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Jiao D, Hao M, Sun R, Ren X, Wei Y, Ding M, Yue X, Wu Z, Li C, Gao L, Ma C, Sang Y, Liang X, Liu H. Dynamic Hybrid Module-Driven NK Cell Stimulation and Release for Tumor Immunotherapy. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:5481-5489. [PMID: 38639407 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have become a powerful candidate for adoptive tumor immunotherapy, while their therapeutic efficacy in solid tumors remains unsatisfactory. Here, we developed a hybrid module with an injectable hydrogel and hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanobelts for the controlled delivery of NK cells to enhance the therapy of solid tumors. Surface-functionalized HAp nanobelts modified with agonistic antibodies against NKG2D and 4-1BB and cytokines IL-2 and IL-21 support survival and dynamic activation. Thus, the HAp-modified chitosan (CS) thermos-sensitive hydrogel not only improved the retention of NK cells for more than 20 days in vivo but also increased NK cell function by more than one-fold. The unique architecture of this biomaterial complex protects NK cells from the hostile tumor environment and improves antitumor efficacy. The generation of a transient inflammatory niche for NK cells through a biocompatible hydrogel reservoir may be a conversion pathway to prevent cancer recurrence of resectable tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deyan Jiao
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Min Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Renhui Sun
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Xiaolei Ren
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Yanfei Wei
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Miaomiao Ding
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Xuetian Yue
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Zhuanchang Wu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Equipment for Biological Diagnosis and Therapy, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Chunyang Li
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Cheeloo College of Medical, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Lifen Gao
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Equipment for Biological Diagnosis and Therapy, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Chunhong Ma
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Equipment for Biological Diagnosis and Therapy, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Yuanhua Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Xiaohong Liang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Department of Immunology, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Equipment for Biological Diagnosis and Therapy, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
| | - Hong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250000, China
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Shin GC, Lee HM, Kim N, Seo SU, Kim KP, Kim KH. PRKCSH contributes to TNFSF resistance by extending IGF1R half-life and activation in lung cancer. Exp Mol Med 2024; 56:192-209. [PMID: 38200153 PMCID: PMC10834952 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-023-01147-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) resistance contributes to the development and progression of tumors and resistance to various cancer therapies. Tumor-intrinsic alterations involved in the adaptation to the TNFSF response remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that protein kinase C substrate 80K-H (PRKCSH) abundance in lung cancers boosts oncogenic IGF1R activation, leading to TNFSF resistance. PRKCSH abundance is correlated with IGF1R upregulation in lung cancer tissues. Specifically, PRKCSH interacts with IGF1R and extends its half-life. The PRKCSH-IGF1R axis in tumor cells impairs caspase-8 activation, increases Mcl-1 expression, and inhibits caspase-9, leading to an imbalance between cell death and survival. PRKCSH deficiency augmented the antitumor effects of natural killer (NK) cells, representative TNFSF effector cells, in a tumor xenograft IL-2Rg-deficient NOD/SCID (NIG) mouse model. Our data suggest that PRKCSH plays a critical role in TNFSF resistance and may be a potential target to improve the efficacy of NK cell-based cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gu-Choul Shin
- Department of Precision Medicine, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyeong Min Lee
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Institute of Natural Science, Global Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredient Materials, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, Kyung Hee Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02453, Republic of Korea
| | - Nayeon Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Uk Seo
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang Pyo Kim
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Institute of Natural Science, Global Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredient Materials, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 446-701, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, Kyung Hee Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02453, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyun-Hwan Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.
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Kaur K, Jewett A. Osteoclasts and Probiotics Mediate Significant Expansion, Functional Activation and Supercharging in NK, γδ T, and CD3+ T Cells: Use in Cancer Immunotherapy. Cells 2024; 13:213. [PMID: 38334605 PMCID: PMC10854567 DOI: 10.3390/cells13030213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Our previous studies have introduced osteoclasts (OCs) as major activators of NK cells. It was found that OCs exhibit the capabilities of inducing cell expansion as well as increasing the cytotoxic activity of NK cells by granule release and increasing the secretion of TNF-α and TRAIL, leading to increased lysis of tumors in short-term as well as long-term periods, respectively. OC- induced expanded NK cells were named supercharged NK cells (sNK) due to their significantly high functional activity as well as their significantly higher cell expansion rate. It is, however, unclear whether the OC-mediated effect in NK cells is specific or whether other cytotoxic immune cells can also be expanded and activated by OCs. We chose to focus on γδ T cells and pan T cells, which also include CD8+ T cells. In this paper, we report that OCs are capable of expanding and functionally activating both γδ T cells and pan T cells. Expanded γδ T and pan T cells were capable of secreting high levels of INF-γ, albeit with different dynamics to those of NK cells, and, moreover, they are unable to kill NK-specific targets. Since we used humanized-BLT (hu-BLT) mice as a model of human disease, we next determined whether NK and T cell activation through OCs is also evident in cells obtained from hu-BLT mice. Similar to humans, OCs were capable of increasing the cell expansion and secretion of IFN-γ in the culture of either NK or T cells from hu-BLT mice, providing yet further evidence that these mice are appropriate models to study human disease. Therefore, these studies indicated that CD3+ T or γδ T cells can proliferate and be supercharged by OCs similar to the NK cells; thus, they can be used individually or in combination in the cell therapy of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kawaljit Kaur
- Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, School of Dentistry and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Anahid Jewett
- Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, School of Dentistry and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
- The Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Dentistry and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Kaur K, Jewett A. Role of Natural Killer Cells as Cell-Based Immunotherapy in Oral Tumor Eradication and Differentiation Both In Vivo and In Vitro. Crit Rev Immunol 2024; 44:87-98. [PMID: 38618731 DOI: 10.1615/critrevimmunol.2024052389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Despite advancements in the field of cancer therapeutics, the five-year survival rate remains low in oral cancer patients. Therefore, the effective therapeutics are needed against oral cancer. Also, several studies including ours, have shown severely suppressed function and number of NK cells in oral cancer patients. In this review, we discuss the approach to inhibit the tumor growth and metastasis by direct killing or NK cell-mediated tumor differentiation. This review also provides an overview on supercharging NK cells using osteoclasts and probiotic bacteria, and their efficacy as cancer immunotherapeutic in humanized-BLT mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kawaljit Kaur
- Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, The Jane and Jerry Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology, University of California School of Dentistry, 10833 Le Conte Ave, 90095 Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Anahid Jewett
- Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, The Jane and Jerry Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology, University of California School of Dentistry, 10833 Le Conte Ave, 90095 Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA School of Dentistry and Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Martín Almazán N, Sala BM, Sandalova T, Sun Y, Resink T, Cichocki F, Söderberg-Nauclér C, Miller JS, Achour A, Sarhan D. Non-classical HLA-E restricted CMV 15-mer peptides are recognized by adaptive NK cells and induce memory responses. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1230718. [PMID: 37809084 PMCID: PMC10552778 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1230718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reactivation causes complications in immunocompromised patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), significantly increasing morbidity and mortality. Adaptive Natural Killer (aNK) cells undergo a persistent reconfiguration in response to HCMV reactivation; however, the exact role of aNK cell memory in HCMV surveillance remains elusive. Methods We employed mass spectrometry and computational prediction approaches to identify HLA-E-restricted HCMV peptides that can elucidate aNK cell responses. We also used the K562 cell line transfected with HLA-E0*0103 for specific peptide binding and blocking assays. Subsequently, NK cells were cocultured with dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with each of the identified peptides to examine aNK and conventional (c)NK cell responses. Results Here, we discovered three unconventional HLA-E-restricted 15-mer peptides (SEVENVSVNVHNPTG, TSGSDSDEELVTTER, and DSDEELVTTERKTPR) derived from the HCMV pp65-protein that elicit aNK cell memory responses restricted to HCMV. aNK cells displayed memory responses towards HMCV-infected cells and HCMV-seropositive individuals when primed by DCs loaded with each of these peptides and predicted 9-mer versions. Blocking the interaction between HLA-E and the activation NKG2C receptor but not the inhibitory NKG2A receptor abolished these specific recall responses. Interestingly, compared to the HLA-E complex with the leader peptide VMAPRTLIL, HLA-E complexes formed with each of the three identified peptides significantly changed the surface electrostatic potential to highly negative. Furthermore, these peptides do not comprise the classical HLA-E-restriction motifs. Discussion These findings suggest a differential binding to NKG2C compared to HLA-E complexes with classical leader peptides that may result in the specific activation of aNK cells. We then designed six nonameric peptides based on the three discovered peptides that could elicit aNK cell memory responses to HCMV necessary for therapeutic inventions. The results provide novel insights into HLA-E-mediated signaling networks that mediate aNK cell recall responses and maximize their reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Martín Almazán
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Benedetta Maria Sala
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tatyana Sandalova
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yizhe Sun
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tom Resink
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Frank Cichocki
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Cecilia Söderberg-Nauclér
- Department of Medicine, Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Neurology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institute of Biomedicine, Unit for Infection and immunology, MediCity Research Laboratory, InFLAMES Flagship, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jeffrey S Miller
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dhifaf Sarhan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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Karvouni M, Vidal-Manrique M, Susek KH, Hussain A, Gilljam M, Zhang Y, Gray JD, Lund J, Kaufmann G, Ljunggren HG, Ji H, Lundqvist A, Wagner AK, Guo W, Alici E. Challenges in αCD38-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy in multiple myeloma: Harnessing the CD38dim phenotype of cytokine-stimulated NK cells as a strategy to prevent fratricide. Cytotherapy 2023:S1465-3249(23)00068-3. [PMID: 37055320 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS Adoptive cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing natural killer (NK) cells is an emerging approach that holds promise in multiple myeloma (MM). However, the generation of CAR-NK cells targeting CD38 is met with obstacles due to the expression of CD38 on NK cells. Knock-out of CD38 is currently explored as a strategy, although the consequences of the lack of CD38 expression with regards to engraftment and activity in the bone marrow microenvironment are not fully elucidated. Here, we present an alternative approach by harnessing the CD38dim phenotype occurring during long-term cytokine stimulation of primary NK cells. METHODS Primary NK cells were expanded from peripheral blood mononuclear cells by long-term IL-2 stimulation. During expansion, the CD38 expression was monitored in order to identify a time point when introduction of a novel affinity-optimized αCD38-CAR confered optimal viability, i.e. prevented fratricide. CD38dim NK cells were trasduced with retroviral vectors encoding for the CAR trasngene and their functionality was assessed in in vitro activation and cytotoxicity assays. RESULTS We verified the functionality of the αCD38-CAR-NK cells against CD38+ cell lines and primary MM cells. Importantly, we demonstrated that αCD38-CAR-NK cells derived from patients with MM have increased activity against autologous MM samples ex vivo. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results highlight that incorporation of a functional αCD38-CAR construct into a suitable NK-cell expansion and activation protocol results in a potent and feasible immunotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of patients with MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Karvouni
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marcos Vidal-Manrique
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Katharina H Susek
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alamdar Hussain
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mari Gilljam
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - J Dixon Gray
- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, California, USA
| | - Johan Lund
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henry Ji
- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, California, USA
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arnika K Wagner
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Wenzhong Guo
- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, California, USA
| | - Evren Alici
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Improved Antitumor Effect of NK Cells Activated by Neutrophils in a Bone Marrow Transplant Model. Mediators Inflamm 2023; 2023:6316581. [PMID: 36762286 PMCID: PMC9904906 DOI: 10.1155/2023/6316581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The licensing process mediated by inhibitory receptors of the Ly49 C-type lectin superfamily that recognizes self-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I in mice is essential for the proper antitumor function of natural killer (NK) cells. Several models for NK cell licensing can be exploited for adoptive immunotherapy for cancer. However, the appropriate adoptive transfer setting to induce efficient graft versus tumor/leukemia effects remains elusive, especially after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In our previous experiment, we showed that intraperitoneal neutrophil administration with their corresponding NK receptor ligand-activated NK cells using congenic mice without HSCT. In this experiment, we demonstrate enhanced antitumor effects of licensed NK cells induced by weekly intraperitoneal injections of irradiated neutrophil-enriched peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) in recipient mice bearing lymphoma. Bone marrow transplantation was performed using BALB/c mice (H-2d) as the recipient and B10 mice (H-2b) as the donor. The tumor was A20, a BALB/c-derived lymphoma cell line, which was injected subcutaneously into the recipient at the same time as the HSCT. Acute graft versus host disease was not exacerbated in this murine MHC class I mismatched HSCT setting. The intraperitoneal injection of PBMNCs activated a transient licensing of NK subsets expressed Ly49G2, its corresponding NK receptor ligand to H-2d, and reduced A20 tumor growth in the recipient after HSCT. Pathological examination revealed that increased donor-oriented NK1.1+NK cells migrated into the recipient tumors, depending on neutrophil counts in the administered PBMNCs. Collectively, our data reveal a pivotal role of neutrophils in promoting NK cell effector functions and adoptive immunotherapy for cancer.
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Raza A, Rossi GR, Janjua TI, Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes F, Popat A. Nanobiomaterials to modulate natural killer cell responses for effective cancer immunotherapy. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:77-92. [PMID: 35840426 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have emerged as a major target for cancer immunotherapies, particularly as cellular therapy modalities because they have relatively less toxicity than T lymphocytes. However, NK cell-based therapy suffers from many challenges, including problems with its activation, resistance to genetic engineering, and large-scale expansion needed for therapeutic purposes. Recently, nanobiomaterials have emerged as a promising solution to control the challenges associated with NK cells. This focused review summarises the recent advances in the field and highlights current and future perspectives of using nanobiomaterials to maximise anticancer responses of NK cells for safe and effective immunotherapy. Finally, we provide our opinion on the role of smart materials in activating NK cells as a potential cellular therapy of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aun Raza
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Gustavo Rodrigues Rossi
- University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Taskeen Iqbal Janjua
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | | | - Amirali Popat
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
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Roshandel E, Ghaffari-Nazari H, Mohammadian M, Salimi M, Abroun S, Mirfakhraie R, Hajifathali A. NK cell therapy in relapsed refractory multiple myeloma. Clin Immunol 2023; 246:109168. [PMID: 36415020 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2022.109168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in adoptive cell therapy have considerably changed the paradigm of cancer immunotherapy. Although current immunotherapies could cure many patients with multiple myeloma (MM), relapsed/refractory MM (RR/MM) is still challenging in some cases. Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that exert effective cytotoxic activity against malignant cells like myeloma cells. In addition to their antitumor properties, NK cells do not induce graft versus host disease following transplantation. Therefore, they provide a promising approach to treating RR/MM patients. Currently, attempts have been made to produce large-scale and good manufacturing practices (GMP) of NK cells. Ex vivo expanded/activated NK cells derived from the own patient or allogenic donors are potential options for NK cell therapy in MM. Besides, novel cell-based products such as NK cell lines and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cells may provide an off-the-shelf source for NK cell therapy. Here, we summarized NK cell activity in the MM microenvironment and focused on different NK cell therapy methods for MM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Roshandel
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Haniyeh Ghaffari-Nazari
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mozhdeh Mohammadian
- Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Salimi
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeid Abroun
- Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Reza Mirfakhraie
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Abbas Hajifathali
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
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10
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Thangaraj JL, Jung SH, Vo MC, Chu TH, Phan MTT, Lee KH, Ahn SY, Kim M, Song GY, Ahn JS, Yang DH, Kim HJ, Cho D, Lee JJ. Expanded natural killer cells potentiate the antimyeloma activity of daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone in a myeloma xenograft model. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2022; 72:1233-1246. [PMID: 36385211 PMCID: PMC10110729 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-022-03322-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe development of new treatment agents in recent decades has significantly improved the survival of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Nonetheless, MM remains an incurable disease; therefore, novel combination therapies are required. Natural killer (NK) cells are one of the safest immunotherapeutic options. In this study, we found that the anti-myeloma activity of expanded NK cells (eNKs) was improved by daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (DRd) in an MM xenograft mouse model. NK cells expanded from peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from MM patients were highly cytotoxic against DRd pretreated tumor cells in vitro. To mimic the clinical protocol, a human MM xenograft model was developed using human RPMI8226-RFP-FLuc cells in NOD/SCID IL-2Rγnull (NSG) mice. MM bearing mice were randomly divided into six groups: no treatment, eNK, Rd, Rd + eNKs, DRd, and DRd + eNKs. DRd significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of eNKs by upregulating NK cell activation ligands and effector function. DRd in combination with eNKs significantly reduced the serum M-protein level and prolonged mouse survival. In addition, DRd significantly increased the persistence of eNK and homing to MM sites. These results show that the anti-myeloma activity of ex vivo-expanded and activated NK cells is augmented by the immunomodulatory effect of DRd in MM-bearing mice, suggesting the therapeutic potential of this combination for MM patients.
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11
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Yang X, Weng D, Pan Q, Xiang T, Yang C, Wu Z, Li M, Xie S, Tang Y, Xia J, Zhao J. Adjuvant alternative cytokine-induced killer cell combined with natural killer cell immunotherapy improves the prognosis of post-mastectomy breast cancer. Front Immunol 2022; 13:974487. [DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.974487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a significantly worse prognosis due to the lack of endocrine receptors including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). In this study, we investigated adjuvant cellular immunotherapy (CIT) in patients with post-mastectomy breast cancer. We enrolled 214 post-mastectomy breast cancer patients, including 107 patients in the control group (who received chemotherapy/radiotherapy/endocrine therapy) and the other 107 patients in the CIT group (who received chemotherapy/radiotherapy/endocrine therapy and subsequent immune cell infusion). Of these 214 patients, 54 had TNBC, including 26 patients in the control group and 28 patients in the CIT group. Survival analysis showed that the overall survival rate of patients treated with cellular immunotherapy was higher than that of patients who were not treated with CIT. Compared to those who received cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells alone, the patients who received CIK combined with natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapy showed the best overall survival rate. In subgroup analyses, adjuvant CIT significantly improved the overall survival of patients in the TNBC subgroup and the patients who were aged over 50 years. Our study indicates that adjuvant CIK cell combined with NK cell treatment is an effective therapeutic strategy to prolong the survival of post-mastectomy patients, particularly for TNBC patients and those who are aged over 50 years.
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12
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Susek KH, Schwietzer YA, Karvouni M, Gilljam M, Keszei M, Hussain A, Lund J, Kashif M, Lundqvist A, Ljunggren HG, Nahi H, Wagner AK, Alici E. Generation of NK cells with chimeric-switch receptors to overcome PD1-mediated inhibition in cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2022; 72:1153-1167. [PMID: 36355079 PMCID: PMC10110653 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-022-03317-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMultiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological cancer, in which immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has failed due to uncontrollable immune responses in combination therapies and lack of efficacy in monotherapies. Although NK cell-specific checkpoint targets such as NKG2A and KIRs are currently being evaluated in clinical trials, the clinical impact of NK cells on the PD1 cascade is less well understood compared to T cells. Furthermore, while NK cells have effector activity within the TME, under continuous ligand exposure, NK cell dysfunctionality may occur due to interaction of PD1 and its ligand PD-L1. Due to above-mentioned factors, we designed novel NK cell specific PD1-based chimeric switch receptors (PD1-CSR) by employing signaling domains of DAP10, DAP12 and CD3ζ to revert NK cell inhibition and retarget ICI. PD1-CSR modified NK cells showed increased degranulation, cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity upon recognition of PD-L1+ target cells. Additionally, PD1-CSR+ NK cells infiltrated and killed tumor spheroids. While primary NK cells (pNK), expressing native PD1, showed decreased degranulation and cytokine production against PD-L1+ target cells by twofold, PD1-CSR+ pNK cells demonstrated increased activity upon PD-L1+ target cell recognition and enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. PD1-CSR+ pNK cells from patients with MM increased degranulation and cytokine expression against autologous CD138+PD-L1+ malignant plasma cells. Taken together, the present results demonstrate that PD1-CSR+ NK cells enhance and sustain potent anti-tumor activity in a PD-L1+ microenvironment and thus represent a promising strategy to advance adoptive NK cell-based immunotherapies toward PD-L1+ cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina H Susek
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ysabel A Schwietzer
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria Karvouni
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mari Gilljam
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marton Keszei
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alamdar Hussain
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Lund
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Muhammad Kashif
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Department of Medicine, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hareth Nahi
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arnika K Wagner
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Evren Alici
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
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13
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Wang X, Yang X, Yuan X, Wang W, Wang Y. Chimeric antigen receptor-engineered NK cells: new weapons of cancer immunotherapy with great potential. Exp Hematol Oncol 2022; 11:85. [PMID: 36324149 PMCID: PMC9628181 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-022-00341-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T (CAR-T) cells have obtained prominent achievement in the clinical immunotherapy of hematological malignant tumors, leading to a rapid development of cellular immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Scientists are also aware of the prospective advantages of CAR engineering in cellular immunotherapy. Due to various limitations such as the serious side effects of CAR-T therapy, researchers began to investigate other immune cells for CAR modification. Natural killer (NK) cells are critical innate immune cells with the characteristic of non-specifically recognizing target cells and with the potential to become "off-the-shelf" products. In recent years, many preclinical studies on CAR-engineered NK (CAR-NK) cells have shown their remarkable efficacy in cancer therapy and their superiority over autologous CAR-T cells. In this review, we summarize the generation, mechanisms of anti-tumor activity and unique advantages of CAR-NK cells, and then analyze some challenges and recent clinical trials about CAR-NK cells therapy. We believe that CAR-NK therapy is a promising prospect for cancer immunotherapy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Wang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
| | - Xuejiao Yang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
| | - Xiang Yuan
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Thoracic Oncology, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Wenbo Wang
- grid.24516.340000000123704535Department of Oncology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072 China
| | - Yueying Wang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
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14
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Bioactivity of Exosomes Derived from Trained Natural Killer Cells versus Non-Trained One: More Functional and Antitumor Activity. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:5396628. [PMID: 36060136 PMCID: PMC9433262 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5396628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes of the innate immune system, capable of killing viral-infected and cancerous cells. NK cell-mediated immunotherapy has remarkably changed the current paradigm of cancer treatment in recent years. It emerged as a safe and effective therapeutic approach for patients with advanced-stage leukemia. Several immune-escape mechanisms can be enacted by cancer cells to avoid NK-mediated killing. Exosomes released by NK cells that carry proteins and miRNAs can exert an antitumor effect. In the present study, we hypothesized that maybe exosomes derived from trained natural killer cells show more antitumor effect in comparison to non-trained one. Methods PBMC was separated by the Ficoll method and cultured with IL-2 for 21 days to expand NK cells. The NK cells were co-cultured with K562 for 72 hours and exosome-derived co-cultured (as trained) and natural killer cell-derived exosomes (as non-trained) were extracted by Exo kit. The exosomes were confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), flow cytometry, and western blotting. The K562 cells were separately treated by trained and non-trained exosomes and MTT assay, apoptosis, and real-time PCR were performed. Results Based on flow cytometry, CD56 marker was 89.7% and 40.1% for NK cells and NK-derived exosomes, respectively. CD63 and CD9 were positive for exosomes by western blotting. The morphology of exosome was confirmed by TEM. Treated K562 cells by trained exosomes indicated the diminished cell viability and higher apoptosis. Furthermore, the trained exosomes showed up-regulation in both P53 and caspase3 genes as compared with non-trained sample. Discussion. Trained Exos showed a potent inhibitory effect on proliferation and induced apoptosis on K562 cell lines compared to the same dose of non-trained Exos. According to the results of qRT-PCR, trained Exos exerted an antitumor activity through up-regulation of caspase 3 and P53 in the apoptotic signaling pathway in tumor cells. Our findings indicate an effective action of trained Exos against cancer cells.
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15
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Mechanical and Cell-Adhesive Properties of Gelatin/Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogels and Their Application in Wound Dressing. Macromol Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13233-022-0027-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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16
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Kotzur R, Duev-Cohen A, Kol I, Reches A, Mandelboim O, Stein N. NK-92 cells retain vitality and functionality when grown in standard cell culture conditions. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264897. [PMID: 35294457 PMCID: PMC8926178 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
NK-92 cells are an off-the-shelf, cell-based immunotherapy currently in clinical trials for a variety of cancer types. As the most 'NK-like' cell line available, it is also an important research tool. To date, NK-92 cells have been cultivated in a costly and time-consumingly prepared specialized medium, complicating research with these cells. Here we show that NK-92 cells grow in the comparatively user-friendly RPMI medium supplemented with IL-2. We demonstrate that their metabolic activity and replication rates are even improved in RPMI. Furthermore, they can be grown in cell culture dishes and do not need to be expanded in ventilated flasks. We show that in RPMI the cells retain functional characteristics relating to receptor expression, IFN-γ secretion, and killing. Our findings will enable more researchers to work with and manipulate this cell line, hopefully leading to further discoveries and improved therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Kotzur
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Alexandra Duev-Cohen
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Inbal Kol
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Adi Reches
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ofer Mandelboim
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail: (OM); (NS)
| | - Natan Stein
- The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail: (OM); (NS)
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17
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Venglar O, Bago JR, Motais B, Hajek R, Jelinek T. Natural Killer Cells in the Malignant Niche of Multiple Myeloma. Front Immunol 2022; 12:816499. [PMID: 35087536 PMCID: PMC8787055 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.816499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells represent a subset of CD3- CD7+ CD56+/dim lymphocytes with cytotoxic and suppressor activity against virus-infected cells and cancer cells. The overall potential of NK cells has brought them to the spotlight of targeted immunotherapy in solid and hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM). Nonetheless, NK cells are subjected to a variety of cancer defense mechanisms, leading to impaired maturation, chemotaxis, target recognition, and killing. This review aims to summarize the available and most current knowledge about cancer-related impairment of NK cell function occurring in MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondrej Venglar
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia.,Hematooncology Clinic, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Julio Rodriguez Bago
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia.,Hematooncology Clinic, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Benjamin Motais
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Roman Hajek
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia.,Hematooncology Clinic, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
| | - Tomas Jelinek
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia.,Hematooncology Clinic, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
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18
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Karvouni M, Vidal-Manrique M, Lundqvist A, Alici E. Engineered NK Cells Against Cancer and Their Potential Applications Beyond. Front Immunol 2022; 13:825979. [PMID: 35242135 PMCID: PMC8887605 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.825979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell therapy is an innovative therapeutic concept where viable cells are implanted, infused, or grafted into a patient to treat impaired or malignant tissues. The term was first introduced circa the 19th century and has since resulted in multiple breakthroughs in different fields of medicine, such as neurology, cardiology, and oncology. Lately, cell and gene therapy are merging to provide cell products with additional or enhanced properties. In this context, adoptive transfer of genetically modified cytotoxic lymphocytes has emerged as a novel treatment option for cancer patients. To this day, five cell therapy products have been FDA approved, four of which for CD19-positive malignancies and one for B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-positive malignancies. These are personalized immunotherapies where patient T cells are engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with the aim to redirect the cells against tumor-specific antigens. CAR-T cell therapies show impressive objective response rates in clinical trials that, in certain instances, may reach up to 80%. However, the life-threatening side effects associated with T cell toxicity and the manufacturing difficulties of developing personalized therapies hamper their widespread use. Recent literature suggests that Natural Killer (NK) cells, may provide a safer alternative and an 'off-the-shelf' treatment option thanks to their potent antitumor properties and relatively short lifespan. Here, we will discuss the potential of NK cells in CAR-based therapies focusing on the applications of CAR-NK cells in cancer therapy and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Karvouni
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marcos Vidal-Manrique
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology‐Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Evren Alici
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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19
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Nahi H, Chrobok M, Meinke S, Gran C, Marquardt N, Afram G, Sutlu T, Gilljam M, Stellan B, Wagner AK, Blomberg P, Holmqvist PH, Walther-Jallow L, Mellström K, Liwing J, Gustafsson C, Månsson R, Klimkowska M, Gahrton G, Lund J, Ljungman P, Ljunggren HG, Alici E. Autologous NK cells as consolidation therapy following stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma. Cell Rep Med 2022; 3:100508. [PMID: 35243416 PMCID: PMC8861830 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Few approaches have been made toward exploring autologous NK cells in settings of cancer immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of infusing multiple doses of ex vivo activated and expanded autologous NK cells in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) post-autologous stem cell transplantation. Infused NK cells were detected in circulation up to 4 weeks after the last infusion. Elevations in plasma granzyme B levels were observed following each consecutive NK cell infusion. Moreover, increased granzyme B levels were detected in bone marrow 4 weeks after the last infusion. All measurable patients had objective, detectable responses after NK cell infusions in terms of reduction in M-component and/or minimal residual disease. The present study demonstrates that autologous NK cell-based immunotherapy is feasible in a setting of MM consolidation therapy. It opens up the possibility for usage of autologous NK cells in clinical settings where patients are not readily eligible for allogeneic NK cell-based immunotherapies. Infusing activated and expanded autologous NK cells in patients with MM is possible Infused NK cells are detected in circulation for up to 4 weeks Elevated granzyme B levels are observed following each consecutive NK cell infusion Objective, detectable responses after NK cell infusions are seen in patients
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Affiliation(s)
- Hareth Nahi
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Michael Chrobok
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Stephan Meinke
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Gran
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska University Laboratory, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Nicole Marquardt
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Gabriel Afram
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Tolga Sutlu
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Mari Gilljam
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Birgitta Stellan
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Arnika K Wagner
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Pontus Blomberg
- Vecura, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden.,Vecura, Karolinska Cell Therapy Center, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per-Henrik Holmqvist
- Vecura, Karolinska Cell Therapy Center, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lilian Walther-Jallow
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Karin Mellström
- XNK Therapeutics AB, Hälsovägen 7, Novum, SE-14157 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Johan Liwing
- XNK Therapeutics AB, Hälsovägen 7, Novum, SE-14157 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Gustafsson
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Robert Månsson
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Monika Klimkowska
- Pathology Unit, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Pathology and Cytology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Gösta Gahrton
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Johan Lund
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Per Ljungman
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, SE-14186 Huddinge, Sweden.,Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Evren Alici
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden
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Michel T, Ollert M, Zimmer J. A Hot Topic: Cancer Immunotherapy and Natural Killer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020797. [PMID: 35054985 PMCID: PMC8776043 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite significant progress in recent years, the therapeutic approach of the multiple different forms of human cancer often remains a challenge. Besides the well-established cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, immunotherapeutic strategies gain more and more attention, and some of them have already been successfully introduced into the clinic. Among these, immunotherapy based on natural killer (NK) cells is considered as one of the most promising options. In the present review, we will expose the different possibilities NK cells offer in this context, compare data about the theoretical background and mechanism(s) of action, report some results of clinical trials and identify several very recent trends. The pharmaceutical industry is quite interested in NK cell immunotherapy, which will benefit the speed of progress in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Michel
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (T.M.); (M.O.)
| | - Markus Ollert
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (T.M.); (M.O.)
- Odense Research Center for Anaphylaxis (ORCA), Department of Dermatology and Allergy Center, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000 Odense, Denmark
| | - Jacques Zimmer
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29 Rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (T.M.); (M.O.)
- Correspondence:
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21
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Clara JA, Childs RW. Harnessing natural killer cells for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Semin Oncol 2022; 49:69-85. [DOI: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2022.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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22
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Abakushina EV, Popova LI, Zamyatnin AA, Werner J, Mikhailovsky NV, Bazhin AV. The Advantages and Challenges of Anticancer Dendritic Cell Vaccines and NK Cells in Adoptive Cell Immunotherapy. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:1363. [PMID: 34835294 PMCID: PMC8625865 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9111363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, an impressive advance was achieved in adoptive cell therapy (ACT), which has improved therapeutic potential and significant value in promising cancer treatment for patients. The ACT is based on the cell transfer of dendritic cells (DCs) and/or immune effector cells. DCs are often used as vaccine carriers or antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to prime naive T cells ex vivo or in vivo. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells are used as major tool effector cells for ACT. Despite the fact that NK cell immunotherapy is highly effective and promising against many cancer types, there are still some limitations, including insignificant infiltration, adverse conditions of the microenvironment, the immunosuppressive cellular populations, and the low cytotoxic activity in solid tumors. To overcome these difficulties, novel methods of NK cell isolation, expansion, and stimulation of cytotoxic activity should be designed. In this review, we discuss the basic characteristics of DC vaccines and NK cells as potential adoptive cell preparations in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena V. Abakushina
- Department for Development and Research in Immunology, LLC “Tecon Medical Devices”, 123298 Moscow, Russia; (L.I.P.); (N.V.M.)
| | - Liubov I. Popova
- Department for Development and Research in Immunology, LLC “Tecon Medical Devices”, 123298 Moscow, Russia; (L.I.P.); (N.V.M.)
| | - Andrey A. Zamyatnin
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia;
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Biotechnology, Sirius University of Science and Technology, 1 Olympic Ave, 354340 Sochi, Russia
| | - Jens Werner
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (J.W.); (A.V.B.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nikolay V. Mikhailovsky
- Department for Development and Research in Immunology, LLC “Tecon Medical Devices”, 123298 Moscow, Russia; (L.I.P.); (N.V.M.)
| | - Alexandr V. Bazhin
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (J.W.); (A.V.B.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
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23
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Expansion of cytotoxic natural killer cells in multiple myeloma patients using K562 cells expressing OX40 ligand and membrane-bound IL-18 and IL-21. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2021; 71:613-625. [PMID: 34282497 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-021-02982-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy is a promising treatment approach for multiple myeloma (MM), but obtaining a sufficient number of activated NK cells remains challenging. Here, we report an improved method to generate ex vivo expanded NK (eNK) cells from MM patients based on genetic engineering of K562 cells to express OX40 ligand and membrane-bound (mb) IL-18 and IL-21. METHODS K562-OX40L-mbIL-18/-21 cells were generated by transducing K562-OX40L cells with a lentiviral vector encoding mbIL-18 and mbIL-21, and these were used as feeder cells to expand NK cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy donors (HDs) and MM patients in the presence of IL-2/IL-15. Purity, expansion rate, receptor expression, and functions of eNK cells were determined over four weeks of culture. RESULTS NK cell expansion was enhanced by short exposure of soluble IL-18 and IL-21 with K562-OX40L cells. Co-culture of NK cells with K562-OX40L-mbIL-18/-21 cells resulted in remarkable expansion of NK cells from HDs (9,860-fold) and MM patients (4,929-fold) over the 28-day culture period. Moreover, eNK cells showed increased expression of major activation markers and enhanced cytotoxicity towards target K562, U266, and RPMI8226 cells. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that genetically engineered K562 cells expressing OX40L, mbIL-18, and mbIL-21 improve the expansion of NK cells, increase activation signals, and enhance their cytolytic activity towards MM cells.
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24
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Hughes T, Cottini F, Catton E, Ciarlariello D, Chen L, Yang Y, Liu B, Mundy-Bosse BL, Benson DM. Functional expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor as a potential novel therapeutic target in human multiple myeloma. Leuk Lymphoma 2021; 62:2968-2980. [PMID: 34232800 DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2021.1948033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The etiology of multiple myeloma (MM) remains incompletely understood; however, epidemiologic studies have suggested a possible link between exposure to environmental aromatic hydrocarbons-which serve as exogenous ligands for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which has been implicated in cancer biology-and development of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and MM. Herein, we demonstrate the functional expression of AHR in MM cell lines and primary human MM samples. AHR is expressed in putative MM 'stem cells' and advanced clinical stages of MM, and functionally contributes to MM tumor cell phenotype and proliferation. Antagonism of AHR directly impairs MM cell viability and increases MM cell susceptibility to immune-mediated clearance. Furthermore, our findings indicate that AHR antagonism may represent an effective means to enhance the function of other drugs, such as anti-CD38 antibodies, in future clinical studies. Taken together, these data identify AHR as a novel target for MM therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Hughes
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Francesca Cottini
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Evan Catton
- Biological Sciences Scholars Program, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - David Ciarlariello
- Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Luxi Chen
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Medical Scientist Training Program, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Yiping Yang
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Bei Liu
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Bethany L Mundy-Bosse
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Don M Benson
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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25
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Chinnery F, King CA, Elliott T, Bateman AR, James E. Viral antigen mediated NKp46 activation of NK cells results in tumor rejection via NK-DC crosstalk. Oncoimmunology 2021; 1:874-883. [PMID: 23162755 PMCID: PMC3489743 DOI: 10.4161/onci.20636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells play a critical role in antitumor immunity, their activation being regulated through NK cell receptors. Although the endogenous ligands for these receptors are largely unknown, viral ligands have been identified. We investigated the ability of an activating NK receptor ligand derived from the mumps virus, haemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) to enhance NK activation against tumor cells. HN-expressing B16.OVA tumor cells induced stronger activation of NK cells compared with B16.OVA cells and also promoted dendritic cell (DC) activation toward a DC1 phenotype, in vitro. Moreover, incubation of DCs, NK cells and HN-expressing B16-OVA cells further enhanced NK cell activation through the NK-DC crosstalk, in a cell-to-cell contact- and IL-12-dependent fashion. Immunization of mice with HN-expressing B16-OVA cells resulted in > 85% survival rate after subsequent challenge with parental B16 or B16.OVA tumor cells. Tumor rejection was dependent on both NK and CD8+ T cells but not on CD4+ T cells, demonstrating induction of an effective adaptive immune response through innate immune cell activation. Our data indicate the potential of using robust NK cell activation, which through the NK-DC crosstalk stimulates effective antitumor responses, providing an alternate vaccine strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fay Chinnery
- Cancer Sciences Unit; Faculty of Medicine; University of Southampton; Southampton, UK
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26
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T-Cell Dysfunction as a Limitation of Adoptive Immunotherapy: Current Concepts and Mitigation Strategies. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040598. [PMID: 33546277 PMCID: PMC7913380 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary T cells are immune cells that can be used to target infections or cancers. Adoptive T-cell immunotherapy leverages these properties and/or confers new features to T cells through ex vivo manipulations prior to their use in patients. However, as a “living drug,” the function of these cells can be hampered by several built-in physiological constraints and external factors that limit their efficacy. Manipulating T cells ex vivo can impart dysfunctional features to T cells through repeated stimulations and expansion, but it also offers many opportunities to improve the therapeutic potential of these cells, including emerging interventions to prevent or reverse T-cell dysfunction developing ex vivo or after transfer in patients. This review outlines the various forms of T-cell dysfunction, emphasizes how it affects various types of T-cell immunotherapy approaches, and describes current and anticipated strategies to limit T-cell dysfunction. Abstract Over the last decades, cellular immunotherapy has revealed its curative potential. However, inherent physiological characteristics of immune cells can limit the potency of this approach. Best defined in T cells, dysfunction associated with terminal differentiation, exhaustion, senescence, and activation-induced cell death, undermine adoptive cell therapies. In this review, we concentrate on how the multiple mechanisms that articulate the various forms of immune dysfunction impact cellular therapies primarily involving conventional T cells, but also other lymphoid subtypes. The repercussions of immune cell dysfunction across the full life cycle of cell therapy, from the source material, during manufacturing, and after adoptive transfer, are discussed, with an emphasis on strategies used during ex vivo manipulations to limit T-cell dysfunction. Applicable to cellular products prepared from native and unmodified immune cells, as well as genetically engineered therapeutics, the understanding and potential modulation of dysfunctional features are key to the development of improved cellular immunotherapies.
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27
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Pazina T, MacFarlane AW, Bernabei L, Dulaimi E, Kotcher R, Yam C, Bezman NA, Robbins MD, Ross EA, Campbell KS, Cohen AD. Alterations of NK Cell Phenotype in the Disease Course of Multiple Myeloma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13020226. [PMID: 33435153 PMCID: PMC7827733 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13020226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Multiple myeloma (MM) is a deadly cancer localized in the bone marrow, where changes can support progression and therapy resistance. This study examined the expression of numerous biological markers on natural killer (NK) cells in blood and bone marrow of patients with MM. NK cells play key roles in the innate immunosurveillance of MM, so we sought to identify biomarkers on NK cells that may be prognostic for patient outcomes and identify new therapeutic targets in these patients. Biomarker expression was compared on NK cells between MM disease stages and healthy donors, between blood and bone marrow, and associations with disease progression. The study shows that loss of certain biomarkers on NK cells may limit their anti-tumor function in MM patients, that several drug-targetable biomarkers are upregulated on NK cells, and that high expression of the biomarker, SLAMF7, may have prognostic potential to identify patients more likely to show rapid disease progression. Abstract Accumulating evidence demonstrates important roles for natural killer (NK) cells in controlling multiple myeloma (MM). A prospective flow cytometry-based analysis of NK cells in the blood and bone marrow (BM) of MM patient subgroups was performed (smoldering (SMM), newly diagnosed (ND), relapsed/refractory, (RR) and post-stem cell transplantation (pSCT)). Assessments included the biomarker expression and function of NK cells, correlations between the expression of receptors on NK cells with their ligands on myeloma cells, and comparisons between MM patient subgroups and healthy controls. The most striking differences from healthy controls were found in RR and pSCT patients, in which NK cells were less mature and expressed reduced levels of the activating receptors DNAM-1, NKG2D, and CD16. These differences were more pronounced in the BM than in blood, including upregulation of the therapeutic targets TIM3, TIGIT, ICOS, and GITR. Their expression suggests NK cells became exhausted upon chronic encounters with the tumor. A high expression of SLAMF7 on blood NK cells correlated with shorter progression-free survival. This correlation was particularly evident in ND patients, including on mature CD56dim NK cells in the BM. Thus, our NK cell analysis identified possible therapeutic targets in MM and a biomarker with prognostic potential for disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Pazina
- Blood Cell Development and Function Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (T.P.); (A.W.M.IV)
- FSBSI “Institute of Experimental Medicine”, Department of General Pathology and Pathological Physiology, 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Alexander W. MacFarlane
- Blood Cell Development and Function Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (T.P.); (A.W.M.IV)
| | - Luca Bernabei
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.B.); (R.K.); (C.Y.)
| | - Essel Dulaimi
- Department of Pathology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA;
| | - Rebecca Kotcher
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.B.); (R.K.); (C.Y.)
| | - Clinton Yam
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.B.); (R.K.); (C.Y.)
| | | | | | - Eric A. Ross
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Facility, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA;
| | - Kerry S. Campbell
- Blood Cell Development and Function Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (T.P.); (A.W.M.IV)
- Correspondence: (K.S.C.); (A.D.C.); Tel.: +1-215-728-7761 (K.S.C.); +1-215-615-5853 (A.D.C.)
| | - Adam D. Cohen
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (L.B.); (R.K.); (C.Y.)
- Correspondence: (K.S.C.); (A.D.C.); Tel.: +1-215-728-7761 (K.S.C.); +1-215-615-5853 (A.D.C.)
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28
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Russo E, Santoni A, Bernardini G. Tumor inhibition or tumor promotion? The duplicity of CXCR3 in cancer. J Leukoc Biol 2020; 108:673-685. [PMID: 32745326 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.5mr0320-205r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor tissue includes cancer cells and normal stromal cells such as vascular endothelial cells, connective tissue cells (cancer associated fibroblast, mesenchymal stem cell), and immune cells (tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes or TIL, dendritic cells, eosinophils, basophils, mast cells, tumor-associated macrophages or TAM, myeloid-derived suppressor cells or MDSC). Anti-tumor activity is mainly mediated by infiltration of NK cells, Th1 and CD8+ T cells, and correlates with expression of NK cell and T cell attracting chemokines. Nevertheless, cancer cells hijack tissue homeostasis through secretion of cytokines and chemokines that mediate not only the induction of an inflamed status that supports cancer cell survival and growth, but also the recruitment and/or activation of immune suppressive cells. CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 are known for their tumor-inhibiting properties, but their overexpression in several hematologic and solid tumors correlates with disease severity, suggesting a role in tumor promotion. The dichotomous nature of CXCR3 ligands activity mainly depends on several molecular mechanisms induced by cancer cells themselves able to divert immune responses and to alter the whole local environment. A deep understanding of the nature of such phenomenon may provide a rationale to build up a CXCR3/ligand axis targeting strategy. In this review, we will discuss the role of CXCR3 in cancer progression and in regulation of anti-tumor immune response and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Russo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Institute Pasteur-Italia, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Santoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Institute Pasteur-Italia, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS, Neuromed, Pozzilli, Isernia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bernardini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Institute Pasteur-Italia, Rome, Italy
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29
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Ljunggren HG. Paths taken towards NK cell-mediated immunotherapy of human cancer-a personal reflection. Scand J Immunol 2020; 93:e12993. [PMID: 33151595 PMCID: PMC7816273 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The discovery that NK cells are able to specifically recognize cells lacking the expression of self‐MHC class I molecules provided the first insight into NK cell recognition of tumour cells. It started a flourishing field of NK cell research aimed at exploring the molecular nature of NK cell receptors involved in tumour cell recognition. While much of the important early work was conducted in murine experimental model systems, studies of human NK cells rapidly followed. Over the years, human NK cell research has swiftly progressed, aided by new detailed molecular information on human NK cell development, differentiation, molecular specificity, tissue heterogeneity and functional capacity. NK cells have also been studied in many different diseases aside from cancer, including viral diseases, autoimmunity, allergy and primary immunodeficiencies. These fields of research have all, indirectly or directly, provided further insights into NK cell‐mediated recognition of target cells and paved the way for the development of NK cell‐based immunotherapies for human cancer. Excitingly, NK cell‐based immunotherapy now opens up for novel strategies aimed towards treating malignant diseases, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Reviewed here are some personal reflections of select contributions leading up to the current state‐of‐the‐art in the field, with a particular emphasis on contributions from our own laboratory. This review is part of a series of articles on immunology in Scandinavia, published in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Scandinavian Society for Immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Department of Medicine, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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30
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Caruso S, De Angelis B, Carlomagno S, Del Bufalo F, Sivori S, Locatelli F, Quintarelli C. NK cells as adoptive cellular therapy for hematological malignancies: Advantages and hurdles. Semin Hematol 2020; 57:175-184. [DOI: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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31
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Shin J, Lee DY, Kim B, Yoon JI. Effect of polyethylene glycol molecular weight on cell growth behavior of polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose/polyethylene glycol hydrogel. J Appl Polym Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/app.49568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ji‐Yeon Shin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Daelim University Anyang South Korea
| | - Deuk Yong Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Daelim University Anyang South Korea
| | - Bae‐Yeon Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering Incheon National University Incheon South Korea
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33
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Tarazona R, Lopez-Sejas N, Guerrero B, Hassouneh F, Valhondo I, Pera A, Sanchez-Correa B, Pastor N, Duran E, Alonso C, Solana R. Current progress in NK cell biology and NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020; 69:879-899. [PMID: 32130453 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02532-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A better understanding of the complex interactions between the immune system and tumour cells from different origins has opened the possibility to design novel procedures of antitumoral immunotherapy. One of these novel approaches is based on the use of autologous or allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells to treat cancer. In the last decade, different strategies to activate NK cells and their use in adoptive NK cell-based therapy have been established. Although NK cells are often considered as a uniform cell population, several phenotypic and functionally distinct NK cells subsets exist in healthy individuals, that are differentially affected by ageing or by apparently innocuous viruses such as cytomegalovirus (CMV). In addition, further alterations in the expression of activating and inhibitory receptors are found in NK cells from cancer patients, likely because of their interaction with tumour cells. Thus, NK cells represent a promising strategy for adoptive immunotherapy of cancer already tested in phase 1/2 clinical trials. However, the existence of NK cell subpopulations expressing different patterns of activating and inhibitory receptors and different functional capacities, that can be found to be altered not only in cancer patients but also in healthy individuals stratified by age or CMV infection, makes necessary a personalized definition of the procedures used in the selection, expansion, and activation of the relevant NK cell subsets to be successfully used in NK cell-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Alejandra Pera
- University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain.,Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica (IMIBIC), Córdoba, Spain
| | | | - Nieves Pastor
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Esther Duran
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Corona Alonso
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica (IMIBIC), Córdoba, Spain. .,Reina Sofia University Hospital, Córdoba, Spain. .,Immunology Unit, IMIBIC-Reina Sofia University Hospital-University of Cordoba, Av. Menendez Pidal, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
| | - Rafael Solana
- University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain. .,Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica (IMIBIC), Córdoba, Spain. .,Reina Sofia University Hospital, Córdoba, Spain. .,Immunology Unit, IMIBIC-Reina Sofia University Hospital-University of Cordoba, Av. Menendez Pidal, 14004, Córdoba, Spain.
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34
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Shimasaki N, Jain A, Campana D. NK cells for cancer immunotherapy. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2020; 19:200-218. [PMID: 31907401 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-019-0052-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 637] [Impact Index Per Article: 159.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells can swiftly kill multiple adjacent cells if these show surface markers associated with oncogenic transformation. This property, which is unique among immune cells, and their capacity to enhance antibody and T cell responses support a role for NK cells as anticancer agents. Although tumours may develop several mechanisms to resist attacks from endogenous NK cells, ex vivo activation, expansion and genetic modification of NK cells can greatly increase their antitumour activity and equip them to overcome resistance. Some of these methods have been translated into clinical-grade platforms and support clinical trials of NK cell infusions in patients with haematological malignancies or solid tumours, which have yielded encouraging results so far. The next generation of NK cell products will be engineered to enhance activating signals and proliferation, suppress inhibitory signals and promote their homing to tumours. These modifications promise to significantly increase their clinical activity. Finally, there is emerging evidence of increased NK cell-mediated tumour cell killing in the context of molecularly targeted therapies. These observations, in addition to the capacity of NK cells to magnify immune responses, suggest that NK cells are poised to become key components of multipronged therapeutic strategies for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriko Shimasaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Amit Jain
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Dario Campana
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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Abstract
The clinical success of chimeric antigen receptor-directed T cells in leukemia and lymphoma has boosted the interest in cellular therapy of cancer. It has been known for nearly half a century that a subset of lymphocytes called natural killer (NK) cells can recognize and kill cancer cells, but their clinical potential as therapeutics has not yet been fully explored. Progress in methods to expand and genetically modify human NK cells has resulted in technologies that allow the production of large numbers of highly potent cells with specific anticancer activity. Here, we describe clinically applicable protocols for NK cell engineering, including expansion of NK cells and genetic modification using electroporation of messenger RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriko Shimasaki
- Departments of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Dario Campana
- Departments of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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36
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Hosseinzadeh F, Ai J, Ebrahimi-Barough S, Seyhoun I, Hajifathali A, Muhammadnejad S, Hosseinzadeh F, Shadnoush M, Dabiri Oskouei F, Verdi J. Natural Killer Cell Expansion with Autologous Feeder Layer and Anti-CD3 Antibody for Immune Cell Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2019; 20:3797-3803. [PMID: 31870124 PMCID: PMC7173374 DOI: 10.31557/apjcp.2019.20.12.3797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: one of the promising approaches for treatment of some cancers is adoptive cell therapy using natural killer (NK) cells. Various methods have been investigated for ex vivo expansion of NK cells in large-scale, but most of them involved cancer or genetically modified cells as feeder layer and also some of them have the risk of T cell contamination and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Method: In this study, irradiated autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as feeder layer with an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) were used. For activation and expansion of NK cells, human recombinant IL2 and IL15 were used. After co-culturing of expanded NK cells (eNKC) and isolated NK cells (iNKC) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, the viability of eNKC in compared to iNKC were analyzed by CCK-8 assay and degranulation of NK cells after co-culturing was assayed by measuring CD107a expression. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) assay was used for the ability of NK cells to secretion of IFN-γ (interferon-γ) and TNF-α (Tumor Necrosis Factor-α) after co-culture with HCC cells. Real Time PCR analysis was used for expression of human Perforin and Granzyme B genes in the NK cells exposed to target HepG2 cells. Result: This method strongly expanded highly purified NK cells with powerful cytotoxicity against HCC cells. The expanded NK cells showed high level of expression of degranulation marker and human Perforin and Granzyme B genes, and also was secreted larger amounts of TNF-α and IFN-γ compared with fresh isolated NK cells. Conclusion: we proposed an effective method for expansion of cytotoxic NK cells using irradiated autologous PBMC as feeder layer for more successful transfer of allogeneic NK cell in immuno cell therapy of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faezeh Hosseinzadeh
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences,School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine,Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Tissue Engineering, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Jafar Ai
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences,School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine,Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Somayeh Ebrahimi-Barough
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences,School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine,Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Iman Seyhoun
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences,School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine,Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Hajifathali
- Taleghani Bone Marrow Transplantation Center,Taleghani Hospital,Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences,Tehran, Iran
| | - Samad Muhammadnejad
- Cell-Based Therapies Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mahdi Shadnoush
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition & Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Javad Verdi
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences,School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine,Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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37
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Torabi-Rahvar M, Aghayan HR, Ahmadbeigi N. Antigen-independent killer cells prepared for adoptive immunotherapy: One source, divergent protocols, diverse nomenclature. J Immunol Methods 2019; 477:112690. [PMID: 31678265 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2019.112690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) using tumor antigen-independent killer cells has been widely used in clinical trials of cancer treatment. Circumventing the need for identification of a particular tumor-associated antigen on tumor cells, the approach has opened possibilities for the extension of ACT immunotherapy to patients with a wide variety of cancer types. Namely, Natural Killer (NK), Lymphokine-activated Killer (LAK) cells and Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are the most commonly used cell types in antigen-independent adoptive immunotherapy of cancer. They all originate from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and share several common features in their killing mechanisms. However, despite broad application in clinical settings, the boundaries between these cell types are not very clearly defined. The current study aims to review different aspects of these cell populations in terms of phenotypical characteristic and preparation media, to clarify how the boundaries are set.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hamid-Reza Aghayan
- Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Molecular Cellular Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Naser Ahmadbeigi
- Cell-Based Therapies Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute,Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, North Kargar Ave, 14117 Tehran, Iran.
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38
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Lee DA. Cellular therapy: Adoptive immunotherapy with expanded natural killer cells. Immunol Rev 2019; 290:85-99. [DOI: 10.1111/imr.12793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dean A. Lee
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Ohio
- Department of Pediatrics The Ohio State University Columbus Ohio
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39
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Levy E, Reger R, Segerberg F, Lambert M, Leijonhufvud C, Baumer Y, Carlsten M, Childs R. Enhanced Bone Marrow Homing of Natural Killer Cells Following mRNA Transfection With Gain-of-Function Variant CXCR4 R334X. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1262. [PMID: 31231387 PMCID: PMC6560173 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01262] [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: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of natural killer (NK) cells can induce remission in patients with relapsed/refractory leukemia and myeloma. However, to date, clinical efficacy of NK cell immunotherapy has been limited to a sub-fraction of patients. Here we show that steps incorporated in the ex vivo manipulation/production of NK cell products used for adoptive infusion, such as over-night IL-2 activation or cryopreservation followed by ex vivo expansion, drastically decreases NK cell surface expression of the bone marrow (BM) homing chemokine receptor CXCR4. Reduced CXCR4 expression was associated with dampened in vitro NK cell migration toward its cognate ligand stromal-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α). NK cells isolated from patients with WHIM syndrome carry gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in CXCR4 (CXCR4R334X). Compared to healthy donors, we observed that NK cells expanded from WHIM patients have similar surface levels of CXCR4 but have a much stronger propensity to home to BM compartments when adoptively infused into NOD-scid IL2Rgammanull (NSG) mice. Therefore, in order to augment the capacity of adoptively infused NK cells to home to the BM, we genetically engineered ex vivo expanded NK cells to express the naturally occurring GOF CXCR4R334X receptor variant. Transfection of CXCR4R334X-coding mRNA into ex vivo expanded NK cells using a clinically applicable method consistently led to an increase in cell surface CXCR4 without altering NK cell phenotype, cytotoxic function, or compromising NK cell viability. Compared to non-transfected and wild type CXCR4-coding mRNA transfected counterparts, CXCR4R334X-engineered NK cells had significantly greater chemotaxis toward SDF-1α in vitro. Importantly, expression of CXCR4R334X on expanded NK cells resulted in significantly greater BM homing following adoptive transfer into NSG mice compared to non-transfected NK cell controls. Collectively, these data suggest up-regulation of cell surface CXCR4R334X on ex vivo expanded NK cells via mRNA transfection represents a novel approach to improve homing and target NK cell-based immunotherapies to BM where hematological malignancies reside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Levy
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.,The Department of Molecular Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Robert Reger
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Filip Segerberg
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Melanie Lambert
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Caroline Leijonhufvud
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yvonne Baumer
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Mattias Carlsten
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.,Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Richard Childs
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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40
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Patel S, Burga RA, Powell AB, Chorvinsky EA, Hoq N, McCormack SE, Van Pelt SN, Hanley PJ, Cruz CRY. Beyond CAR T Cells: Other Cell-Based Immunotherapeutic Strategies Against Cancer. Front Oncol 2019; 9:196. [PMID: 31024832 PMCID: PMC6467966 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells have successfully harnessed T cell immunity against malignancies, but they are by no means the only cell therapies in development for cancer. Main Text Summary: Systemic immunity is thought to play a key role in combatting neoplastic disease; in this vein, genetic modifications meant to explore other components of T cell immunity are being evaluated. In addition, other immune cells—from both the innate and adaptive compartments—are in various stages of clinical application. In this review, we focus on these non-CAR T cell immunotherapeutic approaches for malignancy. The first section describes engineering T cells to express non-CAR constructs, and the second section describes other gene-modified cells used to target malignancy. Conclusions: CAR T cell therapies have demonstrated the clinical benefits of harnessing our body's own defenses to combat tumor cells. Similar research is being conducted on lesser known modifications and gene-modified immune cells, which we highlight in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnum Patel
- GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Rachel A Burga
- GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Allison B Powell
- GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Chorvinsky
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Nia Hoq
- GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Sarah E McCormack
- GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Stacey N Van Pelt
- GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Patrick J Hanley
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Conrad Russell Y Cruz
- GW Cancer Center, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.,Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States
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41
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Wagner AK, Alici E, Lowdell MW. Characterization of human natural killer cells for therapeutic use. Cytotherapy 2019; 21:315-326. [PMID: 30910383 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
As a part of the innate immune system, natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that can exert cytotoxic activity against infected or transformed cells. Furthermore, due to their expression of a functional Fc receptor, they have also been eluded as a major effector fraction in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. These characteristics have led to multiple efforts to use them for adoptive immunotherapy against various malignancies. There are now at least 70 clinical trials testing the safety and efficacy of NK cell products around the world in early-phase clinical trials. NK cells are also being tested in the context of tumor retargeting via chimeric antigen receptors, other genetic modification strategies, as well as tumor-specific activation strategies such as bispecific engagers with or without cytokine stimulations. One advantage of the use of NK cells for adoptive immunotherapy is their potential to overcome HLA barriers. This has led to a plethora of sources, such as cord blood hematopoietic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, which can generate comparatively high cytotoxic NK cells to peripheral blood counterparts. However, the variety of the sources has led to a heterogeneity in the characterization of the final infusion product. Therefore, in this review, we will discuss a comparative assessment strategy, from characterization of NK cells at collection to final product release by various phenotypic and functional assays, in an effort to predict potency of the cellular product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnika K Wagner
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Evren Alici
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mark W Lowdell
- Department of Haematology, Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK.
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42
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Du Y, Wei Y. Therapeutic Potential of Natural Killer Cells in Gastric Cancer. Front Immunol 2019; 9:3095. [PMID: 30719024 PMCID: PMC6348255 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.03095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers, with a high incidence of cancer death. Despite various therapeutic approaches, the cures and prognosis of advanced GC remain poor. Natural killer (NK) cells, which are known as important lymphocytes in innate immunity, play vital roles in suppressing GC initiation, progression, and metastases. A wide range of clinical settings shows that increasing the number of NK cells or improving NK cell antitumor activity is promising in GC patients. NK cell adoptive therapy (especially expanded NK cells) is a safe and well-tolerated method, which can enhance NK cell cytotoxicity against GC. Meanwhile, cytokines, immunomodulatory drugs, immune checkpoint blockades, antibodies, vaccines, and gene therapy have been found to directly or indirectly activate NK cells to improve their killing activity toward GC. In this review, we summarize recent advancements in the relationship between NK cells and GC and point out all the innovative strategies that can enhance NK cells' function to inhibit the growth of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Du
- Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yongchang Wei
- Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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43
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Tognarelli S, Wirsching S, von Metzler I, Rais B, Jacobs B, Serve H, Bader P, Ullrich E. Enhancing the Activation and Releasing the Brakes: A Double Hit Strategy to Improve NK Cell Cytotoxicity Against Multiple Myeloma. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2743. [PMID: 30542346 PMCID: PMC6277768 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes with a strong antitumor ability. In tumor patients, such as multiple myeloma (MM) patients, an elevated number of NK cells after stem cell transplantation (SCT) has been reported to be correlated with a higher overall survival rate. With the aim of improving NK cell use for adoptive cell therapy, we also addressed the cytotoxicity of patient-derived, cytokine-stimulated NK cells against MM cells at specific time points: at diagnosis and before and after autologous stem cell transplantation. Remarkably, after cytokine stimulation, the patients' NK cells did not significantly differ from those of healthy donors. In a small cohort of MM patients, we were able to isolate autologous tumor cells, and we could demonstrate that IL-2/15 stimulated autologous NK cells were able to significantly improve their killing capacity of autologous tumor cells. With the aim to further improve the NK cell killing capacity against MM cells, we investigated the potential use of NK specific check point inhibitors with focus on NKG2A because this inhibitory NK cell receptor was upregulated following ex vivo cytokine stimulation and MM cells showed HLA-E expression that could even be increased by exposure to IFN-γ. Importantly, blocking of NKG2A resulted in a significant increase in the NK cell-mediated lysis of different MM target cells. Finally, these results let suggest that combining cytokine induced NK cell activation and the specific check point inhibition of the NKG2A-mediated pathways can be an effective strategy to optimize NK cell therapeutic approaches for treatment of multiple myeloma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Tognarelli
- Childrens Hospital, Experimental Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Childrens Hospital, Department of Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sebastian Wirsching
- Childrens Hospital, Experimental Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Childrens Hospital, Department of Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ivana von Metzler
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Bushra Rais
- Childrens Hospital, Experimental Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Childrens Hospital, Department of Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Benedikt Jacobs
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hubert Serve
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Bader
- Childrens Hospital, Experimental Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- Childrens Hospital, Experimental Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Childrens Hospital, Department of Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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44
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Suen WCW, Lee WYW, Leung KT, Pan XH, Li G. Natural Killer Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapy: A Review on 10 Years Completed Clinical Trials. Cancer Invest 2018; 36:431-457. [PMID: 30325244 DOI: 10.1080/07357907.2018.1515315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
NK cell cancer immunotherapy is an emerging anti-tumour therapeutic strategy that explores NK cell stimulation. In this review, we address strategies developed to circumvent limitations to clinical application of NK cell-based therapies, and comprehensively review the design and results of clinical trials conducted in the past 10 years (2008-2018) to test their therapeutic potential. NK cell-based immunotherapy of solid cancers remains controversial, but merit further detailed investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wade Chun-Wai Suen
- a Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine , The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Shatin , Hong Kong.,b Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology , Bao-An People's Hospital , Shenzhen , PR China.,c Department of Haematology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK
| | - Wayne Yuk-Wai Lee
- a Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine , The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Shatin , Hong Kong.,d Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Lui Che Woo Institute of Innovative Medicine, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences , The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Shatin , Hong Kong
| | - Kam-Tong Leung
- e Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Shatin , Hong Kong
| | - Xiao-Hua Pan
- b Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology , Bao-An People's Hospital , Shenzhen , PR China
| | - Gang Li
- a Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine , The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Shatin , Hong Kong.,d Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Lui Che Woo Institute of Innovative Medicine, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences , The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Shatin , Hong Kong.,f The CUHK-ACC Space Medicine Centre on Health Maintenance of Musculoskeletal System , The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute , Shenzhen , PR China
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45
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Fionda C, Stabile H, Molfetta R, Soriani A, Bernardini G, Zingoni A, Gismondi A, Paolini R, Cippitelli M, Santoni A. Translating the anti-myeloma activity of Natural Killer cells into clinical application. Cancer Treat Rev 2018; 70:255-264. [PMID: 30326421 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Natural Killer cells (NK) are innate effector cells with a critical role in immunosurveillance against different kinds of cancer cells, including Multiple Myeloma (MM). However, the number and/or function of these lymphocytes are strongly reduced during MM progression and in advanced clinical stages. A better understanding of the mechanisms controlling both MM and NK cell biology have greatly contributed to develop novel and combined therapeutic strategies in the treatment of this incurable hematologic malignancy. These include approaches to reverse the immunosuppressive MM microenvironment or potentiate the natural or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of NK cells. Moreover, chemotherapeutic drugs or specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can render cancer cells more susceptible to NK cell-mediated recognition and lysis; direct enhancement of NK cell function can be obtained by means of immunomodulatory drugs, cytokines and blocking mAbs targeting NK cell inhibitory receptors. Finally, adoptive transfer of ex-vivo expanded and genetically manipulated NK cells is also a promising therapeutic tool for MM. Here, we review current knowledge on complex mechanisms affecting NK cell activity during MM progression. We also discuss recent advances on innovative approaches aimed at boosting the functions of these cytotoxic innate lymphocytes. In particular, we focus our attention on recent preclinical and clinical studies addressing the therapeutic potential of different NK cell-based strategies for the management of MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Fionda
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy.
| | - Helena Stabile
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosa Molfetta
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Soriani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bernardini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy; IRCCS NEUROMED, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
| | - Alessandra Zingoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Gismondi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Paolini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Cippitelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Santoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy; IRCCS NEUROMED, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
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46
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Bifunctional PD-1 × αCD3 × αCD33 fusion protein reverses adaptive immune escape in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 2018; 132:2484-2494. [PMID: 30275109 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2018-05-849802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The CD33-targeting bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) AMG 330 proved to be highly efficient in mediating cytolysis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells in vitro and in mouse models. Yet, T-cell activation is correlated with upregulation of programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and other inhibitory checkpoints on AML cells that confer adaptive immune resistance. PD-1 and PD-L1 blocking agents may counteract T-cell dysfunction, however, at the expense of broadly distributed immune-related adverse events (irAEs). We developed a bifunctional checkpoint inhibitory T cell-engaging (CiTE) antibody that combines T-cell redirection to CD33 on AML cells with locally restricted immune checkpoint blockade. This is accomplished by fusing the extracellular domain of PD-1 (PD-1ex), which naturally holds a low affinity to PD-L1, to an αCD3.αCD33 BiTE-like scaffold. By a synergistic effect of checkpoint blockade and avidity-dependent binding, the PD-1ex attachment increases T-cell activation (3.3-fold elevation of interferon-γ) and leads to efficient and highly selective cytotoxicity against CD33+PD-L1+ cell lines (50% effective concentration = 2.3-26.9 pM) as well as patient-derived AML cells (n = 8). In a murine xenograft model, the CiTE induces complete AML eradication without initial signs of irAEs as measured by body weight loss. We conclude that our molecule preferentially targets AML cells, whereas high-affinity blockers, such as clinically approved anticancer agents, also address PD-L1+ non-AML cells. By combining the high efficacy of T-cell engagers with immune checkpoint blockade in a single molecule, we expect to minimize irAEs associated with the systemic application of immune checkpoint inhibitors and suggest high therapeutic potential, particularly for patients with relapsed/ refractory AML.
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47
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Braciak TA, Roskopf CC, Wildenhain S, Fenn NC, Schiller CB, Schubert IA, Jacob U, Honegger A, Krupka C, Subklewe M, Spiekermann K, Hopfner KP, Fey GH, Aigner M, Krause S, Mackensen A, Oduncu FS. Dual-targeting triplebody 33-16-123 (SPM-2) mediates effective redirected lysis of primary blasts from patients with a broad range of AML subtypes in combination with natural killer cells. Oncoimmunology 2018; 7:e1472195. [PMID: 30228941 PMCID: PMC6140553 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1472195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of agents designed for immunotherapy of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) are in preclinical and early clinical development. Most of them target a single antigen on the surface of AML cells. Here we describe the development and key biological properties of a tri-specific agent, the dual-targeting triplebody SPM-2, with binding sites for target antigens CD33 and CD123, and for CD16 to engage NK cells as cytolytic effectors. Primary blasts of nearly all AML patients carry at least one of these target antigens and the pair is particularly promising for the elimination of blasts and leukemia stem cells (LSCs) from a majority of AML patients by dual-targeting agents. The cytolytic activity of NK cells mediated by SPM-2 was analyzed in vitro for primary leukemic cells from 29 patients with a broad range of AML-subtypes. Blasts from all 29 patients, including patients with genomic alterations associated with an unfavorable genetic subtype, were lysed at nanomolar concentrations of SPM-2. Maximum susceptibility was observed for cells with a combined density of CD33 and CD123 above 10,000 copies/cell. Cell populations enriched for AML-LSCs (CD34pos and CD34pos CD38neg cells) from 2 AML patients carried an increased combined antigen density and were lysed at correspondingly lower concentrations of SPM-2 than unsorted blasts. These initial findings raise the expectation that SPM-2 may also be capable of eliminating AML-LSCs and thus of prolonging survival. In the future, patients with a broad range of AML subtypes may benefit from treatment with SPM-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd A. Braciak
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Claudia C. Roskopf
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sarah Wildenhain
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Nadja C. Fenn
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Christian B. Schiller
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Ingo A. Schubert
- Department of Biology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | | | | | - Christina Krupka
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Laboratory of Translational Cancer Immunol ogy, Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marion Subklewe
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Laboratory of Translational Cancer Immunol ogy, Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Karsten Spiekermann
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Karl-Peter Hopfner
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Georg H. Fey
- Department of Biology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Aigner
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology/Oncology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stefan Krause
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology/Oncology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Mackensen
- Department of Internal Medicine 5 - Hematology/Oncology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Fuat S. Oduncu
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
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48
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Schmidt S, Tramsen L, Rais B, Ullrich E, Lehrnbecher T. Natural killer cells as a therapeutic tool for infectious diseases - current status and future perspectives. Oncotarget 2018; 9:20891-20907. [PMID: 29755697 PMCID: PMC5945539 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells are involved in the host immune response against infections due to viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens, all of which are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Since the recovery of the immune system has a major impact on the outcome of an infectious complication, there is major interest in strengthening the host response in immunocompromised patients, either by using cytokines or growth factors or by adoptive cellular therapies transfusing immune cells such as granulocytes or pathogen-specific T-cells. To date, relatively little is known about the potential of adoptively transferring NK cells in immunocompromised patients with infectious complications, although the anti-cancer property of NK cells is already being investigated in the clinical setting. This review will focus on the antimicrobial properties of NK cells and the current standing and future perspectives of generating and using NK cells as immunotherapy in patients with infectious complications, an approach which is promising and might have an important clinical impact in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislaw Schmidt
- Division for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lars Tramsen
- Division for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Bushra Rais
- Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Laboratory for Cellular Immunology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Cellular Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Laboratory for Cellular Immunology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Cellular Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Thomas Lehrnbecher
- Division for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Cellular Immunology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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Schiller CB, Braciak TA, Fenn NC, Seidel UJE, Roskopf CC, Wildenhain S, Honegger A, Schubert IA, Schele A, Lämmermann K, Fey GH, Jacob U, Lang P, Hopfner KP, Oduncu FS. CD19-specific triplebody SPM-1 engages NK and γδ T cells for rapid and efficient lysis of malignant B-lymphoid cells. Oncotarget 2018; 7:83392-83408. [PMID: 27825135 PMCID: PMC5347777 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Triplebodies are antibody-derived recombinant proteins carrying 3 antigen-binding domains in a single polypeptide chain. Triplebody SPM-1 was designed for lysis of CD19-bearing malignant B-lymphoid cells through the engagement of CD16-expressing cytolytic effectors, including NK and γδ T cells. SPM-1 is an optimized version of triplebody ds(19-16-19) and includes humanization, disulfide stabilization and the removal of potentially immunogenic sequences. A three-step chromatographic procedure yielded 1.7 - 5.5 mg of purified, monomeric protein per liter of culture medium. In cytolysis assays with NK cell effectors, SPM-1 mediated potent lysis of cancer-derived B cell lines and primary cells from patients with various B-lymphoid malignancies, which surpassed the ADCC activity of the therapeutic antibody Rituximab. EC50-values ranged from 3 to 86 pM. Finally, in an impedance-based assay, SPM-1 mediated a particularly rapid lysis of CD19-bearing target cells by engaging and activating both primary and expanded human γδ T cells from healthy donors as effectors. These data establish SPM-1 as a useful tool for a kinetic analysis of the cytolytic reactions mediated by γδ T and NK cells and as an agent deserving further development towards clinical use for the treatment of B-lymphoid malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian B Schiller
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Todd A Braciak
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Nadja C Fenn
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Ursula J E Seidel
- Department of General Paediatrics, Oncology/Haematology, University Children's Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claudia C Roskopf
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sarah Wildenhain
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Ingo A Schubert
- Department of Biology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alexandra Schele
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Kerstin Lämmermann
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Peter Lang
- Department of General Paediatrics, Oncology/Haematology, University Children's Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl-Peter Hopfner
- Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Fuat S Oduncu
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
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50
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Roskopf CC, Braciak TA, Fenn NC, Kobold S, Fey GH, Hopfner KP, Oduncu FS. Dual-targeting triplebody 33-3-19 mediates selective lysis of biphenotypic CD19+ CD33+ leukemia cells. Oncotarget 2017; 7:22579-89. [PMID: 26981773 PMCID: PMC5008383 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Simultaneous targeting of multiple tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) in cancer immunotherapy is presumed to enhance tumor cell selectivity and to reduce immune escape. The combination of B lymphoid marker CD19 and myeloid marker CD33 is exclusively present on biphenotypic B/myeloid leukemia cells. Triplebody 33-3-19 binds specifically to both of these TAAs and activates T cells as immune effectors. Thereby it induces specific lysis of established myeloid (MOLM13, THP-1) and B-lymphoid cell lines (BV173, SEM, Raji, ARH77) as well as of primary patient cells. EC50 values range from 3 pM to 2.4 nM. In accordance with our hypothesis, 33-3-19 is able to induce preferential lysis of double- rather than single-positive leukemia cells in a target cell mixture: CD19/CD33 double-positive BV173 cells were eliminated to a significantly greater extent than CD19 single-positive SEM cells (36.6% vs. 20.9% in 3 hours, p = 0.0048) in the presence of both cell lines. In contrast, equivalent elimination efficiencies were observed for both cell lines, when control triplebody 19-3-19 or a mixture of the bispecific single chain variable fragments 19-3 and 33-3 were used. This result highlights the potential of dual-targeting agents for efficient and selective immune-intervention in leukemia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia C Roskopf
- Klinikum der Universität München, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Hematology/Oncology, Munich, Germany
| | - Todd A Braciak
- Klinikum der Universität München, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Hematology/Oncology, Munich, Germany
| | - Nadja C Fenn
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kobold
- Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM) and Klinikum der Universität München, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Munich, Germany
| | - Georg H Fey
- Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Biology, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Karl-Peter Hopfner
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department of Biochemistry and Gene Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Fuat S Oduncu
- Klinikum der Universität München, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Hematology/Oncology, Munich, Germany
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