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Rossi JF, Frayssinet P, Matciyak M, Tupitsyn N. Azoximer bromide and hydroxyapatite: promising immune adjuvants in cancer. Cancer Biol Med 2024; 20:j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0222. [PMID: 38318840 PMCID: PMC10845929 DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0222] [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: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune adjuvants are immune modulators that have been developed in the context of infectious vaccinations. There is currently a growing interest in immune adjuvants due to the development of immunotherapy against cancers. Immune adjuvant mechanisms of action are focused on the initiation and amplification of the inflammatory response leading to the innate immune response, followed by the adaptive immune response. The main activity lies in the support of antigen presentation and the maturation and functions of dendritic cells. Most immune adjuvants are associated with a vaccine or incorporated into the new generation of mRNA vaccines. Few immune adjuvants are used as drugs. Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics and azoximer bromide (AZB) are overlooked molecules that were used in early clinical trials, which demonstrated clinical efficacy and excellent tolerance profiles. HA combined in an autologous vaccine was previously developed in the veterinary field for use in canine spontaneous lymphomas. AZB, an original immune modulator derived from a class of heterochain aliphatic polyamines that is licensed in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Slovakia for infectious and inflammatory diseases, is and now being developed for use in cancer with promising results. These two immune adjuvants can be combined in various immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Rossi
- Institut du Cancer Avignon-Provence, Sainte Catherine – Department of Hematology-Biotherapy, Avignon 84918, France
- University of Montpellier, UFR Médecine, Montpellier 34090, France
| | | | | | - Nikolai Tupitsyn
- Laboratory of Immunology of Hematopoiesis, N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center (RCRC), Moscow 123112, Russia
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2
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Peng Z, Saito S. Creatine supplementation enhances anti-tumor immunity by promoting adenosine triphosphate production in macrophages. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1176956. [PMID: 37662917 PMCID: PMC10471797 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1176956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Creatine is an indispensable organic compound utilized in physiological environments; however, its role in immunity is still poorly understood. Here, we show that creatine supplementation enhances anti-tumor immunity through the functional upregulation of macrophages by increasing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Creatine supplementation significantly suppressed B16-F10-originated tumor growth in mice compared with the control treatment. Under these conditions, intratumor macrophages polarized towards the M1 phenotype rather than the M2 phenotype, and there was an increase in tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the mice. The cytokine production and antigen-presenting activity in the macrophages were enhanced by creatine supplementation, resulting in a substantial increase in tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. ATP upregulation was achieved through the cytosolic phosphocreatine (PCr) system via extracellular creatine uptake, rather than through glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the macrophages. Blockade of the creatine transporter (CrT) failed to upregulate ATP and enhance the immunological activity of macrophages in creatine supplementation, which also impaired CD8+ T cell activity. Consequently, CrT blockade failed to suppress tumor growth in the creatine-supplemented mice. Thus, creatine is an important nutrient that promotes macrophage function by increasing ATP levels, ultimately contributing to enhanced anti-tumor immunity orchestrated by CD8+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzi Peng
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China
| | - Suguru Saito
- Division of Virology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Japan
- Biofluid Biomarker Center, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
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3
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Hou AJ, Chen LC, Chen YY. Navigating CAR-T cells through the solid-tumour microenvironment. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2021; 20:531-550. [PMID: 33972771 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-021-00189-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 75.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The adoptive transfer of T cells that are engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has shown remarkable success in treating B cell malignancies but only limited efficacy against other cancer types, especially solid tumours. Compared with haematological diseases, solid tumours present a unique set of challenges, including a lack of robustly expressed, tumour-exclusive antigen targets as well as highly immunosuppressive and metabolically challenging tumour microenvironments that limit treatment safety and efficacy. Here, we review protein- and cell-engineering strategies that seek to overcome these obstacles and produce next-generation T cells with enhanced tumour specificity and sustained effector function for the treatment of solid malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Hou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laurence C Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yvonne Y Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Center at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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4
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Park CH. Making Potent CAR T Cells Using Genetic Engineering and Synergistic Agents. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13133236. [PMID: 34209505 PMCID: PMC8269169 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13133236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies are emerging as powerful weapons for the treatment of malignancies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have shown dramatic clinical results in patients with hematological malignancies. However, it is still challenging for CAR T cell therapy to be successful in several types of blood cancer and most solid tumors. Many attempts have been made to enhance the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy by modifying the CAR construct using combination agents, such as compounds, antibodies, or radiation. At present, technology to improve CAR T cell therapy is rapidly developing. In this review, we particularly emphasize the most recent studies utilizing genetic engineering and synergistic agents to improve CAR T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Hoon Park
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon 34114, Korea; ; Tel.: +82-42-860-7416; Fax: +82-42-861-4246
- Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
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5
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Inducible MyD88/CD40 synergizes with IL-15 to enhance antitumor efficacy of CAR-NK cells. Blood Adv 2021; 4:1950-1964. [PMID: 32384544 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020001510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are a promising anticancer immunotherapy, leveraging both innate NK cell antitumor activity and target-specific cytotoxicity. Inducible MyD88/CD40 (iMC) is a potent, rimiducid-regulated protein switch that has been deployed previously as a T-cell activator to enhance proliferation and persistence of CAR-modified T cells. In this study, iMC was extended to CAR-NK cells to enhance their growth and augment cytotoxicity against tumor cells. iMC-activated NK cells substantially increased cytokine and chemokine secretion and displayed higher levels of perforin and granzyme B degranulation. In addition, iMC activation could be coupled with ectopic interleukin-15 (IL-15) to further enhance NK cell proliferation. When coexpressed with a target-specific CAR (CD123 or BCMA), this IL-15/iMC system showed further augmented antitumor activity through enhanced CAR-NK cell expansion and cytolytic activity. To protect against potential toxicity from engineered NK cells, an orthogonal rapamycin-regulated Caspase-9 (iRC9) was included in a 4-gene, dual-switch platform. After infusion of dual-switch NK cells, pharmacologic iRC9 dimerization led to rapid elimination of a majority of expanded transduced NK cells. Thus, CAR-NK cells utilizing dual molecular switches provide an innovative and effective approach to cancer immunotherapy with controlled specificity, efficacy, and safety.
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Tan P, He L, Zhou Y. Engineering Supramolecular Organizing Centers for Optogenetic Control of Innate Immune Responses. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2021; 5:e2000147. [PMID: 34028210 PMCID: PMC8144545 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202000147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The spatiotemporal organization of oligomeric protein complexes, such as the supramolecular organizing centers (SMOCs) made of MyDDosome and MAVSome, is essential for transcriptional activation of host inflammatory responses and immunometabolism. Light-inducible assembly of MyDDosome and MAVSome is presented herein to induce activation of nuclear factor-kB and type-I interferons. Engineering of SMOCs and the downstream transcription factor permits programmable and customized innate immune operations in a light-dependent manner. These synthetic molecular tools will likely enable optical and user-defined modulation of innate immunity at a high spatiotemporal resolution to facilitate mechanistic studies of distinct modes of innate immune activations and potential intervention of immune disorders and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Tan
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Lian He
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yubin Zhou
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
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Spencer DM. Activation of antigen-exposed iMC-DCs at the "right place" and "right time" promotes potent anti-tumor immunity. Oncoimmunology 2021; 1:362-363. [PMID: 22737615 PMCID: PMC3382847 DOI: 10.4161/onci.18482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
To better control the “licensing” of pro-Th1 dendritic cells (DCs), Spencer and colleagues have developed a synthetic ligand-inducible chimeric receptor, iMyD88/CD40 (iMC), incorporating synergistic Toll-like receptor (TLR) and costimulatory signaling elements, permitting DC regulation in vivo within the context of an immunological synapse. This novel technology results in potent anti-cancer activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Spencer
- Department of Pathology and Immunology; Baylor College of Medicine; Houston, TX USA
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8
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Xie M, Viviani M, Fussenegger M. Engineering precision therapies: lessons and motivations from the clinic. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2020; 6:ysaa024. [PMID: 33817342 PMCID: PMC7998714 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysaa024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, gene- and cell-based therapies have been at the forefront of the biomedical revolution. Synthetic biology, the engineering discipline of building sophisticated 'genetic software' to enable precise regulation of gene activities in living cells, has been a decisive success factor of these new therapies. Here, we discuss the core technologies and treatment strategies that have already gained approval for therapeutic applications in humans. We also review promising preclinical work that could either enhance the efficacy of existing treatment strategies or pave the way for new precision medicines to treat currently intractable human conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingqi Xie
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, Zheijang, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, Zheijang, China
| | - Mirta Viviani
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, Zheijang, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, Zheijang, China
| | - Martin Fussenegger
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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9
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Wang X, Cabrera FG, Sharp KL, Spencer DM, Foster AE, Bayle JH. Engineering Tolerance toward Allogeneic CAR-T Cells by Regulation of MHC Surface Expression with Human Herpes Virus-8 Proteins. Mol Ther 2020; 29:718-733. [PMID: 33554868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Allogeneic, off-the-shelf (OTS) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell therapies have the potential to reduce manufacturing costs and variability while providing broader accessibility to cancer patients and those with other diseases. However, host-versus-graft reactivity can limit the durability and efficacy of OTS cell therapies requiring new strategies to evade adaptive and innate-immune responses. Human herpes virus-8 (HHV8) maintains infection, in part, by evading host T and natural killer (NK) cell attack. The viral K3 gene encodes a membrane-tethered E3 ubiquitin ligase that discretely targets major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I components, whereas K5 encodes a similar E3 ligase with broader specificity, including MHC-II and the MHC-like MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence A (MIC-A)- and sequence B (MIC-B)-activating ligands of NK cells. We created γ-retroviruses encoding K3 and/or K5 transgenes that efficiently transduce primary human T cells. Expression of K3 or K5 resulted in dramatic downregulation of MHC-IA (human leukocyte antigen [HLA]-A, -B, and -C) and MHC class II (HLA-DR) cell-surface expression. K3 expression was sufficient for T cells to resist exogenously loaded peptide-MHC-specific cytotoxicity, as well as recognition in one-way allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions. Further, in immunodeficient mice engrafted with allogeneic T cells, K3-transduced T cells selectively expanded in vivo. Ectopic K5 expression in MHC class I-, MIC-A+/B+ K562 cells also reduced targeting by primary NK cells. Coexpression of K3 in prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA)-directed, inducible MyD88/CD40 (iMC)-enhanced CAR-T cells did not impact cytotoxicity, T cell growth, or cytokine production against HPAC pancreatic tumor target cells, whereas K5-expressing cells showed a modest reduction in interleukin (IL)-2 production without effect on cytotoxicity. Together, these results support application of these E3 ligases to advance development of OTS CAR-T cell products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Wang
- Research and Development, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2710 Reed Road, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Fabricio G Cabrera
- Research and Development, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2710 Reed Road, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kelly L Sharp
- Research and Development, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2710 Reed Road, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David M Spencer
- Research and Development, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2710 Reed Road, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Aaron E Foster
- Research and Development, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2710 Reed Road, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - J Henri Bayle
- Research and Development, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2710 Reed Road, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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10
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Tristán-Manzano M, Justicia-Lirio P, Maldonado-Pérez N, Cortijo-Gutiérrez M, Benabdellah K, Martin F. Externally-Controlled Systems for Immunotherapy: From Bench to Bedside. Front Immunol 2020; 11:2044. [PMID: 33013864 PMCID: PMC7498544 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a very promising therapeutic approach against cancer that is particularly effective when combined with gene therapy. Immuno-gene therapy approaches have led to the approval of four advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) for the treatment of p53-deficient tumors (Gendicine and Imlygic), refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Kymriah) and large B-cell lymphomas (Yescarta). In spite of these remarkable successes, immunotherapy is still associated with severe side effects for CD19+ malignancies and is inefficient for solid tumors. Controlling transgene expression through an externally administered inductor is envisioned as a potent strategy to improve safety and efficacy of immunotherapy. The aim is to develop smart immunogene therapy-based-ATMPs, which can be controlled by the addition of innocuous drugs or agents, allowing the clinicians to manage the intensity and durability of the therapy. In the present manuscript, we will review the different inducible, versatile and externally controlled gene delivery systems that have been developed and their applications to the field of immunotherapy. We will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each system and their potential applications in clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Tristán-Manzano
- Gene and Cell Therapy Unit, Genomic Medicine Department, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain
| | - Pedro Justicia-Lirio
- Gene and Cell Therapy Unit, Genomic Medicine Department, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain.,LentiStem Biotech, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain
| | - Noelia Maldonado-Pérez
- Gene and Cell Therapy Unit, Genomic Medicine Department, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain
| | - Marina Cortijo-Gutiérrez
- Gene and Cell Therapy Unit, Genomic Medicine Department, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain
| | - Karim Benabdellah
- Gene and Cell Therapy Unit, Genomic Medicine Department, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco Martin
- Gene and Cell Therapy Unit, Genomic Medicine Department, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain
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Abstract
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive B-cell lymphoma and highly heterogeneous disease. With the standard immunochemotherapy, anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (R-) plus CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) chemotherapy, 30-40% of DLBCLs are refractory to initial immunochemotherapy or experience relapse post-therapy with poor clinical outcomes despite salvage therapies. Mechanisms underlying chemoresistance and relapse are heterogeneous across DLBCL and within individual patients, representing hurdles for targeted therapies targeting a specific oncogenic signaling pathway. In recent years, paradigm-shifting immunotherapies have shown impressive efficacy in various cancer types regardless of underlying oncogenic mechanisms. Vaccines are being developed for DLBCL to build protective immunity against relapse after first complete remission and to promote antitumor immune responses synergizing with immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat refractory/relapsed patients. This article provides a brief review of current progress in vaccine development in DLBCL and discussion on immunologic mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effectiveness and resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijun Y Xu-Monette
- Hematopathology Division, Department of Pathology, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ken H Young
- Hematopathology Division, Department of Pathology, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
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12
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Metabolic engineering generates a transgene-free safety switch for cell therapy. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:1441-1450. [PMID: 32661439 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-0580-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Safeguard mechanisms can ameliorate the potential risks associated with cell therapies but currently rely on the introduction of transgenes. This limits their application owing to immunogenicity or transgene silencing. We aimed to create a control mechanism for human cells that is not mediated by a transgene. Using genome editing methods, we disrupt uridine monophosphate synthetase (UMPS) in the pyrimidine de novo synthesis pathway in cell lines, pluripotent cells and primary human T cells. We show that this makes proliferation dependent on external uridine and enables us to control cell growth by modulating the uridine supply, both in vitro and in vivo after transplantation in xenograft models. Additionally, disrupting this pathway creates resistance to 5-fluoroorotic acid, which enables positive selection of UMPS-knockout cells. We envision that this approach will add an additional level of safety to cell therapies and therefore enable the development of approaches with higher risks, especially those that are intended for limited treatment durations.
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13
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Gagliardi C, Khalil M, Foster AE. Streamlined production of genetically modified T cells with activation, transduction and expansion in closed-system G-Rex bioreactors. Cytotherapy 2020; 21:1246-1257. [PMID: 31837737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2019.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gas Permeable Rapid Expansion (G-Rex) bioreactors have been shown to efficiently expand immune cells intended for therapeutic use, but do not address the complexity of the viral transduction step required for many engineered T-cell products. Here we demonstrate a novel method for transduction of activated T cells with Vectofusin-1 reagent. Transduction is accomplished in suspension, in G-Rex bioreactors. The simplified transduction step is integrated into a streamlined process that uses a single bioreactor with limited operator intervention. METHODS Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors were thawed, washed and activated with soluble anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies either in cell culture bags or in G-Rex bioreactors. Cells were cultured in TexMACS GMP medium with interleukin (IL)-7 and IL-15 and transduced with RetroNectin in bags or Vectorfusin-1 in the G-Rex. Total viable cell number, fold expansion, viability, transduction efficiency, phenotype and function were compared between the two processes. RESULTS The simplified process uses a single vessel from activation through harvest and achieves 56% transduction with 29-fold expansion in 11 days. The cells generated in the simplified process do not differ from cells produced in the conventional bag-based process functionally or phenotypically. DISCUSSION This study demonstrates that T cells can be transduced in suspension. Further, the conventional method of generating engineered T cells in bags for clinical use can be streamlined to a much simpler, less-expensive process without compromising the quality or function of the cell product.
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14
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Selection and expression of CD40 single chain variable fragment by phage display and evaluation of tumor specific immune activation. Int Immunopharmacol 2019; 71:224-232. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2019.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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15
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Constitutively active MyD88/CD40 costimulation enhances expansion and efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting hematological malignancies. Leukemia 2019; 33:2195-2207. [PMID: 30816327 PMCID: PMC6756044 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-019-0417-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Successful adoptive chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies against hematological malignancies require CAR-T expansion and durable persistence following infusion. Balancing increased CAR-T potency with safety, including severe cytokine-release syndrome (sCRS) and neurotoxicity, warrants inclusion of safety mechanisms to control in vivo CAR-T activity. Here, we describe a novel CAR-T cell platform that utilizes expression of the toll-like receptor (TLR) adaptor molecule, MyD88, and tumor-necrosis factor family member, CD40 (MC), tethered to the CAR molecule through an intentionally inefficient 2A linker system, providing a constitutive signal that drives CAR-T survival, proliferation, and antitumor activity against CD19+ and CD123+ hematological cancers. Robust activity of MC-enhanced CAR-T cells was associated with cachexia in animal models that corresponded with high levels of human cytokine production. However, toxicity could be successfully resolved by using the inducible caspase-9 (iC9) safety switch to reduce serum cytokines, by administration of a neutralizing antibody against TNF-α, or by selecting “low” cytokine-producing CD8+ T cells, without loss of antitumor activity. Interestingly, high basal activity was essential for in vivo CAR-T expansion. This study shows that co-opting novel signaling elements (i.e., MyD88 and CD40) and development of a unique CAR-T architecture can drive T-cell proliferation in vivo to enhance CAR-T therapies.
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16
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DeRenzo C, Gottschalk S. Genetic Modification Strategies to Enhance CAR T Cell Persistence for Patients With Solid Tumors. Front Immunol 2019; 10:218. [PMID: 30828333 PMCID: PMC6384227 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells offers a promising method to improve cure rates and decrease morbidities for patients with cancer. In this regard, CD19-specific CAR T cell therapies have achieved dramatic objective responses for a high percent of patients with CD19-positive leukemia or lymphoma. Most patients with solid tumors however, have experienced transient or no benefit from CAR T cell therapies. Novel strategies are therefore needed to improve CAR T cell function for patients with solid tumors. One obstacle for the field is limited CAR T cell persistence after infusion into patients. In this review we highlight genetic engineering strategies to improve CAR T cell persistence for enhancing antitumor activity for patients with solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher DeRenzo
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
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17
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Duong MT, Collinson-Pautz MR, Morschl E, Lu A, Szymanski SP, Zhang M, Brandt ME, Chang WC, Sharp KL, Toler SM, Slawin KM, Foster AE, Spencer DM, Bayle JH. Two-Dimensional Regulation of CAR-T Cell Therapy with Orthogonal Switches. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2018; 12:124-137. [PMID: 30740516 PMCID: PMC6357218 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2018.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Use of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) as the basis of targeted adoptive T cell therapies has enabled dramatic efficacy against multiple hematopoietic malignancies, but potency against bulky and solid tumors has lagged, potentially due to insufficient CAR-T cell expansion and persistence. To improve CAR-T cell efficacy, we utilized a potent activation switch based on rimiducid-inducible MyD88 and CD40 (iMC)-signaling elements. To offset potential toxicity risks by this enhanced CAR, an orthogonally regulated, rapamycin-induced, caspase-9-based safety switch (iRC9) was developed to allow in vivo elimination of CAR-T cells. iMC costimulation induced by systemic rimiducid administration enhanced CAR-T cell proliferation, cytokine secretion, and antitumor efficacy in both in vitro assays and xenograft tumor models. Conversely, rapamycin-mediated iRC9 dimerization rapidly induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent fashion as an approach to mitigate therapy-related toxicity. This novel, regulatable dual-switch system may promote greater CAR-T cell expansion and prolonged persistence in a drug-dependent manner while providing a safety switch to mitigate toxicity concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- MyLinh T Duong
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Eva Morschl
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - An Lu
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Slawomir P Szymanski
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ming Zhang
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Mary E Brandt
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Wei-Chun Chang
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kelly L Sharp
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Steven M Toler
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kevin M Slawin
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Aaron E Foster
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - David M Spencer
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - J Henri Bayle
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, 2130 W. Holcombe Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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18
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Levin N, Weinstein-Marom H, Pato A, Itzhaki O, Besser MJ, Eisenberg G, Peretz T, Lotem M, Gross G. Potent Activation of Human T Cells by mRNA Encoding Constitutively Active CD40. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2018; 201:2959-2968. [PMID: 30305327 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
New strategies for augmenting the actual performance of therapeutic T cells in vivo are needed for improving clinical outcome of adoptive cell therapy. Cumulative findings suggest that CD40 plays an intrinsic role in T cell costimulation. Recently, we demonstrated the ability of truncated, auto-oligomerizing CD40 derivatives to induce strong activation of APCs in a ligand-independent manner. We reasoned that constitutively active CD40 (caCD40) can similarly exert enhancing effects on human antitumor T cells. To test this assumption, we transfected human T cells with in vitro-transcribed caCD40 mRNA. In polyclonal T cells, caCD40 triggered IFN-γ secretion and upregulated CD25 and 4-1BB. In antimelanoma tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), caCD40 induced massive production of IFN-γ, exerting a pronounced synergistic effect when coexpressed with constitutively active TLR4 devoid of its extracellular ligand binding. In unselected "young" TILs, caCD40 reproducibly increased surface expression of CD25, OX40, 4-1BB, CD127, and CD28. Three days post-mRNA electroporation of CD8 TILs, caCD40 elevated IFN-γ and TNF-α production and cytolytic activity in the presence of autologous but not HLA-I-mismatched melanoma. Enhanced killing of autologous melanoma by young TILs was observed 4 d posttransfection. These findings suggest that caCD40 can function as a potent T cell adjuvant and provide essential guidelines for similar manipulation of other key members of the TNFR family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Levin
- Laboratory of Immunology, MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona 11016, Israel.,Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Hadas Weinstein-Marom
- Laboratory of Immunology, MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona 11016, Israel.,Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Aviad Pato
- Laboratory of Immunology, MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona 11016, Israel.,Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Orit Itzhaki
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel
| | - Michal J Besser
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel.,Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; and
| | - Galit Eisenberg
- Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Tamar Peretz
- Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Michal Lotem
- Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Gideon Gross
- Laboratory of Immunology, MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute, Kiryat Shmona 11016, Israel; .,Department of Biotechnology, Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee 1220800, Israel
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19
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Shum T, Kruse RL, Rooney CM. Strategies for enhancing adoptive T-cell immunotherapy against solid tumors using engineered cytokine signaling and other modalities. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2018; 18:653-664. [PMID: 29727246 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2018.1473368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cancer therapy has been transformed by the demonstration that tumor-specific T-cells can eliminate tumor cells in a clinical setting with minimal long-term toxicity. However, significant success in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma with T-cells using native receptors or redirected with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has not been recapitulated in the treatment of solid tumors. This lack of success is likely related to the paucity of costimulatory and cytokine signaling available in solid tumors, in addition to a range of inhibitory mechanisms. AREAS COVERED We summarize the latest developments in engineered T-cell immunotherapy, describe the limitations of these approaches in treating solid tumors, and finally highlight several strategies that may be useful in mediating solid tumor responses in the future, while also ensuring safety of engineered cells. EXPERT OPINION CAR-T therapies require further engineering to achieve their potential against solid tumors. Facilitating cytokine signaling in CAR T-cells appears to be essential in achieving better responses. However, the engineering of T-cells with potentially unchecked proliferation and potency raises the question of whether the simultaneous combination of enhancements will prove safe, necessitating continued advancements in regulating CAR-T activity at the tumor site and methods to safely switch off these engineered cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Shum
- a Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital , Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,b Medical Scientist Training Program , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,c Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA
| | - Robert L Kruse
- a Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital , Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,b Medical Scientist Training Program , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,c Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA
| | - Cliona M Rooney
- a Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital , Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,c Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,d Department of Pediatrics , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,e Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,f Department of Pathology and Immunology , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA.,g Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology , Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , Texas , USA
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20
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Roybal KT, Lim WA. Synthetic Immunology: Hacking Immune Cells to Expand Their Therapeutic Capabilities. Annu Rev Immunol 2018; 35:229-253. [PMID: 28446063 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-051116-052302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The ability of immune cells to survey tissues and sense pathologic insults and deviations makes them a unique platform for interfacing with the body and disease. With the rapid advancement of synthetic biology, we can now engineer and equip immune cells with new sensors and controllable therapeutic response programs to sense and treat diseases that our natural immune system cannot normally handle. Here we review the current state of engineered immune cell therapeutics and their unique capabilities compared to small molecules and biologics. We then discuss how engineered immune cells are being designed to combat cancer, focusing on how new synthetic biology tools are providing potential ways to overcome the major roadblocks for treatment. Finally, we give a long-term vision for the use of synthetic biology to engineer immune cells as a general sensor-response platform to precisely detect disease, to remodel disease microenvironments, and to treat a potentially wide range of challenging diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kole T Roybal
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143;
| | - Wendell A Lim
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158;
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21
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Spontaneous Activation of Antigen-presenting Cells by Genes Encoding Truncated Homo-Oligomerizing Derivatives of CD40. J Immunother 2018; 40:39-50. [PMID: 28005579 DOI: 10.1097/cji.0000000000000150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The interaction between the CD40 receptor on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and its trimeric ligand on CD4 T cells is essential for the initiation and progression of the adaptive immune response. Here we undertook to endow CD40 with the capacity to trigger spontaneous APC activation through ligand-independent oligomerization. To this end we exploited the GCN4 yeast transcriptional activator, which contains a leucine zipper DNA-binding motif that induces homophilic interactions. We incorporated GCN4 variants forming homodimers, trimers, or tetramers at the intracellular domain of human and mouse CD40 and replaced the extracellular portion with peptide-β2m or other peptide tags. In parallel we examined similarly truncated CD40 monomers lacking a GCN4 motif. The oligomeric products appeared to arrange in high-molecular-weight aggregates and were considerably superior to the monomer in their ability to trigger nuclear factor kB signaling, substantiating the anticipated constitutively active (ca) phenotype. Cumulative results in human and mouse APC lines transfected with caCD40 mRNA revealed spontaneous upregulation of CD80, IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, and IL-12, which could be further enhanced by caTLR4 mRNA. In mouse bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells caCD40 upregulated CD80, CD86, MHC-II, and IL-12 and in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells it elevated surface CD80, CD83 CD86, CCR7, and HLA-DR. Oligomeric products carrying the peptide-β2m extracellular portion could support MHC-I presentation of the linked peptide up to 4 days post-mRNA transfection. These findings demonstrate that the expression of a single caCD40 derivative in APCs can exert multiple immunostimulatory effects, offering a new powerful tool in the design of gene-based cancer vaccines.
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22
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Feigelson SW, Solomon A, Biram A, Hatzav M, Lichtenstein M, Regev O, Kozlovski S, Varol D, Curato C, Leshkowitz D, Jung S, Shulman Z, Alon R. ICAMs Are Not Obligatory for Functional Immune Synapses between Naive CD4 T Cells and Lymph Node DCs. Cell Rep 2018; 22:849-859. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.12.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Revised: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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23
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Sonpavde G, McMannis JD, Bai Y, Seethammagari MR, Bull JMC, Hawkins V, Dancsak TK, Lapteva N, Levitt JM, Moseley A, Spencer DM, Slawin KM. Phase I trial of antigen-targeted autologous dendritic cell-based vaccine with in vivo activation of inducible CD40 for advanced prostate cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2017; 66:1345-1357. [PMID: 28608115 PMCID: PMC11029714 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-017-2027-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This phase I trial reports the safety and activity of BPX101, a second-generation antigen-targeted autologous antigen presenting cell (APC) vaccine in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). To manufacture BPX101, APCs collected in a single leukapheresis were transduced with adenoviral vector Ad5f35 encoding inducible human (ih)-CD40, followed by incubation with protein PA001, which contains the extracellular domain of human prostate-specific membrane antigen. The ih-CD40 represents a modified chimeric version of the dendritic cell (DC) co-stimulatory molecule, CD40, which responds to a bioinert membrane-permeable activating dimerizer drug, rimiducid (AP1903), permitting temporally controlled, lymphoid-localized, DC-specific activation. Eighteen men with progressive mCRPC following ≤1 prior chemotherapy regimen were enrolled to evaluate three doses of BPX101 (4 × 106, 12.5 × 106 and 25 × 106 cells) administered intradermally every 2-4 weeks followed by rimiducid (0.4 mg/kg) intravenous (IV) infusion 24 h after each BPX101 dose. There were no dose-limiting toxicities. Immune upregulation as well as anti-tumor activity was observed with PSA declines, objective tumor regressions and robust efficacy of post-trial therapy. This novel antigen-targeted and in vivo activated immunotherapy platform may warrant further development as monotherapy and as a component of rational combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guru Sonpavde
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1720 2nd Ave. S., NP2540B, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| | - John D McMannis
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Mesoblast Ltd, Houston, TX, 35294, USA
| | - Yu Bai
- The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Joan M C Bull
- The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Victoria Hawkins
- The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Theresa K Dancsak
- The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Natasha Lapteva
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan M Levitt
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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24
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Genetic Adjuvantation of a Cell-Based Therapeutic Vaccine for Amelioration of Chagasic Cardiomyopathy. Infect Immun 2017; 85:IAI.00127-17. [PMID: 28674032 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00127-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a leading cause of heart disease ("chagasic cardiomyopathy") in Latin America, disproportionately affecting people in resource-poor areas. The efficacy of currently approved pharmaceutical treatments is limited mainly to acute infection, and there are no effective treatments for the chronic phase of the disease. Preclinical models of Chagas disease have demonstrated that antigen-specific CD8+ gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-positive T-cell responses are essential for reducing parasite burdens, increasing survival, and decreasing cardiac pathology in both the acute and chronic phases of Chagas disease. In the present study, we developed a genetically adjuvanted, dendritic cell-based immunotherapeutic for acute Chagas disease in an attempt to delay or prevent the cardiac complications that eventually result from chronic T. cruzi infection. Dendritic cells transduced with the adjuvant, an adenoviral vector encoding a dominant negative isoform of Src homology region 2 domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SHP-1) along with the T. cruzi Tc24 antigen and trans-sialidase antigen 1 (TSA1), induced significant numbers of antigen-specific CD8+ IFN-γ-positive cells following injection into BALB/c mice. A vaccine platform transduced with the adenoviral vector and loaded in tandem with the recombinant protein reduced parasite burdens by 76% to >99% in comparison to a variety of different controls and significantly reduced cardiac pathology in a BALB/c mouse model of live Chagas disease. Although no statistical differences in overall survival rates among cohorts were observed, the data suggest that immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of acute Chagas disease are feasible and that this approach may warrant further study.
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25
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Mata M, Gerken C, Nguyen P, Krenciute G, Spencer DM, Gottschalk S. Inducible Activation of MyD88 and CD40 in CAR T Cells Results in Controllable and Potent Antitumor Activity in Preclinical Solid Tumor Models. Cancer Discov 2017; 7:1306-1319. [PMID: 28801306 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-17-0263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy with T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) has had limited success for solid tumors in early-phase clinical studies. We reasoned that introducing into CAR T cells an inducible costimulatory (iCO) molecule consisting of a chemical inducer of dimerization (CID)-binding domain and the MyD88 and CD40 signaling domains would improve and control CAR T-cell activation. In the presence of CID, T cells expressing HER2-CARζ and a MyD88/CD40-based iCO molecule (HER2ζ.iCO T cells) had superior T-cell proliferation, cytokine production, and ability to sequentially kill targets in vitro relative to HER2ζ.iCO T cells without CID and T cells expressing HER2-CAR.CD28ζ. HER2ζ.iCO T cells with CID also significantly improved survival in vivo in two xenograft models. Repeat injections of CID were able to further increase the antitumor activity of HER2ζ.iCO T cells in vivo Thus, expressing MyD88/CD40-based iCO molecules in CAR T cells has the potential to improve the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy approaches for solid tumors.Significance: Inducible activation of MyD88 and CD40 in CAR T cells with a small-molecule drug not only enhances their effector function, resulting in potent antitumor activity in preclinical solid tumors, but also enables their remote control post infusion. Cancer Discov; 7(11); 1306-19. ©2017 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1201.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Mata
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Claudia Gerken
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Phuong Nguyen
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Giedre Krenciute
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - David M Spencer
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Houston, Texas
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. .,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
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26
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Foster AE, Mahendravada A, Shinners NP, Chang WC, Crisostomo J, Lu A, Khalil M, Morschl E, Shaw JL, Saha S, Duong MT, Collinson-Pautz MR, Torres DL, Rodriguez T, Pentcheva-Hoang T, Bayle JH, Slawin KM, Spencer DM. Regulated Expansion and Survival of Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells Using Small Molecule-Dependent Inducible MyD88/CD40. Mol Ther 2017; 25:2176-2188. [PMID: 28697888 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2017] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Anti-tumor efficacy of T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) is dependent on their specificity, survival, and in vivo expansion following adoptive transfer. Toll-like receptor (TLR) and CD40 signaling in T cells can improve persistence and drive proliferation of antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells following pathogen challenge or in graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) settings, suggesting that these costimulatory pathways may be co-opted to improve CAR-T cell persistence and function. Here, we present a novel strategy to activate TLR and CD40 signaling in human T cells using inducible MyD88/CD40 (iMC), which can be triggered in vivo via the synthetic dimerizing ligand, rimiducid, to provide potent costimulation to CAR-modified T cells. Importantly, the concurrent activation of iMC (with rimiducid) and CAR (by antigen recognition) is required for interleukin (IL)-2 production and robust CAR-T cell expansion and may provide a user-controlled mechanism to amplify CAR-T cell levels in vivo and augment anti-tumor efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - An Lu
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Eva Morschl
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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27
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Lim WA, June CH. The Principles of Engineering Immune Cells to Treat Cancer. Cell 2017; 168:724-740. [PMID: 28187291 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 731] [Impact Index Per Article: 104.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have proven that engineered immune cells can serve as a powerful new class of cancer therapeutics. Clinical experience has helped to define the major challenges that must be met to make engineered T cells a reliable, safe, and effective platform that can be deployed against a broad range of tumors. The emergence of synthetic biology approaches for cellular engineering is providing us with a broadly expanded set of tools for programming immune cells. We discuss how these tools could be used to design the next generation of smart T cell precision therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendell A Lim
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Carl H June
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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28
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Moreno Ayala MA, Gottardo MF, Gori MS, Nicola Candia AJ, Caruso C, De Laurentiis A, Imsen M, Klein S, Bal de Kier Joffé E, Salamone G, Castro MG, Seilicovich A, Candolfi M. Dual activation of Toll-like receptors 7 and 9 impairs the efficacy of antitumor vaccines in murine models of metastatic breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2017; 143:1713-1732. [PMID: 28432455 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-017-2421-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Since combination of Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands could boost antitumor immunity, we evaluated the efficacy of dendritic cell (DC) vaccines upon dual activation of TLR9 and TLR7 in breast cancer models. METHODS DCs were generated from mouse bone marrow or peripheral blood from healthy human donors and stimulated with CpG1826 (mouse TLR9 agonist), CpG2006 or IMT504 (human TLR9 agonists) and R848 (TLR7 agonist). Efficacy of antitumor vaccines was evaluated in BALB/c mice bearing metastatic mammary adenocarcinomas. RESULTS CpG-DCs improved the survival of tumor-bearing mice, reduced the development of lung metastases and generated immunological memory. However, dual activation of TLRs impaired the efficacy of DC vaccines. In vitro, we found that R848 inhibited CpG-mediated maturation of murine DCs. A positive feedback loop in TLR9 mRNA expression was observed upon CpG stimulation that was inhibited in the presence of R848. Impaired activation of NF-κB was detected when TLR9 and TLR7 were simultaneously activated. Blockade of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and indoleamine-pyrrole-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) improved the activation of CpG-DCs. When we evaluated the effect of combined activation of TLR9 and TLR7 in human DCs, we found that R848 induced robust DC activation that was inhibited by TLR9 agonists. CONCLUSIONS These observations provide insight in the biology of TLR9 and TLR7 crosstalk and suggest caution in the selection of agonists for multiple TLR stimulation. Blockade of NOS and IDO could improve the maturation of antitumor DC vaccines. R848 could prove a useful adjuvant for DC vaccines in human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariela A Moreno Ayala
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, piso 10, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Florencia Gottardo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, piso 10, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Soledad Gori
- Instituto de Medicina Experimental (IMEX) CONICET, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Javier Nicola Candia
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, piso 10, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carla Caruso
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, piso 10, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Andrea De Laurentiis
- Facultad de Medicina, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO-CONICET/UBA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Cátedra de Fisiología, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mercedes Imsen
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, piso 10, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Slobodanka Klein
- Área Investigación, Instituto de Oncología "Ángel H. Roffo", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Elisa Bal de Kier Joffé
- Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Área Investigación, Instituto de Oncología "Ángel H. Roffo", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Salamone
- Instituto de Medicina Experimental (IMEX) CONICET, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria G Castro
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Adriana Seilicovich
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, piso 10, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marianela Candolfi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, piso 10, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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29
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Lohmueller J, Finn OJ. Current modalities in cancer immunotherapy: Immunomodulatory antibodies, CARs and vaccines. Pharmacol Ther 2017; 178:31-47. [PMID: 28322974 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2017.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Successes of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in curing patients with otherwise lethal cancers have validated immunotherapy as a treatment for cancer and have inspired excitement for its broader potential. Most promising is the ability of each approach to eliminate bulky and advanced-stage cancers and to achieve durable cures. Despite this success, to date only a subset of cancer patients and a limited number of cancer types respond to these therapies. A major goal now is to expand the types of cancer and number of patients who can be successfully treated. To this end a multitude of immunotherapies are being tested clinically in new combinations, and many new immunomodulatory antibodies and CARs are in development. A third major immunotherapeutic approach with renewed interest is cancer vaccines. While over 20years of therapeutic cancer vaccine trials have met with limited success, these studies have laid the groundwork for the use of therapeutic vaccines in combination with other immunotherapies or alone as prophylactic cancer vaccines. Prophylactic vaccines are now poised to revolutionize cancer prevention as they have done for the prevention of infectious diseases. In this review we examine three major cancer immunotherapy modalities: immunomodulatory antibodies, CAR T cell therapy and vaccines. For each we describe the current state of the art and outline major challenges and research directions forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Lohmueller
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Olivera J Finn
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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30
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Hinrichs CS. Molecular Pathways: Breaking the Epithelial Cancer Barrier for Chimeric Antigen Receptor and T-cell Receptor Gene Therapy. Clin Cancer Res 2016; 22:1559-64. [PMID: 27037253 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-15-1294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of T cells genetically engineered to express a tumor-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) or T-cell receptor (TCR) can mediate cancer regression in some patients. CARs are synthetic single-chain proteins that use antibody domains to target cell surface antigens. TCRs are natural heterodimeric proteins that can target intracellular antigens through recognition of peptides bound to human leukocyte antigens. CARs have shown promise in B-cell malignancies and TCRs in melanoma, but neither approach has achieved clear success in an epithelial cancer. Treatment of epithelial cancers may be particularly challenging because of a paucity of target antigens expressed by carcinomas and not by important healthy tissues. In addition, epithelial cancers may be protected by inhibitory ligands and soluble factors in the tumor microenvironment. One strategy to overcome these negative regulators is to modulate expression of T-cell genes to enhance intrinsic T-cell function. Programmable nucleases, which can suppress inhibitory genes, and inducible gene expression systems, which can enhance stimulatory genes, are entering clinical testing. Other work is delineating whether control of genes for immune checkpoint receptors (e.g.,PDCD1, CTLA4) and cytokine and TCR signaling regulators (e.g.,CBLB, CISH, IL12, IL15) can increase the antitumor activity of therapeutic T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian S Hinrichs
- Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
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31
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Collinson-Pautz MR, Slawin KM, Levitt JM, Spencer DM. MyD88/CD40 Genetic Adjuvant Function in Cutaneous Atypical Antigen-Presenting Cells Contributes to DNA Vaccine Immunogenicity. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164547. [PMID: 27741278 PMCID: PMC5065236 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic DNA-based vaccines aim to prime an adaptive host immune response against tumor-associated antigens, eliminating cancer cells primarily through CD8+ cytotoxic T cell-mediated destruction. To be optimally effective, immunological adjuvants are required for the activation of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells responses by DNA vaccination. Here, we describe enhanced anti-tumor efficacy of an in vivo electroporation-delivered DNA vaccine by inclusion of a genetically encoded chimeric MyD88/CD40 (MC) adjuvant, which integrates both innate and adaptive immune signaling pathways. When incorporated into a DNA vaccine, signaling by the MC adjuvant increased antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and promoted elimination of pre-established tumors. Interestingly, MC-enhanced vaccine efficacy did not require direct-expression of either antigen or adjuvant by local antigen-presenting cells, but rather our data supports a key role for MC function in "atypical" antigen-presenting cells of skin. In particular, MC adjuvant-modified keratinocytes increased inflammatory cytokine secretion, upregulated surface MHC class I, and were able to increase in vitro and in vivo priming of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, in the absence of critical CD8α+/CD103+ cross-priming dendritic cells, MC was still able to promote immune priming in vivo, albeit at a reduced level. Altogether, our data support a mechanism by which MC signaling activates an inflammatory phenotype in atypical antigen-presenting cells within the cutaneous vaccination site, leading to an enhanced CD8+ T cell response against DNA vaccine-encoded antigens, through both CD8α+/CD103+ dendritic cell-dependent and independent pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Collinson-Pautz
- Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Kevin M. Slawin
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Jonathan M. Levitt
- Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - David M. Spencer
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
- Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Houston, TX, United States of America
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32
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Khan N, Pahari S, Vidyarthi A, Aqdas M, Agrewala JN. Stimulation through CD40 and TLR-4 Is an Effective Host Directed Therapy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Front Immunol 2016; 7:386. [PMID: 27729911 PMCID: PMC5037235 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among all infectious diseases. Failure of Bacillus Calmette Guerin as a vaccine and serious side-effects and toxicity due to long-term TB drug regime are the major hurdles associated with TB control. The problem is further compounded by the emergence of drug-resistance strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Consequently, it demands a serious attempt to explore safer and superior treatment approaches. Recently, an improved understanding of host–pathogen interaction has opened up new avenues for immunotherapy for treating TB. Although, dendritic cells (DCs) show a profound role in generating immunity against Mtb, their immunotherapeutic potential needs to be precisely investigated in controlling TB. Here, we have devised an approach of bolstering DCs efficacy against Mtb by delivering signals through CD40 and TLR-4 molecules. We found that DCs triggered through CD40 and TLR-4 showed increased secretion of IL-12, IL-6, and TNF-α. It also augmented autophagy. Interestingly, CD40 and TLR-4 stimulation along with the suboptimal dose of anti-TB drugs significantly fortified their efficacy to kill Mtb. Importantly, animals treated with the agonists of CD40 and TLR-4 boosted Th1 and Th17 immunity. Furthermore, it amplified the pool of memory CD4 T cells as well as CD8 T cells. Furthermore, substantial reduction in the bacterial burden in the lungs was observed. Notably, this adjunct therapy employing immunomodulators and chemotherapy can reinvigorate host immunity suppressed due to drugs and Mtb. Moreover, it would strengthen the potency of drugs in curing TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nargis Khan
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology , Chandigarh , India
| | - Susanta Pahari
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology , Chandigarh , India
| | | | - Mohammad Aqdas
- CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology , Chandigarh , India
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33
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Nakase I. [Creation of artificial receptors activated by coiled-coil peptides and cellular regulation]. YAKUGAKU ZASSHI 2016; 135:375-81. [PMID: 25759046 DOI: 10.1248/yakushi.14-00240-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Exploiting the ability of coiled-coil peptides to induce dimer formation, we designed an artificial epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in which dimerization is essential for increasing the tyrosine kinase activity of its intracellular domain. Using leucine-zipper coiled-coil peptides, the surface-exposed E3 ((EIAALEK)3) tag sequence was fused with EGFR (E3-EGFR) lacking domains I-III and a part of IV, which participate in dimerization of EGFR after binding to natural ligand (that is, epidermal growth factor). To dimerize E3-EGFR we synthesized conjugates of two K4 ((KIAALKE)4) peptides, called K4-conjugates, with linker lengths approximately 10 angstrom that mimic the distance of EGFR dimerization. Receptor phosphorylation of E3-EGFR was found to increase within 5 min in CHO cells expressing E3-EGFR after treatment with K4 conjugates. Increased lamellipodia formation and migration of the cells was also observed when treated with the artificial ligands. This receptor model can be applied to a wide variety of membrane-associated proteins to control cellular processes and to elucidate the functional mechanisms of these proteins using chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikuhiko Nakase
- Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center, Research Organization for the 21st Century, Osaka Prefecture University
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34
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Li J, Valentin A, Beach RK, Alicea C, Felber BK, Pavlakis GN. DNA is an efficient booster of dendritic cell-based vaccine. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 11:1927-35. [PMID: 26125100 PMCID: PMC4635890 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1020265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
DC-based therapeutic vaccines as a promising strategy against chronic infections and cancer have been validated in several clinical trials. However, DC-based vaccines are complex and require many in vitro manipulations, which makes this a personalized and expensive therapeutic approach. In contrast, DNA-based vaccines have many practical advantages including simplicity, low cost of manufacturing and potent immunogenicity already proven in non-human primates and humans. In this study, we explored whether DC-based vaccines can be simplified by the addition of plasmid DNA as prime or boost to achieve robust CD8-mediated immune responses. We compared the cellular immunity induced in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice by DC vaccines, loaded either with peptides or optimized SIV Env DNA, and plasmid DNA-based vaccines delivered by electroporation (EP). We found that mature DC loaded with peptides (P-mDC) induced the highest CD8(+) T cell responses in both strains of mice, but those responses were significantly higher in the C57BL/6 model. A heterologous prime-boost strategy (P-DC prime-DNA boost) induced CD8(+) T cell responses similar to those obtained by the P-DC vaccine. Importantly, this strategy elicited robust polyfunctional T cells as well as highest antigen-specific central memory CD8+ T cells in C57BL/6 mice, suggesting long-term memory responses. These results indicate that a DC-based vaccine in combination with DNA in a heterologous DC prime-DNA boost strategy has potential as a repeatedly administered vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyao Li
- a Human Retrovirus Section; Vaccine Branch; Center for Cancer Research; National Cancer Institute ; Frederick , MD USA
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35
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Juillerat A, Marechal A, Filhol JM, Valton J, Duclert A, Poirot L, Duchateau P. Design of chimeric antigen receptors with integrated controllable transient functions. Sci Rep 2016; 6:18950. [PMID: 26750734 PMCID: PMC4707440 DOI: 10.1038/srep18950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to control T cells engineered to permanently express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) is a key feature to improve safety. Here, we describe the development of a new CAR architecture with an integrated switch-on system that permits to control the CAR T-cell function. This system offers the advantage of a transient CAR T-cell for safety while letting open the possibility of multiple cytotoxicity cycles using a small molecule drug.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Julien Valton
- Cellectis Inc, 430E, 29th street, NYC, NY 10016, USA
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36
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Luo M, Shao B, Nie W, Wei XW, Li YL, Wang BL, He ZY, Liang X, Ye TH, Wei YQ. Antitumor and Adjuvant Activity of λ-carrageenan by Stimulating Immune Response in Cancer Immunotherapy. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11062. [PMID: 26098663 PMCID: PMC4476469 DOI: 10.1038/srep11062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
λ-Carrageenan is a seaweed polysaccharide which has been generally used as proinflammatory agent in the basic research, however, how the immunomodulating activity of λ-carrageenan affects tumor microenvironment remains unknown. In this study, we found that intratumoral injection of λ-carrageenan could inhibit tumor growth in B16-F10 and 4T1 bearing mice and enhance tumor immune response by increasing the number of tumor-infiltrating M1 macrophages, DCs and more activated CD4(+)CD8(+) T lymphocytes in spleen. In addition, λ-carrageenan could enhance the secretion of IL17A in spleen and significantly increase the level of TNF-α in tumor, most of which was secreted by infiltrating macrophages. Moreover, λ-carrageenan exhibited an efficient adjuvant effect in OVA-based preventative and therapeutic vaccine for cancer treatment, which significantly enhanced the production of anti-OVA antibody. The toxicity analysis suggested that λ-carrageenan was with a good safety profile. Thus, λ-carrageenan might be used both as a potent antitumor agent and an efficient adjuvant in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Bin Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Wen Nie
- Department of medical oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Xia-Wei Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Yu-Li Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Bi-Lan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Zhi-Yao He
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Xiao Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Ting-Hong Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
| | - Yu-Quan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Laboratory for Aging Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, PR China
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37
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Chakravarti D, Wong WW. Synthetic biology in cell-based cancer immunotherapy. Trends Biotechnol 2015; 33:449-61. [PMID: 26088008 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2015.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The adoptive transfer of genetically engineered T cells with cancer-targeting receptors has shown tremendous promise for eradicating tumors in clinical trials. This form of cellular immunotherapy presents a unique opportunity to incorporate advanced systems and synthetic biology approaches to create cancer therapeutics with novel functions. We first review the development of synthetic receptors, switches, and circuits to control the location, duration, and strength of T cell activity against tumors. In addition, we discuss the cellular engineering and genome editing of host cells (or the chassis) to improve the efficacy of cell-based cancer therapeutics, and to reduce the time and cost of manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deboki Chakravarti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Wilson W Wong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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38
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Abstract
Current therapy for sarcomas, though effective in treating local disease, is often ineffective for patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. To improve outcomes, novel approaches are needed and cell therapy has the potential to meet this need since it does not rely on the cytotoxic mechanisms of conventional therapies. The recent successes of T-cell therapies for hematological malignancies have led to renewed interest in exploring cell therapies for solid tumors such as sarcomas. In this review, we will discuss current cell therapies for sarcoma with special emphasis on genetic approaches to improve the effector function of adoptively transferred cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Mata
- Center for Cell & Gene Therapy, Texa Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Center for Cell & Gene Therapy, Texa Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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39
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Bruno A, Pagani A, Pulze L, Albini A, Dallaglio K, Noonan DM, Mortara L. Orchestration of angiogenesis by immune cells. Front Oncol 2014; 4:131. [PMID: 25072019 PMCID: PMC4078768 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2014.00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It is widely accepted that the tumor microenvironment (TUMIC) plays a major role in cancer and is indispensable for tumor progression. The TUMIC involves many "players" going well beyond the malignant-transformed cells, including stromal, immune, and endothelial cells (ECs). The non-malignant cells can acquire tumor-promoting functions during carcinogenesis. In particular, these cells can "orchestrate" the "symphony" of the angiogenic switch, permitting the creation of new blood vessels that allows rapid expansion and progression toward malignancy. Considerable attention within the context of tumor angiogenesis should focus not only on the ECs, representing a fundamental unit, but also on immune cells and on the inflammatory tumor infiltrate. Immune cells infiltrating tumors typically show a tumor-induced polarization associated with attenuation of anti-tumor functions and generation of pro-tumor activities, among these angiogenesis. Here, we propose a scenario suggesting that the angiogenic switch is an immune switch arising from the pro-angiogenic polarization of immune cells. This view links immunity, inflammation, and angiogenesis to tumor progression. Here, we review the data in the literature and seek to identify the "conductors" of this "orchestra." We also suggest that interrupting the immune → inflammation → angiogenesis → tumor progression process can delay or prevent tumor insurgence and malignant disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Bruno
- Scientific and Technology Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica , Milan , Italy
| | - Arianna Pagani
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria , Varese , Italy
| | - Laura Pulze
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria , Varese , Italy
| | - Adriana Albini
- Department of Research and Statistics, IRCCS Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova , Reggio Emilia , Italy
| | - Katiuscia Dallaglio
- Department of Research and Statistics, IRCCS Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova , Reggio Emilia , Italy
| | - Douglas M Noonan
- Scientific and Technology Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica , Milan , Italy ; Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria , Varese , Italy
| | - Lorenzo Mortara
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria , Varese , Italy
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40
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Badhiwala J, Decker WK, Berens ME, Bhardwaj RD. Clinical trials in cellular immunotherapy for brain/CNS tumors. Expert Rev Neurother 2013; 13:405-24. [PMID: 23545055 DOI: 10.1586/ern.13.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
High-grade gliomas are the most common type of primary malignant brain/CNS tumor. There have been only modest advances in surgical techniques, radiotherapy and chemotherapy for high-grade gliomas over the past several decades. None of these have provided a major improvement in survival for patients. Recently, immunotherapy has been explored for the treatment of high-grade gliomas. Immunotherapy capitalizes on the specificity of the host immune system to selectively target tumor cells for destruction, while sparing normal brain parenchyma, thus making it a particularly attractive option. This article provides a comprehensive review of published clinical trials evaluating cellular immunotherapy in primary brain/CNS tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jetan Badhiwala
- Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street W, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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41
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Zhou SX, Li FS, Qiao YL, Zhang XQ, Wang ZD. Toll-like Receptor 5 Agonist Inhibition of Growth of A549 Lung Cancer Cells in Vivo in a Myd88 Dependent Manner. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2012; 13:2807-12. [DOI: 10.7314/apjcp.2012.13.6.2807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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42
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Cryopreservation of adenovirus-transfected dendritic cells (DCs) for clinical use. Int Immunopharmacol 2012; 13:61-8. [PMID: 22465385 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2012.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2012] [Accepted: 03/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we examined the effects of cryoprotectant, freezing and thawing, and adenovirus (Adv) transduction on the viability, transgene expression, phenotype, and function of human dendritic cells (DCs). DCs were differentiated from cultured peripheral blood (PB) monocytes following Elutra isolation using granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) for 6 days and then transduced using an Adv vector with an IL-12 transgene. Fresh, cryopreserved, and thawed transduced immature DCs were examined for their: 1) cellular concentration and viability; 2) antigenicity using an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR); 3) phenotype (HLA-DR and CD11c) and activation (CD83); and 4) transgene expression based on IL-12 secretion. Stability studies revealed that transduced DCs could be held in cryoprotectant for as long as 75 min at 2-8°C prior to freezing with little effect on their viability and cellularity. Further, cryopreservation, storage, and thawing reduced the viability of the transduced DCs by an average of 7.7%; and had no significant impact on DC phenotype and activation. In summary, cryopreservation, storage, and thawing had no significant effect on DC viability, function, and transgene expression by Adv-transduced DCs.
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43
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Off-the-shelf adenoviral-mediated immunotherapy via bicistronic expression of tumor antigen and iMyD88/CD40 adjuvant. Mol Ther 2012; 20:1462-71. [PMID: 22434138 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2012.48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent modest successes in ex vivo dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy have motivated continued innovation in the area of DC manipulation and activation. Although ex vivo vaccine approaches continue to be proving grounds for new DC manipulation techniques, the intrinsic limits of ex vivo therapy, including high cost, minimal standardization, cumbersome delivery, and poor accessibility, incentivizes the development of vaccines compatible with in vivo DC targeting. We describe here a method to co-deliver both tumor-specific antigen (TSA) and an iMyD88/CD40 adjuvant (iMC), to DCs that combines toll-like receptor (TLR) and CD40 signaling. In this study, we demonstrate that simple TSA delivery via adenoviral vectors results in strong antitumor immunity. Addition of iMC delivered in a separate vector is insufficient to enhance this effect. However, when delivered simultaneously with TSA in a single bicistronic vector (BV), iMC is able to significantly enhance antigen-specific cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses and inhibit established tumor growth. This study demonstrates the spatial-temporal importance of concurrent DC activation and TSA presentation. Further, it demonstrates the feasibility of in vivo molecular enhancement of DCs necessary for effective antitumor immune responses.
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