review the concept of neoantigen discovery using cancer immunogenomics approaches in glioblastoma and explore the disease-specific issues being addressed in the design of effective personalized cancer vaccine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ngima Sherpa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jimmy Manyanga
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, United States
| | - Tanner M Johanns
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
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25
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Zamler DB, Shingu T, Kahn LM, Huntoon K, Kassab C, Ott M, Tomczak K, Liu J, Li Y, Lai I, Zorilla-Veloz R, Yee C, Rai K, Kim BY, Watowich SS, Heimberger AB, Draetta GF, Hu J. Immune landscape of a genetically engineered murine model of glioma compared with human glioma. JCI Insight 2022; 7:e148990. [PMID: 35653194 PMCID: PMC9309065 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.148990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel therapeutic strategies targeting glioblastoma (GBM) often fail in the clinic, partly because preclinical models in which hypotheses are being tested do not recapitulate human disease. To address this challenge, we took advantage of our previously developed spontaneous Qk/Trp53/Pten (QPP) triple-knockout model of human GBM, comparing the immune microenvironment of QPP mice with that of patient-derived tumors to determine whether this model provides opportunity for gaining insights into tumor physiopathology and preclinical evaluation of therapeutic agents. Immune profiling analyses and single-cell sequencing of implanted and spontaneous tumors from QPP mice and from patients with glioma revealed intratumoral immune components that were predominantly myeloid cells (e.g., monocytes, macrophages, and microglia), with minor populations of T, B, and NK cells. When comparing spontaneous and implanted mouse samples, we found more neutrophils and T and NK cells in the implanted model. Neutrophils and T and NK cells were increased in abundance in samples derived from human high-grade glioma compared with those derived from low-grade glioma. Overall, our data demonstrate that our implanted and spontaneous QPP models recapitulate the immunosuppressive myeloid-dominant nature of the tumor microenvironment of human gliomas. Our model provides a suitable tool for investigating the complex immune compartment of gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Zamler
- Department of Genomic Medicine
- Department of Cancer Biology, and
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Laura M. Kahn
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Immunology
| | | | | | | | | | - Jintan Liu
- Department of Genomic Medicine
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yating Li
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, and
| | - Ivy Lai
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, and
| | - Rocio Zorilla-Veloz
- Department of Cancer Biology, and
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Cassian Yee
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, and
| | - Kunal Rai
- Department of Genomic Medicine
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Stephanie S. Watowich
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Immunology
| | - Amy B. Heimberger
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Giulio F. Draetta
- Department of Genomic Medicine
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jian Hu
- Department of Cancer Biology, and
- UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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26
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Hernandez R, Malek TR. Fueling Cancer Vaccines to Improve T Cell-Mediated Antitumor Immunity. Front Oncol 2022; 12:878377. [PMID: 35651800 PMCID: PMC9150178 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.878377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer vaccines offer the potential to enhance T cell-mediated antitumor immunity by expanding and increasing the function of tumor-specific T cells and shaping the recall response against recurring tumors. While the use of cancer vaccines is not a new immunotherapeutic approach, the cancer vaccine field continues to evolve as new antigen types emerge and vaccine formulations and delivery strategies are developed. As monotherapies, cancer vaccines have not been very efficacious in part due to pre-existing peripheral- and tumor-mediated tolerance mechanisms that limit T cell function. Over the years, various agents including Toll-like receptor agonists, cytokines, and checkpoint inhibitors have been employed as vaccine adjuvants and immune modulators to increase antigen-mediated activation, expansion, memory formation, and T effector cell function. A renewed interest in this approach has emerged as better neoepitope discovery tools are being developed and our understanding of what constitutes an effective cancer vaccine is improved. In the coming years, cancer vaccines will likely be vital to enhance the response to current immunotherapies. In this review, we discuss the various types of therapeutic cancer vaccines, including types of antigens and approaches used to enhance cancer vaccine responses such as TLR agonists, recombinant interleukin-2 and interleukin-2 derivatives, and checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosmely Hernandez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Thomas R Malek
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
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27
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Sahu U, Barth RF, Otani Y, McCormack R, Kaur B. Rat and Mouse Brain Tumor Models for Experimental Neuro-Oncology Research. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2022; 81:312-329. [PMID: 35446393 PMCID: PMC9113334 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlac021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Rodent brain tumor models have been useful for developing effective therapies for glioblastomas (GBMs). In this review, we first discuss the 3 most commonly used rat brain tumor models, the C6, 9L, and F98 gliomas, which are all induced by repeated injections of nitrosourea to adult rats. The C6 glioma arose in an outbred Wistar rat and its potential to evoke an alloimmune response is a serious limitation. The 9L gliosarcoma arose in a Fischer rat and is strongly immunogenic, which must be taken into consideration when using it for therapy studies. The F98 glioma may be the best of the 3 but it does not fully recapitulate human GBMs because it is weakly immunogenic. Next, we discuss a number of mouse models. The first are human patient-derived xenograft gliomas in immunodeficient mice. These have failed to reproduce the tumor-host interactions and microenvironment of human GBMs. Genetically engineered mouse models recapitulate the molecular alterations of GBMs in an immunocompetent environment and “humanized” mouse models repopulate with human immune cells. While the latter are rarely isogenic, expensive to produce, and challenging to use, they represent an important advance. The advantages and limitations of each of these brain tumor models are discussed. This information will assist investigators in selecting the most appropriate model for the specific focus of their research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upasana Sahu
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Rolf F Barth
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Yoshihiro Otani
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ryan McCormack
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Balveen Kaur
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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28
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Park JH, Lee HK. Current Understanding of Hypoxia in Glioblastoma Multiforme and Its Response to Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14051176. [PMID: 35267480 PMCID: PMC8909860 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14051176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive tumor type in the central nervous system. Hypoxia, defined as a lack of sufficient oxygen in tissues, is the most detrimental factor for the survival of GBM patients, promoting drug resistance, and invasion and inhibition of immune responses. Traditionally, tumor hypoxia has been studied from a narrow viewpoint, excluding the immune system and focusing primarily on the effect of hypoxia on blood vessels and tumor cells. More recently, however, evidence highlighting the important role of immunosurveillance has been uncovered for multiple tumors, including GBM. Thus, connecting the knowledge gained from traditional hypoxia studies with findings from recent immunological studies is urgently needed to better understand the role of hypoxia in cancer. Abstract Hypoxia is a hallmark of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive cancer of the central nervous system, and is associated with multiple aspects of tumor pathogenesis. For example, hypoxia induces resistance to conventional cancer therapies and inhibits antitumor immune responses. Thus, targeting hypoxia is an attractive strategy for GBM therapy. However, traditional studies on hypoxia have largely excluded the immune system. Recently, the critical role of the immune system in the defense against multiple tumors has become apparent, leading to the development of effective immunotherapies targeting numerous cancer types. Critically, however, GBM is classified as a “cold tumor” due to poor immune responses. Thus, to improve GBM responsiveness against immunotherapies, an improved understanding of both immune function in GBM and the role of hypoxia in mediating immune responses within the GBM microenvironment is needed. In this review, we discuss the role of hypoxia in GBM from a clinical, pathological, and immunological perspective.
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29
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Letchuman V, Ampie L, Shah AH, Brown DA, Heiss JD, Chittiboina P. Syngeneic murine glioblastoma models: reactionary immune changes and immunotherapy intervention outcomes. Neurosurg Focus 2022; 52:E5. [PMID: 35104794 PMCID: PMC10851929 DOI: 10.3171/2021.11.focus21556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain neoplasm with dismal 10-year survival rates of < 1%. Despite promising preliminary results from several novel therapeutic agents, clinical responses have been modest due to several factors, including tumor heterogeneity, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and treatment resistance. Novel immunotherapeutics have been developed to reverse tumor-induced immunosuppression in patients with glioblastomas. In order to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment, reliable in vivo syngeneic murine models are critical for the development of new targeted agents as these models demonstrate rapid tumor induction and reliable tumor growth over multiple generations. Despite the clear advantages of murine models, choosing an appropriate model from an immunological perspective can be difficult and have significant ramifications on the translatability of the results from murine to human trials. Herein, the authors reviewed the 4 most commonly used immunocompetent syngeneic murine glioma models (GL261 [C57BL/6], SB28 [C57BL/6], CT-2A [C57BL/6], and SMA-560 [VM/Dk]) and compared their strengths and weaknesses from an immunological standpoint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Letchuman
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Leonel Ampie
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Ashish H. Shah
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Desmond A. Brown
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - John D. Heiss
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Prashant Chittiboina
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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30
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Abstract
Glioblastoma has emerged as an immunotherapy-refractory tumor based on negative phase III studies of anti-programmed cell death-1 therapy among newly diagnosed as well as recurrent patients. In addition, although much work on vaccine and cellular approaches is ongoing, therapeutic benefit with these approaches has been underwhelming. Much scientific insight into the multitiered layers of immunosuppression exploited by glioblastoma tumors is emerging that sheds light on the explanation for the disappointing results to date and highlights possible therapeutic avenues that may offer a better likelihood of therapeutic benefit for immune-based therapies.
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31
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Haddad AF, Young JS, Amara D, Berger MS, Raleigh DR, Aghi MK, Butowski NA. Mouse models of glioblastoma for the evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies. Neurooncol Adv 2021; 3:vdab100. [PMID: 34466804 PMCID: PMC8403483 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdab100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is an incurable brain tumor with a median survival of approximately 15 months despite an aggressive standard of care that includes surgery, chemotherapy, and ionizing radiation. Mouse models have advanced our understanding of GBM biology and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for GBM patients. However, model selection is crucial when testing developmental therapeutics, and each mouse model of GBM has unique advantages and disadvantages that can influence the validity and translatability of experimental results. To shed light on this process, we discuss the strengths and limitations of 3 types of mouse GBM models in this review: syngeneic models, genetically engineered mouse models, and xenograft models, including traditional xenograft cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander F Haddad
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jacob S Young
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Dominic Amara
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Mitchel S Berger
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - David R Raleigh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Manish K Aghi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Nicholas A Butowski
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Corresponding Author: Nicholas A. Butowski, MD, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Ave Eighth Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA ()
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32
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Willscher E, Hopp L, Kreuz M, Schmidt M, Hakobyan S, Arakelyan A, Hentschel B, Jones DTW, Pfister SM, Loeffler M, Loeffler-Wirth H, Binder H. High-Resolution Cartography of the Transcriptome and Methylome Landscapes of Diffuse Gliomas. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:3198. [PMID: 34206856 PMCID: PMC8268631 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13133198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular mechanisms of lower-grade (II-III) diffuse gliomas (LGG) are still poorly understood, mainly because of their heterogeneity. They split into astrocytoma- (IDH-A) and oligodendroglioma-like (IDH-O) tumors both carrying mutations(s) at the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene and into IDH wild type (IDH-wt) gliomas of glioblastoma resemblance. We generated detailed maps of the transcriptomes and DNA methylomes, revealing that cell functions divided into three major archetypic hallmarks: (i) increased proliferation in IDH-wt and, to a lesser degree, IDH-O; (ii) increased inflammation in IDH-A and IDH-wt; and (iii) the loss of synaptic transmission in all subtypes. Immunogenic properties of IDH-A are diverse, partly resembling signatures observed in grade IV mesenchymal glioblastomas or in grade I pilocytic astrocytomas. We analyzed details of coregulation between gene expression and DNA methylation and of the immunogenic micro-environment presumably driving tumor development and treatment resistance. Our transcriptome and methylome maps support personalized, case-by-case views to decipher the heterogeneity of glioma states in terms of data portraits. Thereby, molecular cartography provides a graphical coordinate system that links gene-level information with glioma subtypes, their phenotypes, and clinical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Willscher
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (E.W.); (L.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Lydia Hopp
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (E.W.); (L.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Markus Kreuz
- IMISE, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Universität of Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (M.K.); (B.H.); (M.L.)
| | - Maria Schmidt
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (E.W.); (L.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Siras Hakobyan
- Research Group of Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, 7 Hasratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia; (S.H.); (A.A.)
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute (ABI), 7 Hasratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia; (D.T.W.J.); (S.M.P.)
| | - Arsen Arakelyan
- Research Group of Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, 7 Hasratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia; (S.H.); (A.A.)
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute (ABI), 7 Hasratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia; (D.T.W.J.); (S.M.P.)
| | - Bettina Hentschel
- IMISE, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Universität of Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (M.K.); (B.H.); (M.L.)
| | - David T. W. Jones
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute (ABI), 7 Hasratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia; (D.T.W.J.); (S.M.P.)
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan M. Pfister
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute (ABI), 7 Hasratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia; (D.T.W.J.); (S.M.P.)
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 430, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Loeffler
- IMISE, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Universität of Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (M.K.); (B.H.); (M.L.)
| | - Henry Loeffler-Wirth
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (E.W.); (L.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Hans Binder
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (E.W.); (L.H.); (M.S.)
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute (ABI), 7 Hasratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia; (D.T.W.J.); (S.M.P.)
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33
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Dunn GP, Cloughesy TF, Maus MV, Prins RM, Reardon DA, Sonabend AM. Emerging immunotherapies for malignant glioma: from immunogenomics to cell therapy. Neuro Oncol 2021; 22:1425-1438. [PMID: 32615600 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As immunotherapy assumes a central role in the management of many cancers, ongoing work is directed at understanding whether immune-based treatments will be successful in patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Despite several large studies conducted in the last several years, there remain no FDA-approved immunotherapies in this patient population. Nevertheless, there are a range of exciting new approaches being applied to GBM, all of which may not only allow us to develop new treatments but also help us understand fundamental features of the immune response in the central nervous system. In this review, we summarize new developments in the application of immune checkpoint blockade, from biomarker-driven patient selection to the timing of treatment. Moreover, we summarize novel work in personalized immune-oncology by reviewing work in cancer immunogenomics-driven neoantigen vaccine studies. Finally, we discuss cell therapy efforts by reviewing the current state of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Timothy F Cloughesy
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Department of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Robert M Prins
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California
| | - David A Reardon
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Adam M Sonabend
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
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34
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Liu CJ, Schaettler M, Blaha DT, Bowman-Kirigin JA, Kobayashi DK, Livingstone AJ, Bender D, Miller CA, Kranz DM, Johanns TM, Dunn GP. Treatment of an aggressive orthotopic murine glioblastoma model with combination checkpoint blockade and a multivalent neoantigen vaccine. Neuro Oncol 2021; 22:1276-1288. [PMID: 32133512 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although clinical trials testing immunotherapies in glioblastoma (GBM) have yielded mixed results, new strategies targeting tumor-specific somatic coding mutations, termed "neoantigens," represent promising therapeutic approaches. We characterized the microenvironment and neoantigen landscape of the aggressive CT2A GBM model in order to develop a platform to test combination checkpoint blockade and neoantigen vaccination. METHODS Flow cytometric analysis was performed on intracranial CT2A and GL261 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Whole-exome DNA and RNA sequencing of the CT2A murine GBM was employed to identify expressed, somatic mutations. Predicted neoantigens were identified using the pVAC-seq software suite, and top-ranking candidates were screened for reactivity by interferon-gamma enzyme linked immunospot assays. Survival analysis was performed comparing neoantigen vaccination, anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (αPD-L1), or combination therapy. RESULTS Compared with the GL261 model, CT2A exhibited immunologic features consistent with human GBM including reduced αPD-L1 sensitivity and hypofunctional TILs. Of the 29 CT2A neoantigens screened, we identified neoantigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses in the intracranial TIL and draining lymph nodes to two H2-Kb restricted (Epb4H471L and Pomgnt1R497L) and one H2-Db restricted neoantigen (Plin2G332R). Survival analysis showed that therapeutic neoantigen vaccination with Epb4H471L, Pomgnt1R497L, and Plin2G332R, in combination with αPD-L1 treatment was superior to αPD-L1 alone. CONCLUSIONS We identified endogenous neoantigen specific CD8+ T cells within an αPD-L1 resistant murine GBM and show that neoantigen vaccination significantly augments survival benefit in combination with αPD-L1 treatment. These observations provide important preclinical correlates for GBM immunotherapy trials and support further investigation into the effects of multimodal immunotherapeutic interventions on antiglioma immunity. KEY POINTS 1. Neoantigen vaccines combined with checkpoint blockade may be promising treatments.2. CT2A tumors exhibit features of human GBM microenvironments.3. Differential scanning fluorimetry assays may complement in silico neoantigen prediction tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor J Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Maximilian Schaettler
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Dylan T Blaha
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Jay A Bowman-Kirigin
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Dale K Kobayashi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Alexandra J Livingstone
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Diane Bender
- Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Christopher A Miller
- The McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
| | - David M Kranz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Tanner M Johanns
- Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.,The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
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35
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Woroniecka K, Fecci PE. Immuno-synergy? Neoantigen vaccines and checkpoint blockade in glioblastoma. Neuro Oncol 2021; 22:1233-1234. [PMID: 32691060 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter E Fecci
- Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center and Department of Pathology.,Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
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36
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Akintola OO, Reardon DA. The Current Landscape of Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Glioblastoma. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2021; 32:235-248. [PMID: 33781505 DOI: 10.1016/j.nec.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The glioblastoma tumor microenvironment is highly immunosuppressed. This immunosuppressive state is engineered by inhibitory molecules secreted by tumor cells that limit activation of immune effector cells, drive T-cell exhaustion, and enhance the immunosuppressive action of tumor-associated myeloid cells. Immunotherapeutic approaches have sought to combat glioblastoma microenvironment immunosuppression with agents such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Although immune checkpoint blockade in glioblastoma has yielded disappointing results thus far, there is significant interest in the combination of immune checkpoint blockade with other approaches to enhance response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwatosin O Akintola
- Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215-5450, USA.
| | - David A Reardon
- Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215-5450, USA
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Desai R, Coxon AT, Dunn GP. Therapeutic applications of the cancer immunoediting hypothesis. Semin Cancer Biol 2021; 78:63-77. [PMID: 33711414 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Since the late 19th century, the immune system has increasingly garnered interest as a novel avenue for cancer therapy, particularly given scientific breakthroughs in recent decades delineating the fundamental role of the immune system in tumorigenesis. The immunoediting hypothesis has articulated this role, describing three phases of the tumor-immune system interaction: Elimination, Equilibrium, and Escape wherein tumors progress from active immunologic surveillance and destruction through dynamic immunologic stasis to unfettered growth. The primary goals of immunotherapy are to restrict and revert progression through these phases, thereby improving the immune system's ability to control tumor growth. In this review, we detail the development and foundation of the cancer immunoediting hypothesis and apply this hypothesis to the dynamic immunotherapy field that includes checkpoint blockade, vaccine therapy, and adoptive cell transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupen Desai
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Andrew T Coxon
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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38
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Maire CL, Mohme M, Bockmayr M, Fita KD, Riecken K, Börnigen D, Alawi M, Failla A, Kolbe K, Zapf S, Holz M, Neumann K, Dührsen L, Lange T, Fehse B, Westphal M, Lamszus K. Glioma escape signature and clonal development under immune pressure. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:5257-5271. [PMID: 32603315 DOI: 10.1172/jci138760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapeutic strategies are increasingly important in neuro-oncology, and the elucidation of escape mechanisms that lead to treatment resistance is crucial. We investigated the impact of immune pressure on the clonal dynamics and immune escape signature by comparing glioma growth in immunocompetent versus immunodeficient mice. Glioma-bearing WT and Pd-1-/- mice survived significantly longer than immunodeficient Pfp-/- Rag2-/- mice. While tumors in Pfp-/- Rag2-/- mice were highly polyclonal, immunoedited tumors in WT and Pd-1-/- mice displayed reduced clonality with emergence of immune escape clones. Tumor cells in WT mice were distinguished by an IFN-γ-mediated response signature with upregulation of genes involved in immunosuppression. Tumor-infiltrating stromal cells, which include macrophages/microglia, contributed even more strongly to the immunosuppressive signature than the actual tumor cells. The identified murine immune escape signature was reflected in human patients and correlated with poor survival. In conclusion, immune pressure profoundly shapes the clonal composition and gene regulation in malignant gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael Bockmayr
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Pathology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt University Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Kristoffer Riecken
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tobias Lange
- Institutes of Anatomy, Experimental Morphology and Pathology, University Cancer Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Boris Fehse
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation
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Haddad AF, Young JS, Aghi MK. Using viral vectors to deliver local immunotherapy to glioblastoma. Neurosurg Focus 2021; 50:E4. [PMID: 33524947 DOI: 10.3171/2020.11.focus20859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The treatment for glioblastoma (GBM) has not seen significant improvement in over a decade. Immunotherapies target the immune system against tumor cells and have seen success in various cancer types. However, the efficacy of immunotherapies in GBM thus far has been limited. Systemic immunotherapies also carry with them concerns surrounding systemic toxicities as well as penetration of the blood-brain barrier. These concerns may potentially limit their efficacy in GBM and preclude the use of combinatorial immunotherapy, which may be needed to overcome the severe multidimensional immune suppression seen in GBM patients. The use of viral vectors to deliver immunotherapies directly to tumor cells has the potential to improve immunotherapy delivery to the CNS, reduce systemic toxicities, and increase treatment efficacy. Indeed, preclinical studies investigating the delivery of immunomodulators to GBM using viral vectors have demonstrated significant promise. In this review, the authors discuss previous studies investigating the delivery of local immunotherapy using viral vectors. They also discuss the future of these treatments, including the reasoning behind immunomodulator and vector selection, patient safety, personalized therapies, and the need for combinatorial treatment.
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40
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A conjoined universal helper epitope can unveil antitumor effects of a neoantigen vaccine targeting an MHC class I-restricted neoepitope. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:12. [PMID: 33462231 PMCID: PMC7814002 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-020-00273-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Personalized cancer vaccines targeting neoantigens arising from somatic missense mutations are currently being evaluated for the treatment of various cancers due to their potential to elicit a multivalent, tumor-specific immune response. Several cancers express a low number of neoantigens; in these cases, ensuring the immunotherapeutic potential of each neoantigen-derived epitope (neoepitope) is crucial. In this study, we discovered that therapeutic vaccines targeting immunodominant major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I-restricted neoepitopes require a conjoined helper epitope in order to induce a cytotoxic, neoepitope-specific CD8+ T-cell response. Furthermore, we show that the universally immunogenic helper epitope P30 can fulfill this requisite helper function. Remarkably, conjoined P30 was able to unveil immune and antitumor responses to subdominant MHC I-restricted neoepitopes that were, otherwise, poorly immunogenic. Together, these data provide key insights into effective neoantigen vaccine design and demonstrate a translatable strategy using a universal helper epitope that can improve therapeutic responses to MHC I-restricted neoepitopes.
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41
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Iorgulescu JB, Gokhale PC, Speranza MC, Eschle BK, Poitras MJ, Wilkens MK, Soroko KM, Chhoeu C, Knott A, Gao Y, Lim-Fat MJ, Baker GJ, Bonal DM, Nguyen QD, Grant GRL, Ligon KL, Sorger PK, Chiocca EA, Anderson AC, Kirschmeier PT, Sharpe AH, Freeman GJ, Reardon DA. Concurrent Dexamethasone Limits the Clinical Benefit of Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 27:276-287. [PMID: 33239433 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-2291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Dexamethasone, a uniquely potent corticosteroid, is frequently administered to patients with brain tumors to decrease tumor-associated edema, but limited data exist describing how dexamethasone affects the immune system systemically and intratumorally in patients with glioblastoma (GBM), particularly in the context of immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We evaluated the dose-dependent effects of dexamethasone when administered with programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade and/or radiotherapy in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice with syngeneic GL261 and CT-2A GBM tumors. Clinically, the effect of dexamethasone on survival was evaluated in 181 patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type GBM treated with PD-(L)1 blockade, with adjustment for relevant prognostic factors. RESULTS Despite the inherent responsiveness of GL261 to immune checkpoint blockade, concurrent dexamethasone administration with anti-PD-1 therapy reduced survival in a dose-dependent manner. Concurrent dexamethasone also abrogated survival following anti-PD-1 therapy with or without radiotherapy in immune-resistant CT-2A models. Dexamethasone decreased T-lymphocyte numbers by increasing apoptosis, in addition to decreasing lymphocyte functional capacity. Myeloid and natural killer cell populations were also generally reduced by dexamethasone. Thus, dexamethasone appears to negatively affect both adaptive and innate immune responses. As a clinical correlate, a retrospective analysis of 181 consecutive patients with IDH wild-type GBM treated with PD-(L)1 blockade revealed poorer survival among those on baseline dexamethasone. Upon multivariable adjustment with relevant prognostic factors, baseline dexamethasone administration was the strongest predictor of poor survival [reference, no dexamethasone; <2 mg HR, 2.16; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-3.68; P = 0.003 and ≥2 mg HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.23-3.16; P = 0.005]. CONCLUSIONS Our preclinical and clinical data indicate that concurrent dexamethasone therapy may be detrimental to immunotherapeutic approaches for patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Bryan Iorgulescu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Prafulla C Gokhale
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Maria C Speranza
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Benjamin K Eschle
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael J Poitras
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Margaret K Wilkens
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kara M Soroko
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Chhayheng Chhoeu
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Aine Knott
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yan Gao
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mary Jane Lim-Fat
- Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gregory J Baker
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dennis M Bonal
- Lurie Family Imaging Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Quang-Dé Nguyen
- Lurie Family Imaging Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gareth R L Grant
- University of Glasgow Medical School, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Keith L Ligon
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Peter K Sorger
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - E Antonio Chiocca
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ana C Anderson
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Paul T Kirschmeier
- Experimental Therapeutics Core and Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Arlene H Sharpe
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gordon J Freeman
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David A Reardon
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. .,Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
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42
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Upreti D, Bakhshinyan D, Bloemberg D, Vora P, Venugopal C, Singh SK. Strategies to Enhance the Efficacy of T-Cell Therapy for Central Nervous System Tumors. Front Immunol 2020; 11:599253. [PMID: 33281826 PMCID: PMC7689359 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.599253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality rates in patients diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumors, originating in the brain or spinal cord, continue to remain high despite the advances in multimodal treatment regimens, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Recent success of adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy treatments using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered T cells against in chemotherapy resistant CD19 expressing B-cell lymphomas, has provided the foundation for investigating efficacy of CAR T immunotherapies in the context of brain tumor. Although significant efforts have been made in developing and translating the novel CAR T therapies for CNS tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM), researchers are yet to achieve a similar level of success as with liquid malignancies. In this review, we discuss strategies and considerations essential for developing robust preclinical models for the translation of T cell-based therapies for CNS tumors. Some of the key considerations include route of delivery, increasing persistence of T cells in tumor environment, remodeling of myeloid environment, establishing the window of treatment opportunity, harnessing endogenous immune system, designing multiple antigen targeting T cells, and rational combination of immunotherapy with the current standard of care. Although this review focuses primarily on CAR T therapies for GBM, similar strategies, and considerations are applicable to all CNS tumors in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Upreti
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - David Bakhshinyan
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Darin Bloemberg
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Parvez Vora
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Chitra Venugopal
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Sheila K Singh
- McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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Abstract
The immune system has evolved over time to protect the host from foreign microorganisms. Activation of the immune system is predicated on a distinction between self and nonself. Unfortunately, cancer is characterized by genetic alterations in the host's cells, leading to uncontrolled cellular proliferation and evasion of immune surveillance. Cancer immunotherapy aims to educate the host's immune system to not only recognize but also attack and kill mutated cancer cells. While immune checkpoint blockers have been proven to be effective against multiple types of advanced cancer, the overall patient response rate still remains below 30%. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve current cancer immunotherapies. In this Account, we present an overview of our recent progress on nanoparticle-based strategies for improving cancer vaccines and immunotherapies. We also present other complementary strategies to give a well-rounded snapshot of the field of combination cancer immunotherapy. The versatility and tunability of nanoparticles make them promising platforms for addressing individual challenges posed by various cancers. For example, nanoparticles can deliver cargo materials to specific cells, such as vaccines delivered to antigen-presenting cells for strong immune activation. Nanoparticles also allow for stimuli-responsive delivery of various therapeutics to cancer cells, thus forming the basis for combination cancer immunotherapy. Here, we focus on nanoparticle platforms engineered to deliver tumor antigens, whole tumor cells, and chemotherapeutic or phototherapeutic agents in a manner to effectively and safely trigger the host's immune system against tumor cells. For each work, we discuss the nanoparticle platform developed, synthesis chemistry, and in vivo applications. Nanovaccines offer a unique platform for codelivery of personalized tumor neoantigens and adjuvants and elicitation of robust immune responses against aggressive tumors. Nanovaccines either delivering whole tumor cell lysate or formed from tumor cell lysate may increase the repertoire of tumor antigens as immune targets while exploiting immunogenic cell death to prime antitumor immune responses. We also discuss how antigen- and whole tumor cell-based approaches may open the door for personalized cancer vaccination and immunotherapy. On the other hand, chemotherapy, phototherapy, and radiotherapy are more standardized cancer therapies, and nanoparticle-based approaches may promote their ability to initiate T cell activation against tumor cells and improve antitumor efficacy with minimal toxicity. Finally, building on the recent progress in nanoparticle-based cancer immunotherapy, the field should set the ultimate goal to be clinical translation and clinical efficacy. We will discuss regulatory, analytical, and manufacturing hurdles that should be addressed to expedite the clinical translation of nanomedicine-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa E Aikins
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Cheng Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - James J Moon
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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Scheetz L, Kadiyala P, Sun X, Son S, Hassani Najafabadi A, Aikins M, Lowenstein PR, Schwendeman A, Castro MG, Moon JJ. Synthetic High-density Lipoprotein Nanodiscs for Personalized Immunotherapy Against Gliomas. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:4369-4380. [PMID: 32439701 PMCID: PMC7442596 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-0341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Gliomas are brain tumors with dismal prognoses. The standard-of-care treatments for gliomas include surgical resection, radiation, and temozolomide administration; however, they have been ineffective in providing significant increases in median survival. Antigen-specific cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint blockade may provide promising immunotherapeutic approaches for gliomas. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We have developed immunotherapy delivery vehicles based on synthetic high-density lipoprotein (sHDL) loaded with CpG, a Toll-like receptor-9 agonist, and tumor-specific neoantigens to target gliomas and elicit immune-mediated tumor regression. RESULTS We demonstrate that vaccination with neoantigen peptide-sHDL/CpG cocktail in combination with anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint blocker elicits robust neoantigen-specific T-cell responses against GL261 cells and eliminated established orthotopic GL261 glioma in 33% of mice. Mice remained tumor free upon tumor cell rechallenge in the contralateral hemisphere, indicating the development of immunologic memory. Moreover, in a genetically engineered murine model of orthotopic mutant IDH1 (mIDH1) glioma, sHDL vaccination with mIDH1 neoantigen eliminated glioma in 30% of animals and significantly extended the animal survival, demonstrating the versatility of our approach in multiple glioma models. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our strategy provides a general roadmap for combination immunotherapy against gliomas and other cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Scheetz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Padma Kadiyala
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Xiaoqi Sun
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Sejin Son
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Alireza Hassani Najafabadi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Marisa Aikins
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Pedro R Lowenstein
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Anna Schwendeman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Maria G Castro
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - James J Moon
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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45
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Najibi AJ, Mooney DJ. Cell and tissue engineering in lymph nodes for cancer immunotherapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2020; 161-162:42-62. [PMID: 32750376 PMCID: PMC7736208 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In cancer, lymph nodes (LNs) coordinate tumor antigen presentation necessary for effective antitumor immunity, both at the levels of local cellular interactions and tissue-level organization. In this review, we examine how LNs may be engineered to improve the therapeutic outcomes of cancer immunotherapy. At the cellular scale, targeting the LNs impacts the potency of cancer vaccines, immune checkpoint blockade, and adoptive cell transfer. On a tissue level, macro-scale biomaterials mimicking LN features can function as immune niches for cell reprogramming or delivery in vivo, or be utilized in vitro to enable preclinical testing of drugs and vaccines. We additionally review strategies to induce ectopic lymphoid sites reminiscent of LNs that may improve antitumor T cell priming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Najibi
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - David J Mooney
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
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Adaptive T cell immunotherapy in cancer. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2020; 64:363-371. [PMID: 32712831 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-020-1713-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Impaired tumor-specific effector T cells contribute to tumor progression and unfavorable clinical outcomes. As a compensatory T cell-dependent cancer immunoediting strategy, adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) has achieved encouraging therapeutic results, and this strategy is now on the center stage of cancer treatment and research. ACT involves the ex vivo stimulation and expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with inherent tumor reactivity or T cells that have been genetically modified to express the cognate chimeric antigen receptor or T cell receptor (CAR/TCR), followed by the passive transfer of these cells into a lymphodepleted host. Primed T cells must provide highly efficient and long-lasting immune defense against transformed cells during ACT. Anin-depth understanding of the basic mechanisms of these living drugs can help us improve upon current strategies and design better next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies. From this perspective, we provide an overview of current developments in different ACT strategies, with a focus on frontier clinical trials that offer a proof of principle. Meanwhile, insights into the determinants of ACT are discussed, which will lead to more rational, potent and widespread applications in the future.
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GATA2 Regulates Constitutive PD-L1 and PD-L2 Expression in Brain Tumors. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9027. [PMID: 32493985 PMCID: PMC7271235 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65915-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Encouraging clinical results using immune checkpoint therapies to target the PD-1 axis in a variety of cancer types have paved the way for new immune therapy trials in brain tumor patients. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate expression of the PD-1 pathway ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, remain poorly understood. To address this, we explored the cell-intrinsic mechanisms of constitutive PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression in brain tumors. PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression was assessed by flow cytometry and qRT-PCR in brain tumor cell lines and patient tumor-derived brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs). Immunologic effects of PD-L2 overexpression were evaluated by IFN-γ ELISPOT. CD274 and PDCD1LG2 cis-regulatory regions were cloned from genomic DNA and assessed in full or by mutating and/or deleting regulatory elements by luciferase assays. Correlations between clinical responses and PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression status were evaluated in TCGA datasets in LGG and GBM patients. We found that a subset of brain tumor cell lines and BTICs expressed high constitutive levels of PD-L1 and PD-L2 and that PD-L2 overexpression inhibited neoantigen specific T cell IFN-γ production. Characterization of novel cis-regulatory regions in CD274 and PDCD1LG2 lead us to identify that GATA2 is sufficient to drive PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression and is necessary for PD-L2 expression. Importantly, in TCGA datasets, PD-L2 correlated with worse clinical outcomes in glioma patients.. By perturbing GATA2 biology, targeted therapies may be useful to decrease inhibitory effects of PD-L2 in the microenvironment.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most prevalent primary brain tumor. In spite of the rigorous multimodal treatment involving surgery and radiochemotherapy, GBM has a dismal prognosis and rapid relapsing potential. Hence, search for novel therapeutic agents still continues. Neoantigens are the tumor-specific antigens which arise due to somatic mutations in the tumor genome. In recent years, personalized vaccine approach targeting neoantigens has been explored widely in cancer immunotherapy and several efforts have also been made to revolutionize the immunotherapy of cold tumors such as GBM using neoantigen targeted vaccines. AREAS COVERED In this review, we discuss the clinical application of personalized neoantigen targeted vaccine strategy in GBM immunotherapy. While discussing this strategy, we brief about the current challenges faced in GBM treatment by the novel immunotherapeutics. EXPERT OPINION To date, very few vaccines developed for GBM have reached till phase III clinical development. Early-phase clinical trials of GBM neoantigen vaccines have shown promising clinical outcomes and therefore, its rapid clinical development is warranted. Advent of newer and faster techniques such as next-generation sequencing will drive the faster clinical development of multiplex neoantigen vaccines and hence, increase in the clinical trials is expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaishali Y Londhe
- Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy &, Technology Management, SVKM's NMIMS University , Mumbai, India
| | - Varada Date
- Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy &, Technology Management, SVKM's NMIMS University , Mumbai, India
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The Biology of Immune-Active Cancers and Their Regulatory Mechanisms. Cancer Treat Res 2020; 180:149-172. [PMID: 32215869 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-38862-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
The development of cancer results from the evolutionary balance between the proliferating aptitude of cancer cells and the response of the host's tissues. Some cancers are characterized by genetic instability dependent upon impaired DNA repair mechanisms that lead to the chaotic disruption of multiple cellular functions often in excess of the cancer survival needs and may exert broad effects on surrounding tissues, some beneficial and some detrimental to cancer growth. Among them, inflammatory processes that accompany wound healing may initiate a reaction of the host against the neo-formation. This is possibly triggered by the release by dying cancer cells of molecules known as Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) following a process termed Immunogenic Cell Death (ICD) that initiates an immune response through innate and adaptive mechanisms. Indeed, analysis of large cancer data sets has shown that ICD is strictly associated with the activation of other immune effector or immune-regulatory pathways. Here, we will describe how immune activation and compensatory immune-regulatory mechanisms balance anti-cancer immune surveillance and the roles that innate and adaptive immunity play including the weight that neo-epitopes may exert as initiators and sculptors of high-affinity memory and effector immune responses against cancer. We will discuss the evolutionary basis for the existence of immune checkpoints and how several theories raised to explain cancer resistance to immunotherapy represent a facet of a similar evolutionary phenomenon that we described in the Theory of Everything. We will show how the biology of immunogenicity and counterbalancing immune regulation is widespread across cancers independent of their ontogenesis while subtle idiosyncratic differences are discernible among them. Finally, we will suggest that overcoming immune resistance implies distinct approaches relevant to the immune context of individual cancers.
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Heterogeneity of response to immune checkpoint blockade in hypermutated experimental gliomas. Nat Commun 2020; 11:931. [PMID: 32071302 PMCID: PMC7028933 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14642-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsic malignant brain tumors, such as glioblastomas are frequently resistant to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) with few hypermutated glioblastomas showing response. Modeling patient-individual resistance is challenging due to the lack of predictive biomarkers and limited accessibility of tissue for serial biopsies. Here, we investigate resistance mechanisms to anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapy in syngeneic hypermutated experimental gliomas and show a clear dichotomy and acquired immune heterogeneity in ICB-responder and non-responder tumors. We made use of this dichotomy to establish a radiomic signature predicting tumor regression after pseudoprogression induced by ICB therapy based on serial magnetic resonance imaging. We provide evidence that macrophage-driven ICB resistance is established by CD4 T cell suppression and Treg expansion in the tumor microenvironment via the PD-L1/PD-1/CD80 axis. These findings uncover an unexpected heterogeneity of response to ICB in strictly syngeneic tumors and provide a rationale for targeting PD-L1-expressing tumor-associated macrophages to overcome resistance to ICB. Modeling patient-individual resistance to immunotherapy is challenging. Here, the authors use a syngeneic experimental hypermutated orthotopic glioma model to define radiological and biological features that can predict or explain the mechanistic differences between responders and non-responders to immunotherapy.
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