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Okpoluaefe S, Ismail IS, Mohamed R, Hassan N. Adaptive natural killer cell expression in response to cytomegalovirus infection in blood and solid cancer. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32622. [PMID: 38961938 PMCID: PMC11219991 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells are conventionally thought to be an indefinite part of innate immunity. However, in a specific subset of NK cells, recent data signify an extension of their "duties" in immune surveillance and response, having characteristics of adaptive immunity, in terms of persistence and cytotoxicity. These cells are known as the adaptive or memory-like NK cells, where human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection has been shown to drive the expansion of adaptive NKG2C+ NK cells. HCMV is a ubiquitous pathogen whose prevalence differs worldwide with respect to the socioeconomic status of countries. The adaptive NK cell subpopulation is often characterized by the upregulated expression of NKG2C, CD16, and CD2, and restricted expression of NKG2A, FCεRγ and killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR), although these phenotypes may differ in different disease groups. The reconfiguration of these receptor distributions has been linked to epigenetic factors. Hence, this review attempts to appraise literature reporting markers associated with adaptive or memory-like NK cells post-HCMV infection, in relation to solid cancers and hematological malignancies. Adaptive NK cells, isolated and subjected to ex vivo modifications, have the potential to enhance anti-tumor response which can be a promising strategy for adoptive immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suruthimitra Okpoluaefe
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
- Emerging Infectious Disease Group, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 3200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Ida Shazrina Ismail
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
- Breast Cancer Translational Research Program, BCTRP@IPPT, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Rafeezul Mohamed
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
- Breast Cancer Translational Research Program, BCTRP@IPPT, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Norfarazieda Hassan
- Department of Biomedical Science, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
- Breast Cancer Translational Research Program, BCTRP@IPPT, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
- Emerging Infectious Disease Group, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 3200 Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
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2
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Maia A, Tarannum M, Lérias JR, Piccinelli S, Borrego LM, Maeurer M, Romee R, Castillo-Martin M. Building a Better Defense: Expanding and Improving Natural Killer Cells for Adoptive Cell Therapy. Cells 2024; 13:451. [PMID: 38474415 DOI: 10.3390/cells13050451] [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: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have gained attention as a promising adoptive cell therapy platform for their potential to improve cancer treatments. NK cells offer distinct advantages over T-cells, including major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I)-independent tumor recognition and low risk of toxicity, even in an allogeneic setting. Despite this tremendous potential, challenges persist, such as limited in vivo persistence, reduced tumor infiltration, and low absolute NK cell numbers. This review outlines several strategies aiming to overcome these challenges. The developed strategies include optimizing NK cell expansion methods and improving NK cell antitumor responses by cytokine stimulation and genetic manipulations. Using K562 cells expressing membrane IL-15 or IL-21 with or without additional activating ligands like 4-1BBL allows "massive" NK cell expansion and makes multiple cell dosing and "off-the-shelf" efforts feasible. Further improvements in NK cell function can be reached by inducing memory-like NK cells, developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cells, or isolating NK-cell-based tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Memory-like NK cells demonstrate higher in vivo persistence and cytotoxicity, with early clinical trials demonstrating safety and promising efficacy. Recent trials using CAR-NK cells have also demonstrated a lack of any major toxicity, including cytokine release syndrome, and, yet, promising clinical activity. Recent data support that the presence of TIL-NK cells is associated with improved overall patient survival in different types of solid tumors such as head and neck, colorectal, breast, and gastric carcinomas, among the most significant. In conclusion, this review presents insights into the diverse strategies available for NK cell expansion, including the roles played by various cytokines, feeder cells, and culture material in influencing the activation phenotype, telomere length, and cytotoxic potential of expanded NK cells. Notably, genetically modified K562 cells have demonstrated significant efficacy in promoting NK cell expansion. Furthermore, culturing NK cells with IL-2 and IL-15 has been shown to improve expansion rates, while the presence of IL-12 and IL-21 has been linked to enhanced cytotoxic function. Overall, this review provides an overview of NK cell expansion methodologies, highlighting the current landscape of clinical trials and the key advancements to enhance NK-cell-based adoptive cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Maia
- Molecular and Experimental Pathology Laboratory, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
- NK Cell Gene Manipulation and Therapy Laboratory, Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- NOVA Medical School, NOVA University of Lisbon, 1099-085 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mubin Tarannum
- NK Cell Gene Manipulation and Therapy Laboratory, Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joana R Lérias
- ImmunoTherapy/ImmunoSurgery, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sara Piccinelli
- NK Cell Gene Manipulation and Therapy Laboratory, Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Luis Miguel Borrego
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM), NOVA University of Lisbon, 1099-085 Lisbon, Portugal
- Immunoallergy Department, Hospital da Luz, 1600-209 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Markus Maeurer
- ImmunoTherapy/ImmunoSurgery, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
- I Medical Clinic, University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Rizwan Romee
- NK Cell Gene Manipulation and Therapy Laboratory, Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mireia Castillo-Martin
- Molecular and Experimental Pathology Laboratory, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
- Pathology Service, Champalimaud Clinical Center, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
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3
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Momayyezi P, Bilev E, Ljunggren HG, Hammer Q. Viral escape from NK-cell-mediated immunosurveillance: A lesson for cancer immunotherapy? Eur J Immunol 2023; 53:e2350465. [PMID: 37526136 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202350465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that participate in immune responses against virus-infected cells and tumors. As a countermeasure, viruses and tumors employ strategies to evade NK-cell-mediated immunosurveillance. In this review, we examine immune evasion strategies employed by viruses, focusing on examples from human CMV and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We explore selected viral evasion mechanisms categorized into three classes: (1) providing ligands for the inhibitory receptor NKG2A, (2) downregulating ligands for the activating receptor NKG2D, and (3) inducing the immunosuppressive cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. For each class, we draw parallels between immune evasion by viruses and tumors, reviewing potential opportunities for overcoming evasion in cancer therapy. We suggest that in-depth investigations of host-pathogen interactions between viruses and NK cells will not only deepen our understanding of viral immune evasion but also shed light on how NK cells counter such evasion attempts. Thus, due to the parallels of immune evasion by viruses and tumors, we propose that insights gained from antiviral NK-cell responses may serve as valuable lessons that can be leveraged for designing future cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pouria Momayyezi
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eleni Bilev
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Quirin Hammer
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
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Zhang Y, Zhou W, Yang J, Yang J, Wang W. Chimeric antigen receptor engineered natural killer cells for cancer therapy. Exp Hematol Oncol 2023; 12:70. [PMID: 37563648 PMCID: PMC10413722 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-023-00431-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells, a unique component of the innate immune system, are inherent killers of stressed and transformed cells. Based on their potent capacity to kill cancer cells and good tolerance of healthy cells, NK cells have been successfully employed in adoptive cell therapy to treat cancer patients. In recent years, the clinical success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells has proven the vast potential of gene-manipulated immune cells as the main force to fight cancer. Following the lessons learned from mature gene-transfer technologies and advanced strategies in CAR-T therapy, NK cells have been rapidly explored as a promising candidate for CAR-based therapy. An exponentially growing number of studies have employed multiple sources of CAR-NK cells to target a wide range of cancer-related antigens, showing remarkable outcomes and encouraging safety profiles. Clinical trials of CAR-NK cells have also shown their impressive therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of hematological tumors, but CAR-NK cell therapy for solid tumors is still in the initial stages. In this review, we present the favorable profile of NK cells as a potential platform for CAR-based engineering and then summarize the outcomes and strategies of CAR-NK therapies in up-to-date preclinical and clinical investigations. Finally, we evaluate the challenges remaining in CAR-NK therapy and describe existing strategies that can assist us in devising future prospective solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalan Zhang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Weilin Zhou
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangping Yang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
- Department of Head and Neck Oncology and Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinrong Yang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
- Hematology Research Laboratory, Department of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
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5
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Lizana-Vasquez GD, Torres-Lugo M, Dixon R, Powderly JD, Warin RF. The application of autologous cancer immunotherapies in the age of memory-NK cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1167666. [PMID: 37205105 PMCID: PMC10185894 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1167666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular immunotherapy has revolutionized the oncology field, yielding improved results against hematological and solid malignancies. NK cells have become an attractive alternative due to their capacity to activate upon recognition of "stress" or "danger" signals independently of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) engagement, thus making tumor cells a perfect target for NK cell-mediated cancer immunotherapy even as an allogeneic solution. While this allogeneic use is currently favored, the existence of a characterized memory function for NK cells ("memory-like" NK cells) advocates for an autologous approach, that would benefit from the allogeneic setting discoveries, but with added persistence and specificity. Still, both approaches struggle to exert a sustained and high anticancer effect in-vivo due to the immunosuppressive tumor micro-environment and the logistical challenges of cGMP production or clinical deployment. Novel approaches focused on the quality enhancement and the consistent large-scale production of highly activated therapeutic memory-like NK cells have yielded encouraging but still unconclusive results. This review provides an overview of NK biology as it relates to cancer immunotherapy and the challenge presented by solid tumors for therapeutic NKs. After contrasting the autologous and allogeneic NK approaches for solid cancer immunotherapy, this work will present the current scientific focus for the production of highly persistent and cytotoxic memory-like NK cells as well as the current issues with production methods as they apply to stress-sensitive immune cells. In conclusion, autologous NK cells for cancer immunotherapy appears to be a prime alternative for front line therapeutics but to be successful, it will be critical to establish comprehensives infrastructures allowing the production of extremely potent NK cells while constraining costs of production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaby D. Lizana-Vasquez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
- Cancer Research Clinic, Carolina BioOncology Institute (CBOI), Huntersville, NC, United States
| | - Madeline Torres-Lugo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
| | - R. Brent Dixon
- Cancer Research Clinic, Carolina BioOncology Institute (CBOI), Huntersville, NC, United States
- Human Applications Lab (HAL) - BioCytics, Huntersville, NC, United States
| | - John D. Powderly
- Cancer Research Clinic, Carolina BioOncology Institute (CBOI), Huntersville, NC, United States
- Human Applications Lab (HAL) - BioCytics, Huntersville, NC, United States
| | - Renaud F. Warin
- Cancer Research Clinic, Carolina BioOncology Institute (CBOI), Huntersville, NC, United States
- Human Applications Lab (HAL) - BioCytics, Huntersville, NC, United States
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6
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Huuhtanen J, Kasanen H, Peltola K, Lönnberg T, Glumoff V, Brück O, Dufva O, Peltonen K, Vikkula J, Jokinen E, Ilander M, Lee MH, Mäkelä S, Nyakas M, Li B, Hernberg M, Bono P, Lähdesmäki H, Kreutzman A, Mustjoki S. Single-cell characterization of anti-LAG-3 and anti-PD-1 combination treatment in patients with melanoma. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:164809. [PMID: 36719749 PMCID: PMC10014104 DOI: 10.1172/jci164809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundRelatlimab plus nivolumab (anti-lymphocyte-activation gene 3 plus anti-programmed death 1 [anti-LAG-3+anti-PD-1]) has been approved by the FDA as a first-line therapy for stage III/IV melanoma, but its detailed effect on the immune system is unknown.MethodsWe evaluated blood samples from 40 immunotherapy-naive or prior immunotherapy-refractory patients with metastatic melanoma treated with anti-LAG-3+anti-PD-1 in a phase I trial using single-cell RNA and T cell receptor sequencing (scRNA+TCRαβ-Seq) combined with other multiomics profiling.ResultsThe highest LAG3 expression was noted in NK cells, Tregs, and CD8+ T cells, and these cell populations underwent the most significant changes during the treatment. Adaptive NK cells were enriched in responders and underwent profound transcriptomic changes during the therapy, resulting in an active phenotype. LAG3+ Tregs expanded, but based on the transcriptome profile, became metabolically silent during the treatment. Last, higher baseline TCR clonality was observed in responding patients, and their expanding CD8+ T cell clones gained a more cytotoxic and NK-like phenotype.ConclusionAnti-LAG-3+anti-PD-1 therapy has profound effects on NK cells and Tregs in addition to CD8+ T cells.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01968109)FundingCancer Foundation Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Relander Foundation, State funding for university-level health research in Finland, a Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences Fellow grant, Academy of Finland (grant numbers 314442, 311081, 335432, and 335436), and an investigator-initiated research grant from BMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jani Huuhtanen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Henna Kasanen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katriina Peltola
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tapio Lönnberg
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Virpi Glumoff
- Research Unit of Biomedicine, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Oscar Brück
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Karita Peltonen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Vikkula
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Emmi Jokinen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mette Ilander
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Moon Hee Lee
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Siru Mäkelä
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marta Nyakas
- Oslo University Hospital-Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bin Li
- Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) Research and Development, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Micaela Hernberg
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petri Bono
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Harri Lähdesmäki
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Anna Kreutzman
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
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7
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Rascle P, Woolley G, Jost S, Manickam C, Reeves RK. NK cell education: Physiological and pathological influences. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1087155. [PMID: 36742337 PMCID: PMC9896005 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1087155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells represent a critical defense against viral infections and cancers. NK cells require integration of activating and inhibitory NK cell receptors to detect target cells and the balance of these NK cell inputs defines the global NK cell response. The sensitivity of the response is largely defined by interactions between self-major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules and specific inhibitory NK cell receptors, so-called NK cell education. Thus, NK cell education is a crucial process to generate tuned effector NK cell responses in different diseases. In this review, we discuss the relationship between NK cell education and physiologic factors (type of self-MHC-I, self-MHC-I allelic variants, variant of the self-MHC-I-binding peptides, cytokine effects and inhibitory KIR expression) underlying NK cell education profiles (effector function or metabolism). Additionally, we describe the broad-spectrum of effector educated NK cell functions on different pathologies (such as HIV-1, CMV and tumors, among others).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Rascle
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Griffin Woolley
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Stephanie Jost
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Cordelia Manickam
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - R. Keith Reeves
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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8
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Zafarani A, Taghavi-Farahabadi M, Razizadeh MH, Amirzargar MR, Mansouri M, Mahmoudi M. The Role of NK Cells and Their Exosomes in Graft Versus Host Disease and Graft Versus Leukemia. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2023; 19:26-45. [PMID: 35994137 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-022-10449-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are one of the innate immune cells that play an important role in preventing and controlling tumors and viral diseases, but their role in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is not yet fully understood. However, according to some research, these cells can prevent infections and tumor relapse without causing graft versus host disease (GVHD). In addition to NK cells, several studies are about the anti-leukemia effects of NK cell-derived exosomes that can highlight their roles in graft-versus-leukemia (GVL). In this paper, we intend to investigate the results of various articles on the role of NK cells in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and also their exosomes in GVL. Also, we have discussed the antiviral effects of these cells in post-HCT cytomegalovirus infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Zafarani
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Taghavi-Farahabadi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Reza Amirzargar
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mansoure Mansouri
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mahmoudi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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9
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Allan DS, Wu C, Mortlock RD, Chakraborty M, Rezvani K, Davidson-Moncada JK, Dunbar CE, Childs RW. Expanded NK cells used for adoptive cell therapy maintain diverse clonality and contain long-lived memory-like NK cell populations. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2022; 28:74-87. [PMID: 36699615 PMCID: PMC9842935 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple clinical trials exploring the potential of adoptive natural killer (NK) cell therapy for cancer have employed ex vivo expansion using feeder cells to obtain large numbers of NK cells. We have previously utilized the rhesus macaque model to clonally track the NK cell progeny of barcode-transduced CD34+ stem and progenitor cells after transplant. In this study, NK cells from barcoded rhesus macaques were used to study the changes in NK cell clonal patterns that occurred during ex vivo expansion using culture protocols similar to those employed in clinical preparation of human NK cells including irradiated lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) feeder cells or K562 cells expressing 4-1BBL and membrane-bound interleukin-21 (IL-21). NK expansion cultures resulted in the proliferation of clonally diverse NK cells, which, at day 14 harvest, contained greater than 50% of the starting barcode repertoire. Diversity as measured by Shannon index was maintained after culture. With both LCL and K562 feeders, proliferation of long-lived putative memory-like NK cell clones was observed, with these clones continuing to constitute a mean of 31% of the total repertoire of expanded cells. These experiments provide insight into the clonal makeup of expanded NK cell clinical products.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S.J. Allan
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Chuanfeng Wu
- Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ryland D. Mortlock
- Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Mala Chakraborty
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Katayoun Rezvani
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jan K. Davidson-Moncada
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Cynthia E. Dunbar
- Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Corresponding author: Cynthia E. Dunbar, Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Richard W. Childs
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Corresponding author: Richard W. Childs, Laboratory of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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10
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Haroun-Izquierdo A, Vincenti M, Netskar H, van Ooijen H, Zhang B, Bendzick L, Kanaya M, Momayyezi P, Li S, Wiiger MT, Hoel HJ, Krokeide SZ, Kremer V, Tjonnfjord G, Berggren S, Wikström K, Blomberg P, Alici E, Felices M, Önfelt B, Höglund P, Valamehr B, Ljunggren HG, Björklund A, Hammer Q, Kveberg L, Cichocki F, Miller JS, Malmberg KJ, Sohlberg E. Adaptive single-KIR +NKG2C + NK cells expanded from select superdonors show potent missing-self reactivity and efficiently control HLA-mismatched acute myeloid leukemia. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2022-005577. [PMID: 36319065 PMCID: PMC9628692 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural killer (NK) cells hold great promise as a source for allogeneic cell therapy against hematological malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Current treatments are hampered by variability in NK cell subset responses, a limitation which could be circumvented by specific expansion of highly potent single killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)+NKG2C+ adaptive NK cells to maximize missing-self reactivity. METHODS We developed a GMP-compliant protocol to expand adaptive NK cells from cryopreserved cells derived from select third-party superdonors, that is, donors harboring large adaptive NK cell subsets with desired KIR specificities at baseline. We studied the adaptive state of the cell product (ADAPT-NK) by flow cytometry and mass cytometry as well as cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-Seq). We investigated the functional responses of ADAPT-NK cells against a wide range of tumor target cell lines and primary AML samples using flow cytometry and IncuCyte as well as in a mouse model of AML. RESULTS ADAPT-NK cells were >90% pure with a homogeneous expression of a single self-HLA specific KIR and expanded a median of 470-fold. The ADAPT-NK cells largely retained their adaptive transcriptional signature with activation of effector programs without signs of exhaustion. ADAPT-NK cells showed high degranulation capacity and efficient killing of HLA-C/KIR mismatched tumor cell lines as well as primary leukemic blasts from AML patients. Finally, the expanded adaptive NK cells had preserved robust antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity potential and combination of ADAPT-NK cells with an anti-CD16/IL-15/anti-CD33 tri-specific engager led to near-complete killing of resistant CD45dim blast subtypes. CONCLUSIONS These preclinical data demonstrate the feasibility of off-the-shelf therapy with a non-engineered, yet highly specific, NK cell population with full missing-self recognition capability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Haroun-Izquierdo
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marianna Vincenti
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Herman Netskar
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hanna van Ooijen
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bin Zhang
- University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Laura Bendzick
- University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Minoru Kanaya
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pouria Momayyezi
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shuo Li
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Merete Thune Wiiger
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hanna Julie Hoel
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Silje Zandstra Krokeide
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Veronika Kremer
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Geir Tjonnfjord
- Department of Hematology, Oslo University Hospital and K.G. Jebsen Centre for B-cell malignancies, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stéphanie Berggren
- Vecura, Karolinska Center for Cell Therapy Clinical Research Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristina Wikström
- Vecura, Karolinska Center for Cell Therapy Clinical Research Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pontus Blomberg
- Vecura, Karolinska Center for Cell Therapy Clinical Research Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Evren Alici
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Felices
- University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Björn Önfelt
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Petter Höglund
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Björklund
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Quirin Hammer
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lise Kveberg
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Frank Cichocki
- University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Miller
- University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ebba Sohlberg
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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11
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Phan MTT, Kim J, Koh SK, Lim Y, Yu H, Lee M, Lee JM, Kang ES, Kim HY, Kim SK, Hwang I, Cho D. Selective Expansion of NKG2C+ Adaptive NK Cells Using K562 Cells Expressing HLA-E. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169426. [PMID: 36012691 PMCID: PMC9409060 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive natural killer (NK) cells expressing self-specific inhibitory killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) can be expanded in vivo in response to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. Developing a method to preferentially expand this subset is essential for effective targeting of allogeneic cancer cells. A previous study developed an in vitro method to generate single KIR+ NK cells for enhanced targeting of the primary acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells; however, the expansion rate was quite low. Here, we present an effective expansion method using genetically modified K562-HLA-E feeder cells for long-term proliferation of adaptive NK cells displaying highly differentiated phenotype and comparable cytotoxicity, CD107a, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production. More importantly, our expansion method achieved more than a 10,000-fold expansion of adaptive NK cells after 6 weeks of culture, providing a high yield of alloreactive NK cells for cell therapy against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh-Trang Thi Phan
- Cell and Gene Therapy Institute (CGTI), Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Jinho Kim
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
| | - Seung Kwon Koh
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
| | - Yuree Lim
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - Hongbi Yu
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
| | - Mijeong Lee
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
| | - Jong-Min Lee
- Bio Research Center, Lugensci Co., Ltd., Bucheon 14556, Korea
| | - Eun-Suk Kang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Hyun-Young Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Sang-Ki Kim
- Department of Companion and Laboratory Animal Science, Kongju National University, Yesan 32439, Korea
| | - Ilwoong Hwang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Gumi Hospital, Gumi 39371, Korea
- Correspondence: (I.H.); (D.C.)
| | - Duck Cho
- Cell and Gene Therapy Institute (CGTI), Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
- Correspondence: (I.H.); (D.C.)
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12
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Mazzarella L, Enblad G, Olweus J, Malmberg KJ, Jerkeman M. Advances in immune therapies in hematological malignancies. J Intern Med 2022; 292:205-220. [PMID: 34624160 DOI: 10.1111/joim.13395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy in cancer takes advantage of the exquisite specificity, potency, and flexibility of the immune system to eliminate alien tumor cells. It involves strategies to activate the entire immune defense, by unlocking mechanisms developed by tumor cells to escape from surrounding immune cells, as well as engineered antibody and cellular therapies. What is important to note is that these are therapeutics with curative potential. The earliest example of immune therapy is allogeneic stem cell transplantation, introduced in 1957, which is still an important modality in hematology, most notably in myeloid malignancies. In this review, we discuss developmental trends of immunotherapy in hematological malignancies, focusing on some of the strategies that we believe will have the most impact on future clinical practice in this field. In particular, we delineate novel developments for therapies that have already been introduced into the clinic, such as immune checkpoint inhibition and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of emerging strategies based on T-cell receptors and adoptive transfer of allogeneic natural killer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Mazzarella
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, Italy
| | - Gunilla Enblad
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Experimental and Clinical Oncology, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Johanna Olweus
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats Jerkeman
- Department of Oncology, Skane University Hospital, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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13
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Differential Regulation of NK Cell Receptors in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. J Immunol Res 2022; 2022:7972039. [PMID: 35652109 PMCID: PMC9150999 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7972039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapies are preferred over conventional treatments which are highly cytotoxic to normal cells. Focus has been on T cells but natural killer (NK) cells have equal potential. Concepts in cancer control and influence of sex require further investigation to improve successful mobilization of immune cells in cancer patients. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a hematological malignancy mainly of B cell (B-ALL) and T cell (T-ALL) subtypes. Influence of ALL on NK cell is still unclear. Targeted next-generation sequencing was conducted on 62 activating/inhibitory receptors, ligands, effector, and exhaustion molecules on T-ALL (6 males) and normal controls (NC) (4 males and 4 females). Quantitative PCR (q-PCR) further investigated copy number variation (CNV), methylation index (MI), and mRNA expression of significant genes in T-ALL (14 males), NC (12 males and 12 females), and B-ALL samples (N = 12 males and 12 females). Bioinformatics revealed unique variants particularly rs2253849 (T>C) in KLRC1 and rs1141715 (A>G) in KLRC2 only among T-ALL (allele frequency 0.8-1.0). Gene amplification was highest in female B-ALL compared to male B-ALL (KLRC2, KLRC4, and NCR3, p < 0.05) and lowest in male T-ALL cumulating in deletion of KLRD1 and CD69. MI was higher in male ALL of both subtypes compared to normal (KIR2DL1-2 and 4 and KIR2DS2 and 4, p < 0.05) as well as to female B-ALL (KIR3DL2 and KIR2DS2, p < 0.05). mRNA expressions were low. Thus, ALL subtypes potentially regulated NK cell suppression by different mechanisms which should be considered in future immunotherapies for ALL.
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14
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Gao F, Zhou Z, Lin Y, Shu G, Yin G, Zhang T. Biology and Clinical Relevance of HCMV-Associated Adaptive NK Cells. Front Immunol 2022; 13:830396. [PMID: 35464486 PMCID: PMC9022632 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.830396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are an important component of the innate immune system due to their strong ability to kill virally infected or transformed cells without prior exposure to the antigen (Ag). However, the biology of human NK (hNK) cells has largely remained elusive. Recent advances have characterized several novel hNK subsets. Among them, adaptive NK cells demonstrate an intriguing specialized antibody (Ab)-dependent response and several adaptive immune features. Most adaptive NK cells express a higher level of NKG2C but lack an intracellular signaling adaptor, FcϵRIγ (hereafter abbreviated as FcRγ). The specific expression pattern of these genes, with other signature genes, is the result of a specific epigenetic modification. The expansion of adaptive NK cells in vivo has been documented in various viral infections, while the frequency of adaptive NK cells among peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlates with improved prognosis of monoclonal Ab treatment against leukemia. This review summarizes the discovery and signature phenotype of adaptive NK cells. We also discuss the reported association between adaptive NK cells and pathological conditions. Finally, we briefly highlight the application of adaptive NK cells in adoptive cell therapy against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Gao
- Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhengwei Zhou
- Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Guang Shu
- Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Gang Yin
- Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Tianxiang Zhang
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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15
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Changes in the Natural Killer cell repertoire and function induced by the cancer immune adjuvant candidate IMMUNEPOTENT-CRP. Cell Immunol 2022; 374:104511. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2022.104511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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16
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Nahi H, Chrobok M, Meinke S, Gran C, Marquardt N, Afram G, Sutlu T, Gilljam M, Stellan B, Wagner AK, Blomberg P, Holmqvist PH, Walther-Jallow L, Mellström K, Liwing J, Gustafsson C, Månsson R, Klimkowska M, Gahrton G, Lund J, Ljungman P, Ljunggren HG, Alici E. Autologous NK cells as consolidation therapy following stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100508. [PMID: 35243416 PMCID: PMC8861830 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Few approaches have been made toward exploring autologous NK cells in settings of cancer immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of infusing multiple doses of ex vivo activated and expanded autologous NK cells in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) post-autologous stem cell transplantation. Infused NK cells were detected in circulation up to 4 weeks after the last infusion. Elevations in plasma granzyme B levels were observed following each consecutive NK cell infusion. Moreover, increased granzyme B levels were detected in bone marrow 4 weeks after the last infusion. All measurable patients had objective, detectable responses after NK cell infusions in terms of reduction in M-component and/or minimal residual disease. The present study demonstrates that autologous NK cell-based immunotherapy is feasible in a setting of MM consolidation therapy. It opens up the possibility for usage of autologous NK cells in clinical settings where patients are not readily eligible for allogeneic NK cell-based immunotherapies. Infusing activated and expanded autologous NK cells in patients with MM is possible Infused NK cells are detected in circulation for up to 4 weeks Elevated granzyme B levels are observed following each consecutive NK cell infusion Objective, detectable responses after NK cell infusions are seen in patients
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Affiliation(s)
- Hareth Nahi
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Michael Chrobok
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Stephan Meinke
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Gran
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska University Laboratory, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Nicole Marquardt
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Gabriel Afram
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Tolga Sutlu
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Mari Gilljam
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Birgitta Stellan
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Arnika K Wagner
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Pontus Blomberg
- Vecura, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden.,Vecura, Karolinska Cell Therapy Center, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per-Henrik Holmqvist
- Vecura, Karolinska Cell Therapy Center, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lilian Walther-Jallow
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Karin Mellström
- XNK Therapeutics AB, Hälsovägen 7, Novum, SE-14157 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Johan Liwing
- XNK Therapeutics AB, Hälsovägen 7, Novum, SE-14157 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Gustafsson
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Robert Månsson
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Monika Klimkowska
- Pathology Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Pathology and Cytology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Gösta Gahrton
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Johan Lund
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Per Ljungman
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden.,Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Evren Alici
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
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17
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Del Gaizo M, Sergio I, Lazzari S, Cialfi S, Pelullo M, Screpanti I, Felli MP. MicroRNAs as Modulators of the Immune Response in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:829. [PMID: 35055013 PMCID: PMC8776227 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is an aggressive haematological tumour driven by the malignant transformation and expansion of B-cell (B-ALL) or T-cell (T-ALL) progenitors. The evolution of T-ALL pathogenesis encompasses different master developmental pathways, including the main role played by Notch in cell fate choices during tissue differentiation. Recently, a growing body of evidence has highlighted epigenetic changes, particularly the altered expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), as a critical molecular mechanism to sustain T-ALL. The immune response is emerging as key factor in the complex multistep process of cancer but the role of miRNAs in anti-leukaemia response remains elusive. In this review we analyse the available literature on miRNAs as tuners of the immune response in T-ALL, focusing on their role in Natural Killer, T, T-regulatory and Myeloid-derived suppressor cells. A better understanding of this molecular crosstalk may provide the basis for the development of potential immunotherapeutic strategies in the leukemia field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Del Gaizo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Roma, Italy; (M.D.G.); (S.L.); (S.C.)
| | - Ilaria Sergio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Roma, Italy;
| | - Sara Lazzari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Roma, Italy; (M.D.G.); (S.L.); (S.C.)
| | - Samantha Cialfi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Roma, Italy; (M.D.G.); (S.L.); (S.C.)
| | - Maria Pelullo
- Center for Life Nano Science@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Isabella Screpanti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Roma, Italy; (M.D.G.); (S.L.); (S.C.)
| | - Maria Pia Felli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Roma, Italy;
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18
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Michel T, Ollert M, Zimmer J. A Hot Topic: Cancer Immunotherapy and Natural Killer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020797. [PMID: 35054985 PMCID: PMC8776043 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite significant progress in recent years, the therapeutic approach of the multiple different forms of human cancer often remains a challenge. Besides the well-established cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, immunotherapeutic strategies gain more and more attention, and some of them have already been successfully introduced into the clinic. Among these, immunotherapy based on natural killer (NK) cells is considered as one of the most promising options. In the present review, we will expose the different possibilities NK cells offer in this context, compare data about the theoretical background and mechanism(s) of action, report some results of clinical trials and identify several very recent trends. The pharmaceutical industry is quite interested in NK cell immunotherapy, which will benefit the speed of progress in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Michel
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (T.M.); (M.O.)
| | - Markus Ollert
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (T.M.); (M.O.)
- Odense Research Center for Anaphylaxis (ORCA), Department of Dermatology and Allergy Center, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark
| | - Jacques Zimmer
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (T.M.); (M.O.)
- Correspondence:
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19
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Niknam MR, Attari F. The Potential Applications of Stem Cells for Cancer Treatment. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2022; 17:26-42. [DOI: 10.2174/1574888x16666210810100858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
:
Scientists encounter many obstacles in traditional cancer therapies, including the side effects
on the healthy cells, drug resistance, tumor relapse, the short half-life of employed drugs in
the blood circulation, and the improper delivery of drugs toward the tumor site. The unique traits of
stem cells (SCs) such as self-renewal, differentiation, tumor tropism, the release of bioactive
molecules, and immunosuppression have opened a new window for utilizing SCs as a novel tool in
cancer treatment. In this regard, engineered SCs can secrete anti-cancer proteins or express enzymes
used in suicide gene therapy which locally induce apoptosis in neoplastic cells via the bystander
effect. These cells also stand as proper candidates to serve as careers for drug-loaded nanoparticles
or to play suitable hosts for oncolytic viruses. Moreover, they harbor great potential to be
employed in immunotherapy and combination therapy. However, tactful strategies should be devised
to allow easier transplantation and protection of SCs from in vivo immune responses. In spite
of the great hope concerning SCs application in cancer therapy, there are shortcomings and challenges
to be addressed. This review tends to elaborate on recent advances on the various applications
of SCs in cancer therapy and existing challenges in this regard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malikeh Rad Niknam
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farnoosh Attari
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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20
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Barnes SA, Trew I, de Jong E, Foley B. Making a Killer: Selecting the Optimal Natural Killer Cells for Improved Immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2021; 12:765705. [PMID: 34777383 PMCID: PMC8578927 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.765705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past 20 years natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapies have emerged as a safe and effective treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory leukemia. Unlike T cell-based therapies, NK cells harbor an innate capacity to eliminate malignant cells without prior sensitization and can be adoptively transferred between individuals without the need for extensive HLA matching. A wide variety of therapeutic NK cell sources are currently being investigated clinically, including allogeneic donor-derived NK cells, stem cell-derived NK cells and NK cell lines. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that not all NK cells are endowed with the same antitumor potential. Despite advances in techniques to enhance NK cell cytotoxicity and persistence, the initial identification and utilization of highly functional NK cells remains essential to ensure the future success of adoptive NK cell therapies. Indeed, little consideration has been given to the identification and selection of donors who harbor NK cells with potent antitumor activity. In this regard, there is currently no standard donor selection criteria for adoptive NK cell therapy. Here, we review our current understanding of the factors which govern NK cell functional fate, and propose a paradigm shift away from traditional phenotypic characterization of NK cell subsets towards a functional profile based on molecular and metabolic characteristics. We also discuss previous selection models for NK cell-based immunotherapies and highlight important considerations for the selection of optimal NK cell donors for future adoptive cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha A Barnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Isabella Trew
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Emma de Jong
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Bree Foley
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
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21
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Li F, Sheng Y, Hou W, Sampath P, Byrd D, Thorne S, Zhang Y. CCL5-armed oncolytic virus augments CCR5-engineered NK cell infiltration and antitumor efficiency. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2019-000131. [PMID: 32098828 PMCID: PMC7057442 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2019-000131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural killer (NK) cells have potent antitumor activities. Nevertheless, adoptive transfer therapy of NK cells has gained very limited success in patients with solid tumors as most infused NK cells remain circulating in the peripheral blood instead of entering tumor sites. Chemokines and their receptors play important roles in NK cell distribution. Enhancing chemokine receptors on immune cells to match and be driven to tumor-specific chemokines may improve the therapeutic efficacy of NK cells. METHODS The CCR5-CCL5 axis is critical in NK cell homing to tumor sites. Thus, we analyzed CCR5 expression on NK cells from patients with cancer and healthy donors. We then upregulated CCR5 and CCL5 with lentiviruses and oncolytic viruses in NK and tumor cells, respectively. Animal experiments were also carried out to test the efficacy of the combination of oncolytic virus with NK cells. RESULTS In NK cells from patients with various solid tumors or healthy subjects, CCR5 was expressed at low levels before and after expansion in vitro. CCR5-engineered NK cells showed enhanced tumor infiltration and antitumor effects, but no complete regressions were noted in the in vivo tumor models. To further improve therapeutic efficacy, we constructed CCL5-expressing oncolytic vaccinia virus. In vitro data demonstrated that vaccinia virus can produce CCL5 in tumor cells while infectivity remained unaffected. Supernatants from tumor cells infected by CCL5-modified vaccinia virus enhanced the directional movement of CCR5-overexpressed NK cells but not green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing cells. More importantly, NK cells were resistant to the vaccinia virus and their functions were not affected after being in contact. In vivo assays demonstrated that CCL5-expressing vaccinia virus induced a greater accumulation of NK cells within tumor lesions compared with that of the prototype virus. CONCLUSION Enhancement of matched chemokines and chemokine receptors is a promising method of increasing NK cell homing and therapeutic effects. Oncolytic vaccinia viruses that express specific chemokines can synergistically augment the efficacies of NK cell-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Li
- Biotherapy Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China .,Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Yuqiao Sheng
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.,Medical Research Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Weizhou Hou
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Padma Sampath
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Daniel Byrd
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Stephen Thorne
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- Biotherapy Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China .,Cancer Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
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22
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Marofi F, Abdul-Rasheed OF, Rahman HS, Budi HS, Jalil AT, Yumashev AV, Hassanzadeh A, Yazdanifar M, Motavalli R, Chartrand MS, Ahmadi M, Cid-Arreguid A, Jarahian M. CAR-NK cell in cancer immunotherapy; A promising frontier. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:3427-3436. [PMID: 34050690 PMCID: PMC8409419 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have a unique facet of synthetic biology and offer a paradigm shift in personalized medicine as they can use and redirect the patient's immune cells to attack cancer cells. CAR‐natural killer (NK) cells combine the targeted specificity of antigens with the subsequent intracellular signaling ability of the receptors to increase their anti‐cancer functions. Importantly, CAR‐NK cells can be utilized as universal cell‐based therapy without requiring human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching or earlier contact with tumor‐associated antigens (TAAs). Indeed, CAR‐NK cells can be adapted to recognize various antigens, hold higher proliferation capacity, and in vivo persistence, show improved infiltration into the tumors, and the ability to overcome the resistant tumor microenvironment leading to sustained cytotoxicity against tumors. Accumulating evidence from recent in vivo studies rendering CAR‐NK cell anti‐cancer competencies renewed the attention in the context of cancer immunotherapy, as these redirected effector cells can be used in the development of the “off‐the‐shelf” anti‐cancer immunotherapeutic products. In the current review, we focus on the therapeutic efficacy of CAR‐NK cell therapies for treating various human malignancies, including hematological malignancies and solid tumors, and will discuss the recent findings in this regard, with a special focus on animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faroogh Marofi
- Immunology Research Center (IRC), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Omar F Abdul-Rasheed
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Heshu Sulaiman Rahman
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Suleimanyah, Suleimanyah, Iraq
| | - Hendrik Setia Budi
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | | | | | - Ali Hassanzadeh
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahboubeh Yazdanifar
- Department of Pediatrics, Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Roza Motavalli
- Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Majid Ahmadi
- Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Angel Cid-Arreguid
- Targeted Tumor Vaccines Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mostafa Jarahian
- German Cancer Research Center, Toxicology and Chemotherapy Unit (G401), Heidelberg, Germany
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23
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Quamine AE, Olsen MR, Cho MM, Capitini CM. Approaches to Enhance Natural Killer Cell-Based Immunotherapy for Pediatric Solid Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:2796. [PMID: 34199783 PMCID: PMC8200074 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Treatment of metastatic pediatric solid tumors remain a significant challenge, particularly in relapsed and refractory settings. Standard treatment has included surgical resection, radiation, chemotherapy, and, in the case of neuroblastoma, immunotherapy. Despite such intensive therapy, cancer recurrence is common, and most tumors become refractory to prior therapy, leaving patients with few conventional treatment options. Natural killer (NK) cells are non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted lymphocytes that boast several complex killing mechanisms but at an added advantage of not causing graft-versus-host disease, making use of allogeneic NK cells a potential therapeutic option. On top of their killing capacity, NK cells also produce several cytokines and growth factors that act as key regulators of the adaptive immune system, positioning themselves as ideal effector cells for stimulating heavily pretreated immune systems. Despite this promise, clinical efficacy of adoptive NK cell therapy to date has been inconsistent, prompting a detailed understanding of the biological pathways within NK cells that can be leveraged to develop "next generation" NK cell therapies. Here, we review advances in current approaches to optimizing the NK cell antitumor response including combination with other immunotherapies, cytokines, checkpoint inhibition, and engineering NK cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for the treatment of pediatric solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aicha E. Quamine
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (A.E.Q.); (M.R.O.); (M.M.C.)
| | - Mallery R. Olsen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (A.E.Q.); (M.R.O.); (M.M.C.)
| | - Monica M. Cho
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (A.E.Q.); (M.R.O.); (M.M.C.)
| | - Christian M. Capitini
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (A.E.Q.); (M.R.O.); (M.M.C.)
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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24
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Capuano C, Pighi C, Battella S, De Federicis D, Galandrini R, Palmieri G. Harnessing CD16-Mediated NK Cell Functions to Enhance Therapeutic Efficacy of Tumor-Targeting mAbs. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102500. [PMID: 34065399 PMCID: PMC8161310 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Natural Killer (NK) cells play a major role in cancer immunotherapy based on tumor-targeting mAbs. NK cell-mediated tumor cell killing and cytokine secretion are powerfully stimulated upon interaction with IgG-opsonized tumor cells, through the aggregation of FcγRIIIA/CD16 IgG receptor. Advances in basic and translational NK cell biology have led to the development of strategies that, by improving mAb-dependent antitumor responses, may overcome the current limitations of antibody therapy attributable to tolerance, immunosuppressive microenvironment, and genotypic factors. This review provides an overview of the immunotherapeutic strategies being pursued to improve the efficacy of mAb-induced NK antitumor activity. The exploitation of antibody combinations, antibody-based molecules, used alone or combined with adoptive NK cell therapy, will be uncovered. Within the landscape of NK cell heterogeneity, we stress the role of memory NK cells as promising effectors in the next generation of immunotherapy with the aim to obtain long-lasting tumor control. Abstract Natural killer (NK) cells hold a pivotal role in tumor-targeting monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based activity due to the expression of CD16, the low-affinity receptor for IgG. Indeed, beyond exerting cytotoxic function, activated NK cells also produce an array of cytokines and chemokines, through which they interface with and potentiate adaptive immune responses. Thus, CD16-activated NK cells can concur to mAb-dependent “vaccinal effect”, i.e., the development of antigen-specific responses, which may be highly relevant in maintaining long-term protection of treated patients. On this basis, the review will focus on strategies aimed at potentiating NK cell-mediated antitumor functions in tumor-targeting mAb-based regimens, represented by (a) mAb manipulation strategies, aimed at augmenting recruitment and efficacy of NK cells, such as Fc-engineering, and the design of bi- or trispecific NK cell engagers and (b) the possible exploitation of memory NK cells, whose distinctive characteristics (enhanced responsiveness to CD16 engagement, longevity, and intrinsic resistance to the immunosuppressive microenvironment) may maximize therapeutic mAb antitumor efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Capuano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (C.P.); (S.B.); (D.D.F.)
| | - Chiara Pighi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (C.P.); (S.B.); (D.D.F.)
| | - Simone Battella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (C.P.); (S.B.); (D.D.F.)
- ReiThera Srl, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Davide De Federicis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (C.P.); (S.B.); (D.D.F.)
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Ricciarda Galandrini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (C.P.); (S.B.); (D.D.F.)
- Correspondence: (R.G.); (G.P.)
| | - Gabriella Palmieri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (C.C.); (C.P.); (S.B.); (D.D.F.)
- Correspondence: (R.G.); (G.P.)
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25
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Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that provide critical host defense against pathogens and cancer. Originally heralded for their early and rapid effector activity, NK cells have been recognized over the last decade for their ability to undergo adaptive immune processes, including antigen-driven clonal expansion and generation of long-lived memory. This review presents an overview of how NK cells lithely partake in both innate and adaptive responses and how this versatility is manifest in human NK cell-mediated immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana M Mujal
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA;
| | - Rebecca B Delconte
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA;
| | - Joseph C Sun
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; .,Department of Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
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26
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Pastorczak A, Domka K, Fidyt K, Poprzeczko M, Firczuk M. Mechanisms of Immune Evasion in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1536. [PMID: 33810515 PMCID: PMC8037152 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13071536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) results from a clonal expansion of abnormal lymphoid progenitors of B cell (BCP-ALL) or T cell (T-ALL) origin that invade bone marrow, peripheral blood, and extramedullary sites. Leukemic cells, apart from their oncogene-driven ability to proliferate and avoid differentiation, also change the phenotype and function of innate and adaptive immune cells, leading to escape from the immune surveillance. In this review, we provide an overview of the genetic heterogeneity and treatment of BCP- and T-ALL. We outline the interactions of leukemic cells in the bone marrow microenvironment, mainly with mesenchymal stem cells and immune cells. We describe the mechanisms by which ALL cells escape from immune recognition and elimination by the immune system. We focus on the alterations in ALL cells, such as overexpression of ligands for various inhibitory receptors, including anti-phagocytic receptors on macrophages, NK cell inhibitory receptors, as well as T cell immune checkpoints. In addition, we describe how developing leukemia shapes the bone marrow microenvironment and alters the function of immune cells. Finally, we emphasize that an immunosuppressive microenvironment can reduce the efficacy of chemo- and immunotherapy and provide examples of preclinical studies showing strategies for improving ALL treatment by targeting these immunosuppressive interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Pastorczak
- Department of Pediatrics, Oncology and Hematology, Medical University of Lodz, 91-738 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Krzysztof Domka
- Department of Immunology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; (K.D.); (K.F.); (M.P.)
- Doctoral School, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Klaudyna Fidyt
- Department of Immunology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; (K.D.); (K.F.); (M.P.)
- Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Martyna Poprzeczko
- Department of Immunology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; (K.D.); (K.F.); (M.P.)
| | - Malgorzata Firczuk
- Department of Immunology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; (K.D.); (K.F.); (M.P.)
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27
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Generating natural killer cells for adoptive transfer: expanding horizons. Cytotherapy 2021; 23:559-566. [PMID: 33431318 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2020.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are unique innate lymphoid cells that have therapeutic potential in adoptive cell transfer-based cancer immunotherapy that has been established across a range of early-phase clinical trials. NK cells for use in adoptive transfer therapies are obtained from various sources, including primary NK cells from peripheral blood or apheresis products (autologous or allogeneic) and umbilical cord blood. NK cells have also been generated from CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors, induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells and malignant cell lines. Apheresis-derived NK cell products are often administered after brief cytokine-based ex vivo activation, ideally aiming for in vivo expansion and proliferation. NK cells from other sources or from smaller volumes of blood require a longer period of expansion prior to therapeutic use. Although ex vivo NK cell expansion introduces a concern for senescence and exhaustion, there is also an opportunity to achieve higher NK cell doses, modulate NK cell activation characteristics and apply genetic engineering approaches, ultimately generating potent effector cells from small volumes of readily available starting materials. Herein the authors review the field of clinical-grade NK cell expansion, explore the desirable features of an idealized NK cell expansion approach and focus on techniques used in recently published clinical trials.
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28
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Jaiswal SR, Chakraborty S, Lakhchaura R, Shashi P, Mehta A, Soni M, Chakrabarti S. Early and Sustained Expansion of Adaptive Natural Killer Cells Following Haploidentical Transplantation and CTLA4Ig-Primed Donor Lymphocyte Infusions Dissociate Graft-versus-Leukemia and Graft-versus-Host Effects. Transplant Cell Ther 2020; 27:144-151. [PMID: 33830023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive or memory natural killer (NK) cells with epigenetic imprints similar to memory T cells have been shown to develop in response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with upregulation of activating receptor NKG2C. These cells have been shown to possess strong anti-tumour efficacy both in-vitro as well as in-vivo. OBJECTIVES To determine if reconstitution of adaptive NK cells (CD56dimNKG2C+NKG2A-) in patients with advanced leukemia undergoing haploidentical HCT had any impact on disease progression (DP). STUDY DESIGN The study cohort comprised of 60 patients with advanced acute leukemia, aged 2-65 years, receiving myeloablative PTCy based haploidentical transplantation from CMV seropositive donors, followed by CTLA4Ig-primed donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI). They were evaluated for the kinetics of reconstitution of adaptive NK cells, both phenotypic and functional, at days +30,+60, +90 and at regular intervals, to 3 years of follow-up, in relation to DP. Reconstitution of adaptive NK cells was compared with a retrospective cohort of patients in the same protocol receiving DLI without CTLA4Ig. RESULTS Non-relapse mortality, acute and chronic GVHD were 5.1%, 10.3% and 14.5%. DP was 17.5% at a median follow-up of 28 months. Adaptive NK cells were significantly higher in patients without DP at days+30, +60 and +90 (p = 0.0001), irrespective of CMV reactivation and remained elevated until 36 months post-HCT. These cells maintained their functional competence as measured by robust interferon-gamma production with higher expressions of KIR, NKG2D and CD57, without any increase in PD1 expression. Grafts from donors with higher adaptive NK cells were associated with a lower risk of DP (p = 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, adaptive NK cell recovery at day +90 had the most favorable impact on DP (HR-0.7). Tregs reconstituted briskly along with the adaptive NK cells and were sustained as well, without compromising the GVL effect. Comparison with a retrospective cohort receiving the same protocol with DLI without CTLA4Ig, showed a superior reconstitution of adaptive NK cells in those receiving CTLA4Ig-DLI (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Our study suggests that myeloablative transplantation from CMV seropositive haploidentical donors augmented with CTLA4Ig-primed DLI might favor early and sustained expansion of functionally competent adaptive NK cells irrespective of CMV reactivation, with a favorable outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarita Rani Jaiswal
- Cellular Therapy and Immunology, Manashi Chakrabarti Foundation, Kolkata, India; BMT Research Lab, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Hematology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India.
| | - Sushmita Chakraborty
- Department of Transplant Immunology & Immunogenetics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Rohit Lakhchaura
- BMT Research Lab, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Hematology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India
| | - Pooja Shashi
- BMT Research Lab, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Hematology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India
| | - Anupama Mehta
- BMT Research Lab, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Hematology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India
| | - Mayank Soni
- BMT Research Lab, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Hematology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India
| | - Suparno Chakrabarti
- Cellular Therapy and Immunology, Manashi Chakrabarti Foundation, Kolkata, India; BMT Research Lab, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Hematology, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India
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29
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Tschan-Plessl A, Kalberer CP, Wieboldt R, Stern M, Siegler U, Wodnar-Filipowicz A, Gerull S, Halter J, Heim D, Tichelli A, Tsakiris DA, Malmberg KJ, Passweg JR, Bottos A. Cellular immunotherapy with multiple infusions of in vitro-expanded haploidentical natural killer cells after autologous transplantation for patients with plasma cell myeloma. Cytotherapy 2020; 23:329-338. [PMID: 33268029 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2020.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS To investigate the feasibility and safety of haploidentical natural killer (NK) cell infusions as consolidation immunotherapy after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in patients with plasma cell myeloma. METHODS Ten patients (median age, 59 years) received induction treatment followed by high-dose melphalan (200 mg/m2) at day -1, ASCT at day 0 and increasing NK cell doses (1.5 × 106, 1.5 × 107 and multiple doses of 1.0 × 108 cells/kg body weight) from day +1 to day +30 after ASCT. NK cells were harvested and purified from peripheral blood of haploidentical donors and expanded for 19 days with interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-15 under Good Manufacturing Practice conditions. RESULTS NK cell numbers increased 56.0-fold (37.4- to 75.5-fold). Patients received a median of 3.8 × 108 (0.9-5.7 × 108) NK cells/kg body weight in six (three to eight) infusions. Multiparametric mass cytometry analysis demonstrated an altered surface receptor repertoire of expanded NK cells with increased degranulation and cytokine production activities but diminished expression of perforin. Donor NK cells were detectable in the peripheral blood, peaking 1 h after each dose (up to 90% donor NK cells). The treatment was safe and well tolerated, without evidence of graft-versus-host disease. Comparison with a control patient population receiving ASCT without NK cell infusions showed no significant difference in relapse, progression-free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates reliable manufacturing of high numbers of activated NK cells for multiple-dose infusions and safe administration of these cellular products. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier no. NCT01040026).
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Tschan-Plessl
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Christian P Kalberer
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ronja Wieboldt
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Stern
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Uwe Siegler
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Sabine Gerull
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jörg Halter
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dominik Heim
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - André Tichelli
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dimitrios A Tsakiris
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jakob R Passweg
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alessia Bottos
- Clinical and Diagnostic Hematology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Barnes S, Schilizzi O, Audsley KM, Newnes HV, Foley B. Deciphering the Immunological Phenomenon of Adaptive Natural Killer (NK) Cells and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228864. [PMID: 33238550 PMCID: PMC7700325 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells play a significant and vital role in the first line of defense against infection through their ability to target cells without prior sensitization. They also contribute significantly to the activation and recruitment of both innate and adaptive immune cells through the production of a range of cytokines and chemokines. In the context of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, NK cells and CMV have co-evolved side by side to employ several mechanisms to evade one another. However, during this co-evolution the discovery of a subset of long-lived NK cells with enhanced effector potential, increased antibody-dependent responses and the potential to mediate immune memory has revolutionized the field of NK cell biology. The ability of a virus to imprint on the NK cell receptor repertoire resulting in the expansion of diverse, highly functional NK cells to this day remains a significant immunological phenomenon that only occurs in the context of CMV. Here we review our current understanding of the development of these NK cells, commonly referred to as adaptive NK cells and their current role in transplantation, infection, vaccination and cancer immunotherapy to decipher the complex role of CMV in dictating NK cell functional fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Barnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Ophelia Schilizzi
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Katherine M. Audsley
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Hannah V. Newnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Bree Foley
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- Correspondence:
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31
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Ljunggren HG. Paths taken towards NK cell-mediated immunotherapy of human cancer-a personal reflection. Scand J Immunol 2020; 93:e12993. [PMID: 33151595 PMCID: PMC7816273 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The discovery that NK cells are able to specifically recognize cells lacking the expression of self‐MHC class I molecules provided the first insight into NK cell recognition of tumour cells. It started a flourishing field of NK cell research aimed at exploring the molecular nature of NK cell receptors involved in tumour cell recognition. While much of the important early work was conducted in murine experimental model systems, studies of human NK cells rapidly followed. Over the years, human NK cell research has swiftly progressed, aided by new detailed molecular information on human NK cell development, differentiation, molecular specificity, tissue heterogeneity and functional capacity. NK cells have also been studied in many different diseases aside from cancer, including viral diseases, autoimmunity, allergy and primary immunodeficiencies. These fields of research have all, indirectly or directly, provided further insights into NK cell‐mediated recognition of target cells and paved the way for the development of NK cell‐based immunotherapies for human cancer. Excitingly, NK cell‐based immunotherapy now opens up for novel strategies aimed towards treating malignant diseases, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Reviewed here are some personal reflections of select contributions leading up to the current state‐of‐the‐art in the field, with a particular emphasis on contributions from our own laboratory. This review is part of a series of articles on immunology in Scandinavia, published in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Scandinavian Society for Immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Department of Medicine, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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32
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Jacobs B, Schlögl S, Strobl CD, Völkl S, Stoll A, Mougiakakos D, Malmberg KJ, Mackensen A, Aigner M. The Oncometabolite 5'-Deoxy-5'-Methylthioadenosine Blocks Multiple Signaling Pathways of NK Cell Activation. Front Immunol 2020; 11:2128. [PMID: 33123121 PMCID: PMC7573074 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor cells develop various mechanisms to escape immune surveillance. In this context, oncometabolites secreted by tumor cells due to deregulated metabolic pathways, have been in the spotlight of researchers during the last years. 5'-Deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine (MTA) phosphorylase (MTAP) deficiency in tumors results in the accumulation of MTA within the tumor microenvironment and thereby negatively influencing immune functions of various immune cells, including T and NK cells. The influence of MTA on T cell activation has been recently described in more detail, while its impact on NK cells is still largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to illuminate the molecular mechanism of MTA-induced NK cell dysfunction. NK cell cytotoxicity against target cells was reduced in the presence of MTA in a dose-dependent manner, while NK cell viability remained unaffected. Furthermore, we revealed that MTA blocks NK cell degranulation and cytokine production upon target cell engagement as well as upon antibody stimulation. Interestingly, the immune-suppressive effect of MTA was less pronounced in healthy donors harboring an expansion of NKG2C+ NK cells. Finally, we demonstrated that MTA interferes with various signaling pathways downstream of the CD16 receptor upon NK cell activation, including the PI3K/AKT/S6, MAPK/ERK, and NF-κB pathways. In summary, we revealed that MTA blocks NK cell functions like cytotoxicity and cytokine production by interfering with the signaling cascade of activating NK cell receptors. Specific targeting of MTA metabolism in MTAP-deficient tumors therefore could offer a promising new strategy to reverse immune dysfunction of NK cells within the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Jacobs
- Department of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology and Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schlögl
- Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, General Hospital Fürth, Fürth, Germany
| | - Carolin Dorothea Strobl
- Department of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology and Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Simon Völkl
- Department of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology and Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andrej Stoll
- Department of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology and Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Mougiakakos
- Department of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology and Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,K.G. Jebsen Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andreas Mackensen
- Department of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology and Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Aigner
- Department of Internal Medicine 5, Hematology and Oncology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
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Sivori S, Pende D, Quatrini L, Pietra G, Della Chiesa M, Vacca P, Tumino N, Moretta F, Mingari MC, Locatelli F, Moretta L. NK cells and ILCs in tumor immunotherapy. Mol Aspects Med 2020; 80:100870. [PMID: 32800530 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2020.100870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cells of the innate immunity play an important role in tumor immunotherapy. Thus, NK cells can control tumor growth and metastatic spread. Thanks to their strong cytolytic activity against tumors, different approaches have been developed for exploiting/harnessing their function in patients with leukemia or solid tumors. Pioneering trials were based on the adoptive transfer of autologous NK cell-enriched cell populations that were expanded in vitro and co-infused with IL-2. Although relevant results were obtained in patients with advanced melanoma, the effect was mostly limited to certain metastatic localizations, particularly to the lung. In addition, the severe IL-2-related toxicity and the preferential IL-2-induced expansion of Treg limited this type of approach. This limitation may be overcome by the use of IL-15, particularly of modified IL-15 molecules to improve its half-life and optimize the biological effects. Other approaches to harness NK cell function include stimulation via TLR, the use of bi- and tri-specific NK cell engagers (BiKE and TriKE) linking activating NK receptors (e.g. CD16) to tumor-associated antigens and even incorporating an IL-15 moiety (TriKE). As recently shown, in tumor patients, NK cells may also express inhibitory checkpoints, primarily PD-1. Accordingly, the therapeutic use of checkpoint inhibitors may unleash NK cells against PD-L1+ tumors. This effect may be predominant and crucial in tumors that have lost HLA cl-I expression, thus resulting "invisible" to T lymphocytes. Additional approaches in which NK cells may represent an important tool for cancer therapy, are to exploit the unique properties of the "adaptive" NK cells. These CD57+ NKG2C+ cells, despite their mature stage and a potent cytolytic activity, maintain a strong proliferating capacity. This property revealed to be crucial in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), particularly in the haplo-HSCT setting, to cure high-risk leukemias. T depleted haplo-HSCT (e.g. from one of the parents) allowed to save the life of thousands of patients lacking a HLA-compatible donor. In this setting, NK cells have been shown to play an essential role against leukemia cells and infections. Another major advance is represented by chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered NK cells. CAR-NK, different from CAR-T cells, may be obtained from allogeneic donors since they do not cause GvHD. Accordingly, they may represent "off-the-shelf" products to promptly treat tumor patients, with affordable costs. Different from NK cells, helper ILC (ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3), the innate counterpart of T helper cell subsets, remain rather ambiguous with respect to their anti-tumor activity. A possible exception is represented by a subset of ILC3: their frequency in peri-tumoral tissues in patients with NSCLC directly correlates with a better prognosis, possibly reflecting their ability to contribute to the organization of tertiary lymphoid structures, an important site of T cell-mediated anti-tumor responses. It is conceivable that innate immunity may significantly contribute to the major advances that immunotherapy has ensured and will continue to ensure to the cure of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Sivori
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Italy
| | - Daniela Pende
- UO Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Linda Quatrini
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella Pietra
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; UO Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Mariella Della Chiesa
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Vacca
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Tumino
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Moretta
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Mingari
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; UO Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy; Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
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34
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Alrubayyi A, Ogbe A, Moreno Cubero E, Peppa D. Harnessing Natural Killer Cell Innate and Adaptive Traits in HIV Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:395. [PMID: 32850493 PMCID: PMC7417314 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite efficient virological suppression on antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV (PLWH), experience an increased burden of premature co-morbidities, such as cancer and end-organ disease. With remaining challenges in terms of access to therapy, adherence and potential long-term drug toxicity, improving their long-term healthcare outcome, including new strategies for HIV clearance, remains a global priority. There is, therefore, an ongoing need to better characterize and harness the immune response in order to develop new strategies and supplement current therapeutic approaches for a “functional” cure. Current efforts toward HIV eradication to enhance immune recognition and elimination of persistently infected cells have highlighted the need for an optimized “kill” approach. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in antiviral defense and by virtue of their innate and adaptive features hold great promise as a focus of “kill” efforts. Galvanized by advances in the cancer field, NK cell exploitation, represents a transformative approach to augment HIV therapeutic modalities, circumventing many of the limitations inherent to T cell approaches. In this review we will discuss recent advances in our understanding of the development of NK cell adaptive/memory responses in HIV infection and highlight new and exciting opportunities to exploit the beneficial attributes of NK cells for HIV immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aljawharah Alrubayyi
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ane Ogbe
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Elia Moreno Cubero
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitra Peppa
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Department of HIV, Mortimer Market Centre, CNWL NHS Trust, London, OH, United Kingdom
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35
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Foley B, Ta C, Barnes S, de Jong E, Nguyen M, Cheung LC, Buzzai A, Wagner T, Wylie B, Fernandez S, Cruickshank M, Endersby R, Kees U, Waithman J. Identifying the optimal donor for natural killer cell adoptive therapy to treat paediatric B- and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Clin Transl Immunology 2020; 9:e1151. [PMID: 32695339 PMCID: PMC7365579 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Natural killer (NK) cells are an attractive source of cells for an ‘off the shelf’ cellular therapy because of their innate capacity to target malignant cells, and ability to be transferred between donors and patients. However, since not all NK cells are equally effective at targeting cancer, selecting the right donor for cellular therapy is critical for the success of the treatment. Recently, cellular therapies utilising NK cells from cytomegalovirus (CMV)‐seropositive donors have been explored. However, whether these NK cells are the best source to treat paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) remains unclear. Methods Using a panel of patient‐derived paediatric B‐ and T‐ALL, we assessed the ability of NK cells from 49 healthy donors to mount an effective functional response against these two major subtypes of ALL. Results From this cohort, we have identified a pool of donors with superior activity against multiple ALL cells. While these donors were more likely to be CMV+, we identified multiple CMVneg donors within this group. Furthermore, NK cells from these donors recognised B‐ and T‐ALL through different activating receptors. Dividing functional NK cells into 29 unique subsets, we observed that within each individual the same NK cell subsets dominated across all ALL cells. Intriguingly, this occurred despite the ALL cells in our panel expressing different combinations of NK cell ligands. Finally, we can demonstrate that cellular therapy products derived from these superior donors significantly delayed leukaemia progression in preclinical models of ALL. Conclusions We have identified a pool of superior donors that are effective against a range of ALL cells, representing a potential pool of donors that can be used as an adoptive NK cell therapy to treat paediatric ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bree Foley
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Clara Ta
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Samantha Barnes
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Emma de Jong
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Michelle Nguyen
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Laurence C Cheung
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia.,School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences Curtin University Perth Australia
| | - Anthony Buzzai
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Teagan Wagner
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Ben Wylie
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Sonia Fernandez
- School of Biomedical Sciences University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Mark Cruickshank
- School of Biomedical Sciences University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Raelene Endersby
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Ursula Kees
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
| | - Jason Waithman
- Telethon Kids Institute University of Western Australia Nedlands Australia
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36
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Makanga DR, Da Rin de Lorenzo F, David G, Willem C, Dubreuil L, Legrand N, Guillaume T, Peterlin P, Lebourgeois A, Béné MC, Garnier A, Chevallier P, Gendzekhadze K, Cesbron A, Gagne K, Clemenceau B, Retière C. Genetic and Molecular Basis of Heterogeneous NK Cell Responses against Acute Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1927. [PMID: 32708751 PMCID: PMC7409189 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12071927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are key cytotoxic effectors against malignant cells. Polygenic and polymorphic Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR) and HLA genes participate in the structural and functional formation of the NK cell repertoire. In this study, we extensively investigated the anti-leukemic potential of NK cell subsets, taking into account these genetic parameters and cytomegalovirus (CMV) status. Hierarchical clustering analysis of NK cell subsets based on NKG2A, KIR, CD57 and NKG2C markers from 68 blood donors identified donor clusters characterized by a specific phenotypic NK cell repertoire linked to a particular immunogenetic KIR and HLA profile and CMV status. On the functional side, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was better recognized by NK cells than acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, a broad inter-individual disparity of NK cell responses exists against the same leukemic target, highlighting bad and good NK responders. The most effective NK cell subsets against different ALLs expressed NKG2A and represented the most frequent subset in the NK cell repertoire. In contrast, minority CD57+ or/and KIR+ NK cell subsets were more efficient against AML. Overall, our data may help to optimize the selection of hematopoietic stem cell donors on the basis of immunogenetic KIR/HLA for ALL patients and identify the best NK cell candidates in immunotherapy for AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhon Roméo Makanga
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Francesca Da Rin de Lorenzo
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Gaëlle David
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Catherine Willem
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Léa Dubreuil
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Nolwenn Legrand
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Thierry Guillaume
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- Hematology Clinic, CHU, 44000 Nantes, France; (P.P.); (A.L.); (A.G.)
| | - Pierre Peterlin
- Hematology Clinic, CHU, 44000 Nantes, France; (P.P.); (A.L.); (A.G.)
| | | | - Marie Christine Béné
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
- Hematology Biology, CHU, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - Alice Garnier
- Hematology Clinic, CHU, 44000 Nantes, France; (P.P.); (A.L.); (A.G.)
| | - Patrice Chevallier
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
- Hematology Clinic, CHU, 44000 Nantes, France; (P.P.); (A.L.); (A.G.)
| | - Ketevan Gendzekhadze
- HLA Laboratory, Department of Hematology and HCT, City of Hope, Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA;
| | - Anne Cesbron
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- LabEx Transplantex, Université de Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Katia Gagne
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
- LabEx Transplantex, Université de Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Béatrice Clemenceau
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Christelle Retière
- Etablissement Français du Sang, 44011 Nantes, France; (D.R.M.); (F.D.R.d.L.); (G.D.); (C.W.); (L.D.); (N.L.); (A.C.); (K.G.)
- Université de Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France; (T.G.); (M.C.B.); (P.C.); (B.C.)
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, F-44000 Nantes, France
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37
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You Have Got a Fast CAR: Chimeric Antigen Receptor NK Cells in Cancer Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12030706. [PMID: 32192067 PMCID: PMC7140022 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12030706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical success stories of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy against B-cell malignancies have contributed to immunotherapy being at the forefront of cancer therapy today. Their success has fueled interest in improving CAR constructs, identifying additional antigens to target, and clinically evaluating them across a wide range of malignancies. However, along with the exciting potential of CAR-T therapy comes the real possibility of serious side effects. While the FDA has approved commercialized CAR-T cell therapy, challenges associated with manufacturing, costs, and related toxicities have resulted in increased attention being paid to implementing CAR technology in innate cytotoxic natural killer (NK) cells. Here, we review the current landscape of the CAR-NK field, from successful clinical implementation to outstanding challenges which remain to be addressed to deliver the full potential of this therapy to more patients.
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38
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Sivori S, Meazza R, Quintarelli C, Carlomagno S, Della Chiesa M, Falco M, Moretta L, Locatelli F, Pende D. NK Cell-Based Immunotherapy for Hematological Malignancies. J Clin Med 2019; 8:E1702. [PMID: 31623224 PMCID: PMC6832127 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8101702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) lymphocytes are an integral component of the innate immune system and represent important effector cells in cancer immunotherapy, particularly in the control of hematological malignancies. Refined knowledge of NK cellular and molecular biology has fueled the interest in NK cell-based antitumor therapies, and recent efforts have been made to exploit the high potential of these cells in clinical practice. Infusion of high numbers of mature NK cells through the novel graft manipulation based on the selective depletion of T cells and CD19+ B cells has resulted into an improved outcome in children with acute leukemia given human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical hematopoietic transplantation. Likewise, adoptive transfer of purified third-party NK cells showed promising results in patients with myeloid malignancies. Strategies based on the use of cytokines or monoclonal antibodies able to induce and optimize NK cell activation, persistence, and expansion also represent a novel field of investigation with remarkable perspectives of favorably impacting on outcome of patients with hematological neoplasia. In addition, preliminary results suggest that engineering of mature NK cells through chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) constructs deserve further investigation, with the goal of obtaining an "off-the-shelf" NK cell bank that may serve many different recipients for granting an efficient antileukemia activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Sivori
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy (S.C.); (M.D.C.)
- Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Raffaella Meazza
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Concetta Quintarelli
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, 00165 Rome, Italy; (C.Q.); (F.L.)
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Carlomagno
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy (S.C.); (M.D.C.)
| | - Mariella Della Chiesa
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy (S.C.); (M.D.C.)
- Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Michela Falco
- Integrated Department of Services and Laboratories, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, 00146 Rome, Italy;
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, 00165 Rome, Italy; (C.Q.); (F.L.)
- Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Pende
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy;
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39
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Choi JW, Lee ES, Kim SY, Park SI, Oh S, Kang JH, Ryu HA, Lee S. Cytotoxic effects of ex vivo-expanded natural killer cell-enriched lymphocytes (MYJ1633) against liver cancer. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:817. [PMID: 31426763 PMCID: PMC6700835 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-6034-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Adoptive transfer of immune cells such as T cells and natural killer (NK) cells has emerged as a targeted method of controlling the immune system against cancer. Despite their significant therapeutic potential, efficient methods to generate adequate numbers of NK cells are lacking and ex vivo-expansion and activation of NK cells is currently under intensive investigation. The primary purpose of this study was to develop an effective method for expansion and activation of the effector cells with high proportion of NK cells and increasing cytotoxicity against liver cancer in a short time period. Methods Expanded NK cell-enriched lymphocytes (NKL) designated as “MYJ1633” were prepared by using autologous human plasma, cytokines (IL-2, IL-12 and IL-18) and agonistic antibodies (CD16, CD56 and NKp46) without an NK cell-sorting step. The characteristics of NKL were compared to those of freshly isolated PBMCs. In addition, the cytotoxic effect of the NKL on liver cancer cell was examined in vitro and in vivo. Results The total cell number after ex vivo-expansion increased about 140-fold compared to that of freshly isolated PBMC within 2 weeks. Approximately 78% of the expanded and activated NKL using the house-developed protocol was NK cell and NKT cells even without a NK cell-sorting step. In addition, the expanded and activated NKL demonstrated potent cytotoxicity against liver cancer in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion The house-developed method can be a new and effective strategy to prepare clinically applicable NKL for autologous NK cell-based anti-tumor immunotherapy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-019-6034-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Won Choi
- Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, 25601, Republic of Korea
| | - Eui Soo Lee
- IMMUNISBIO Co., Ltd, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City, 22711, Republic of Korea
| | - Se Young Kim
- IMMUNISBIO Co., Ltd, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City, 22711, Republic of Korea
| | - Su Il Park
- Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, 25601, Republic of Korea
| | - Sena Oh
- Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, 25601, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Hwa Kang
- IMMUNISBIO Co., Ltd, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City, 22711, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Aae Ryu
- IMMUNISBIO Co., Ltd, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City, 22711, Republic of Korea
| | - Seahyoung Lee
- Institute for Bio-Medical Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, 25601, Republic of Korea.
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40
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Cruz-Muñoz ME, Valenzuela-Vázquez L, Sánchez-Herrera J, Santa-Olalla Tapia J. From the "missing self" hypothesis to adaptive NK cells: Insights of NK cell-mediated effector functions in immune surveillance. J Leukoc Biol 2019; 105:955-971. [PMID: 30848847 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.mr0618-224rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The original discovery of NK cells approximately 40 yr ago was based on their unique capability to kill tumor cells without prior sensitization or priming, a process named natural cytotoxicity. Since then, several studies have documented that NK cells can kill hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cancer cells. NK cells also recognize and kill cells that have undergone viral infections. Besides natural cytotoxicity, NK cells are also major effectors of antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC). Therefore, NK cells are well "armed" to recognize and mount immune responses against "insults" that result from cell transformation and viral infections. Because of these attributes, an essential role of NK cells in tumor surveillance was noted. Indeed, several studies have shown a correlation between impaired NK cell cytotoxicity and a higher risk of developing cancer. This evidence led to the idea that cancer initiation and progress is intimately related to an abnormal or misdirected immune response. Whereas all these ideas remain current, it is also true that NK cells represent a heterogeneous population with different abilities to secrete cytokines and to mediate cytotoxic functions. In addition, recent data has shown that NK cells are prone to suffer epigenetic modifications resulting in the acquisition of previously unrecognized attributes such as memory and long-term survival. Such NK cells, referred as "adaptive" or "memory-like," also display effector functions that are not necessarily equal to those observed in conventional NK cells. Given the new evidence available, it is essential to discuss the conceptual reasoning and misconceptions regarding the role of NK cells in immune surveillance and immunotherapy.
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41
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Memory NK Cell Features Exploitable in Anticancer Immunotherapy. J Immunol Res 2019; 2019:8795673. [PMID: 30882007 PMCID: PMC6381560 DOI: 10.1155/2019/8795673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Besides their innate ability to rapidly produce effector cytokines and kill virus-infected or transformed cells, natural killer (NK) cells display a strong capability to adapt to environmental modifications and to differentiate into long-lived, hyperfunctional populations, dubbed memory or memory-like NK cells. Despite significant progress in the field of NK cell-based immunotherapies, some factors including their short life span and the occurrence of a tumor-dependent functional exhaustion have limited their clinical efficacy so that strategies aimed at overcoming these limitations represent one of the main current challenges in the field. In this scenario, the exploitation of NK cell memory may have a considerable potential. This article summarizes recent evidence in the literature on the peculiar features that render memory NK cells an attractive tool for antitumor immunotherapy, including their long-term survival and in vivo persistence, the resistance to tumor-dependent immunosuppressive microenvironment, the amplified functional responses to IgG-opsonized tumor cells, and in vitro expansion capability. Along with highlighting these issues, we speculate that memory NK cell-based adoptive immunotherapy settings would greatly take advantage from the combination with tumor-targeting therapeutic antibodies (mAbs), as a strategy to fully unleash their clinical efficacy.
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42
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Saetersmoen ML, Hammer Q, Valamehr B, Kaufman DS, Malmberg KJ. Off-the-shelf cell therapy with induced pluripotent stem cell-derived natural killer cells. Semin Immunopathol 2018; 41:59-68. [PMID: 30361801 DOI: 10.1007/s00281-018-0721-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cell therapy is emerging as a very promising therapeutic modality against cancer, spearheaded by the clinical success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T cells for B cell malignancies. Currently, FDA-approved CAR-T cell products are based on engineering of autologous T cells harvested from the patient, typically using a central manufacturing facility for gene editing before the product can be delivered to the clinic and infused to the patients. For a broader implementation of advanced cell therapy and to reduce costs, it would be advantageous to use allogeneic "universal" cell therapy products that can be stored in cell banks and provided upon request, in a manner analogous to biopharmaceutical drug products. In this review, we outline a roadmap for development of off-the-shelf cell therapy based on natural killer (NK) cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We discuss strategies to engineer iPSC-derived NK (iPSC-NK) cells for enhanced functional potential, persistence, and homing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Quirin Hammer
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
| | | | - Dan S Kaufman
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- The KG Jebsen Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. .,Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden. .,Institute for Cancer research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
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43
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Rölle A, Jäger D, Momburg F. HLA-E Peptide Repertoire and Dimorphism-Centerpieces in the Adaptive NK Cell Puzzle? Front Immunol 2018; 9:2410. [PMID: 30386347 PMCID: PMC6199380 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive Natural Killer (NK) cells, a heterogenous subpopulation of human NK cells with a unique phenotypic and functional signature, became arguably one of the central areas of interest in the field. While their existence seems closely associated with prior exposure to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), many questions regarding their origin and regulation remain unanswered. However, a common denominator for the majority of adaptive NK cells is the expression of the activating heterodimeric receptor CD94/NKG2C that binds to HLA-E, a non-classical HLA molecule, that displays a comparably restricted expression pattern, very limited polymorphism and presents a distinct set of peptides. Recent studies suggest that-in analogy to T cell responses-peptides presented on HLA-E could play an unexpectedly decisive role for the biology of adaptive NK cells. Here, we discuss how this perspective on the CD94/NKG2C-HLA-E axis aligns with the existing literature and speculate about possible translational implication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Rölle
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseasesm, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity (D120), German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk Jäger
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseasesm, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity (D120), German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frank Momburg
- Antigen Presentation and T/NK Cell Activation Group (D121), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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44
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Bigley AB, Baker FL, Simpson RJ. Cytomegalovirus: an unlikely ally in the fight against blood cancers? Clin Exp Immunol 2018; 193:265-274. [PMID: 29737525 PMCID: PMC6150251 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a potentially fatal complication in patients receiving haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but recent evidence indicates that CMV has strong anti-leukaemia effects due in part to shifts in the composition of natural killer (NK) cell subsets. NK cells are the primary mediators of the anti-leukaemia effect of allogeneic HSCT, and infusion of allogeneic NK cells has shown promise as a means of inducing remission and preventing relapse of several different haematological malignancies. The effectiveness of these treatments is limited, however, when tumours express human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-E, a ligand for the inhibitory receptor NKG2A, which is expressed by the vast majority of post-transplant reconstituted and ex-vivo expanded NK cells. It is possible to enhance NK cell cytotoxicity against HLA-Epos malignancies by increasing the proportion of NK cells expressing NKG2C (the activating receptor for HLA-E) and lacking the corresponding inhibitory receptor NKG2A. The proportion of NKG2Cpos /NKG2Aneg NK cells is typically low in healthy adults, but it can be increased by CMV infection or ex-vivo expansion of NK cells using HLA-E-transfected feeder cells and interleukin (IL)-15. In this review, we will discuss the role of CMV-driven NKG2Cpos /NKG2Aneg NK cell expansion on anti-tumour cytotoxicity and disease progression in the context of haematological malignancies, and explore the possibility of harnessing NKG2Cpos /NKG2Aneg NK cells for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. B. Bigley
- Department of Nutritional SciencesThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
- Department of Health and Human PerformanceUniversity of HoustonHoustonTXUSA
| | - F. L. Baker
- Department of Nutritional SciencesThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
- Department of Health and Human PerformanceUniversity of HoustonHoustonTXUSA
| | - R. J. Simpson
- Department of Nutritional SciencesThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
- Department of Health and Human PerformanceUniversity of HoustonHoustonTXUSA
- Department of PediatricsThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
- Department of ImmunobiologyThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZUSA
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45
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Locatelli F, Pende D, Falco M, Della Chiesa M, Moretta A, Moretta L. NK Cells Mediate a Crucial Graft-versus-Leukemia Effect in Haploidentical-HSCT to Cure High-Risk Acute Leukemia. Trends Immunol 2018; 39:577-590. [PMID: 29793748 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2018.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are involved in innate defenses against viruses and tumors. Their function is finely tuned by activating and inhibitory receptors. Among the latter, killer immunoglobulin-like receptors and CD94/NKG2A recognize human leukocyte antigen (HLA) Class I molecules, allowing NK cells to discriminate between normal and aberrant cells, as well as to recognize allogeneic cells, because of their ability to sense HLA polymorphisms. This latter phenomenon plays a key role in HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) for high-risk acute leukemia patients transplanted from an NK-alloreactive donor. Different haplo-HSCT settings have been developed, either T depleted or T replete - the latter requiring graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. A novel graft manipulation, based on depletion of αβ T cells and B cells, allows infusion of fully mature, including alloreactive, NK cells. The excellent patient clinical outcome underscores the importance of these innate cells in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franco Locatelli
- IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Dipartimento di Oncoematologia e Terapia Cellulare e Genica, Roma, Italy; Università degli Studi di Pavia, Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche, Pavia, Italy
| | - Daniela Pende
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Michela Falco
- IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Dipartimento dei Laboratori di Ricerca, Genova, Italy
| | - Mariella Della Chiesa
- Università degli Studi di Genova, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Genova, Italy; Centro di Eccellenza per la Ricerca Biomedica, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Moretta
- Università degli Studi di Genova, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Genova, Italy; Centro di Eccellenza per la Ricerca Biomedica, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Area di Ricerca Immunologica, Roma, Italy.
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46
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Muccio L, Falco M, Bertaina A, Locatelli F, Frassoni F, Sivori S, Moretta L, Moretta A, Della Chiesa M. Late Development of FcεRγ neg Adaptive Natural Killer Cells Upon Human Cytomegalovirus Reactivation in Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Recipients. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1050. [PMID: 29868012 PMCID: PMC5968376 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In human natural killer (NK) cells, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been shown to be a driving force capable of inducing the expansion of a highly differentiated NKG2C+CD57+ subset, persisting over time in both HCMV+ healthy subjects and umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) recipients experiencing HCMV viral reactivation. In HCMV+ healthy subjects, such expanded NK-cells are characterized by epigenetic modifications that modulate their phenotypic and functional characteristics. In particular, an enhanced ADCC activity is detectable in NK cells lacking the signaling protein FcεRγ. Timing and mechanisms involved in the acquisition of HCMV-induced, adaptive-like features by NK cells are currently unknown. In this study, we investigated the de novo acquisition of several adaptive features in NK cells developing after UCBT by monitoring NK-cell differentiation for at least 2 years after transplant. In UCBT recipients experiencing HCMV reactivation, a rapid phenotypic reconfiguration occurred resulting in the expected expansion of CD56dim NKG2C+CD57+ NK cells. However, while certain HCMV-driven adaptive hallmarks, including high KIR, LILRB1, CD2 and low/negative NKG2A, Siglec-7, and CD161 expression, were acquired early after UCBT (namely by month 6), downregulation of the signaling protein FcεRγ was detected at a later time interval (i.e., by month 12). This feature characterized only a minor fraction of the HCMV-imprinted NKG2C+CD57+ CD56dim NK cell subset, while it was detectable in higher proportions of CD57+ NK cells lacking NKG2C. Interestingly, in patients developing a hyporesponsive CD56-CD16bright NK-cell subset, FcεRγ downregulation occurred in these cells earlier than in CD56dim NK cells. Our data suggest that the acquisition of a fully "adaptive" profile requires signals that may lack in UCBT recipients and/or longer time is needed to obtain a stable epigenetic reprogramming. On the other hand, we found that both HCMV-induced FcεRγneg and FcεRγ+ NK cells from these patients, display similar CD107a degranulation and IFN-γ production capabilities in response to different stimuli, thus indicating that the acquisition of specialized effector functions can be achieved before the "adaptation" to HCMV is completed. Our study provides new insights in the process leading to the generation of different adaptive NK-cell subsets and may contribute to develop new approaches for their employment as novel immunotherapeutic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Muccio
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Michela Falco
- IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Dipartimento dei Laboratori di Ricerca, Genova, Italy
| | - Alice Bertaina
- IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Dipartimento di Oncoematologia e Terapia Cellulare e Genica, Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Dipartimento di Oncoematologia e Terapia Cellulare e Genica, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesco Frassoni
- IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Dipartimento dei Laboratori di Ricerca, Genova, Italy
| | - Simona Sivori
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy.,Centro di Eccellenza per le Ricerche Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambin Gesù, Area di Ricerca Immunologica, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Moretta
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy.,Centro di Eccellenza per le Ricerche Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Mariella Della Chiesa
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy.,Centro di Eccellenza per le Ricerche Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
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47
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Capuano C, Battella S, Pighi C, Franchitti L, Turriziani O, Morrone S, Santoni A, Galandrini R, Palmieri G. Tumor-Targeting Anti-CD20 Antibodies Mediate In Vitro Expansion of Memory Natural Killer Cells: Impact of CD16 Affinity Ligation Conditions and In Vivo Priming. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1031. [PMID: 29867997 PMCID: PMC5958227 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells represent a pivotal player of innate anti-tumor immune responses. The impact of environmental factors in shaping the representativity of different NK cell subsets is increasingly appreciated. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection profoundly affects NK cell compartment, as documented by the presence of a CD94/NKG2C+FcεRIγ- long-lived “memory” NK cell subset, endowed with enhanced CD16-dependent functional capabilities, in a fraction of HCMV-seropositive subjects. However, the requirements for memory NK cell pool establishment/maintenance and activation have not been fully characterized yet. Here, we describe the capability of anti-CD20 tumor-targeting therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to drive the selective in vitro expansion of memory NK cells and we show the impact of donor’ HCMV serostatus and CD16 affinity ligation conditions on this event. In vitro expanded memory NK cells maintain the phenotypic and functional signature of their freshly isolated counterpart; furthermore, our data demonstrate that CD16 affinity ligation conditions differently affect memory NK cell proliferation and functional activation, as rituximab-mediated low-affinity ligation represents a superior proliferative stimulus, while high-affinity aggregation mediated by glycoengineered obinutuzumab results in improved multifunctional responses. Our work also expands the molecular and functional characterization of memory NK cells, and investigates the possible impact of CD16 functional allelic variants on their in vivo and in vitro expansions. These results reveal new insights in Ab-driven memory NK cell responses in a therapeutic setting and may ultimately inspire new NK cell-based intervention strategies against cancer, in which the enhanced responsiveness to mAb-bound target could significantly impact therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Capuano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Battella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Pighi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lavinia Franchitti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Stefania Morrone
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Santoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Laboratorio Pasteur Italia Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | | | - Gabriella Palmieri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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48
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Loftus C, Saeed M, Davis DM, Dunlop IE. Activation of Human Natural Killer Cells by Graphene Oxide-Templated Antibody Nanoclusters. NANO LETTERS 2018; 18:3282-3289. [PMID: 29676151 PMCID: PMC5951604 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b01089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
An emerging new paradigm is that immune cell activation is controlled by transient interactions between supramolecular assemblies of receptors and ligands. Current immunotherapy biologic pharmaceuticals that activate or desensitize NK cells are, however, individual molecules that do not replicate this nanoscale organization of proteins. Here, we use nanoscale graphene oxide (NGO) as a template to generate soluble nanoscale clusters of Natural Killer cell-activating antibodies. We control nanocluster size and molecular number to mimic reported values for cell surface proteins. These NGO-templated molecular nanoclusters, used to stimulate NK cells via the CD16 receptor, successfully induced cellular activation, indicated by degranulation of cytolytic granules and IFN-γ secretion. Importantly, activation significantly exceeded that induced by the same antibodies applied as a solution of individual molecules. These results demonstrate that future immunotherapies could be enhanced by assembling immunomodulatory drugs into nanoclusters and establish NGO-templating as a candidate technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Loftus
- Department
of Chemistry and Department of Materials, Imperial College
London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Manchester
Collaborative Center for Inflammation Research, University of Manchester, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, United Kingdom
| | - Mezida Saeed
- Manchester
Collaborative Center for Inflammation Research, University of Manchester, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel M. Davis
- Manchester
Collaborative Center for Inflammation Research, University of Manchester, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, United Kingdom
| | - Iain E. Dunlop
- Department
of Chemistry and Department of Materials, Imperial College
London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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49
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Björklund AT, Carlsten M, Sohlberg E, Liu LL, Clancy T, Karimi M, Cooley S, Miller JS, Klimkowska M, Schaffer M, Watz E, Wikström K, Blomberg P, Wahlin BE, Palma M, Hansson L, Ljungman P, Hellström-Lindberg E, Ljunggren HG, Malmberg KJ. Complete Remission with Reduction of High-Risk Clones following Haploidentical NK-Cell Therapy against MDS and AML. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 24:1834-1844. [DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-3196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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50
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Lieberman NAP, DeGolier K, Haberthur K, Chinn H, Moyes KW, Bouchlaka MN, Walker KL, Capitini CM, Crane CA. An Uncoupling of Canonical Phenotypic Markers and Functional Potency of Ex Vivo-Expanded Natural Killer Cells. Front Immunol 2018; 9:150. [PMID: 29456538 PMCID: PMC5801405 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in cellular therapies for patients with cancer, including checkpoint blockade and ex vivo-expanded, tumor-specific T cells, have demonstrated that targeting the immune system is a powerful approach to the elimination of tumor cells. Clinical efforts have also demonstrated limitations, however, including the potential for tumor cell antigenic drift and neoantigen formation, which promote tumor escape and recurrence, as well as rapid onset of T cell exhaustion in vivo. These findings suggest that antigen unrestricted cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells, may be beneficial for use as an alternative to or in combination with T cell based approaches. Although highly effective in lysing transformed cells, to date, few clinical trials have demonstrated antitumor function or persistence of transferred NK cells. Several recent studies describe methods to expand NK cells for adoptive transfer, although the effects of ex vivo expansion are not fully understood. We therefore explored the impact of a clinically validated 12-day expansion protocol using a K562 cell line expressing membrane-bound IL-15 and 4-1BB ligand with high-dose soluble IL-2 on the phenotype and functions of NK cells from healthy donors. Following expansions using this protocol, we found expression of surface proteins that implicate preferential expansion of NK cells that are not fully mature, as is typically associated with highly cytotoxic NK cell subsets. Despite increased expression of markers associated with functional exhaustion in T cells, we found that ex vivo-expanded NK cells retained cytokine production capacity and had enhanced tumor cell cytotoxicity. The preferential expansion of an NK cell subset that is phenotypically immature and functionally pleiotropic suggests that adoptively transferred cells may persist better in vivo when compared with previous methods using this approach. Ex vivo expansion does not quell killer immunoglobulin-like receptor diversity, allowing responsiveness to various factors in vivo that may influence activation and inhibition. Collectively, our data suggest that in addition to robust NK cell expansion that has been described using this method, expanded NK cells may represent an ideal cell therapy that is longer lived, highly potent, and responsive to an array of activating and inhibitory signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A P Lieberman
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kole DeGolier
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kristen Haberthur
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Harrison Chinn
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kara W Moyes
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Myriam N Bouchlaka
- Department of Pediatrics, Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Kirsti L Walker
- Department of Pediatrics, Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Christian M Capitini
- Department of Pediatrics, Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Courtney A Crane
- Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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